Esl Tongue Twister Games

Using tongue twisters is a common ESL (English as a second language) teaching technique because it helps ESL students to learn correct pronunciation of English words, to correctly use vowels and consonants and to become familiar with common English words, all while making the learning process fun. To incorporate tongue twisters into ESL teaching, create games that challenge the students' minds and motor skills, while still keeping the learning of a language fun.

Tongue Twister Race

During this game, each row of students is a team. If you only have a few students, each student could be her own team. Write a tongue twister on the board and then give the students a few minutes to practice it. Then, pick a team to go first, start a stopwatch and have each student stand up and say the tongue twister. When one student finishes, the next one stands up. After the whole team has said the tongue twister, you write their time on the board. The team with the shortest time wins. This helps the ESL students learn to quickly and correctly speak the English words.

Teamwork Tongue Twister

Write a tongue twister on the board and allow the students to memorize the tongue twister for a few minutes. Then, erase the line from the board, which forces the students to use their memories. Have each student take turns saying one word of the tongue twister. For example, student one would say "how", student two would say "much" and student three would say "wood" and so on. Keep going down the line. When someone messes up, have him sit down and continue with who is left. This helps the ESL students to remember and understand the English words.

Tongue Twister Creation

Have each student create her own tongue twister. Decide how many words you want them to use, and explain to the students the idea of using words that start with the same letter--alliteration--or words that rhyme. Give the students time to create their tongue twisters, and consider providing them with a list of words to choose from, depending on how far along they are with learning the language. Have each student share his with the rest of the children. This will create lots of laughs within the bunch, and the ESL students will be led to create a whole English sentence.

Tongue Twister Telephone

Using a variation of the game Telephone, have students sit in a circle in small groups. Have one student from each group come to the front of the room and receive a tongue twister written on paper. Have that student read the phrase, run back to her group and whisper it in the next student's ear. Then that student will whisper it in the next student's ear and so on, until the end of the circle is reached. The last person to hear the tongue twister says it out loud. The group that is quickest and closest to the original phrase wins. This gives the ESL students practices in speaking correct pronunciation of the English words.

Tags: each student, English words, tongue twister, helps students, tongue twisters, common English, correct pronunciation