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Board Games Group

Music talk fuels an ESL conversation board game whose path from Start to Finish is paved with around thirty discussion squares - favourite bands, instruments, concerts, genres, and challenges like humming a song for others to guess.
Year groups
Years 1–4
File type
PDF
Preparation
Print ready

Updated Feb 21, 2024

Subject
ESL, Language Development, English
Topic
Board Game, Speaking Games
Resource types
Games, Activities
Preparation
Print ready

From the author

About this resource

Let's Talk About Music Board Game offers educators an entertaining way to build students' English language skills. This printable board game includes a game board and dice to spark engaging conversations about music. Students take turns rolling the dice and moving spaces on the board. They read the music question out loud and answer with a partner or small group. The simple yet thoughtful questions allow learners to practice vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English. Educators can facilitate gameplay with individuals, pairs, or groups of 3-4 students. They can modify the activities to meet diverse needs - from beginning ESL students to more advanced English speakers. Overall, this versatile resource enhances language learning through lively interaction across ability levels. The musical theme and multi-sensory activities captivate interest while systematically strengthening literacy.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Answer personal-experience and opinion questions about music in spoken English.

  • Sustain turn-based conversation in pairs or small groups using varied question forms.

  • Produce topic vocabulary on demand through list challenges such as naming ten instruments or five genres.

  • Ask follow-up questions as classmates respond to open prompts like how music brings people closer together.

Teaching tips

  • Model one square first - answer 'What kind of music do you like best?' yourself - so students see the expected answer length before play begins.

  • Mix confident and quieter speakers in each group; performance squares like humming a song for others to guess give non-verbal students a low-pressure turn.

  • Set a minimum-sentence rule per square for stronger groups to stretch answers past yes/no on prompts like 'Do you like classical music?'

  • Keep the second copy of the board in reserve so two groups can play simultaneously from one printout.

Skills covered

  • ESL speaking fluency - every square is an open conversation prompt about music, from favourite bands to concerts.

  • Topic vocabulary retrieval - list squares demand ten instruments and five music genres on the spot.

  • Expressing opinions and preferences - prompts contrast happy versus quiet music, classical music, and life without music.

  • Interactive listening - the hum-a-song square has the group guess the tune, and open 'How?' prompts invite follow-ups.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

What kinds of prompts fill the board's squares?

A deliberate mix: preference questions (favourite band, best music), experience questions (concerts, performing outside school), opinion prompts (could you live without music?), quick-fire lists (ten instruments, five genres), and action dares like humming a song for others to guess.

Which learners will get the most from the topic?

Students old enough to have music lives of their own - the squares ask about following artists on social media, attending concerts and opera, and music classes, so the game plays best from upper elementary through teen and adult ESL groups.

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