30 end-of-term ESL games
Games and activities for the last weeks of term that still practise English: each one with the level, the time, the preparation, the language it practises and exactly how to run it.
Team games for the whole class
Noisy, competitive and full of review: perfect for the last week of term.
Taboo
15 minA2+5 min prep
- Write words from this term on cards, each with 3 "taboo" words that can't be said (for "teacher": school, class, lesson).
- One learner describes the word to their team without the taboo words; the team has 1 minute to guess as many as possible.
- The other team watches the taboo list and buzzes if a forbidden word is used.
Language: Defining and paraphrasing: "It's a thing you use to…", "It's the opposite of…"
Pictionary review
15 minA1+No prep
- Divide the board in two. One learner from each team draws the same word at the same time.
- Teams guess in full sentences: "Is it a bridge?" Only correct English scores.
- The first team to guess wins a point; rotate the artists.
Language: Vocabulary from the term; guessing with "Is it a…?"
Jeopardy review quiz
25 minA2+15 min prep
- Draw a grid on the board: 5 categories (Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, Say it!, Mystery) and 100–500 points.
- Teams choose a square; you read the question. Correct answer wins the points, a wrong one gives the other team a chance.
- Make "Say it!" squares speaking tasks: "Talk for 30 seconds about your favourite lesson this term."
Language: Everything from the term: grammar, vocabulary, spelling
Running dictation
15 minA2+5 min prep
- Stick a short text (5–6 sentences) on the wall outside or at the back of the room.
- In pairs, the runner reads, remembers a few words, runs back and dictates to the writer. They swap roles halfway.
- The first pair with the complete, correctly spelled text wins. Check against the original together.
Language: Reading, memorising, spelling and dictating a short text
Grammar tic-tac-toe
15 minA2+5 min prep
- Draw a 3x3 grid on the board with a prompt in each square ("past simple of go", "a question with have you ever").
- Two teams take turns: say a correct sentence for the prompt to win the square.
- Three squares in a row wins. Wrong sentences go to the other team to correct.
Language: Grammar from the term in full sentences
Who wants to be a millionaire?
20 minA2+15 min prep
- Prepare 10 multiple-choice questions that get harder, on slides or the board.
- Teams answer on mini whiteboards or paper. Each team has three lifelines: 50/50, ask another team, ask the teacher.
- Teams that answer wrongly drop out until the next round; the last team standing wins.
Language: Multiple-choice review of grammar and vocabulary
Vocabulary bingo
15 minA1+5 min prep
- Learners draw a 3x3 grid and fill it with 9 words from a list of 20 on the board.
- Read definitions, not the words: "You use it to open a door."
- The first learner with a line shouts "Bingo!" and must say the 3 words with their definitions to win.
Language: Recognising words from definitions
Paper escape room
30 minB1+15 min prep
- Prepare 4 short puzzles from the term's language (a gap-fill that gives a number, a jumbled sentence that gives a word…).
- Each solved puzzle gives a code that opens the next envelope. Teams must speak English to get the next clue.
- The first team to the final code "escapes". Go over the answers together at the end.
Language: Reading for detail, following instructions, problem-solving in English
Pair and small-group games
Everyone speaks at the same time, so nobody waits for a turn.
Twenty questions
10 minA2+No prep
- Learner A thinks of a person, place or thing from this term.
- Learner B asks up to 20 yes/no questions: "Is it a person?", "Did we read about it?"
- Swap after each word. Count how many questions each guess took.
Language: Yes/no questions in several tenses
Call my bluff
20 minB1+5 min prep
- Give groups of three an unusual English word and its real meaning.
- Each group invents two false definitions; all three learners read a definition convincingly.
- The other groups vote on the real one. Points for fooling the class and for guessing right.
Language: Giving definitions, convincing, agreeing and disagreeing
Desert island
15 minA2+No prep
- Groups imagine they will live on a desert island for a year and can take only 5 things.
- They agree on their list in English and prepare reasons: "We'd take a knife because…"
- Groups present their lists; the class votes for the group most likely to survive.
Language: Would, because, choosing and justifying
Story chain with pictures
15 minA2+5 min prep
- Give each group 6 random pictures (or draw 6 simple icons on the board).
- Groups build a story in which every picture appears, one sentence each, using then, after that, suddenly, in the end.
- Groups tell their story to the class; the class votes for the most creative one.
Language: Narrative tenses and linking words
Spot the difference
10 minA1+5 min prep
- Give learner A and learner B two slightly different pictures. They must not look at each other's.
- They describe their pictures to find 6 differences: "In my picture, the cat is under the table."
- Check as a class: who found all six?
Language: There is / there are, prepositions of place, colours
Quiz, quiz, trade
10 minA2+5 min prep
- Give each learner a card with a question on one side and the answer on the back.
- Learners walk, find a partner, ask and answer each other's questions, then swap cards.
- After 5 minutes, ask which questions were hardest and review them.
Language: Questions and answers on the term's topics
Snakes and ladders review
20 minA1+15 min prep
- Give groups a snakes and ladders board where every square has a task ("Say 3 animals", "Past simple of buy").
- Players roll the dice, move and do the task. A wrong answer means going back to the previous square.
- The first player to the end wins; circulate and note errors for feedback.
Language: Mixed review: each square is a short task
Calm writing activities
For the last lesson before a holiday, when the class needs to settle.
Letter to my future self
20 minA2+No prep
- Learners write a short letter to themselves to open at the end of the school year.
- Give 4 headings on the board: what I learned this term, what was difficult, my goals, a message to future me.
