activities kids

8/12/2019 Activities Kids

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A

Action Race:This is a fun game using actions. Use actions like jump, hop, clap, run etc. Have the Sssplit into two teams and sit in lines with a chair by each team and one chair at the other end of the room.One S from each team stands net to their chair and T calls an action, e.g. !"ump!. Ss must jump to the

chair on the other side of the room and back, sitting down in their chair Ss say !# can jump!. $irst one todo it gets their team a point. %Submitted by &areth Thomas'.

Adjectival Action:T writes on the board an activity like !bush your teeth.! She(He picks one student,they come to the front of the class. The T then shows the S a card with an adjective written on it like!slowly! or whatever. The chosen student then does the activity in the way of the adjective. The other Shave to guess the adjective. The one who guesses right gets a point and mimes the net action which theteacher writes on the board. To help them you can give them a list of options, if you think they need somehelp. %Submitted by )ibby *c+rthur'

Airplane competition:$irst, have your Ss make some paper airplanes. Stand the Ss in a line and letthem test fly their planes. $or the competition, assign different classroom objects points %e.g. table points, door - points, trashcan / points'. +sk a S a 0uestion and if s(he answers correctly then s(hecan throw and try to hit one of the target objects to win points. This works well as a team game.

Apple Pass:Have all Ss sit in a circle. Use a fake apple and toss it to one S. 1ut you must say one2nglish word as you pass. The S then throws to another S and says a different 2nglish word. #f thestudent you threw it to drops it, he(she is out. +nd the game keeps going until you have one winner. #tcan be played with different categories, such as $ood, +nimals, 2tc. *y students love it3 %Submitted by4im.S.'.

Art Gallery: This is a great activity for reviewing vocab. 5raw enough s0uares on the board for each S tobe able to draw in. Have the Ss write their names above their s0uares. T calls out a word and the Ssdraw it %could be simple nouns e.g. !dog, bookcase, train!, verb structures e.g. !draw a man running,eating cake, sleeping!' or adjectives %!draw a big elephant, an angry lion, an epensive diamond ring!'.

$or each S give a score for his(her picture, and then move on to the net picture. The S with the highestscore at the end is the winner.

Attention:6all out commands such as7 +ttention, salute, march in place...stop, sit down, stand up, walkin a circle, clap your hands...stop, run in place...stop, jumping jacks...stop, swim in place....stop, etc. +tfirst students will copy you but later they should be able to do the commands without you. %Submitted byTania 1ibbo'.

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Backs to the Board Game: This one is good for higher level kids. *ake two teams and stand one Sfrom each team in front of the board, facing away from it. 8rite a word or draw a picture on the board%e.g. !hamburger!' and the Ss have to eplain that word to their team member %e.g. you can buy it in*c5onalds, it9s got cheese and ketchup in it'. The first S out of the two standing in front of the board toguess the word wins a point for his(her team.

Badminton: &ood for reviewing target vocabulary %words or communicative epressions'. Set a !court!into the classroom by placing a skip:rope tied up to two chairs. *ake two small teams %the other Ss canbe the crowd and or challengers'. &ive each S a flyswatter %!;acket!'. #nflate a balloon %this will be theball'. ;emember7 the younger the Ss, the bigger the balloon must be %slower'. 5ecides who serves and


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Board #cramble: T puts the whole alphabet on the blackboard in a scramble of letters here and there,but low enough that the Ss can reach it. Have two teams and call out a letter. The person that is able tofind and circle it first wins a point for their team. To make things harder have capitol and small letters.2ven more challenging: have four teams all looking for the same letter. The kids just love it. Aou can doit with numbers and also words. %Submitted by Susie'.

Bu$$:+ counting game. Have the Ss sit in a circle. The Ss pass the ball around while counting %-, /, E,etc.'. 8hen the number reaches F the S must say buDD. +ny number with a F in it must be buDD %F, -F,/F, EF, etc.' and any multiple of F must be buDD %-C, /-, /G, E, etc.'.

C

an %ou Actions: Use this game for teaching !6an you...@! !Aes, # can! !


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times!, !Turn around C times! etc. Other good ones to use are7 run %on the spot', hop, hands up I down,touch your %body part', stand up I sit down and star jump.

/0plosion:&ive the students a topic and an object to pass around. 2ach student has to say a word inthat topic %e.g. food : apple, cake etc.' before the time runs out. #f the time limit ends the student leftholding the object loses. %submitted by 1en'.

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ish: 1efore this game you need to have the students in pairs draw and cut out a picture of a fish foreach pair. 8hile they are doing that put / parallel lines of tape on the floor a few meters apart. Have Ssplay in twos : each student behind a different line. T asks S- a 0uestion. #f the S answers it correctlys(he can blow once to propel the fish forward.


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2uice: 1ring a small bottle of juice %e.g. orange juice' to class. +t some point during the lesson take outthe bottle and have a sip. This almost certainly will cause a mini:riot of kids asking for some. Here9s anideal opportunity to teach !6an # have some juice, please@!. Say this sentence to the first S and gethim(her to repeat it : only give him(her some if the sentence is said correctly. 1rink juice along everyweek, and before long your Ss will be re0uesting a drink in prefect 2nglish3 %#f you don9t want your Ss tobe drinking out of the same bottle as you bring along a few plastic cups'.

K

3nock(3nock: This can be used at the beginning of each class. Teach the Ss to knock on the doorbefore entering the classroom. There are / variations for the net step7 -. 8hen the S knocks, T says!8ho9s there@!. The S replies !#t9s %4oji'! and then the T says !6ome in %4oji'!. /. 8hen the S knocksthe T must guess who it is !#s that %4oji'@!. The S replies yes or no : if no, the T continues guessing.Having your Ss develop their own knocking styles makes this even more fun.

