In accordance to Piaget in his work Cognitive Development Implied

in the Classroom, Teachers must establish expectations and provide a

comfortable learning environment through play to stimulate their learners
and make learning more interesting with the propose of generating a
motivational Classroom Atmosphere. Furthermore, Piaget (1972) argued
that traditional approaches consider that games are just hobbies and time
lost and do not realize the relevance of this activities in young students in
learning process. According to Cook (2004), Playful activities are the
tasks that students enjoy to perform, when students participate in these
kinds of activities such as dance, games and video, Learners feel
comfortable, happy and stay focused on learning without fear of making
mistake.

Moreover, Rossini (2003), students just learn effectively when they

relate the contents in the class with their own interests through attractive
activities. In his theory of play and playfulness, Lieberman (1977) defined
them as physical, social, cognitive spontaneity and sense of humor.
Besides, these techniques involve the development of creativity and
curiosity of students. Lopes (2005), states that playing for young learners
is a universal characteristic. Therefore, Motivational activities are practical
way to teach and provide enjoyment in order to students learn faster and
better.

Based on the commentaries from different researchers and educators, we

can define Motivational activities as powerful pedagogical resources that
are essential to the learning process since they are employed to develop
creativity and imagination. Besides, they provide students with a fun
experience that create a positive mental attitude towards the subject and
encourage students to participate and study the topics can be difficult to
learn by generating a favorable environment for language learning. As
result, the use of ludic activities provides opportunities for Teachers
because they can fulfill their course goals easily and students can learn
through a fun way.

13
 Types of playful activities

We can find some Types of playful activities, such as:

Pedagogical Games
Playful didactic materials
Mime
Role plays

For the purposes of this project, we employed the followings

activities: Attractive didactic materials, Pedagogical Games and Songs
which are appropriated to motivate students to improve The English
Grammar Learning. They were described providing definitions, types,
categories, advantages and others aspects of relevance for their
understanding.

Playful didactic materials

Definition

J. Mak (2003) points out that these didactic materials are one of
key components of the educational process which is divided into four basic
elements. These include: curriculum, teacher, student and teaching
resources. Playful didactic materials can be defined as attractive resources
that teachers can employ as teaching materials or students can use as
learning sources. These teaching - learning resources such as books,
flashcars, pictures, posters, props and videos can be didactically adapted
for specific topics according to goals that need to be achieved in a defined
syllabus.

The didactic materials cannot be considered as a teaching method

that works alone because they are teaching aids that provide a support to
learning activities such as games, stories and role plays. For example, we
can use customs to performance a role-plays. Before applying theses
teaching resources, teachers should select and prepare the materials taking
the topic studied into account.

14
 Categories of Didactic Materials

According to J. Geschwinder (1995), they are divided into two

categories: immaterial and material resources. The first one can include
teaching methods and principles. The second one includes teaching aids,
Interactive resources, student aids, books, classroom equipment and so on.
The application of different teaching resources depends on purpose of
learning.

Types of Playful Didactic Materials

They include Props and Audiovisual resources such as flashcards,

audio resources and multimedia material including videos, blogs, podcasts,
and slides. Besides, printed materials, that is, Textbooks, Worksheets,
booklets and guides. In our work, we used following teaching aids:

Audio-visual resources

Flashcards: They are visual aids that can be used in the learning
process. These may be cardboards with pictures, drawings, magazine cut-
outs, words or numbers. The word Flashcards come from of its application
in activities. Although they can be used in different way, they usually are
shown form a short time to the students in order to memorize a topic.

Audio resources: they include different listening materials such as

songs, audio conversations and books. The use of songs in the classrooms:
They allow student to express their feelings in group which is social act.
Nowadays, the use the songs are very easy due to internet and cell phones.
Teenagers know different songs which are parts of their daily life while
travelling or studying or staying at home. Songs have some benefices such
as Language learning: Songs will help students to practice word stress,
intonation and rhythm of the songs as well as memorization of lyrics.
Besides, they help learners to develop listening, speaking, reading and
writing. Physical development: Songs provide a good opportunity for
dancing, jumping, clapping, playing instruments and hearing chunks of

15
language which can be used in different situations later. Cognitive
development: They are a good way to stimulate students to learn a foreign
Language and make the learning Interesting. Learners can produce
language rapidly without pausing and fear of making mistakes.