- Collect the letters in envelopes and keep them until June.
Language: Future forms (will, going to, hope to) and reflection
Class awards
20 minA2+No prep
- Each learner picks a classmate's name from a hat (secretly).
- They write a funny, kind award for that person with a superlative: "The best joke-teller in the class because…"
- Read the awards aloud and let the class guess who each one is for.
Language: Superlatives and compliments
Year-in-review timeline
20 minB1+No prep
- Draw a timeline from September to now on the board.
- In pairs, learners add memorable class events with a sentence each: "In October, we did a project on…"
- Finish with present perfect: "This term, I've learned…" Each learner adds one sentence.
Language: Past simple, time expressions and present perfect for experience
Compliment circle
15 minA2+5 min prep
- Each learner writes their name at the top of a sheet of paper.
- Sheets pass around the class; everyone writes one kind, specific sentence about that person and folds the paper.
- Learners take home a page full of compliments, in English.
Language: Adjectives of personality and giving compliments
Make your own crossword
20 minA2+No prep
- Pairs choose 8 words from this term and write a definition for each.
- They build a small crossword on squared paper with numbered clues.
- Pairs swap crosswords and solve each other's.
Language: Vocabulary and writing clear definitions
Winter and holiday activities
Celebrations from around the world, with something for every class.
Winter celebrations around the world quiz
20 minA2+15 min prep
- Prepare 6 short paragraphs about winter celebrations in different countries (Christmas, Hanukkah, Yalda Night, New Year, Yennayer…).
- Groups read and answer a quiz: "Where do people eat 12 grapes at midnight?"
- Groups add a paragraph about a celebration from their own country or family.
Language: Reading short texts; question forms
Guess the gift
10 minA1+5 min prep
- Put an object in a bag or wrap it in paper.
- Learners ask questions to guess it: "Is it made of plastic?", "Can you eat it?"
- The learner who guesses brings the next object or picks the next card.
Language: Describing objects: shape, size, material, use
Greeting cards
20 minA2+5 min prep
- Show 6 useful phrases: "Wishing you a happy…", "I hope you have…", "All the best for…"
- Learners make a card for a classmate, a teacher or a family member, for any celebration they choose.
- Display the cards and let the class vote for the best message.
Language: Wishes and set phrases: I hope…, I wish you…, Have a…
New Year resolutions mingle
15 minA2+No prep
- Learners write 3 resolutions, one of them false.
- They mingle, read them to partners and ask a follow-up question: "How are you going to do that?"
- Partners guess the false resolution; report the most surprising true one to the class.
Language: Going to and will for plans and promises
Snowball fight
10 minA1+No prep
- Each learner writes a question about this term's topics on a sheet of paper and crumples it into a "snowball".
- On your signal, everyone throws their snowballs across the room for 10 seconds.
- Each learner picks up a snowball, reads the question aloud and answers it.
Language: Any questions from the term
Holiday memories interview
15 minB1+No prep
- Write prompts on the board: your best holiday memory, a tradition in your family, a food you always eat in winter.
- Pairs interview each other and take notes.
- Each learner tells the class one interesting thing about their partner.
Language: Past simple and used to for memories
Games for online classes
Work on Zoom, Teams or Meet with the whiteboard, the chat and the camera.
Online Pictionary
10 minA1+No prep
- Send one learner a word privately in the chat.
- They draw it on the shared whiteboard; the others guess in the chat.
- The first correct guess in a full sentence ("Is it a…?") draws next.
Language: Vocabulary from the term
Scavenger hunt at home
10 minA1+No prep
- Call out a description: "something soft", "something older than you", "something from another country".
- Learners have 30 seconds to find it and show it to the camera.
- Each learner says one sentence about their object; the funniest object wins a point.
Language: Describing objects; there is / I've got
Two-minute quiz show
15 minA2+5 min prep
- Prepare 10 fast questions on a slide.
- Learners type answers in the chat but press Enter only when you say "Go!".
- Keep a score on screen; the top three get a round of applause.
Language: Quick review of grammar and vocabulary
Guess the sound
10 minA2+5 min prep
- Play short everyday sounds (a door, rain, a kettle).
- Learners guess in the chat using "It might be…" or "It sounds like…".
- Reveal the answer and ask a follow-up question about each sound.
Language: Speculating: it might be, it sounds like, it could be
Four rules for games that teach
- Give every game a language aim: review the term's grammar or vocabulary, not just fun.
- Demonstrate before you start: play one round with the whole class.
- Keep teams of 3–5 and rotate who answers, so the strongest learner doesn't do everything.
- Note errors while learners play and finish with 3 minutes of feedback.
Planning next term's lessons?
GetLessonWise plans the whole lesson around your topic or textbook page: aims, clear stages with timings, CCQs and ICQs, practice activities and games, and a printable student handout. Your first 2 lessons are free.
Questions teachers ask
- What can I do in the last ESL lesson before the holidays?
- A review game with a clear language focus: a quiz show, Taboo with the term's vocabulary, a running dictation, or a calm writing activity like a letter to your future self. Learners have fun and still use the term's English.
- How do I keep a game useful and not just fun?
- Give it a language aim (the term's grammar or vocabulary), demonstrate one round, rotate who answers so everyone speaks, and finish with three minutes of feedback on the errors you noted.
- Are these games suitable for teenagers?
- Yes. Team competition, movement and choice work especially well with teenagers. Most games also work with adults and online classes.
More free resources: ESL warm-up activities · CCQ and ICQ examples