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4abel +t:This works well with newcomers of all ages who need an introduction to basic vocabulary. +slong as the learners are able to identify beginning letter sounds, they should be able to do this activity. TofamiliariDe my students with names of objects found in the classroom, # label everything with an indecard that has the item9s name on it. Then # have them repeat what # read as they point to the item. Thenet day, # remove the cards and go through them one at a time and we place them on the correct itemtogether. The third day, # let them label whatever they can on their own. # continue this for a few days.8hen they are able to independently label most of the items, # surprise them by having them labeledincorrectly. Then they have to straighten out the mess. Aou can adapt this to any noun:based vocabularylist %e.g. types of foods, body parts, parts of a room in a house, animals, etc.' that you can post picturesof. Aour website has amaDing flashcards and pictures that can be printed out and used for this.%submitted by 4**B'.

4ast 4etter, irst 4etter: %+ popular "apanese game called Shiri Tori'. Have the Ss sit in a circle withyou. T starts by saying a word, then the S to the T9s right must make a word that starts with the last letterof the word that the T said %e.g. bus::: steak::: key::: yello.::: etc.'. 6ontinue around the circle untilsomeone makes a mistake.

4ine True or alse:But a line of tape on the floor and designate one side !True! and the other !$alse!.Hold up an object or flashcard and say its word. #f Ss think the you have said the correct word they jumpon the True side, if not they jump on the $alse side. #ncorrect Ss sit out until the net game.

M

*achine: This is good for practicing emotions and sounds. Bick one S to start. &ive that S an emotionor a feeling to act. They must do an action and make a noise. One at a time Ss can add to it and youessentially create a !machine!. This is a really fun game3 %Submitted by


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Picture un: Have students cut out a picture of a person in a magaDine. Students should describe theperson, how old they are, what their job is, what their hobbies are, etc. and then present that person tothe class. This is good for practicing adjectives. %Submitted by 4elly'.

Preposition Treasure 1unt: $or prepositions of location and yes(no 0uestion practice. Aou needsomething sticky, like 91lue Tack9 %used for sticking posters to the wall' that you can roll into a ball and

stick on anything. *odel first7 give the 1lue Tack to a S and indicate that they should put it in a difficult:to:find place. )eave the room and give them a few moments to hide the 1lue Tack %e.g. on the underside ofa desk, on the wall behind a curtain, etc.'. Then come back in and ask yes(no 0uestions to locate it %#s iton the desk@, #s it near the desk@ #s it in the front half of the classroom@ #s it under the chair@ etc.'.8hen you finally find it have a S take the 0uestioner9s role. #n a large class try having Ss play in pairs.

Puppet onversation: Hand puppets really liven up a classroom, especially for young learners who areshy when talking to the T. Aou9ll probably find that some Ss prefer talking to the puppet than to you3 $unpuppet characters %such as Sesame Street9s 6ookie *onster' that talk to Ss can produce unepectedresults. # always use 6ookie *onster at the beginning of my young classes. Here9s what # do7 -. 6ookie*onster is sleeping in a bag. 2ach S has to shout !8ake up 6ookie *onster3! into the bag. 6ookie*onster only wakes up when the whole class shout together into the bag. /. 6ookie *onster says helloto each S and asks them 0uestions %their names, how they are, how old they are, etc.'. Ss reply and asks

6ookie *onster the same 0uestions. E. Ss and 6ookie *onster sing the 9Hello Song9 together. C.6ookie *onster says goodbye to each S individually and then goes back to sleep in the bag. The actuallesson can now start.

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"uestion hain: Have the Ss sit in a circle. T asks the S net to him(her a 0uestion %e.g. !8hat9s yourname@! !5o you like chocolate cake@! etc.' and the S has to answer the 0uestion and then ask the Snet to him(her the same 0uestion. 6ontinue around the circle and then start a new 0uestion. #t helps touse a ball to pass around as the 0uestions are being asked and answered.

"uestion Ball: Have the Ss sit in a circle. Throw(;oll a ball to one S and ask a 0uestion. The net stephas / variations. Variation 1:S- throws the ball back to the T and the T throws to another S asking adifferent 0uestion. Variation 2: S- throws the ball to a different S and asks that S the same 0uestion.

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Rope 2ump: you need a rope for this one3 Have Ss stand behind each other in a line. Hold a rope %havea S hold the other end' at a height that the Ss should be able to jump over. On the other side of the ropespread out some objects or flashcards and a bo. 6all out the name of one of the objects(flashcards tothe first S. S(he has to jump over the rope, pick up the correct object and put it in the bo. $or otherrounds you can hold the rope down low, so Ss have to crawl(roll under.

Rhythmic Reading: This activity is fast:paced and lively, and improves their word recognition, speed,and confidence in reading. 6hoose a reading passage %one page if using a basic tet, maybe oneparagraph if using a more advanced one'. Start a rhythm %clapping or tapping on your desk'. 6hoose onestudent to start. 2ach student must read one sentence %or word, if you want', eactly on the beat andpronounced correctly. #mmediately after the first student finishes, the net one starts with the netsentence, and so on. #f someone misses a beat or stumbles over words, they lose a 9life9 or they are 9out9.#f you use the 9out9 method, it isn9t so bad, because the 9out9 students help to keep the beat and followalong. #n my eperience, all students, whether 9out9 or not, have focused intently on the reading : waitinglike hawks to hear someone9s mistake. Of course you can vary the tempo, making it much easier or much


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harder. This can also be played as a team game %which team can make it to the end of the passage, onbeat, with no stumbles or mispronunciations@'. &ood luck3 %Submitted by *elanie *itchell'.

