A.

Definition of Games

There are some definitions of games which are stated, according to

Haldfield (1999),“A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun.
Games should be regarded asan integral part of the language syllabus, not as an
amusing activity for Friday afternoon or forthe end of the term.” Games have
important part in teaching learning process and also become good techniques to
carry out tasks to the learners as well because they are always lazy to do the tasks.
Therefore, games should be used in the way students could participate so they can
have a chance to practice or use the new language items that they have learnt
instead of forcing them to do the tasks unwillingly. It is an effective way that
students can play and learn at the same time.
Lee (1991: 3) stated that “Games in the stick sense, which have a definite
beginning and end, are governed by rules…” Similarly, Hadfield (1990) defined
games as "an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun." Games are not
carried in chaos. Games also have the rules and it should be better if the players
know the rules before they start to play, so they can enjoy the games as
wellwithout committing each other.
Further, according to Greenall (1990: 6), “The term ‘game’ is used
whenever there is an element of competition between individual students or teams
in a language activity.”‘An element of competition’, means that all rules are most
needed. In this case, games are more emphasized to encourage students’ solidarity
in a team-work in which they should try their best to do the tasks or maybe to
solve any requirements given in the games for their team spirit. Therefore, games
consist of many factors such as rules, competition, relaxation, and learning.
When using games in the classrooms, the rules of the games are clearly
explained before and well understood by the students. Demonstrations could be
very helpful because it can help students understand the game easier and also help
them follow the rules. As mentioned by Caillois (1957), “A game is as activity
that must have the following characteristics:
1) Fun: the activity is chosen for its light-hearted character
2) Separate: it is circumscribed in time and place
 3) Uncertain: the outcome of the activity is unforeseeable
4) Non-productive: participation is not productive
5) Governed by rules: the activity has rules that are different from everyday
life
6) Fictitious: it is accompanied by the awareness of a different reality”
There are many kinds of games designed for different levels as well as the
topics, so that students can enjoy and achieve the best results from playing games,
although they have different language proficiency level.

B. The Advantages of Using Games

Games provide many advantages when they are used in the classroom.
One of these advantages is that learners are motivated to learn the language when
they are in a game. McCallum (1980, p. ix) emphasized this point by suggesting
that “games automatically stimulate student interest, a properly introduced game
can be one of the highest motivating techniques.” Games motivate students since
they are amusing, interesting and at the same time challenging. Avedon(1971)
argued that “games spur motivation and students get very absorbed in the
competetive aspects of the games; moreover, they try harder at games than in
other courses”. In other words, games influence students’ interest in classroom
activities and also make students become motivated and willing to learn.
Another advantages is that games make students’ anxiety in language
learningdecreases as games are applied. In language classes, learners feel stressful
because they think that they have to master the target language that is unknown to
them. Besides that, the learners also become too anxious about being criticized
and punished by their teachers when they make a mistake. Games are benefecial
at this point because they reduce anxiety, increase positive feelings, and improve
self-confidence while practicing the target language freely (Crookal, 1990, p.112).
At that time, students who are shy also attend the activities with fun, forgetting
their shyness and feeling of fear.
Games are student-focused activities requiring active involvement of
learners. According to Crookall(1990),“learners and teachers change their roles
and relations through games and learners are encouraged to take active role in
their learning process.” As a result, games provide learners with a chance to direct
their own learning. From an educational view point, creating a meaningful
contextfor language learning is another advantage that games present. By using
games, the teachers could create contexts which is unconscious learning because
learners’ attention is on the message, not on the language. Therefore, when they
completely focus on a game as an activity, students acquire languagein the same
way that they acquire their mother tongue, that is, without being aware of it
(Cross, 2000, p. 153).
Games provide learners with an opportunity to use the language because
the games bring real-life situations in the classroom.Celce-Murcia (1979, p. 54)
argued that “in games, languageuse takes precedence over language practice, and
in this sense games help bring the classroom to the real world, no matter how
contrived they may be.” It means that by putting learners in the real life situations,
games could make a connection with the real usage of language. Additionally,
McCallum (1980, p. ix) explained that “there are many advantages of games such
as the fact that they:
1. Focus students’ attention on specific structures, grammatical patterns,
and vocabulary items.
2. Can function as reinforcement, review and enrichment.
3. Involve equal participation from both slow and fast learners.
4. Can be adjusted to suit the individual age and language levels of the
students.
5. Contribute to an atmosphere of healthy competition, providing an outlet
for the creative use of natural language in a non-stressful situation.
6. Can be used in any language teaching situations and with all skill areas
(reading, writing, speaking or listening).
7. Provide immediate feedback for the teacher.
8. Ensure maximum student participation for a minimum of teacher
preparation.”
To sum up, games provides a great value with many advantages when they
are used in foreign language classes. Games make the learning process as in
natural way because they are part of their existence. The review of the studies
related to language games shows that games are really important in foreign
language teaching and learning in a variety areas.