Interactive multimedia materials: Movies, TV programs,

PowerPoint slides and websites are included on these types of teaching
aids. They are lively methods of teaching that maximize learning
opportunities by encouraging students to become active viewers. The use
videos like teaching material come from World War II as a training tool for
soldiers (Hovland, Lumsdaine & Sheffield, 1949). They are attractive
teaching tools to raise students attention, increase their motivation and
make learning experience more enjoyable. Mayer (2001) said the audio
visual materials are active tools although they may appear to be passive.

Props

According to Merriam Websters Dictionary, The word prop comes

from Middle English proppe, from Middle Dutch, stopper. It means
something that props or support. They are objects used in movie/theatre by
the actors performing in a play as well as in teaching - learning process.

Props in teaching process: They can be defined as toys or objects

that provide students interaction in classroom, as visual aids that help
students to understand grammar points or as a way of encourage students
interest in class activities. The application of these teaching resources
should be used according to students age and methodology as well as the
topics studied. The most objects in the classroom can be employed as props
which are very simple such as a marker, a dice in a board game or a rope.
These teaching resources can be employed in different ways to introduce
and review vocabulary or to support a role play.
Types of props

16
 There is a list of objects that can be used as props in teaching -
learning process. In order to understand the use of these didactic materials,
we are going to explain the application of some props that help enhance
grammar skills.

Building Blocks (Lego).

Cards.
Clothes: Costumers or Magic hats.
Colored clays.
Dices.
Juggling Balls.
Markers.
Paintings
Personal photographs.
Plastic toys: animals, tres, People.
Puppets.
Ropes.

Personal Photographs: They allow students to practice a number

of grammar structures in a pleasant way using the description of a
photograph which help student to establish an emotional and physical
connection with the activity. Besides, they provide students an opportunity
to practice and build confidence in speaking development.

Markers: They help students understand and remember determinate

tenses or structures when they are written with certain colors. The use of
this activity should be consistent to ensure that students get a good
feedback. Furthermore, they can also be used to support games like hot
potato in which students pass an object a marker each other. The player
who holds the "hot potato" when the music stops is out.
Ropes and dices: theses props can be applied alone or commonly
with another activity. The ropes can be employed to put some flashcards
along them to help remember grammar structures. In each flashcard should

17
be written a part of the grammar structure. So the teacher may change the
order the structure and ask students to unscramble the structures. When
applying board games, we have to use dices to move around the board in
order to ask or answer question.

Characteristics of Props

The followings characteristics are based on the use of props as

teaching resource.

To add sense of humor and entertaining.

To refresh the monotony of activities in the classroom.
To reinforce a teaching explanation.
To represent an abstract concept in a concrete way.
To show visually what is being described in words.

Benefits of Props in teaching - learning process

Teachers can use a variety of props in class activities because they

are availed or easy to find. Besides, Props make the learning experience
more interesting and fun. They promote students creativity and an active
learning environment since students can interact each other and make
class participation more enjoyable. Moreover, the Props can be
applied to develop affective skills; students can learn more easily when their
senses are woken up. The application of props can be easy because many
objects are available around the classroom and thus do not need to be
acquired for a specific topic. In addition to this, they can raise students
attention and motivation for learning.

Educational games

Definition

18
 Playing is an innate human characteristic. A great variety of
recreational activities known as games have been part of many ancient
cultures around the world. During ancient Greece, games were seen by
Greek adults like a way to prepare children for future activities or their
vocations. Games were just related to amusement until the end of the
nineteenth century, but under the theory of john Dewey (1944). Games were
incorporated into the school curriculum like activities that enhance the
teaching methodology and engage students in the learning.

In accordance to Freire (2002) games are not just games; they have
important goals to be reached. Games are teaching tools with a great
educational potential by motivating students and help them develop their
skills and abilities. According to some dictionaries, Games can be described
an activity with a set of rules, especially for the purpose of entertainment,
often competitive or having an explicit goal. Games are interactive activities
that teach us objectives, rules, adaptation, problem solving, and interaction.
They provide students an opportunity to learn through enjoyment,
motivation, creativity, social interaction and emotion.