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#ecret #: Students form / different groups in the class, each group prepares E 0uestions to ask. Othergroup members try to give answers to these 0uestions without saying the letter 9S9. The group which doesnot say this letter wins the game. %Submitted by &amDe ALldLD'.

#hirt Game: 5ivide the children into two teams and give a man9s shirt to each team. 1e sure each shirthas the same amount of buttons down the front. +t the signal, the first person on each team puts on theshirt and buttons all of the buttons down the front. The one who is buttoned:up first gets to answer the0uestion you ask. Of course a 0uestion e0uals points. #f the answer is incorrect, the person from theother team gets a chance to answer.

#hopping: This can be used with a wide range of objects %plastic fruit works very well'. &ather all the Ssand show them all the objects you have. +sk a S !8hat do you want@! %or maybe !8hat would you like@!

to higher levels'. The S should reply %e.g. !+n apple, please!'. T then says !Here you are! and the Sfinishes with !Thank you!. +t the end collect the objects by playing the 9&ive *e9 game.

#hopping Game: This is an oral communication activity appropriate for 2$) learners inelementary(primary school %optimal for grades E:M'. This game is designed for practicing !shopping!dialogue and vocabulary. *aterials7 !produce! and play money. Object of game7 To accumulate as manyproducts as possible.

Students are divided into clerks and shoppers. 6lerks set up !stands! to allow easy access for allshoppers %e.g. around the outsides of the room with their backs to the wall'. Shoppers are given a setamount of moneyN %e.g. dollars, euros, pounds, etc.' and begin at a stand where there is an open space.Students shop, trying to accumulate as many items as possible %each item is - unit of currency'.Beriodically, the instructor will say !stop! %a bell or other device may be needed to attract attention in

some cultural and classroom contets' and call out a name of one of the products. Students with thatproduct must then put +)) their products in a basket at the front of the room. The remaining studentscontinue shopping. Students who had to dump their products must begin again from scratch %with fewerunits of currency'. The student with the most products at the end wins. Students then switch roles.

N#t is recommended giving students as much money as possible since students who run out can no longerparticipate.

+lternative play for more advanced students7 6lerks set the price of items. Shoppers have the option ofnegotiating the price. There are two winners in this version7 The shopper who accumulates the mostproducts and the clerk who makes the most money.

#ilent Ball: #f the Ss are being loud and off task play this game with them. #t really works and they love toplay it. Have all the Ss stand up and give one student a ball %make sure it is soft'. Have the students tossthe ball to each other without saying a word. +ny student who drops the ball or talks must sit down.%Submitted by Samantha *archessault'

#imon #ays:+ good review for body parts %!Simon says touch your knees!'. Aou could change Simon toyour name to avoid confusion. 8hen T says a sentence without the word !Simon! %e.g. !Touch yourknees!' then Ss shouldn9t follow that instruction. #f a S makes a mistake s(he has to sit out until the netround.


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#lam: Sit the Ss in a circle and place some objects or flashcards in the middle of the circle. Tell Ss to puttheir hands on their heads. T shouts out the word of one of the objects and the Ss race to touch it. The Swho touches it first get to keep the object. The S who has the most objects at the end of the game is thewinner.

#mells Game:Breparation7 Take eight small, empty jars opa0ue jars work best %e.g., plastic vitamin

containers'. But good:smelling things %e.g., shampoo, syrup' in four of the jars and bad:smelling things%e.g., vinegar, strong dried herbs' in the other four. Only a small amount is needed. Blace all the jars in abig paper bag. 2ecution7 8rite !#t smells good! and !#t smells bad! on the board. Aou can also draw ahappy face and a disgusted face to clarify things. Teach the phrases. 2ach S then comes up to teacher,one at a time. S is then blindfolded and you hold an open jar under his(her nose. S must say whether itsmells good or bad. &reat fun3 %Submitted by *a 1ecker:Bos'.

#no.balls: The T or the Ss draw on the board items related to the Target )esson %fruits, animals,veggies, etc.' *ake two teams. One S from each team gets a wet tissue %!Snow ball!' and stands up.The rest of the class picks a card which can not be seen by the two Ss standing, who will throw their!snow ball! as they hear the other Ss call an item out %eg7 !+pple3!'. The team whose participant hitscloser to the item called out, gets a point. %Submitted by Salvador'

#pelling Bee: Have all your Ss stand at the front of the class. &ive S- a word to spell. The S orallyspells the word and the T writes it on the board as it is being spelt. #f the spelling is wrong the S isknocked out of the game. The last S standing is the winner. This also works well as a team game.

#pin the Bottle: Sit Ss in a circle with a bottle in the middle. T Spins the bottle. 8hen it stops spinningthe S it is pointing to has to answer a 0uestion. #f the answer is correct then that S can spin the bottle.This is a good class warm up activity.

#7uee$e: 5ivide the Ss into two teams with their desks facing each other. The Ss closest to the teachermust keep their eyes open, the other Ss close their eyes. The Ss on each team must all hold handsecept for the two on the ends. The two farthest away from the teacher will be reaching for a small object,like a koosh ball or bean bag. The teacher flips a coin for the Ss whose eyes are open. 8hen it lands onheads the Ss must s0ueeDe the hand of the net person, and then the net person and so on. 8hen it

reaches the student on the end s(he must 0uickly reach for the object. The team who picks up the objectfirst wins a point. Then the line rotates, the Ss with their eyes open move to the net seat. The Ss whoreached for the object come to the front. %Submitted by )ynette "ackson'

#top the Bus:+ll Ss need pencil and paper to play this game. The T writes a letter on the board, andshouts, !Start the bus.! The students then write down as many words beginning with this letter as theycan think of. 8hen one S shouts out, !Stop the bus3! everyone has to stop writing. The students all getone point for each word. The S who has the most words wins an etra / point. This may or may not bethe one who shouted, !Stop the bus.! %Submitted by 4atie *c+rthur'

