Who doesn't like playing while learning? Or should we say, learning by playing? Either way, it sounds like a convincing pairing. Playing games in various school subjects is nothing new under the sun, though, now, with the existence of so many digital tools, both teachers and pupils, have a limitless number of options to teach and learn, let's say, a foreign language in much more engaging and satisfying way. Fostering this innovative way of learning and new gratifying ways of teaching is what the Erasmus+ project PANEL is trying to spread among the school community. PANEL stands for Pandemic emergency and E-learning and it was throughout the Covid-19 outbreak that we all realised that learning through a screen required a degree of willpower, some IT skills, a lot of patience due to technical setbacks and the need to connect with the subject by means of entertaining and suggestive activities. This is where playing games and interacting playfully plays its role. Are you already intrigued? Let's break it down into more significative and chewable chunks.

Is it really feasible to learn English by just playing? Each individual has its own learning predisposition, though why not give it a go, it won't do us any harm, will it? Therefore, let's list a number of juicy e-tools that 'trendy' teachers are using in their lessons. Don't hesitate to click on the links to experience it yourself!

Ready to start the game of learning English with a light-hearted approach?

• Wouldn't you love learning (the tedious) English grammar by guessing out loud with your group which of the visually appealing options is the right choice? Definitely more amusing than grammar book drills. Students can pick the correct option by touching the right colour on the screen themselves. Check out this example. It has a million other formats (hangman for vocabulary, unjumble to learn word order, flashcards, open surprise boxes, etc.) Convinced? Then Wordwall is your tool.
• What about the always exhausting journey of learning foreign idiomatic expressions? Games4sl, among so may other graded possibilities found a way to remember idioms through a visual guessing game; take a look at this link. 
• You can learn loads of stuff while having a laugh by listening to jokes, puns and riddles. Not to mention countless games to improve pronunciation, grammar and so on just by clicking on Englishclub.com; there's even a cute section for babies! and a more professional one for busy-as-bee workers who need English to survive!
• GameZone is an amazing website for those true gamers who are looking for an intense virtual experience using the English language as a tool for communicating with other gamers and, needless to say, beating them up by winning the game.
• Who said you can only use English through the subject of English? In Helpfulgames you can also learn biology, history, geography and even other languages through a common link: the English Language.
• Unquestionably, music is magical. Learning a language through the stories told in the lyrics is possible with Lyricstraining. It will definitely enhance your listening skills while singing along Ed Sheeran's latest hit.
• What about using English to help those in need? By clicking on Freerice.com you can take part in their charitable online game and for each correct answer you are contributing with 10 grains of rice donated to UN food Programme. It can't get better! 

There are a million and one more other sites we could mention but... Opps! We have already exceeded the word limit of his article so THIS GAME IS OVER but you can always keep on trying, NEVER QUIT just START OVER again, learning, fortunately or unfortunately is a never-ending GAME!