Although there are a variety of concepts about educational games,

we can define them as activities designed with educational purposes used
by teachers to make learning more interesting and fun in order to encourage
students to involve in topics studied. Games are practical teaching
resources to make a positive interaction between the teacher and their
students by facilitating the learning of the subject in an active way. It is
necessary to realize the application of games as educational resources can
be performed in different levels from primary school until university system
and even in enterprises.

Game in English language learning

They have been one of the most useful activities in the foreign
language learning process. These activities promote the development of

19
affective, cognitive and psychomotor students skills and keep high their
interest in learning through a constructive methodology. The main language
abilities, that is, reading, listening and pronunciation skills as well as English
vocabulary and grammar can be develop with the support of this
methodology. These fun activities can be used in different ways like a warm
up activity at the beginning or end of a lesson, another applications are to
introduce a new vocabulary or to reinforce a topic or to study a tough
subject.

Characteristics of games

The characteristics can be used as key points of comparison and

analysis about which are seldom describe in formal way. In accordance to
some educators, Games have five main characteristics: Goals,
Competition, Amusement, Safety and Monitor as well as Rules: the
framework of the game, restrictions and the acceptance of rules. The study
of these characteristics leads us to a better understanding of games
performance which involves affective and motor skills development.

Goals: Players use their skills to fulfill an objective (gaining points or

solving problems) that can be established or inferred. In educational games,
the main goal is the learning in active way engaging students in fun
activities. People think that implementations of games are a waste of time
because students only think in winning during these activities because they
do not realize the importance of application of this methodology.

Competition: The Second characteristic involves challenge that

gives sense to the activity. It allow student to compete against a human
opponent, the challenge of the game, or the time. This a key factor in game
development because it provides a spark during the learning of difficult
contents.

20
 Amusement: This is key factor in learning by playing because it
provides the necessary motivation to accomplish goals successfully, that is,
to keep students interest in learning through fun activities.

Safety: Games provide a comfortable and safe learning atmosphere

to develop the activities without the fear of making mistakes and raise
students participation.

Monitor: this aspect should be performed by teacher who should

check out the activities for their successful development and establish the
rules as well as to help students understand them.

Rules: They provide game a descriptive and defining framework. The

first one describes how to reach the goals and the second one points out
the necessary requirements to develop the activity. Other kinds of rules are
restrictions and finally the acceptance of rules to legitimize the game.

Categories of games

The games can be divided into the following categories according to

their skills development such as motor, cognitive, social and effective
games. We know a significance role of games in teaching - learning process
is that help students enhance their abilities in a practical and fun way. For
this reason, they are necessaries teaching tool for all school curriculum.

Motors games: they help students develop their motor skills that
involve the precise movement of muscles with the intent to achieve a
specific goal. In this category, we have:
Competition games: with the application of this game, Students
must use different skills since they need to perform new strategies through
competition. Learners can develop these activities in teams or in individual
way.

21
 Social games: they develop the students abilities to interact or how
we can communicate each other, both non-verbally and verbally through
gestures, body language, tone or volume of voice. For examples

Cooperative Games: They are a variation on the competitive games

and they are designed to require students to work and cooperate each as a
team in order to develop an activity. These kinds of games encourage
creativity and team-work.

Cognitive games: they involve Cognitive skill acquisition such as

attending, memory, thinking and imagination by overcoming a problem
trough an intellectual way. The main goal of this skill is to learn to remember,
analyze, evaluate, make comparisons and establish causes and effects.
Among them, we have Linguistic games: they facilitate the practice of oral
comprehension skills by enhancing verbal communication. They encourage
students to improve the ability of listing, understanding and answering
questions. Communicative games: They are related with the use of
language that involves the productive and receptive abilities trough the
exchange of ideas. They are warm ups, ice breakers and word order
/structures.

