7 Fun Animal Games for ESL Kids and Beginners
Animal vocabulary is usually one of the first topics ESL learners study, especially young kids. And because kids learn best when they’re having fun, games are one of the most effective ways to teach animal names. On this page, we’ve put together 7 fun animal games you can use to teach animal vocabulary to kids and ESL beginner learners.
1. Animals Guessing Game
In this first activity, students see the outline of an animal and try to guess what it is before the time runs out. Each round ends with a cute animal picture, making it a fun and engaging game for young learners.
How to Use This Game in Class
Play the video and pause after each animal outline appears to give students time to guess. Once they’ve made their guesses, unpause the video to reveal the answer.
Encourage students to answer in full sentences. Ask, “What is it?” and prompt them to respond with, “It’s a lion,” “It’s a giraffe,” and so on.
This activity works well as a warm-up in any lesson focused on animal vocabulary. It helps students activate prior knowledge and gives them a clear idea of the lesson topic. After the game, you can ask them to name other animals they know or play a quick drawing game: have one student draw an animal on the board while the rest of the class tries to guess what it is.
2. Animals Hidden Picture Game
In this activity, students try to guess the animal hidden behind colored shapes. As the shapes slowly disappear, more of the image is revealed. Each round features a real photo of an animal, making it visually engaging for young learners.
How to Use This Game in Class
To play in class, simply start the video. In each round, colored shapes will disappear to reveal a picture of an animal. Challenge students to guess what the animal is as quickly as they can, before the image is fully revealed.
This activity works well as a quick review of animal names, but you can also use it to encourage more speaking. After each animal is revealed, ask follow-up questions like:
- “Have you ever seen this animal?”
- “Do you like it?”
- “What do you know about it?”
These questions help extend the activity and give students a chance to use animal vocabulary in a more personal and meaningful way.
3. Animals “What Am I?” Quiz
In this quiz, students read three short clues about an animal and try to guess what it is before the answer is revealed. Each round ends with the question: “What am I?” It’s a fun reading and critical thinking challenge that works well as a review or a low-prep brain break.
How to Use This Quiz in Class
There are 10 questions in total. For each one, students read three clues, then try to figure out the animal before the time runs out. There are a few different ways you can use this quiz in class:
- Team challenge – Have students work in pairs or small groups to discuss and write their guesses before the answer appears.
- Classroom quiz format – Pause the video before each answer and let students shout out or raise their hands to respond.
- Reading + speaking practice – Ask students to read the clues aloud before guessing, then answer in full sentences: “It’s a tiger.”
4. How Many Animals?
This activity helps students review animal vocabulary while practicing numbers and the question “How many…?” In each round, they see a group of animals and must guess the correct quantity. It’s a great game for young learners who are just beginning to learn numbers in English.
How to Use This Game in Class
There are 10 rounds in total. For each one, students are asked a question like “How many cats?” and shown two possible answers, but only one is correct. It’s a simple 50/50 guessing game that encourages learners to speak in full sentences when they call out their answers.
Here are two ways to use it in class:
- Team Game – Before starting, divide the class into small teams. After each question is shown, pause the video and give teams a moment to choose their answer. Then ask each team, “How many cats?” and prompt them to respond in full sentences, like “There are four cats.” Resume the video to check who got it right and award points as you go.
- Class Warm-Up – Use the game as a quick opener to get students moving. Play the video and, after each question, have students vote on their answer by raising their hands or moving to one side of the room. It’s a fun, low-pressure way to review numbers and animal names together.
5. Farm Animals Guessing Game
If you’re teaching a lesson about farm animals or using songs like Old MacDonald Had a Farm, this game makes a great warm-up or review activity. It’s designed for kids and beginner ESL learners. Students will see colorful pictures of cute farm animals hidden behind stacks of hay and must guess the animal before the full image is revealed.
How to Use This Game in Class
As the pictures of the farm animals are slowly revealed, have students call out the answer or raise their hands to guess. To make it even more fun, you could ask students to call out the sound that the farm animal makes, too. Animals featured in this game are cow, sheep, duck, pig, goat, mouse, horse, chicken, bull, chick, and donkey.
Use this activity as a lead-in to singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, as an introduction to farm animal vocabulary, or as a fun brain break when you have a few extra minutes in class.
6. Sea Animals Guessing Game
This ocean-themed guessing game is a fun way to teach the names of sea animals to kids. Students will see the outline of an underwater sea creature and try to guess what it is before the full image is revealed. It’s simple, visual, and ideal for beginner learners.
How to Use This Game in Class
There are 10 sea animals in total. For each one, students see a shimmering silhouette beneath the water and must guess the animal before the time runs out.
Students can call out their answers, raise their hands, or write them down — whichever works best for your class. You can also turn it into a team activity by having students work in pairs or small groups to agree on their guesses before revealing the answer.
7. Pet Animals Guessing Game
This final activity is ideal for lessons focused on common pets in English. It’s a hidden picture-style game where an image of a pet is gradually revealed from behind colored shapes. Students try to guess the pet before the full picture appears.
How to Use This Game in Class
Use this activity as an introduction to pet animals at the start of your lesson. Before playing the video, ask students if they have any pets or which pet they would like to have. This activates their prior knowledge and gets them ready to learn pet-related vocabulary.
Tip: After revealing each pet, pause the video and ask, “Do you have this pet?” or “Would you like to have one?” This is a simple way to turn a vocabulary game into a speaking activity and encourage personal connection to the topic.
What Teachers Check Out Next
Now you’ve got some animal games for your lesson, check out these other resources you can use when teaching animals to kids:
- Animals Worksheets – Printable activities to help students practice animal names, spelling, and sentence building.
- Animals PowerPoint Lesson – A ready-to-use slideshow for introducing or reviewing animal vocabulary in class.
- Animal Flashcards – Printable visual aids for drilling animal vocabulary or playing games.
- Animals Lesson Plan – A full, structured lesson plan with objectives, timing suggestions, and activity ideas.