#tory Pass: But up a picture or a first sentence as a writing prompt. 5ivide students into small groupsand have them create a story from that prompt. 2ach student takes a turn writing one sentence to add tothe story and passes it on to the net student. 4eep it going around in the group until they have finished it

%it may be helpful to have a length limit or time limit so the stories don9t get too out of control3'. ?ote on thebest story, based on creativity and flow. %Submitted by 6hristina 5everall'

T

There is8there are: To practice there is(there are. &ive your students a list of 0uestions, and have themgo around the school, park in order to answer the 0uestions. =uestions could be7


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How many doors are there in the school@how many teachers are there in the school in this moment@how many plants are there in the hall@how many tables are there in the classroom@, etc. %Submitted by 6laudian Torres'

Time Bomb: you need a timer %such as an egg timer' for this eciting game. Set the timer, ask a

0uestion and then throw it to a S. S(he must answer and then throw the timer to another S, who in turnanswers and then throws it to another S. The S holding the timer when it goes off loses a life. This canalso be done with categories %e.g. food, animals, etc.'.

Tingo Tango:sit with students in a circle after teaching any topic. &ive a bean bag to one student in thecircle to start passing around when another student %sitting looking out' begins to chant !tingo, tingo,tingo, tango!. 8hen s(he says !tango! the student who ends up with the bean bag must either answer a0uestion or ask one about the topic learned. %Submitted by *aria Bineda'

Tornado7 Supplies7 flashcards %pictures or 0uestions on one side, numbers on the other', 9Tornado 6ards9%flashcards with numbers on one side and a tornado picture on the other'. Stick the numbered cards onthe board with either pictures or 0uestions on the back %depending on the age group' facing the board.

+lso include M Tornado cards and mi them in with the picture cards. Students then choose a number

card. #f they answer the 0uestion correctly then their team can draw a line to draw a house. #f they choosea tornado card then they blow down their opposing teams part drawing of a house. The first team to drawa house wins. %submitted by Sally )loyd'.

Train Ride Game: Have Ss form a train %standing in line holding onto each other'. 6hoo choo around theclassroom and call out instructions %e.g. faster, slower, turn left(right, stop, go'.

Touch: Have Ss run around the classroom touching things that T orders them to do %e.g. !Touch thetable! !Touch a chair! !Touch your bag!'. 6olors work well for this, as Ss can touch anything of that color%e.g. !Touch something green!'.

Tornado7 Supplies7 flashcards %pictures or 0uestions on one side, numbers on the other', 9Tornado 6ards9%flashcards with numbers on one side and a tornado picture on the other'. Stick the numbered cards on

the board with either pictures or 0uestions on the back %depending on the age group' facing the board.+lso include M Tornado cards and mi them in with the picture cards. Students then choose a numbercard. #f they answer the 0uestion correctly then their team can draw a line to draw a house. #f they choosea tornado card then they blow down their opposing teams part drawing of a house. The first team to drawa house wins. %submitted by Sally )loyd'.

Typhoon7 Have the students put chairs in a circle, with one less than the number of students. Thestudent left standing has to ask the others a 0uestion ie 5o you have glasses@ #f the answer is yes, thenthe students with glasses have to get up and switch chairs, giving the one standing a chance to sit. #f theanswer is no, the student remains sitting. )ots of fun, and the kids seem to love it and always ask for it.1e careful that they don9t get too ecited and knock over any chairs. %submitted by 4irk 5avies'.

U9hm9 Game: One student at a time is chosen and given a specific subject %pickle, grass, football, etc'.The objective is for the student to talk about(describe the subject for as long as possible without pausingor using fillers such as !uhm!. This is a great game for building speech skills and kids love it3 %Submittedby *aggie'


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nscramble: 8rite a word on the board that has all its letters mied up %e.g. !lrocsmaos! P !classroom!'.Ss have to unscramble the word. This works well in a team game. Variation: use letter blocks ( lettershapes instead of writing on the board.

V;anishing 6bjects Game: place a number of objects in front of the Ss. &ive them a few moments tomemoriDe the objects and then tell them to close their eyes. Take away one of the objects and then tellthe Ss to open their eyes again. The first S to guess the missing object can win that object %for - point'and take away an object in the net round.

;ocab Tic Tac Toe:5raw a basic tic tac toe board on the white board with new vocabulary in each block.2ach word is missing one, two or three letters depending on students level. One S from each team iscalled up and must fill in the missing letter%s' and say the word aloud. The team with three in a row wins.%submitted by Shawn'.

W&ord hain: have the Ss to sit with T in a circle. T says a word %or sentence' and then the net Srepeats that word and adds a new word. S/ then says the / words and adds another. 6ontinue goingaround the circle until the list gets too long to remember3

&hat Time +s +t *r< &ol =variation>: This variation is easier to play in a classroom setting. Have Ssstand in a circle around *r. 8olf %either T or S', who is blind:folded and facing one direction. The Ss ask98hat time is it *r. 8olf@9. #f *r. 8olf says 9#t9s C o9clock,9 then the Ss march in a circle C steps. #f *r. 8olfsays, 9#t9s dinnertime,9 then he or she grabs the S who is in front of them. +nd that S becomes *r. 8olf.

+s another variation, and to teach Ss times of meals, M o9clock could be breakfast, -/ o9clock could belunch and F o9clock could be dinner. So when *r. 8olf said, 9#t9s -/ o9clock,9 *r. 8olf would eat a S.%Submitted by 8ilhelm'

&hisper Game: Sit the Ss in a circle with you. 8hisper a word or sentence in the net S9s ear %e.g. !#9mhungry!'. S(he then whispers that in the net S9s ear and so on until the last S. S(he then says theword(sentence out loud to see if it9s the same as the original message.

