10 Games to play on Zoom to improve your English online
Online English classes are extremely useful, we all know that, but learning English online can also be fun, and exciting. One of the key goals of people learning English is to be able to socialize and meet people from all over the world. We understand that right now it is fairly difficult to get out of the house to do so… but Zoom will always be there for us, why not try one of the following games with your friends or classmates and use your English from home? And if you love Zoom as much as we do, you should also join our online English classes, directly from NYC.
1. Scattergories
Objective: The objective of the game is to write one word for each category, starting with a specific letter, before the other players, to obtain the highest score.
Players: 2+
Materials needed: pencil, paper.
How to play: Get together and choose at least 6 categories, such as animals, foods, countries, school subjects, movies, books, celebrities, etc. Once you have them, get one player to say letters in his/her head, and tell him/her to stop. He/she can then reveal the letter to everyone. Once you all know, try to find a word starting with that letter for each category. The first person to have one for each should shout “Stop!”. Then everyone should stop writing. Reveal your answers. If you have a word for each category you get 10 points for each. However, if someone else has the same word, then you both get 5 points. Continue as much as you want, with as many rounds as you can handle, and then count your points!
You can also play online here.
2. Scrabble
Objective: Come up with the best words with your set of letters.
Player: 2+
Materials needed: Phone, app.
How to play: This is one of the most famous games to improve your vocabulary. You have a set of letters and so do all the players. How many words can you come up with? If you have never played, you can start trying these two apps by yourself. Then just get all of the participants to download it and play together. You can play Words With Friends or Scrabble Go.
3. Codenames
Objective: Guess the words associated with your team’s topic.
Players: 2+
Materials: Internet
How to play: Codenames is a game of word association and guessing. The players must split into 2 teams and try and guess which words are closely associated with their team. Each team is given a ‘codename’. This word is the clue that must be used to associate with.
You can set up a game of Codenames here or here. Start a game, and send your friends the password. They enter the password and immediately join your game.
4. "Psych"
Objective: Create the best fake trivia answer.
Players: 2+
Materials: Psych App
How to play: Get everyone in your online party to download Psych, and let the fun begin. Each player makes up fake answers to real trivia questions, and it's your job to find out the real answer.
5. The Alphabet Challenge
Objective: Come up with a word in a category with each of the alphabet’s letter
Players: 1+
Materials: None
How to play: Choose a category and try to find a word for each alphabet’s letter. Set yourselves some time and think as fast as you can!
6. GuesWho
Objective: Guess who wrote each statement.
Players: 3+
Materials: None
How to play: All the players submit at least 20 truths about themselves to the host. The selected judge then starts by picking a random truth and everyone gets a chance to guess who wrote it. Each correct answer earns the player one point.
7. Trivia
Objective: Guess all the answers.
Players: 2+
Materials: Website, app, or physical cards.
How to play: Divide the room into teams or play individually. Use physical cards if you have them or find some random questions online. You can also get everyone to send you their favorite categories and start a pool. Alternatively, you can also try this trivia generator.
8. Heads up
Objective: One player holds a card to their head while every other player tries to describe the word to them so they can guess it.
Players: 2+
Materials: App and phone, or papers
How to play: Get all the participants to download the app here. Each turn one person plays. Choose a topic and place your phone onto your forehead, the first word will come up.. Everyone else has to describe the word to you. If you guess the word, flip the phone downward. If you want to skip it, flip it upward. Try and guess the maximum number of words in 60 seconds.
9. Crosswords
Objective: Guess all the words!
Players: 2 to 16
Materials: App or website
How to play: One person starts the crossword app or website and then shares his screen. Now you can help each other solve the crosswords together. There are many options out there, from themed crosswords to color ones!
10. Play it again, Sam
Objective: To guess the movie based on a series of images shown to players. Each team selects a movie and finds five images from it online. The team with the most correct guesses at the end of the game wins.
Players: 2 to 16
Materials: Internet
How to play: Separate everyone into 2 breakout rooms (teams). Each team should choose a movie and find 5 images from it on the Internet. Put them in order and show them to the other team one by one taking turns. If you guess the movie in the first image, you get 5 points, if you guess it in the second, you get 4, etc. At the end of the session, the team with the most right answers wins.
Do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments if you try any of these out. Also, if you have any other ideas or games you have tried, we would love to hear about them.
If you need people to play with, you can also join our weekly online social events at Brooklyn School of Languages. We would love to welcome you for free. We offer a wide range of activities. Check our Instagram for the weekly activity, and contact us if you wish to participate! And if you wish, you can also try our online English classes for free!
If you still need more online inspiration, check this page, read Juliana's recommendations or The Android Soul for further ideas.
