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1. Airplane competition:First, have your Ss make some paper airplanes. Stand
the Ss in a line and let them test fly their planes. For the competition, assign
different classroom objects points (e.g. table 5 points, door 10 points, trash can0 points!. "sk a S a #uestion and if s$he ans%ers correctly then s$he can thro%
and try to hit one of the target objects to %in points. &his %orks %ell as a team
game.
2. All Change: have your Ss put chairs into a circle and then sit do%n. "s the
teacher you stand in the middle. Say to them 'f you are %earing ))), change
your seats'. &he children %earing the item of clothing you mentioned should then
get up and change places %ith another child %ho is also %earing that same
particular item of clothing. *ther suggested statements are+ f you have
long$short$black$blond hair $ bro%n $ blue eyes $ a brother f you like...f you
%ant..."-/. &his can be a dangerous game if several students rush to the
same vacant chair or if students pull chairs a%ay from classmates before they sit
do%n.
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3. ABC circle game:the children sit in a circle and each of them holds letter
flashcard play music %hile your kids pass the letters round. t they find itdifficult to coordinate receiving and passing the cards reduce the number of
flash cards to one per every other child. hen you stop the music ask the kids
%ith letter " (, )..! do some simple and fun action. 2se this %ith phonemes too.
&hen use 3 to 4 letters and give out multiple flash cards of these letters.
Speaking version+ hen the music stops sho% one of the letters or phonemes. "ll
the children %ith that letter must make the sound.
4. Alphabet Soup: place plastic letters in a bo%l. ivide flashcards by their
beginning letters. 6ach student dra%s a letter from the bo%l and then finds the
flashcards associated %ith that letter.
5. Alphabet missing letter: %rite the letters of the alphabet on the board in ajumble. &he children put their heads in their hands %hile you rub one or more
letters off the board. /et the children to identify %hich letter is missing. 7lay
%ith only a fe% letters and add letters gradually.
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6. Around the world trip: give each student, pair or group some scissors for
paper, glue (prit8stick glue %orks %ell!, large sheets of 4 card and a selection oftravel brochures. Students plan a trip (or give a report! around the %orld by
cutting out photographs of places, animals, food, etc. e9t to each country the
students %rite a description of %hat they %ill do or %hat they did in each country.
f your students can %rite have them %rite a description of %hat they %ill do or
%hat they did in each country. "dapt the game to the level of your children, bring
a sphere if necessary.
. Attention:call out commands such as+ "ttention, salute, march in place...stop,
sit do%n, stand up, %alk in a circle, clap your hands...stop, run in place...stop,
jumping jacks...stop, s%im in place....stop, etc. "t first students %ill copy you but
later they should be able to do the commands %ithout you.
!. Alphabet letter pu""le: give out different letters cut in t%o (in three or in
four!. t is a good idea to use different colours for each letter to help the
children if the letters should become mi9ed %ith each other. :et the children
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make up the letter from the pieces. f necessary %rite up the letters on theboard.
#. Action $ace:&his is a fun game using actions. 2se actions like jump, hop, clap,run etc. ;ave the Ss split into t%o teams and sit in lines %ith a chair by each
team and one chair at the other end of the room. *ne S from each team stands
ne9t to their chair and & calls an action, e.g. '
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12. Appearance game:choose a student to begin. &his student steps out of the
room. ;and a ring to another student. "ll students in the classroom should see
%ho receives the ring. all student to return to class. ;e or she must try to guess%ho has the ring by asking various classmates ten or fe%er yes$no #uestions.
Sample #uestions include... oes a girl have the ring? oes she have dark hair? f
the student guesses correctly, he or she gets another turn (limit t%o or three!.
f the student guesses incorrectly, the student %ho has the ring becomes the
ne9t player.
13. Alphabet pac'ets: @ake alphabet flashcards. &ake paper or polyethylene
packets, label each packet %ith a letter of the alphabet, hang them on a line (and
tie the line to the chairs!. :eave some space in the middle (divide the line into
t%o parts for t%o teams!. @ake t%o teams and give out flashcards. &he fastest
team is a %inner. (onAt choose %inners if your kids are very young!.
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14. Alphabet scramble: divide he group into small teams. rite up the alphabeton the board, call out a letter and a team. "ny child from that team must run up
and circle or point to the letter you have named. f you are starting out teaching
the alphabet play this %ith only a fe% letters at a time. Bou may replace the
board %ith a piece of paper. 7lay this game %ith picture flashcards or even %ith
%ords.
