About the PAD Project

Welcome to the PAD Project – a site dedicated to helping PCVs in Bulgaria find tried-and-true games and activities to use in their TEFL classrooms. Anyone is welcome to submit an activity or game they have used in their classroom to share with others, and please feel free to make comments or suggestions on previous posts (see submissions page).

So why use games and activities in the classroom? And what’s the difference? I generally classify things that are fun simply for fun’s sake (and learning English is secondary) as “games” and things that are primarily for learning English (and happen to be fun or interesting for the students) as activities. And the main reason for using them in your classrooms is to provide new, memorable experiences for learning English that your students will enjoy and look forward to. Many classroom discipline problems – though not all, obviously – can be prevented by keeping students engaged and interested.

The web is obviously a great resource for finding games and activities for TEFL and ESL programs, but many of them require resources that we simply don’t have access to here in Bulgaria. But with a little creativity, these can be adapted and used here, or even new activities can be created out of thin air! You never know until you try – some ideas will fall flat on their faces, and others, your students will beg you for week after week!

So hence the PAD Project. Take a little time and look around, and feel free to contribute! Good luck and happy teaching!

-Abeth S. (B21 TEFL Primary volunteer)

By the way, “PAD” stands for “Palachinkas Are Delicious.” That’s just for you, Anna!