Idioms and Proverbs
This is a simple ESL game for students to practice and review idioms and provbers.
For the Similes and Metaphors game click here.
Interactive English Idioms and Proverbs Game for ESL Learners
Mastering figurative language is a major milestone for any English learner. Our free Idioms and Proverbs game provides a structured, visual way for students to move beyond literal translations. Whether you are an ESL student aiming for fluency or a teacher looking for a dynamic classroom activity, this game offers the perfect blend of vocabulary building and cultural context.
Effective Pedagogy: How Students Learn
This ESL idioms activity uses a scaffolded approach to ensure phrases move from short-term recognition to long-term mastery:
- Step 1: Visual Presentation – Students connect audio and text to high-quality illustrations, creating a strong mental link for abstract concepts.
- Step 2: Contextual Recognition – Learners identify the correct idiom based on a visual scenario, reinforcing the "when" and "how" of each expression.
- Step 3: Active Production – The final review requires students to reconstruct the phrase word-by-word, perfecting their spelling and syntax.
Idioms and Proverbs You Will Learn
This game is organized into six rounds of increasing complexity, covering 30 of the most common expressions used in daily English conversation.
Round 1: Introductory Expressions
A fish out of water
Under the weather
Raining cats and dogs
Many hands make light work
Fit as a fiddle
Round 2: Life and Comparisons
The early bird catches the worm
Fed up
Have the time of your life
Plenty of fish in the sea
The grass is always greener on the other side
Round 3: Idioms of Value and Effort
Can't teach an old dog new tricks
Pot calling the kettle black
Cost an arm and a leg
Hit the sack
Clean as a whistle
Round 4: Social Situations and Reactions
Have your ducks in a row
Stick out like a sore thumb
Caught red handed
Over the moon
Give someone the cold shoulder
Round 5: Emotions and Resilience
Don't cry over spilt milk
Feel blue
Have a chip on your shoulder
At your wit's end
Have money to burn
Round 6: Time and Communication
Time is money
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Burn the midnight oil
Head over heels in love
Bite someone's head off
Why Teach Idioms and Proverbs Together?
In ESL curricula, idioms and proverbs are often grouped because they both require students to interpret meaning beyond the individual words. By practicing these together, students develop a "natural ear" for the figurative patterns used by native speakers. This game is an excellent supplementary tool for TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge English exam preparation.
Tips for Teachers
This game works great as a "Warm-Up" activity on an interactive whiteboard or as an individual homework assignment. For a complete figurative language lesson plan, we recommend pairing this with our Similes and Metaphors game.
Have questions or suggestions for new phrases? Feel free to leave a comment below!
Comments
the game is really fun and funny
- misu
good game:)
- Anon
WOW 😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄❣️❣️💕💞💞
- Anon
Beatifull
- Jostin
Pretty good, but for 8 graders, it's too easy...
- Anon