15. Balloon game: 7ut the students into groups of 4 or 5. 6ach group forms a
circle and they hold hands. /ive each group a balloon. "s a group they have to
keep the balloon in the air, but %hen it touches a part of someoneCs body theyhave to shout out an 6nglish %ord or phrase.
16. Balloon Badminton: place a skip8rope tied up to t%o chairs. @ake t%o small
teams (the other Ss can say numbers in order every time Dthe ballE touches the
racket!. /ive each S a flys%atter or badminton racket ('racket'!. nflate a
balloon (DballE!. -emember+ the younger the Ss, the bigger the balloon must be(slo%er!. ecides %ho serves and for every point one team scores, have the
opposite team call out the flashcard or picture card by the & sho%n. :ots of fun>
(*&6+ For very active Ss be careful since they might hit the othersC faces %hen
playing!.
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1. Balancing Act: the children lie on the floor on their backs. 6ach childbalances and object you have given out on his or her forehead. "sk the children to
do movements and (touch your nose, lift your left arm!. Sho% flashcards
bet%een actions and get kids to name them. hen a child is out he must do a
forfeit such as name a flashcard and then join in the game.
1!. Blind(old guessing game:blindfold one or t%o children, give them each a fe%
objects or things they no%. &hey have to find a pair and name them. -emember
to check if it is * for them to be blindfolded. f the child is not keen then allo%them to shut their eyes instead. Fruits are an obvious idea because one can come
by them easily.
1#. Bas'etball: Ss take a shot at the trash bo9. First ask a #uestion to S1. f
s$he ans%ers correctly then s$he can have a shot at the basket. f the S gets
the ball in the basket then s$he %ins points. f the S hits the basket %ithoutgoing inside then s$he %ins 1 point. &he person %ho gets the most points is the
%inner. &his can also be played in teams.
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2%. Bod) &arts *usical *adness: Ss choose a partner. :et the music play for
maybe 30 seconds and then stop it. &eacher yells out ';and to knee>' Students
have to find their partner and put one hand to the partnerGs knee. &he last set
of partners to find each other and get in position is out (or names a flashcard if
the children are young!. @usic starts again and the process is repeated. &he lastset of partners is the %inner> (onAt choose %inners if your kids are young>!
21. Burst a balloon:%rite do%n a short %ord on a piece of paper (e.g. a dog, you
can %rite each letter on a different piece!, put it in the balloon and get a child to
burst a balloonH find the piece$s on the floor (or on the ceiling H!!!H if s$he can
read a %ord he gets a flashcard of a dog (or a small toy!. f s$he canAt have the
other children help him.
22. Blow that (ish:@ake t%o teams. &ell each team to make a paper fish. :ine
the teams up at the starting line. &hen you start asking #uestions %hen a student
ans%ers the #uestion correctly he gets a chance to blo% on his teams fish. &heteam that is able to move there fish to the front of the room %ins the game.
23. Blind +oss: ;ave Ss sit do%n in a circle. 7lace a mat on the floor %ith
numbers and a flashcard (target vocabulary! on each number. &aking turns, each
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S gets blindfolded and tosses a beanbag so as to hit a number. S$he must call out
that %ord the same number of times as the number indicates. For e9ample+
48dog, then 'og, og, og, og> and the S gets the e#ual points (4!. "t the end,
the S %ith the most points %ins> /ood for memori=ing vocabulary since they are
repeating %ords.
24. Bring me game. Students are in teams. &he teacher calls out+ 'ring me a
ruler.' or just '" ruler, please.' &he first team to bring one to the teacher gets a
point.
25. Birthda) game:@ake a birthday %heel and ask students to check %hose
birthdays take place each month. 7ractice #s+ Dhen s your birthdayE and
ans%ers+ D@y birthday is in))).!. So you can practice months, sing D;appy
birthday to youE and have a mini birthday party.
26. +he Bell ,ame:@ake t%o teamsH sho% a flash card to the Ss, the first
person to ring the bell and read the %ord correctly gets one point for her team.
(BouAll need t%o bells!.
2. Colors game: give out small colored balls ( should have t%o balls of each
color you %ant to practice!,thro% the colored dice and then say the color. &%o
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students %hich have the same balls stand up and toss it to each other. &he
smaller the balls are the more fun you have> /et them to say+ D@y ball is redE, or
Dour balls are redE
2!. Cand) $ace: ask the children #uestions or dra% items on the board for them
to guess. Bou can %ork %ith Ss or split the group into small teams. &he & dra%s
on the board or a big piece of paper a race track and each team or S %ill have a
candy (or another surprise! %aiting at the /oal :ine. 6ach right ans%er e#uals a
step to%ards the /oal :ine and a candy>
2#. Cand) ban' team game: get t%o bo9es and some candies, one or t%o for
each kid is enough. ivide the candies up into the t%o bo9es, and the kids up intot%o teams. 69plain that if they get the #uestion right, they keep the candy, if
they get it %rong the candy goes into the other teamCs bo9....make sure that each
team member has to ans%er the #uestions individually.......Bou can take figured
candy (candy animals! and name them.
