Free ESL Games for Teachers

Five classroom-ready ESL activities — all projectable on any screen, no account or technical setup required. Gameshow Quiz, Spin the Wheel, Speaking Cards, Group Sort and Whack-a-Mole work for classes at any CEFR level.

Finding effective, free, instantly accessible classroom activities is one of the persistent challenges of ESL teaching. Commercially produced platforms typically require accounts, subscriptions, and advance setup time that busy teachers often cannot spare. LexFizz's exercises are designed to work the moment you open a browser: no account creation, no configuration, no download. All five activities on this page display correctly when projected on a whiteboard or classroom screen, and several support whole-class participation formats where students answer aloud together rather than individually on devices.

Gameshow Quiz is the most theatrical of the five: it presents multiple-choice questions with a TV game show visual format complete with dramatic music and animated answer reveals. This makes it ideal for competitive class review sessions — divide students into teams, project the quiz, and have teams confer before answering. The format rewards vocabulary and grammar knowledge while creating the kind of enjoyable competition that motivates learners who might not engage with traditional exercises. Spin the Wheel is a flexible random-selection tool: spin to decide which student speaks next, which topic is discussed, or which vocabulary set is reviewed. This eliminates the predictability of traditional turn-taking, which research shows keeps all students more attentive because any student might be called on next. Speaking Cards are projected one at a time and used as discussion prompts for pair work, group discussion, or solo speaking practice. Group Sort can be used as a class warm-up or vocabulary review: project the exercise and discuss which category each item belongs to before students vote or call out answers. Whack-a-Mole is the most energetic classroom game: project it and have the whole class call out correct answers together, creating a shared challenge that suits younger learners and review activities at all levels.

All five games work across all CEFR levels from A1 to C1 — the content varies by exercise set, not by the game format. For more classroom-ready exercises including Balloon Pop and Crossword, see the English games for classroom page. For children's games specifically, see English games for kids. For speaking activity ideas, see the speaking practice page.

Gameshow Quiz

TV-style competitive quiz with animated reveals

A1–C1Teams

Spin the Wheel

Random selection keeps all students attentive

A1–C1Flexible

Speaking Cards

Projectable discussion prompts for speaking tasks

B1–C1Speaking

Group Sort

Class discussion: sort vocabulary into categories

A2–C1Vocab

Whack-a-Mole

Fast whole-class activity with projected gameplay

A1–B1Energetic

Browse All 30 Free Exercises

LexFizz has 30 free interactive exercises — all projectable, all free, no sign-up.

