While English is a lively language full of opportunities and hope, it can get (just like any other subject) a tad bit repetitive or even boring at times. Teachers often find themselves struggling to maintain learners’ attention for a completely hour-long session; especially with grammar (a moment of silence for all teachers who had to endure the reported speech lesson more than once a day). However, with the conversation raised, plenty of teachers also tend not to favor a certain tip that many swear by its efficiency, and that is the use of games as a warm-up before the session.

One of the biggest challenges a teacher can face in the classroom is perhaps agreeably so the class control. Nothing is worse than having the perfect lesson plan and the right preparation just for the execution to fall flat. Thus, it does make sense that teachers get fearful at the tiniest suggestions that could easily entice chaos and a loss of the classroom’s control. However, using games as a warm-up is definitely worth the risk. Especially since losing control of learners’ attention is inevitable here and there, so why not try?
In fact, one can argue that using said games could prove fruitful for the exact reason that teachers feared it! It can be the tool used to capture learners’ attention and maintain control. After all, no one likes distractions and fun more than students do. So allowing a nice little ice breaker -whether it is on theme with the lesson to be dealt with or not is optional- or a game to get them all moving, alert, and actively involved in the learning process will significantly help with maintaining their attention throughout the lesson. More specifically if the teacher keeps pointing out things during the lesson that students had seen during the game.

As for the second (and completely valid) reason as to why teachers are hesitant towards warm-ups, losing precious time, one minute detail could be the possible solution. Planning. When the teacher plans the “perfect” lesson plan while bearing in mind an extra 10 minutes for the games, the session runs smoothly with no race towards the end as the task or rules that the teacher had planned previously were brief yet clear enough for learners to understand. This can also help with the bad habit of over-explaining or oversimplifying rules. Teachers can simply plan a lesson with a 10 minutes opening (most teachers already do this, as distractions happen out of the blue at times and you never know what could go wrong, so keeping in mind that you do not have a whole hour session is helpful) so that both them and learners can benefit from it.

Thereby to conclude this article, classroom engagement, and control can be taxing at times for teachers who already have enough on their plates. However, implementing games and warm up before or after a lesson can not only help the learners better grasp the concepts and rules of the lesson but also positively influence class engagement. It is of course, optional nonetheless; for refusing to implement said games is not dire. Nevertheless, given the plethora of benefits, it can entail, one can easily say it is worth the chance.