Affective games: They allow students to develop attitudes, values

and behaviors. They describe the way people react emotionally and their
ability to share feelings or understand of another person's feelings. Drama
games: These games are related to mimicry, storytelling and improvisation.
Acting games help learners feel comfortable and focused on the
development of different skills such as self confidence, creativity, and
imagination that are necessaries for acting and interacting with a group of
people or situations.

Classification of games

The classification of these activities can be difficult because they are

based on different points of view according to each authors research. In

22
order to understand the types of games, we used the following classification
provided by (Wright, Betteridge & Buck). In accordance to their
classification, Games can belong to one or more categories to the same
time. They are Grammar games, Guessing - Speculating games, Magic
Tricks, Picture games, Psychology games and True-false games. Although,
for developing of our proposal, we employed two types of these games, we
provided a brief definition of each one.

Guessing and Speculating Games: a common example for this

activity is a hangman game in which we have to guess or find out
information. In these games, we can use flash card or interactive didactic
materials. Magic Tricks: The use of magic to teach a topic is practical and
fun resource. The application of tricks motivates students to learn through
new experiences. Picture games: They are used to develop and reinforce
the vocabulary of different topics by comparing pictures and considering
their differences or similarities. Psychology Games: They develop visual
perception, imagination, personality and memory. They also raise the
students' attention and language use. True-false Games: This game is
simply in which is asked a question with a true or false answer. The main
tasks that can be developed with this game are: famous people and topics
about history or geography.

The following teaching tools: Grammar games and Card - Board

Games were the activities that we choose to perform our proposal since
their applications are useful to teach grammar abilities in a successfully way.
Grammar or word games: they allow students to learn and develop
grammar exercises which have always been the bedrock of a foreign
language study. For example: word order, gaps fill and topics such as verbs,
grammar structures and so on. There is a variety of activities: Word
searches and Crosswords that have many variations and they can be
applied like grammar games to practice grammar concepts, meanings and
using words for making sentences. Word searches: They are implemented
to develop and improve upon your vocabulary by finding the hidden words.

23
Crosswords Games: They are word puzzles in which the goal is to fill the
white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which
lead to the answers. Card - Board Games: They are activities such as
Puzzle , Tic-tac-toe or Snakes and ladders t that involve counters or pieces
moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of
rules.

Tips for applying games in classroom activities

The following tips will facilitate the application of educational games.

They can be used like a guide to achieve the goals of these activities.
Teachers have to remember that the application of games as educational
strategies involve to chose and prepare the activities beforehand.

To identify their students interests.

To provide clear instructions to develop activities successfully.
To make sure that your students understand goal of the game.
Teachers should be motivated during activities in order to raise
students interest since students learn from examples.
To choose activities according the topic studied.
To place Students in small groups of 4-5 according to their behavior
and language proficiency.
To help student keep in mind the goal of the activity.
Monitor the activities and time to perform them.

Benefits of games in teaching - learning process

To highlight the benefits of games is not easy since there are

probably as many advantages to apply games in an educative curriculum,
as definitions that suggest their using. Games can be applied:

To promote a learner-centred learning.

To enhance communicative competence.

24
 To create a comfortable classroom atmosphere for language use.
To raise learning motivation.
To decrease learning anxiety.
To develop various linguistic skills.
To encourage creative in using of language.
To create a cooperative learning environment.
To increase students attention in the subject.

Mime

Definition

This activity is based on using body motions such as miming,

gesturing and acting without words. Through this activity can develop some
skills, but especially affective skills because it a drama resource. Although
mime is employed as a theatrical medium, it can also be applied in
educational activities in order to raise students motivation and increase the
attention to the class. The word mime comes from Latin term mmus and
Greek mmos that means imitator.

Benefits of using the mime in English learning

Mime helps to develop different skills since it provides the opportunity

for communicating, understanding and participating during classes.
Besides, this technique allows teacher use the body language to give
students additional information or instructions with using speech or
translating phrases. For example: if you want to listen (put your hands
behind your ears) or to stand up (raise your hand with palms facing forward).
Another application is to learn or reinforce vocabulary like the verb to run
(move your legs, never having both or all the feet on the ground at the same
time). So teacher can acquire a new vocabulary without using word.

