Move to Learn: How Movement in the ESL Classroom Enhances Learning

and some fun movement filled Activities!

Movement is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance learning in any classroom. Integrating movement activities into the ESL classroom can help students engage more deeply with the material, improve their retention of new vocabulary and grammar structures, and increase their motivation to learn. This is especially true for young learners as well as with teenagers who often have high levels of energy and can benefit greatly from physical activity during their lessons. The following activities will get you shaking and shimmying  movement into your classroom! 

Benefits of Using Movement in the ESL Classroom with ideas for activities. 

1.Encourages active participation: Movement activities can help students become more actively involved in their learning, as they physically engage with the language material.

Activity idea: Charades for Vocabulary Review. 

Vocabulary Charades: Write vocabulary words on index cards and pair up students. One student acts out the vocabulary word without speaking while their partner guesses what the word is. The roles are then reversed. This activity encourages movement, communication, and reinforces vocabulary retention.

2. Boosts motivation: Incorporating movement into lessons can make learning more fun and engaging, which can motivate students to participate more fully in their language studies.

Activity idea : Reading comprehension Gallery walk. 

Reading Comprehension Gallery Walk: Hang reading comprehension questions related to a text on the walls of the classroom. Have students move around the room to read the questions and answer them in writing on a piece of paper or worksheet. This activity encourages movement, reading comprehension, and engages students in a collaborative learning environment.

3. Helps students retain information: Physical movement can help reinforce learning by activating different areas of the brain, which can lead to better memory retention.

Activity idea: Match-Up:
Match-Up: Write related vocabulary words on index cards and distribute them to students. Have students move around the classroom to find their matching card, then work together to create a sentence using the vocabulary words. This activity encourages movement, communication, and reinforces vocabulary retention.

4. Increases language fluency: Engaging in physical movement can help students develop their fluency in the target language, as they practice speaking and listening in real-world situations.

Activity idea: Speed Chatting

Speed Chatting: Students pair up and stand facing each other. One student starts talking about a given topic or question, while the other listens and responds with their own ideas. After a set amount of time, the teacher signals for the students to switch roles and find a new partner. This activity promotes movement, encourages fluency in speaking and listening, and provides opportunities for students to interact in real-world situations.

5. Enhances language comprehension: Movement activities can help students better understand complex grammar structures and vocabulary by providing a visual and kinaesthetic context.

Activity idea: Grammar Relay Race

Grammar Relay: Divide students into teams and give each team a grammar rule to follow. The first student in each line runs (or walks quickly!) to the board, writes a sentence that follows the rule, then returns to tag the next student. This continues until all students have written a sentence. This activity promotes movement, teamwork, and reinforces grammar rules through a kinaesthetic and visual context.

 6. Accommodates different learning styles: Movement activities can be especially beneficial for kinaesthetic learners, who may struggle with more traditional teaching methods.

Activity idea: Jigsaw Reading

Jigsaw: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a different section of a text to read. Each group member becomes an "expert" on that portion. Then, reform the groups so that each new group contains at least one "expert" from each original group. Have the students discuss the text together and share what they've learned. This activity promotes movement, communication, and accommodates different learning preferences.

Incorporating movement into the ESL classroom can be highly beneficial for students of all ages and levels. By providing opportunities for physical engagement with the language material, teachers can enhance their students' motivation, retention, fluency, and overall enjoyment of the language-learning process. Please let us know how you use movement in the classroom!