Numbers and colours games
Numbers and colours are the two topics that keep paying you back: once a child owns them, every other lesson can use them — three red apples, the second blue card, five green frogs. They are the grammar of a beginner's classroom.
Dice belong here more than anywhere else. Roll, count out loud in English, do the thing the number says — counting practice that never looks like counting practice.
🎈 Games in this collection
Seaside Bingo
A boardwalk bingo parlour at dusk: the wire cage tumbles its wooden balls, the drawn word rolls down to the rack, and you stamp your card till the sign lights up.
Garden of Pairs
Every card is a seed packet in a walled garden. Turn one and it blooms; find its twin and the pair stays in flower, with a butterfly to prove it.
Deck of Wonders
A magician's deck in a curtained study: brass filigree backs, a true 3D flip, and a horn that says the word out loud. Keep what you know; the rest returns.
Wishing Dice
Tip the leather cup and one to four ivory dice tumble out onto the velvet. The total is stamped into the felt in wax.
Painter's Attic
A secret word arrives on a painter's palette and you draw it on a real easel canvas — brush sounds, paint-blob colours and a skylight for a timer.
Letter Forge
The letters come out of the fire scrambled. Strike them onto the anvil in order, and the word quenches in a hiss of steam.
Sorting Orchard
Four fruits on a branch and one that does not belong — or baskets to sort them into. The rule is always said out loud at the end.
Two Doors
One question, two great doors, one answer on each. The class votes, and the right door swings open into the light.
🗂️ Printable packs
Print & go
🌟 Send as homework
Five joyful minutes at home: the child listens, taps the right picture and collects stars.
📖 Read next
Counting games: numbers that stick before math class does
From counting fingers to first sums in English: number songs, movement counting, dice mathematics and shop games for young learners.
English games for kids · 5 min read🎯Colours 🌈 — English games for kids (online + printable)
Teach colours through play: 12 words with pictures and audio (red, orange, yellow…), five game ideas, flashcards and bingo to print. Free, no accounts.
Games by topic · 5 min read🎯Numbers 🔢 — English games for kids (online + printable)
Teach numbers through play: 11 words with pictures and audio (zero, one, two…), five game ideas, flashcards and bingo to print. Free, no accounts.
Games by topic · 5 min read📋Shapes 🔺 — a ready 25-minute lesson plan
A ready shapes lesson for young learners: warm-up, six new words with audio, a game block, real speaking and a calm landing.
25-minute lesson plans · 4 min read❓ Questions teachers ask
How far should a beginner count?
To ten, until ten is instant. Counting to twenty while stumbling over seven is worse than counting to ten without thinking — and dice games only need six anyway.
Colours seem too easy. How do I extend them?
Stack them onto another topic. 'The red apple, the yellow bus, the brown bear' turns one easy word into an adjective-plus-noun pattern the child will use for years.
Can I use these with a maths lesson?
Yes — the dice and the shapes pack work in any language of instruction. Rolling two dice and naming the total is arithmetic and English at the same time, which is a good deal for both.