It rained every Friday afternoon in Manggar in January and February, preventing students at SMAN 1 Manggar from returning to school. But on February 14, the storm held off just long enough for students from the English Club to gather and begin work on a project.

First, ETA Mary Breen led a few classic schoolyard games like Statues, Mother, May I?, and Red Light, Green Light, to set the mood while everyone arrived. The developing clouds provided welcome shade as students jumped, twirled, and froze in the courtyard. Then, Mary and the students moved indoors to discuss the project’s objective: creating board games that are locally inspired and relevant to the English Club and teachers across Belitung Timur.

Students drew from the English games provided by the Regional English Language Office (RELO), playtesting them to see what worked and what didn’t. Would You Rather…? was a significant hit, as students were genuinely interested to hear each other’s answers. They brainstormed questions that might encourage students to talk, and Mary suggested ways to practice key language skills that many students struggle with.

Finally, everyone buckled down to work. Students helped Mary write math problems for tenth graders to create a game focused on practicing English numbers out of order. They also designed other games, including Name Your Favorite… — beach, mobile game, or K-pop star — and a wildcard game where no two spaces had the same kind of question.

The next phase of the Fun and Games project will involve refining the games and then presenting them to English teachers across Belitung Timur to supplement the curriculum, help students speak more, and actively participate during class.

Mary Breen is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Manggar, East Belitung.