Alphabet games & activities for ESL students

At some point, we've all begun our English learning with the alphabet. 

Although this step may seem simple, it forms the foundation that allows you to read, write, and pronounce words accurately. 

To make sure this process doesn’t become boring, we’ve created fun alphabet games and activities to bring more variety to your lessons.

Alphabet pictionary is a fun alphabet game that helps English learners remember the letters of the alphabet better and expand their vocabulary.

How to play?

One person draws a picture related to a specific letter of the alphabet, and the others have to guess the word and the letter. 

The other students need to say the word and correctly identify the letter it begins with in English.

Alphabet memory game is one of those fun alphabet games that help improve visual letter recognition and expand vocabulary through associations.

How to play?

The cards feature the letters themselves and pictures of objects that begin with a particular letter. 

The player's task is to turn over the cards one by one, remember their positions, and try to find matching pairs. 

If the cards match, the player keeps them and scores a point. 

If not, the cards are flipped back over, and the next player takes their turn. 

The game continues until all pairs have been found. 

This activity is perfect for both kids and adults and makes learning the alphabet much more engaging. 

Ball alphabet is a game that combines movement with learning the alphabet. 

It's especially useful for kinesthetic learners who need physical interaction during the learning process.

How to play?

You’ll need a beach ball with letters of the alphabet written on it or attached to it. 

The participants stand in a circle. 

This game works great in the classroom or outdoors and is ideal for adding movement to alphabet teaching games. 

Alphabet сhain is a game that can be easily adapted to any language level, making it suitable for both children and adults. 

As players repeatedly form alphabet chains, it becomes an excellent activity for ABC review.

How to play?

Students sit in a circle.

The next player must say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. 

For example, if the first word is "age," the next player should name a word starting with "E," such as "elephant." 

The game continues in a circle until players either run out of ideas or the time is up. 

To make the game more challenging, you can set restrictions, like using only nouns or focusing on a specific theme (e.g., animals, fruits, etc.).

Flashcard race is a team game designed to enhance students' reaction speed.

How to play?

Prepare flashcards with pictures of objects. 

Divide the participants into two teams. 

This fast-paced game is one of the most engaging fun alphabet games and helps students improve their letter recognition. 

This game is a valuable addition to your set of alphabet teaching games, keeping learners active and reinforcing their knowledge of the ABC.

Alphabet scramble is a game designed to help students learn the alphabet and develop skills in arranging letters correctly in English.

Prepare flashcards with letters of the English alphabet, with one letter on each card. 

Scatter the cards randomly.

To increase the difficulty, you can divide the participants into teams and use a timer.

In the fun alphabet game "I spy with my little eye", one student starts the game by saying: "I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter...," and then names the first letter of an object they see around them. 

The other participants must guess what the object is by naming their guesses (it could be "book" or "ball"). 

The first person to correctly identify the object becomes the next leader.

If you’re looking to enhance your teaching skills beyond just alphabet games, the TEFL online courses page offers a variety of up-to-date courses. 

These courses are designed to help you become a certified and highly sought-after English language instructor, ready to work anywhere in the world. 

In conclusion, we’ve explored some fun alphabet games that make learning the ABCs interactive. 

Try these games for letter recognition to help your students easily learn the letters.