Boosting Engagement in World Language Classes With Games

As a world language educator, I’ve always sought innovative ways to engage my students through meaningful learning experiences as they build their language skills. One way we do this is through gameplay. The benefits of games go far beyond simply learning and increased retention of vocabulary or grammar. Games can also foster collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills, making learning fun for students.

Over the years, I’ve seen the various challenges that students face with language learning. They must memorize vocabulary and build grammar, listening, reading, and speaking skills, which can sometimes feel overwhelming. Using a mix of tech and no-tech games and activities helps students retain the content better and track their individual progress, which is critical for self-awareness and self-management skills.

There are several benefits that I’ve noticed from using games in my classroom.

1. Improved content retention: Games provide students with more authentic and meaningful ways to engage with the content and boost retention.
2. Increased engagement: Students become more motivated and active in learning and feel more connected in the classroom.
3. Collaboration and teamwork: Games help to foster stronger relationships and a sense of community in the classroom. Collaboration and teamwork are essential skills for preparing for the future.
4. Critical thinking and problem-solving: Students practice these in-demand skills, whether solving clues in a scavenger hunt or devising a strategy in a team competition.

5 Tech-Based Activities and Games for World Language Classes

Over the past 10 years, technology has transformed how we teach and learn. Educators have many options, and the number is growing, especially due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI)–powered tools. Before diving into any specific tools, always check the safety and privacy protections, and make sure students know how to stay safe online.

Brisk Boost: Brisk is a great tool for creating instructional resources for students. It is a free Chrome extension with various options for educators to make lessons more engaging for students. One of my favorite features has been generating presentations. However, there is also Brisk Boost for students. With Brisk Boost, teachers can take any online resource, such as an article, document, or video, and make it interactive. Teachers can monitor student use, help them build skills in AI literacy, and understand the responsible use of AI for learning. One student told me, “It was impressive to see how quickly an activity was created for us to use after watching the video in class. It made it more interesting because it showed us some AI possibilities.”

Blooket: Blooket has been a favorite in my classroom because of the variety of game modes, like Café, Gold Quest, Tower Defense, or Racing. The variety of game types, like Gold Quest, where students also need a strategy in addition to correct answers, keeps students engaged and eager to play. It is an excellent way to review vocabulary or grammar concepts for a quick check-in or use as a review before an assessment. The detailed reports on each student’s performance help me identify areas where I need to focus my instruction more.

Factile: Factile is a Jeopardy-style game perfect for reviewing the content or preparing for assessments. You can find example games in the library or quickly generate your own. It is fun to see the generated students’ names, and it reinforces the content in a more interactive way. My favorite reaction from a student was “When we play Factile, I feel like I’m on a game show, and the character names and design make it extra-fun!”

Gimkit: Gimkit has long been a favorite, and getting started is easy. Whether you find a game from the library or quickly generate one by using the question bank or pulling from Quizlet, the “kits” are turned into interactive games where students earn points to purchase power-ups or compete in teams. It’s popular with my students for its competitive aspect, especially with modes like Blastball or Don’t Look Down. It gives students repetitive practice of the content in a more engaging way that helps them build their skills.

Wordwall: Wordwall offers customizable templates for games like matching, quizzes, and crosswords. If you google “Wordwall” and a topic, you will be taken to a results page where you can explore all the available games without creating an account. I recommend this for students to use as a study tool as well. My students have a blast with Wordwall because they have choices in the mode of play such as anagram, crossword, flash cards, match-up, quiz show, and more available for free use. I simply search for a topic like present tense verbs or clothing vocabulary, and it shows all of the games that have been created. I share the link with students so they can use it to practice Spanish.

4 No-Tech Games for World Language Classes

While technology is a powerful tool, sometimes it’s refreshing to go back to basics. No-tech games are simple, cost-effective, and just as engaging as the technology options.

Bingo: Bingo is great for practicing vocabulary. I sometimes print plain cards and have students write the words. Or, use Bingo Baker to generate the call list and bingo cards with words or phrases. You share the code, and each student receives a card. Teachers get a call list, which makes it easier to keep track of the words and also provides some repetition to boost student learning.

Pictionary: Pictionary is a fun way to reinforce vocabulary while encouraging creativity. Students take turns drawing words or phrases for their teammates to guess. (And note that Gimkit offers “Draw That” if you want to tech it up a bit.) Students told me they love that Pictionary helps them “feel more comfortable speaking in class” because of the social aspects of playing.

Scavenger hunts: Scavenger hunts are a fantastic way to get students moving and interacting with the language. I create clues or tasks that require them to find items or complete challenges related to our lesson. Movement and collaboration boost learning, whether on paper or using a tool like Goosechase.

Game creation: Sometimes, I let students create games, especially when we are using learning stations. Whether designing a board game or creating trivia questions, activities like this foster creativity and student ownership in learning. And the feedback from students has been great. One student who worked in a group that made paper dice with verbs, pronouns, and other vocabulary words told me, “Making our own game was fun because we got to pick the rules and questions. It made me think more about the language and pushed us to collaborate and be creative, which helped us learn it more.”

The Impact on My Classroom

One of the most significant benefits of adding games to my teaching is their impact on classroom relationships. Students who might be shy or hesitant to participate in traditional speaking activities often become more involved and vocal during games. They collaborate, laugh, and cheer each other on, which helps to create a positive and inclusive learning environment. I’ve also noticed a marked improvement in students’ confidence and willingness to take risks in my classroom.

Ask students about the impact of games, and reflect on the impact in your teaching practice. One of my students told me that learning feels more like a game and not like work when we use some of these. With games and a variety of learning activities, we can create a classroom culture of curiosity, collaboration, and, of course, fun.