&hiteboard )ra. Relay: *ake / teams and line them up as far away from the board as possible. 6allout a word to the first members of each team, and they have to run to the board, draw the picture and runback to his(her net teammate. The process is repeated for each student and the team that finishes firstis the winner. Variation: Twhispers the words. The S can only run back to his(her team when histeammates guess what the picture is.

&indo. Game: Aou can only do this if your classroom has a window that you can stand outside of and

look into the classroom %don9t try this on the -th floor3'. *odel first7 stand the Ss in front of the windowand go out of the room. 8ave to them through the window and silently mouth some words %so it seemslike they can9t hear you through the glass'. )ook at a flashcard and then mouth the word a few times. &oback in and the S who first tells you the word you were saying can have a turn.

&ord Recognition Game: 8rite some words the Ss have learned in previous lessons on some cards%postcards are ideal'. Have all the Ss stand at one end of the room and the T in the middle. Hold up onecard and Ss come forward and whisper the word in the T9s ear. #f correct they can go over to the otherside of the room. Ss can have as many guesses as possible.


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XYZ

%oghurt Pots and ;ocabulary: This is definitely only for primary school children just learning to speak2nglish.

Aou need a number of empty, clean and preferably identical small yoghurt containers for this game.


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# was very pleasantly surprised at how successful this game became with my primary school pupils. #tcompletely turned them around and even the laDiest and most troublesome among them weretransformed.

#f this becomes successful in your classroom then you could use this game to 9categoriDe9 their vocabularytraining by having different 9sets9 of pots with different word lengths or subjects or words beginning withcertain letters or containing certain letters.


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Basketball: Ss take a shot at the trashcan(bo(etc. $irst show a flashcard to S-. #f s(he answerscorrectly then s(he can have a shot at the basket. #f the S gets the ball in the basket then s(he wins /points. #f the S hits the basket without going inside then s(he wins - point. The person who gets the mostpoints is the winner. This can also be played in teams.

Basketball ard 4ine(p: This game is like basketball game but more educational. Blace / lines of

several cards. Aou need / players and a basket far away. To shoot the basket from far away is hard sothe players need to say the card and make their way closer and closer to the basket. 8hen they feel thatthey can throw and hit the basket, they make their attempt.

Battleship:+ge7 CQ, )evel7 +ll levels, Target7 ?ocabulary, Bhrases, )istening and 6onversation. *ake agrid. The siDe of the grid depends on the number of students and the time limits of the class. 1asicallythe students pick a grid reference, as ! +-! or R 1Fand then you reveal the card.

Bean Bag Toss:)ay out flashcards face down up the floor. Ss toss the bean bag and identify theflashcard it lands on. %Submitted by 1etty'.

Catch me i you can:Have students sit in a circle. +fter reviewing the chosen set of flashcards, placethem in a pile in the center of the circle. Take the first card and show it to everybody. Have one studentwalk around the outside of the circle saying words from the specific subject like fruits or days : whiletouching each student9s of the circle on the head. 8hen the !magic! word is said, the student whose headis touched at that time, must stand up and chase the student who touched them around the circle. Thefirst one to sit in that spot remains seated and chooses the net !magic! word. The student standingbegins again !Sunday...*onday!

harades: Have a S come to the front of the class and show a $6 or whisper a word to that S. The Sthen acts out that word and the first S to guess can be the net player. This works very well with actionverbs. Variation:divide the class up into teams : the first S to guess wins a point for his(her team.

oncentration: Aou need / sets of flashcards for this game. Blace both sets face down on the floor. Sstake turns in turning over / cards %saying the cards aloud'. #f the cards match then the S keeps thecards. #f the cards are different the cards are turned back over again in their original places. The S withthe most pairs at the end of the game is the winner.

oncentration @:)evel7 re0uires basic reading. *ake a set of cards. On half of them put a picture of atheme related subject %for eample body parts, food, furniture etc' on the other half put the word relatingto each picture %e. nose, mouth, lips, eye...'. )aminate if possible. Blace all cards face down on thetable. The first player turns two at a time %or three for the very young' over to match the word to thepicture. #f it matches the player can keep the pair if not, the cards are returned and then net playergoes. These cards can also be used so that a child or team simply matches the words to the pictures.

ross the River: Blace flashcards on floor in winding manner. 2ach represents a stepping stone in theriver, as students must say word(phrase(0uestion(etc in order to step on it and cross the river3 %submittedby *ichelle 4'.

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1int Animal Game:8ell # tried this activity once and the children really loved it, so # kept doing it. +s areview on animals cards, hold some cards without showing any. Then tell the kids that they are going toreceive E hints, so they need to listen carefully.$or eample7 -. # am yellow. /. # have long hair. E. # am strong. 8ho am #@ 8ell, a lion of course3 Aoucan make it in deferent levels depending on how much 2nglish you useor which vocab you use.

I

J

2ump 6n +t: Spread out flashcards on the floor and have Ss stand at one end of the room. Shout out acard and the Ss have to find the card and jump on it. The first S to do this wins a point. Variation: *ake /teams for a relay race. The first / Ss try and jump on the flashcard first to win a point for their team.

