How to Adapt ESL Games for Large Classes: 5 Ideas That Keep Students Engaged
Large ESL classes can be tough. With 30 or more students, your best activities can quickly fall apart—leaving you with passive learners, classroom chaos, and zero engagement.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to abandon games.
You just need to adapt them.
At Inspire Training & Development, we know how challenging it is to run interactive lessons in oversized classrooms. That’s why we’re sharing 5 practical, classroom-tested game adaptations from Adrian Rodgers of The Teacher Trainers—so you can keep things fun, effective, and under control.
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1. Turn Guessing Games into Pair Work
Forget “one student speaks, the rest wait.”
Turn games like Taboo into partner activities—where everyone plays at once.
How:
Prepare Taboo cards with target vocabulary. Students take turns describing and guessing with their partners. Then switch cards and partners.
Why it works:
✅ Increases speaking time
✅ Works with minimal prep
✅ Perfect for vocabulary and fluency
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2. Bingo with a Twist
Instead of teacher-led Bingo, let students mingle and ask questions that lead to the words.
How:
If the word is “ice cream,” the question could be: “What’s your favourite dessert?”
Why it works:
✅ Promotes real conversation
✅ Gets students moving
✅ Active listening in a fun format
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3. Station or Rotation Games
Set up multiple small activity stations.
Students rotate in groups every few minutes.
Why it works:
✅ Breaks big classes into small, manageable teams
✅ Boosts engagement across all skills
✅ Ideal for review lessons or themed days
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4. Kahoot/Quizizz in Team Mode
Use tech collaboratively. With just a few phones or tablets, students can play quiz games in groups.
Why it works:
✅ Promotes discussion and peer support
✅ Great for mixed-level classes
✅ Easy to adapt with or without tech
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5. Line-Up Games
Perfect for kinaesthetic learners and minimal prep.
How:
Ask students to line up by criteria like height, bedtime, or number of countries visited—using English to communicate and negotiate order.
Why it works:
✅ Fun, visual, and interactive
✅ Sparks real conversation
✅ Can be run in parallel for very large classes
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Final Thought:
Whether you’re teaching 25, 35, or 50 students, don’t ditch your interactive games—just adapt them. Your classroom will feel more dynamic, inclusive, and manageable.