C. How to Use Games

Games are mostly used when there is time left at the end of the lesson to
keep students quiet. However, Lee (1979, p.3) proposed that “games should not be
regarded as a marginal activity, filling in odd moments when the teacher and class
have nothing better to do.” So, it should be considered consider that games should
be put into the center of classroom teaching. Rinvolucri (1990) clarified that a
game can be used in any of these three stages while using them as a part of
grammar instruction:
a. Before presenting a material, especially to find out diagnostically how
much knowledge is already known by the learners;
b. After a material presentation to see how much the group have grasped;
c. As a revision after the teachers give the material.
In addition, Vernon (2011) proposed some suggestions for using games in
classroom successfully. Those are:
1. Organization
The first thing that should be considered when starting to teach a preschool
or elementary school ESL class is how to organize the class. For the
younger learners, the teachers should be able to change the activities every
five to ten minutes because children have shorter attention spans.
Whenthe teachersdo not change the activities, the children will soon lose
their interest. Moreover, the teachers should try to have everything ready
to go before the students enter the classroom, so the teachers can go from
activity to activity in proper time.

2. Expectations

When the teachers realize that the class is getting noisy, it means that the
teacher should change the activities. The teachers should be careful to
choose appropriate activities because there the activities that require fine
 motor skills or more important pay attention to the expectations. Children
in preschool and early elementary are just learning to write in their own
languages. This is not the best time to expect them to write in a foreign
language as well. As they progress through elementary school, however,
the teachers can begin using games and activities that require them to write
small amounts of sentences.
3. Respect.
The teachers should operate the class with the respect both to and from the
students to make the games work. This includes teaching the students from
the very beginning that the teachersexpect respect at all times. This
contains of giving encouragement and following the rules. The teacher
need to make sure the rules for all of the games are clear and manageable.
When there is arespectful environment in the classroom, the students will
feel safe enough to participate in the games, so that they can get the most
educational purposes out of them.
4. Routine
Although the teachers only have the students for a short time every week,
establishing a routine will help the class go smoothly. Children of this age
(preschool through elementary school) thrive on routine and if they know
what to expect next, they would be more able to participate in what is
going on now. Therefore, the teachers should set up a schedule for the
type of activities the teachers should be doing at any given time
throughout the class. Then, apply it in the appropriate activities to each
section of time. The teachers should also leave a little time at the end of
the class period to allow the students to clean up and gather their things.
The teacher can also create a sign to signal the students when it is time to
change activities such as clapping or signing a specific song, so that they
know it is time to return to the circle, table, or desks.

4. Nurture.

The most important thing that the teachers should do with the students are
to nurture them every day. For each child in the class, the teachers should
 find something that the teacher likes about the students and make sure to
tell him or her. Moreover, be encouraging, patient, and kind while playing
games and participating in activities, the children would like someone who
can be as a teacher and a person who help them get excited about the class
and what the teachers have for them to do every day.

Conclusion
Using games for teaching can be both fun and rewarding for the teacher
and also the students. Therefore, the use of games should be more emphasized as
learning tools not only for fun or time filler. Remember to keep engaged to the
students and to make sure that the games are truly teaching the skill. It will appear
a class full of students who get excited about the lesson. There are many kinds of
games based on its classification, however, the teachers can not just pick the
games without having any linguistics purposes because there are several aspects
that should be considered by the teachers when using games for teaching.
 Introduction

Young learners are children from the first year of formal schooling to
eleven or twelve years of age. At their age, they are in the process of personal,
social and emotional development; they acquire knowledge and begin to
understand the world. Therefore, it is very important to consider one thing that can
make them feel comfortable and not under pressure in the language class. In order
to get the children involved in the language class and to ensure a natural anxiety-
free language learning environment certain techniques could be applied. Games
could be one of good ways for teaching children. Games makes both fun and
rewarding for the teacher and also the students.

This paper aims to tell definition of the games, how to use it, and its
advantages in teaching learning process. The writer desiderate this paper can be an
assistance for the readers especially those who teach young learners.
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