K

3aruta:)ay flashcards on a table or the floor, picture side up. Teacher calls out the word(phrase(etc. andstudents compete to be the first person to grab or touch the card. #f they touch it, they keep it. &amecontinues until all cards have been picked up. %Submitted by 1lythe *usteric'

3eep the in 6rder: 2ach student has a set of cards %pictures with names' similar to the teacher. Theteacher places his(her cards in a particular order in two or three rows, and so do the students followinginstructions. T starts calling the cards in pairs so that the two cards named change positions. *ake a fewchanges in this way %donWt let students see the changes, they must follow them only by listening

carefully'. +fterwards, T. calls a student to say the cards in order. #f all the cards are well placed thestudent can lead a new game. Students love the game and learn a lot of vocabulary. %Submitted by

+mparo +ndrXs'

L

4ightning lashcards:T stands at front of class with flashcards. Ss form two teams standing in a line.Two Ss go first and face away from the T, T says -./.E. what is it@ and Ss 0uickly turn around and the firstS to call out the correct answer wins a point for their team %good for review of vocab'. %Submitted by)aurie Bich'

4ine True or alse:But a line of tape on the floor and designate one side !True! and the other !$alse!.Hold up a flashcard or object and say its word. #f Ss think the you have said the correct word they jumpon the True side, if not they jump on the $alse side. #ncorrect Ss sit out until the net game.

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*usical lashcards: Ss walk around some flashcards in a circle as some music is playing. 8hen themusic stops T shouts out a flashcard and the Ss must race to step on that card. The first S to step on itkeeps the card %- point' and the game continues.

*usical hair Alphabet: Blace chairs in the form of musical chairs with alphabet flashcards placed onthem. Start the music when the music stops the students pick up their flashcards and have to read the

sound on the flashcard. The child who is unable to read is out of the game. %Submitted by $arah


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Q

"uick Peek: T holds a flashcard with the picture facing towards him(her. T 0uickly shows it to the Ss fora 0uick peek. The S who guesses the card wins a point.

R

Race Track: )ay out the flashcards like a race track with a start and finish line. Ss play in pairs orteams. S- rolls a dice and moves a counter along the track. The S must say the flashcard landed on andif wrong must move back to the original position. Variation: put in some 9throw again9 cards %e.g. brightlycolored cards' and a nominate a 9crash9 number on the die %e.g. if Ss throws a M they crash and must staywhere they are and miss a turn'.

Roll that )ice:Split class into / to C teams. Blace flashcards on board and number them. AoungerStudents7 T says7 Boint to the . S should point to that card. #f correct then S rolls dice for points. #fincorrect S gets help from team. Older Students7 T says7 8hat9s picture number C@ S says the

vocabulary word. #f correct then S rolls dice for points. #f incorrect S gets help from team. %Submitted byTania 1ibbo'.

Rope 2ump: you need a rope for this one3 Have Ss stand behind each other in a line. Hold a rope %havea S hold the other end' at a height that the Ss should be able to jump over. On the other side of the ropespread out some flashcards or objects and a bo. 6all out the name of one of the flashcards(objects tothe first S. S(he has to jump over the rope, pick up the correct flashcard and put it in the bo. $or otherrounds you can hold the rope down low, so Ss have to crawl(roll under.

S

#hopping: This can be used with a wide range of flashcards %food pictures work well'. &ather all the Ssand show them all the flashcards you have. +sk a S !8hat do you want@! %or maybe !8hat would youlike@! to higher levels'. The S should reply %e.g. !a hamburger, please!'. T then says !Here you are! andthe S finishes with !Thank you!. +t the end collect the objects by playing the 9&ive *e9 game.

#lam: Sit the Ss in a circle and place some flashcards in the middle of the circle. Tell Ss to put theirhands on their heads. T shouts out the word of one of the flashcards and the Ss race to touch it. The Swho touches it first get to keep the object. The S who has the most flashcards at the end of the game isthe winner.

#lo. motion: T holds a pack of flashcards with the pictures facing towards him(her. The last card shouldbe turned around so it is facing the Ss but is hidden as it is behind the pack. Slowly pull the flashcard upinch by inch so the Ss can only see part of the flashcard. +s the picture is slowly revealed Ss try and

guess what it is. The first S to guess correctly keeps the card %for - point'. Variation: To make it a littlemore difficult turn the flashcard upside down.

#nap: Aou need / sets of flashcards all shuffled together. Sit the Ss in a circle and deal out all the cardsto the Ss. S- places down a card in the middle of the circle and says the word aloud, followed by S/placing his(her card down to form a pile. +t some point / identical cards may be placed on top of eachother and the Ss race to slam the pile and shout !Snap3!. The S who slams last takes the pile. Ss shouldtry and lose all their cards. The last S left with all the cards is the loser.


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#peed lines:Have the students in two lines facing the teacher. The first students in each line are theplayers. Show a flashcard and the first student to correctly name it is the winner. These two studentsthen go to the back of their respective lines and you repeat the process with the net two students. #f bothstudents say the name of the card together let them 0uickly "anken to decide the winner. + veryimportant ingredient is the speed. Have lines of une0ual number so that on progressive rounds thestudents are playing with different people. This way you don9t have to worry about pairing slower studentswith 0uicker ones.

#pin the Bottle: Sit Ss in a circle with a bottle in the middle. T Spins the bottle. 8hen it stops spinningthe S it is pointing to is shown a flashcard and asked to say what it is. #f the answer is correct then that Scan spin the bottle. This is a good vocab review activity.

T

Tic Tac Toe: Blace K flashcards %representing words, phrases, 0uestions, etc' face down and numbered%or letters of alphabet' on a large taped grid on the floor. Students call out number or letter to seeflashcard. S or team with correct response claims that space with an J or O. %submitted by *ichelle 4'.

Touch: Blace flashcards around the room and have Ss run around the classroom touching the flashcardsthat T orders them to do %e.g. !Touch the car! !Touch the bicycle! !Touch the bus!'.

Tornado7 Supplies7 flashcards %pictures or 0uestions on one side, numbers on the other', 9Tornado 6ards9%flashcards with numbers on one side and a tornado picture on the other'. Stick the numbered cards onthe board with either pictures or 0uestions on the back %depending on the age group' facing the board.

