Students enjoy playing digital games. Getting students to play online games can help them improve their reading, writing, and listening skills. Many online adventure games and quests have students read a plot and follow instructions to achieve missions. Students can practice a level many times to achieve their mission in case they didn’t understand the instructions. Another benefit is that online games have visuals, sound effects, and hints to help language learners understand what is happening. Below are various free online games and sites, with interactive reading. For more ideas on how to integrate game based learning check out our webinar recording, Game Based Language Learning.
To learn more about integrating technology to support English language learners, attend our TESOL webinars.
Reading Games and Sites
- BrainPop Games has a collection of history, civic, science, and math games. The games involve reading scenarios and character dialogues then making choices.
- Playing History has several interactives, simulations, and adventure games for children to teens. Find reviews and information about each game on the site.
- If you teach young children, they will enjoy the Wonder Pets Adventure games, Starfall, the Kindersite and Learn English Kids.
- Games for Change has a variety of games, which focus on getting students to think about their impact on the world. One example game is Spent, which has students learn about poverty by answering several questions. Spent is free, but some of the other games require payment.
- Quandary is a game that teaches citizenship. Students make decisions based on scenarios they read about.
- Play DOS Games Online hosts famous DOS games from the past, including the popular learning games the Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
- Text Adventures is a place where you can find interactive fiction games. Interactive fiction usually involves adventure games and role-playing with literary narratives and usually no graphics.
- Quest and Adrift are other places to create and find interactive fiction games.
- Urgent Evoke is a game to teach teens to adults how to change the world. The game has a unique interface that is similar to a graphic novel. Register as a teacher to find lesson plans.
- Find more games in this mindmap of games divided by subject.
