ESL Games and Activities to Teach Articles

It seems that articles are one of those topics that everyone covers at the beginning of their English studies, but very few actually master. 

And it's no surprise: a, an, the might seem insignificant, but they can completely change the meaning of a sentence. 

We frequently correct students' mistakes and repeat the same things over and over, explaining when and which article to use. 

But what if we tried a different approach, one that’s more engaging and memorable? Perhaps we should add a bit of interactivity, real-life language, and teaching games on articles. 

In this article, you’ll find everything you need: proven tips, games, activities for articles, and games for articles that will help you place articles in their proper spots. 

Articles are an integral part of English grammar, but learners often neglect articles in their writing and speaking and make mistakes in tests. 

How can you help students master these small but important words? Here are some strategies that may be helpful.

Teach through context, not terms

Explain the topic of articles through situations. For example, write two sentences on the board or show them on the screen: I saw a dog. I saw the dog again today.

Ask students to think about the difference. Don’t give hints straight away — give them a few minutes to discuss in pairs. 

Then, go through the explanation: in the first sentence, we’re hearing about the dog for the first time — so we don’t know which one. Any dog. Therefore, we write "a dog." ''

In the second one, we already know which one we’re talking about. It’s the same dog we saw before. So, we write "the dog." 

There's no need to explain everything in complicated terms. Give them time to understand it naturally, and then the topic will be much easier to grasp.

Use visuals 

Visuals are the key to deeper learning. 

Clear tables, graphs, and illustrations help create mental connections that allow learners to navigate the topic faster. 

Return to the topic regularly

Remember, articles are not something that can be mastered in just one lesson. They require systematic practice and repetition at various stages of learning. 

Integrate articles into short warm-ups at the beginning of lessons and incorporate them into all stages of learning: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. 

During speaking exercises, pay attention to the correct use of articles. 

This regular revisiting of the topic allows students to reinforce their knowledge, gradually understanding why and when to use certain articles.

Games and Activities for Practising Articles

Games and activities on articles are an excellent way to make learning articles more engaging and interactive. 

By incorporating repetition in a game format, ESL students are able to better retain the rules for using articles. 

Instead of merely studying theory, they actively apply their knowledge in practice.

In this article, we will explore a lot of various games and activities that you can implement in your lessons.

The correct article

Prepare a set of noun cards. 

Students take turns to draw a card and say the correct article for the word. If they use the correct article, they get a point. 

For more advanced levels, you can add context or ask students why they chose a particular article.

Article marathon

This game is perfect for kinaesthetic learners as it combines physical activity with learning. It helps students reinforce their knowledge of articles through movement and interaction with others.

Place several targets or marked zones around the classroom or on an open space. Each zone will correspond to a particular article: "a", "an", "the", and "zero article". You can use cards or coloured markers to designate the zones.

Divide the students into several teams (3-4 participants per team). Each student takes a card with a noun (it could be a word on a card or an object they need to find in the classroom).

Once the student receives the noun, they must correctly choose the article and run to the corresponding zone. For example, if the word is "apple", the student should choose "an" and run to the appropriate marker.

If the choice of article is correct, the team earns a point. If the student chooses the wrong zone, their team does not earn a point, and they must return to the start.

The game continues until all participants have completed the task. The team with the most points wins.

Article Express

Students are divided into two or more crews (teams). 

Each crew receives a set of noun cards. Each player takes a turn drawing a card and announcing the correct article for that noun, quickly using it in a sentence. 

For example, if the card says ‘dog’, the student has to say ‘a dog’ and use it in context, for example: ‘I saw a dog in the park.’

If the answer is correct, the team gets a point. If the answer is incorrect, the other team has a chance to correct the mistake and get a point. The game continues until a certain number of rounds are won. 

Correct the Teacher

This activity is a real classroom favourite! The students feel like they are the ‘experts’ and you are the one who makes mistakes on purpose. 

Prepare sentences with common mistakes. 

For example: I bought a milk this morning. 

You read the sentences — students have to raise their hand or shout ‘Stop!’ and correct you. 

Alternatively, show a few sentences on the screen and give them a minute to find all the mistakes. 

This game can be adapted to any level by changing the complexity of the sentences and the type of mistakes.

Speed sentence creation 

Give students a set of random words (can be on cards, in a list, or even a "random generator" on the board).
They need to create a sentence as quickly as possible, using the correct article.

For example:
Words: man, apple, idea, moon, teacher, egg.

• A teacher had an idea.
• The moon was bright.
• He ate an apple.

Article story building

One student begins the sentence, and the next continues — and so on. The main rule: each sentence must contain at least one article (a / an / the).

Example:

• There was a dog.
• The dog lived in a big house.
• One day, he met an elephant.
• The elephant gave him an apple.

What’s in the bag?

It's a speaking game, perfect for beginners — children, teenagers, and even adults just starting with English.

Take a bag and put items or cards with pictures inside. The student pulls out one item and announces what it is — with an article: it’s a pen, it’s an orange.

This format even became popular on TikTok, where people would pull out items and say them in English. 

We’re looking for the article

In this activity, you give students a text with gaps where they need to insert the correct article. 

Prepare sentences with gaps where the articles should be. For example: "___ apple is on ___ table."

Divide the class into several groups or ask the students to work individually.

Students must fill in the gaps with the correct articles. Once everyone has filled in the gaps, go over the answers together, discussing why the particular article should be chosen. 

Articles are a basic part of grammar, so they should be introduced at Beginner (A1) level.

Because they focus on the letter, not the sound.

An hour — because the sound begins with a vowel.

A university — because it sounds like a consonant.

It is possible, but not for everyone. For some students, context and practice are really enough, they pick up on it intuitively. 

But others need a system, diagrams, tables. 

Therefore, the best strategy is a combination of examples and clear logic. Without overloading, of course.

Articles are learnt through constant practice, not by reading a table once. They require time, ‘speaking’ and examples in action. 

Therefore, it is important to return to them regularly, to build them into speaking, writing tasks, games, dictations.

Teaching articles and their usage in English can be fun and effective, especially when interactive games and activities are used. 

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Articles can be tricky. They don’t always fall into place after just one lesson, and that’s completely normal.

It’s possible to create an environment where they sound natural — through games, for example. This tends to be more effective than yet another chart in the notebook.

Don’t hesitate to revisit the topic. Give students the opportunity to try, practice, make mistakes, and correct each other without any pressure.