+lso include M Tornado cards and mi them in with the picture cards. Students then choose a numbercard. #f they answer the 0uestion correctly then their team can draw a line to draw a house. #f they choosea tornado card then they blow down their opposing teams part drawing of a house. The first team to drawa house wins. %submitted by Sally )loyd'.

Up and )o.n: Aou need / sets of flashcards for this game. &ive each of your Ss a flashcard from oneset. T keeps the other set. +rrange the Ss so that they are all sitting down. T holds up one flashcard andthe S with the same flashcard stands up and says the word and then sits down again. Blay the game at afast pace so that Ss are standing up and sitting down rapidly. Variation: &ive each S / or E flashcards.

ncover: +fter the vocabulary has been thoroughly taught sit and slowly epose a flashcard untilsomeone can guess what it is. ;eward everyone as they will tend to guess at the same time. %Submittedby7 &regory Stein'

V;anishing lashcards Game: place a number of flashcards in front of the Ss. &ive them a fewmoments to memoriDe the pictures and then tell them to close their eyes. Take away one of theflashcards and then tell the Ss to open their eyes again. The first S to guess the missing flashcard canwin that flashcard %for - point' and take away a flashcard in the net round.


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;ocabulary Tunnel: *ake a tunnel for Ss to crawl through. T stands at one end and holds up a flashcardfor the first S to say. +fter the S says the correct word, s(he can go through the tunnel. Then hold up aflashcard for the net S. %submitted by 4im Horne'.

W&indo. Game: Aou can only do this if your classroom has a window that you can stand outside of andlook into the classroom %don9t try this on the -th floor3'. *odel first7 stand the Ss in front of the windowand go out of the room. 8ave to them through the window and silently mouth some words %so it seemslike they can9t hear you through the glass'. )ook at a flashcard and then mouth the word a few times. &oback in and the S who first tells you the word you were saying can have a turn.

XYZ

?oo Game: This is a fun activity for young learners on the topic of animal noises. +fter teaching theanimals and their noises sit each S in a different part of the classroom and assign them as different

animals %to make it clearer you can give each S a flashcard of the animal they are representing'. 8alkaround the room and talk to each S, who can only reply as an animal. 2.g. T7 !Hello Aumi!, S-7!*oo3%cow'. T7 !8hat9s your name@! S/7 !;oar3! %lion'. T7 !How are you, 4enta@! SE7 !1ow:wow3! %dog'.

ABC

Alphabet Bo0es: Aou need7 /M baby wipe boes ( tissue boes, various items to go with each letter %e.g.apple magnet for the letter +' I permanent marker. 8rite the upper and lower case letter on each wipebo, one letter of the alphabet for each bo. &et your Ss to fill each bo with items that begin with that

letter. Some can even be pictures of items %this can be done slowly over a matter of weeks(months'.2ach class show the items to the children and pass them around, this captivates the children3 One bo isused at a time. Aou don9t even have to fill all the boes at once but fill them as you go through the year.This hands:on eperience is a big hit3

Alphabet +nstruction Basic #teps: There are many ways to teach the alphabet and all Ts develop theirown style over time. $or new Ts here is a basic outline of steps you can follow when introducing a newletter7 -. Hold up an alphabet letter flashcard so all Ss can see it. /. 6horus the letter E to times. Thenask each S individually to say the letter. E. Teach the sound of the letter %e.g. !+ is for 9ah9 ... ah : ah :ah!'. 6horus again and check individually. C. Brovide an eample of an object that begins with the letter.5ouble:sided flashcards with the letter on one side and a picture on the other are great for this. %e.g.!8hat9s this@! %elicit !+!'. !+nd + is for...@! %elicit !ah!'. !+nd 9ah9 is for ... %turning the card over' !apple3!.6horus the word and check individually. . 5o a final check %T7 !8hat9s this@!, Ss7 !+!, T7 !+nd 9+9 is

for...@!, Ss7 !ah!, T7 !+nd 9ah9 is for...@! Ss7 !+pple3!'. These steps can be followed by 9magic finger9, 9passit9, 9find it9, 9slow motion9 or any other alphabet game %see below for these'. +lso, the 9+16 song is a niceway to start and finish the alphabet segment of your lesson.

Alphabet 4ine(up: &ive each S an alphabet flashcard. Blay the +16 song and have the Ss skip aroundin a circle singing along to the song. Stop the tape at random points and the Ss have to line up in thecorrect alphabetical order according to their cards.


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Alphabet #entences: One S says a letter %for eample 9+9' and his(her teammate says a word that startswith that letter %like 9+nt9'. Then you go on to a sentence that uses the letter + word %9or eample 9+ niceperson would not smush an ant9'. This way the children will learn their letters and words that start withthe letter. %Submitted by Sierra'

Alphabet #oup: Blace plastic letters in a bowl. 5ivide flashcards by their beginning letters. 2ach student

draws a letter from the bowl and then finds the flashcards associated with that letter. %Submitted by )oriSupernaw'

Alphabet &ave: 5ivide the a:D flashcards among all your students. But Ss in a line and play the +16song. +s it plays each student must hold up their corresponding alphabet flashcard.

Alphabet .hispers: The children split up into groups of three, one is at the blackboard, one is sittingdown and one is running between the two. The student sitting down has a sheet with the alphabet printedout in a disordered manner : s(he whispers the first letter to their team mate who in their turn runs to theboard and whispers the letter to their other team member. #f the letter is understood s(he writes it on theboard. The first team to write it correctly gets a point. This can also be adapted to spelling words. Theteams can change positions and get maimum benefit from this game. %Submitted by 4atie *c6arthy'.