Browse All Exercises →

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to create an account to use LexFizz in my classroom?
No account is needed for any LexFizz exercise. Open the exercise URL in any browser, optionally switch to full-screen mode (press F11 in most browsers), and project via your whiteboard or screen. No registration, no subscription, no login at any stage. This makes LexFizz practical for teachers who do not have time to manage platform accounts for themselves or their students. All exercises run entirely in the browser and work on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and tablet devices.
How does Gameshow Quiz work in a classroom?
Gameshow Quiz presents multiple-choice questions one at a time with four answer options displayed on screen. In classroom use: project the quiz, divide students into teams (or use individual buzzers), display the question, give teams 15 to 30 seconds to confer, then reveal the answer with the animated confirmation. Score points for correct teams. The game show visual format and animated reveals generate significant engagement. It works equally well as a vocabulary review at the start of a lesson, a grammar check during a lesson, or a competitive end-of-unit activity.
What are the best ways to use Spin the Wheel in an ESL class?
Spin the Wheel has multiple classroom applications: (1) Student selector — spin to decide which student answers next (removes predictability and keeps all students alert); (2) Topic generator — spin to select a speaking topic and students must respond for 30 to 60 seconds; (3) Vocabulary review — each segment has a vocabulary word and the student must define or use it in a sentence; (4) Grammar challenge — each segment has a grammar structure (present perfect, third conditional) and students must produce an example sentence. The random element prevents students from mentally switching off while others answer.
How can I use Speaking Cards in a lesson?
Speaking Cards can be used as: (1) Pair work — project or share a card and students discuss in pairs for 2 to 3 minutes; (2) Solo long turn practice — individual students take a card and speak for 1 to 2 minutes (mirrors IELTS Speaking Part 2); (3) Debate opener — each side of a debate takes a card representing the opposing view; (4) Warm-up — begin each class with one Speaking Card to activate speaking circuits before the lesson. For classes preparing for Cambridge or IELTS Speaking exams, Speaking Cards are the most exam-relevant exercise on LexFizz.
What is the most effective way to run Group Sort as a class activity?
Project Group Sort on the classroom screen. Read aloud each item and ask the class to call out the correct category (or vote by raising hands). Pause at contested items to discuss: 'Why might this be in Category A? What's the argument for Category B?' This turns vocabulary categorisation into a discussion about meaning, which produces much better retention than silent individual sorting. After the class discussion, students can complete the exercise individually on devices as consolidation. Group Sort works especially well for vocabulary fields with fuzzy boundaries (formal vs informal language, positive vs negative connotations).
What level are the exercises pitched at?
Each exercise type covers multiple levels through different content sets. The game format stays constant; the vocabulary and language content varies. Gameshow Quiz sets range from A1 (basic vocabulary quizzes) to C1 (collocation and advanced grammar questions). Spin the Wheel has sets from A2 conversation topics to B2–C1 abstract discussion topics. Speaking Cards cover B1 to C1. Group Sort covers A2 to C1. Whack-a-Mole focuses on A1 to B1 core vocabulary. This means you can use the same game format with different classes at different levels without relearning the tool.
How do I use LexFizz exercises for exam preparation classes?
For IELTS preparation: Gameshow Quiz (vocabulary and grammar practice); Speaking Cards (Part 2 long turn practice); Group Sort (academic vocabulary categorisation); Cloze Dropdown (gap-fill similar to IELTS Writing and Reading formats). For Cambridge FCE/CAE: Gameshow Quiz (use-of-English-style questions); Cloze Dropdown (Part 1 multiple-choice cloze); Group Sort (topic vocabulary for Writing Part 2). For Cambridge speaking exams: Speaking Cards (collaborative task practice) and Spin the Wheel (individual long turn preparation). All exercises are accessible at lexfizz.com with no teacher account required.
Are there exercises suitable for mixed-ability classes?
Yes. Spin the Wheel and Speaking Cards are particularly effective for mixed-ability classes because the open-ended nature of the response allows students to demonstrate different levels of language ability. A stronger student gives a detailed response; a weaker student gives a simpler one. Both are valid. Gameshow Quiz can be used with teams that mix abilities, giving stronger students the opportunity to help weaker ones. Group Sort benefits from the discussion it generates — stronger students naturally explain vocabulary to weaker ones during the discussion phase.
Can students use these exercises for independent homework?
Yes. All LexFizz exercises work for individual self-study as well as classroom use. For homework: assign specific exercise sets and ask students to screenshot their scores or completion pages. Gameshow Quiz, Group Sort, and Whack-a-Mole provide scores that students can report back. Speaking Cards can be used for self-recorded speaking practice. Spin the Wheel can be used to practise responding spontaneously at home. No student accounts or tracking are required — the exercises rely on student self-reporting for homework accountability.
What are alternative free ESL games for teachers?
Besides LexFizz, widely used free ESL teacher tools include: Wordwall (highly configurable, free tier available), Quizlet (flashcard-based, free tier), Kahoot (quiz competition, free tier), Mentimeter (polling and word clouds, free tier), and Padlet (collaborative boards, free tier). LexFizz's advantage is that all exercises are completely free with no tier limitations, require no teacher or student accounts, and are optimised for projecting without any setup. For teachers who need more content-creation tools, Wordwall or Quizlet offer teacher-side content management.