Tips for using mime in teaching - learning process

To chose a topic. For example vocabulary.

25
 To make a list of vocabulary on the board.
To cut out slips of paper that should contain a word or sentence.
To put the papers into a hat and ask a student to chose one.
To ask students to keep the sentence or word in secret.
To mime sentences or words while the rest of the class tries to guess
them.

Role-plays

Definition

During Role-play activities the students or teachers can

assume the attitudes, role, and discourse of somebody else. Role plays
involve student in an imagined world where students feel safe to perform
a specific role such as Imaginary people: students can become anyone
they like for a short time in an imaginary situations.

Benefits of Role - plays in teaching - learning process.

In accordance to Maley and Duff (1978) suggest that these teaching

tools provide the students opportunities to develop creativity and
personality. Furthermore, they allow students to practice the language and
to explore situations and characters in the target language. (Jeremy
Harmer) points out the use of role-play for improving the motivation in the
classroom and help students express themselves in a fun and safe way.

Role of students

This kind of activity encourages active student participation and

student's whole personality in order to increase the motivation to learn,
discuss, evaluate and describe the activities. Moreover, they have to make
decision. Students can express their feelings and practice the use the
language.

26
 The role of the teacher

Facilitator: Teacher helps students giving new expressions or

explains the objectives of the activity. Some students do not feel safe acting
or interpreting a role. For this reason, teacher should motivate to participate
and give students easy and real roles. Spectator: The teacher provides
recommendations and advices when the activity ends. Participant: It is
sometimes necessary that teacher can take part of the game as player in
order to encourage students to develop the activities.

Advantages of employing playful activities in teaching Grammar.

Their benefits can be summed in 5 points:

To Reinforce and consolidate tough learning in a friendly envir

onment: According to (Aydan Ersoz) Language learning is tough task whi
ch Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the t
arget language. Through fun activities, students can reinforce, practice an
d consolidate tough topics like English grammar exercises in a relaxing lea
rning atmosphere.

To increase student attention: When implementing playful activitie

s, students attention is raised, while they perform attractive activities like g
ames. They pay more attention to the activities because they establish an e
motional commitment with topic studied

To develop all basic language skills: The same activity can devel
op one or more skills. Fun activities facilitate the grammar skills since som
e of them are designed to improve grammar abilities with exercises that mo
tivate students to understand and practice the language.

To provide an active learning: Students are learned-centered sinc

e students have an active role. They learn through experiences that provid
e the games. When students play, they can practice and have fun at the sa
me time. Besides, teachers perform the role of facilitator

27
 To provide students with a positive attitude about learning: Wit
h the application of playful activities, Students can work individually or in gr
oups in comfortable environment without stress. Furthermore, these enjoya
ble activities make the learning more interesting for students and remove t
he idea that learning is boring.

Conclusion.

They can be defined as teachings resources designed to motivate learning

by adding entertainment to class activities. Motivational activities are an
alternative methodology to traditional teaching. The application of playful
activities in the English curriculum is a key factor in students motivation by
creating a free learning environment where student can study hard topics
like English Grammar supported by fun activities. Moreover, Motivational
activities promote a dynamic learning, that is, students are active
participants during the learning process. Hence, these techniques helped
students to increase their self confidence required to engage in new
experiences and work in class successfully.

These techniques are based on the concept of learning through play which
promotes the use of games while teaching a subject. This methodology
allows students to develop social and cognitive skills as well as mature
emotionally. This approach suggests that the learning can be enhanced
and increased through fun teaching strategies like games.

Motivation

Definition

According to Green, Beatty and Arkin (1984), Motivation is the study

of the social processes which direct, activate and maintain behavior. The
Term motivation comes from the Latin word motives, a form of movere,
which means "to move." According to some dictionaries, the motivation is a
force or influence that causes someone to do something. Furthermore, in

28
order to provide validity to our work, we took as reference other definitions
of motivation.

Pintrich and Schunk (1996) pointed out that motivation implies the
idea of movement or energy to perform a work. Besides, According Lieury
(1996), motivation is a generic term refers to all the biological and
psychological mechanisms that are related to action, the direction, intensity
and persistence. Based on these theories, we can define the motivation as
a set of factors which can influence on people behavior in an Internal and
external way. It is a force that stimulates desire and energy in someone to
achieve a specific goal.