Balloon Alphabet:This is a great game that everyone loves. Aou need a balloon, this is your timingdevice evoking the alphabet from the Ss unpredictably. This game can get a bit out of hand if the T isn9tcareful in his(her method of control. T starts and is +, net S is 1, then 6 and so on. 2ach S touches theballoon and says their letter : this goes round and round until >. This can be random or in a circle or line,but the balloon goes anywhere, control is essential so the littlies don9t trample each other. This can alsobe used for subject review such as colors, or animals. # usually touch it a few times to gain control e.g. !11 1 1! and then pass it on to 6. %Submitted by )aura &ravity'.

Bingo: *ake bingo cards with letters instead of numbers. The winner is the first to either get a line or orfull house.

Board #cramble: T puts the whole alphabet on the blackboard in a scramble of letters here and there,but low enough that the Ss can reach it. Have two teams and call out a letter. The person that is able to

find and circle it first wins a point for their team. To make things harder have capitol and small letters.2ven more challenging: have four teams all looking for the same letter. The kids just love it. Aou can doit with numbers and also words. %Submitted by Susie'.

halkboard un:&ive each student a small chalkboard, rag and a piece of chalk %chalkboards can bepurchased at a discount store'. 6all out a letter and have students draw that letter and then hold up thechalkboard when finished. This makes writing practice more fun3 Small whiteboards can also be used.%Submitted by Tania 1ibbo'.

oncentration: Aou need / sets of alphabet flashcards for this game. Blace both sets face down on thefloor. Ss take turns in turning over / cards %saying the letters aloud'. #f the cards match then the S keepsthe cards. #f the cards are different the cards are turned back over again in their original places. The Swith the most pairs at the end of the game is the winner. This game works well for upper and lower caseletters %e.g. match the 9a9 flashcard to the 9+9 flashcard'.

DEF

)ominoes: Aou need a large piece of Tag board I one permanent 1lack magic marker.6ut the tag board into -! by /! pieces. On each Biece print / letters, make the pieces look like dominos,but with letters. Use all upper case, or lower case. #f the children are ready for a challenge use both upper


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and lower. Blay as you would with regular dominos333 Have fun. Aou can also make these using shapes,colors, animals, etc.

ind +t: T holds up a letter flashcard and the Ss search around the room for an object beginning with thatletter. %e.g. + : arm, 1 : book, 6 : clock'. Aou can also do this activity by spreading picture flashcardsaround the classroom and having Ss find the picture that has the correct first letter.

irst 4etter: &ive Ss various picture flashcards. ;un through the alphabet and have Ss hold up theflashcard that begins with that letter.

GHI

1ot Potato:8rite up a letter of the alphabet on the blackboard. &et a soft ball and throw it to a S. Theymust say a word beginning with that letter and then throw the ball back to the T, or to another S.%Submitted by Simone $rancis'

+ spy: T says !# spy with my little eye something that begins with 1!. Ss try to guess the object %e.g.

!book!'.

JKL4etter #culptures: 2ither print the alphabet on the board or use alphabet flashcards. 5ivide the classinto teams of E. *odel that each team must work together and use their bodies to make a letter. Thenstart with7 !*ake the letter %H' ... &o3! Ss can make the letter shape either by standing or lying on thefloor. + points can be allocated for7 %-' the team that is the first to make the letter shape, or %/' the teamthat makes the best letter shape.

4etter #hapes Race:+lphabet blocks or shapes are great for this activity. Scatter all the alphabet

shapes randomly around the classroom floor. )ine up all the Ss against the front wall and have them raceto find the first letter7 9a9. The first S to find it stamps on it and shouts !+!. The S then wins the 9a9flashcard. Ss then have to race to find 9b9 and once again the first S to stamp on it and shout !1! wins the9b9 flashcard. 6ontinue until 9D9 is reached. The S with the most flashcards is the winner.

MNO

*agic inger: This is a good activity to use before going on to printing practice. &o through your routineof teaching a letter using an alphabet flashcard. Then hold the flashcard letter up in front of each S andlet them trace the letter on the card with their 9magic9 finger. Then the T, using his(her magic finger, tracesthe letter in the air and the Ss follow suit. The T and the Ss can then use their magic fingers to trace theletter on all sorts of fun places. 2.g. T7 !5raw 9B9 on your hand.


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*usical hair Alphabet: Blace chairs in the form of musical chairs with alphabet flashcards placed onthem. Start the music when the music stops the students pick up their flashcards and have to read thesound on the flashcard. The child who is unable to read is out of the game. %Submitted by $arah


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;anishing Alphabet lashcards: place a number of flashcard letters in front of the Ss. &ive them a fewmoments to memoriDe the letters and then tell them to close their eyes. Take away one of the flashcardsand then tell the Ss to open their eyes again. The first S to guess the missing letter flashcard can win thatflashcard %for - point' and take away a flashcard in the net round.

&indo. Game: Aou can only do this if your classroom has a window that you can stand outside of and

look into the classroom %don9t try this on the -th floor3'. *odel first7 stand the Ss in front of the windowand go out of the room. 8ave to them through the window and silently mouth some words %so it seemslike they can9t hear you through the glass'. )ook at an alphabet flashcard and then mouth the letter a fewtimes. &o back in and the S who first tells you the letter you were saying can have a turn.

YZ

%ell it: Have your Ss close their eyes and turn their backs so they can9t see what you are doing. Take aletter flashcard, letter block or letter shape and hide it somewhere in the classroom %behind a curtain, on achair seat, under a book, etc'. Then shout !&o3! and Ss race around the classroom looking for that letter.The S that finds it yells it out and wins a point. This can be done a letter at a time, or with a number ofletters at the same time!.

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