French games make class so fun and engaging! Playing games is so important for engagement and student learning. Providing students with ample ways to apply the language both orally and in writing will help students of all learning styles as they practice. Whether you teach FSL or immersion, fun French games are an effective learning tool that students will love!
Here are some of my favorite French games:
French Board Games
I particularly love these French games, because students can play and practice at their own pace. You can circulate the room and help students out, but most older students will be able to play on their own without much teacher help. They love this, because they feel successful and they get some freedom to play.
This futur simple game is a really fun way to practice French verb conjugation. With a board for regular verbs and another to practice common irregular stems, you can play this a few times during a unit or even use this with different groups to modify the practice activities.
To practice vocabulary, this French adjectives game is perfect for beginners! You can have them just provide the word when they land on a space, or you can make it more challenging by asking them to use the adjective in a complete sentence. The visuals are a really helpful tool in learning and memorizing new vocabulary words!
French Scoot Games
I absolutely LOVE playing Scoot! It gives students a chance to move around the room, so it makes even grammar review a lot more fun. Plus, movement helps students retain information, so it’s ideal as a review just before a test or quiz. Use it the same way you’d use a worksheet to review, but get students WAY more engaged.
This French school supplies game is a fun way to review à l’école vocabulary with brand-new French students. With a mix of multiple choice and short answer questions, they’ll be able to show what they know in a fun way!
Need a fun way to practice French verbs? These avoir and être task cards are a lot of fun for practice if your students are always mixing up these two important verbs! Keep the cards in a photo box to use at a learning station or play a game of Scoot! for whole class practice.
French Vocabulary Slap Games
These French games are by far the favorite of every class I have ever taught. I used them with 4th grade to review basic vocabulary, with middle school immersion students to review verbs, and I even played with my AP French seniors. All kids love the competitive aspect of this game, and you can use the cards for other activities, like concentration or partner match-ups.
You can use the image cards to call out the French word. Want to have them practice translating English to French? Use the word cards and call out the English. You can print these school cards back to back for flashcards, too!
This childhood-themed game is great for when you’re teaching the imparfait. It’s not always easy to gamify intermediate and advanced French activities, but older kids need to have fun, too!
This French food game is a fun way to practice with beginning students. You’ll call out a vocabulary word and students will find the corresponding card and slap their hand on it. Each correct card they slap goes into a pile. The winner is the student who collects the most cards.
French Bingo
And of course… what language class doesn’t love Bingo? It’s a really fun and relaxing way to practice some new vocabulary words that all ages love! Bingo is one of the best French games, because any grade level can play!
This Bingo game for French ER verbs is a lot of fun and will help your beginning French students practice listening skills as they work to learn new French vocabulary. They’ll get so competitive as they race to fill in their boards first!