Types of motivation

Intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation has a pattern and a direction that are essentially internal.
It offers the highest performance because the energy that is employed to
achieve a goal has a constant and internal source. But it is more difficult to
obtain since it depends on the needs and desires of learners. This type of
motivation is considered the highest level of self-determined motivation that
can reach an individual. Intrinsic motivation also implies that the individual
is involved in activities for its own pleasure without an obvious external
incentive. Moreover, it is also the source of energy that is used to start the
active nature of the human organism.

Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation is the simplest form of motivation as it relies on causal

relationships (cause-effect). The source of energy is external, that is, the
unit (reward or punishment) and management come from outside.
Harlow Lieury (1996) said that the rewards or any other form of extrinsic
motivation "decreases" intrinsic motivation. Because people only work for
an external rewards. Therefore, extrinsic motivation is the least efficient.

29
 Level of motivation

Based on research of Roland Viau who has studied the sources of

motivation at school, students need to realize purpose and importance of
learning as well as the factors that motivate them to develop a work, that is,
teachers should have a role of guide in order to help students to identify or
specify their goals.

Abraham Maslow's theory (1954) suggested that there are five specific
levels of motivation in the form of pyramid. When motivating an individual or
even a group, it is essential to be able to locate their level of need.
The first level is physiological basic needs such as food, thirsty, hungry
and sleep. This motivation is related to the survival instinct that motivates
animals. The second level refers to security needs such as living in a safe
environment and ability to reproduce. Humans and animals search the
same needs. The third level is social need. They refer to evolve and belong
in a group .The human was not created to live alone. In the Fourth level,
the human feel a need for self-esteem and recognition. People seek to
occupy a specific position in group in order to feel noticed, estimated, and
valued. Finally, the fifth level, the need for self-realization through creativity
and personal development. The true motivation is to create a work that
could be useful to their fellows.

Characteristic of motivation

Vallerand and Thill (1993) said that motivation's characteristics represent

the main manifestations of its state. To understand concept of motivation
we must describe 4 main characteristics which are:

The trigger: It influences on People's behavior

30
 Direction: It leads our behavior towards a needs, vision, dream or desire
to achieve.
Intensity: This is the effort. The more we want to achieve a goal, the
more we are motivated to work on a task to reach this goal.
Persistence: It shows our level of motivation or how long people want
to overcome a problem.

The importance of Motivation in the classroom

The Motivation is the backbone in all educative process. The school

motivation is based on beliefs (on learning, its capabilities) and values
(school materials, tasks and goals). Keller (1983) highlighted that motivation
refers to the students' behavior and the choices that are taken in order to
reach a desired goal as well as the degree of effort to do it. Lepper and
Hodell (1989) said that increasing the intrinsic motivation of learners is due
to four main sources: The challenge, Curiosity, Control, and Fantasy.

Advantage of motivation in teaching learning process

According to Viau (1994), the Academic motivation is the set of factors that
drive the student to: Actively engage in the learning process, to adopt
behaviors that will lead to achieving the learning objectives, to persevere in
the face of difficulties. In addition, the motivation allows making the learning
an interesting, continuing and appealing process, establishing a good
communication between teachers and students, providing the spark and
effort to reach a goal successfully.
Conclusion

The motivation is directly related to good school accomplishments since it

helps the student to focus on learning process by increasing their attention
in the subject studied. The motivation can be intrinsic to the student, but
also depends on the environment where the learners work .This external
environment include the school and all that composes , that is , the
educational team and the functioning of the school institution. A good

31
classroom environment is a powerful engine that can promote effective
motivation, For this reason, teacher should employ activities that encourage
the motivation on the learners in order to provide a positive learning
atmosphere to achieve the main goal of all educative processes ,that is, a
complete student's development .

When talking about the English grammar learning, teachers face a tough
topic since many students consider these activities boring and monotonous.
For this reason, we implemented the playful activities as a new strategy of
teaching in the classroom, because they increase students' desire to
participate in the learning process

32