3%. Catch counting game: have the students stand in a circle. Start randomlytossing the small ball around the circle. hen a person catches the ball they say
the ne9t consecutive number. tCs so easy and so much fun. &he ball starts flying
every%here and everyone is laughing and mi9ing up numbers.
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31. Chinese whispers:put the Ss into a circle. hisper a simple sentence or
%ord into the first studentAs ear. ;e or She must say the e9act same sentence to
the ne9t student and so on until the last student in the team must say the %ordaloud. heck to see if the sentence is the same. 7rogressively make the sentences
more difficult.
32. Chopstic's $ace+ @ake t%o teams. ;ave a student name a flashcard and then
let her$him try to pick up and transfer a s%eet from the bo%l to the teamAs cup.
&he team %hich %ill transfer more s%eets %ins>
33. Concentration game+ 7repare 10 cards (5 pairs! for you Ss. 7ut the cards on
the floor or on the table sho% them to your Ss and turn over. Ss have to pick t%o
cards (a pair!H if they match they %in a point for their team, they should pay
attention to the cards turned over.
34. Counting ,oose game: &his is a variation on uck uck /ooseH itAs e9cellentfor young kids. &he kids sit in the circle as normal. &hen give them a number
bet%een 180. *ne of them go around the circle and count off. (ie. f the number
is I, they count. 1, , 3, 4, 5, J, I!. hen s$he gets to number I s$he taps the
goose. hange the number each time.
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35. Cross the $i-er: 7lace flashcards on floor in %inding manner. 6ach card
represents a stepping stone in the river, as students must say
%ord$phrase$#uestion$etc in order to step on it and cross the river>
36. Color Circles: a good activity for young kids. /et some pieces of "3 paper
and dra% a large circle on each one. 7in the circles on different %alls in the
classroom. @odel the activity+ Say 'lue' take a blue crayon, %alk over to one
circle and color a small part of the circle. o this for each color you plan to
teach. &hen, say a color ('lue'! to a S and s$he should pick up the blue crayon
and go over to the circle you colored in blue. :et him$her color it a little and then
call him$her back. ontinue %ith other Ss.
3. Colors in the Air: &his is good for very young ones. /ive each S pieces of
different colored paper (origami paper is ideal for this!. & calls a color (e.g.
'lue'! and the Ss %ith that color hold it up.
3!. Clothes un: Students form teams of . 6ach team has a bag %ith someclothes in it. Bou ask+ put on your hat etc.). &he first team members put on the
clothes. ;e$She must say, '&his is my shirt', '&hese are my trousers', '&his ismy hat' etc. 6ach team tries to put on clothes faster than the other. f you
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have some fancy high8heeled shoes and silly hats this is a really fun game> Kery
young beginner students %ill normally only say, 'a shirt', 'a hat' etc. but itCs still a
%orth%hile game for the vocabulary.
3#. Color ,ame: &his is a good one for teaching the names of colors to young
children. "rrange various colors of construction paper in a circle. 7lay some music
and have the children march around the circle. Stop the music and all the children
must sit do%n ne9t to a color. 7ick a color and sing (to the tune of '&%inkle :ittle
Star'!+ 'hoCs beside the color (insert name of color!? 7lease stand up, if itCs
you.' "t that point, the child ne9t to the color mentioned stands up. ontinue until
all of the children get a turn.
4%. Charades: ;ave a S come to the front of the class and %hisper a %ord or
sho% a F to that S. &he S the acts out that %ord and the first S to guess can
be the ne9t player. &his %orks very %ell %ith action verbs. Kariation+divide theclass up into teams 8 the first S to guess %ins a point for his$her team.
41. Categor) +ag: hoose a category (e.g. food, %eather, transportation, etc.!.
Ss run around the room and the & chases them. hen the & tags a S s$he must
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name a %ord from the category (e.g. food+ cheese, fish, bread, etc.!. /ive a time
limit to ans%er (e.g. 5 seconds!. f the S cannot ans%er or says a %ord that has
already been used s$he names a flashcard.
42. Can /ou Actions: 2se this game for teaching 'an you...?' 'Bes, can' 'o, canCt'. &hese actions are fun+ %iggle, dance, run #uickly, hop, skip, do a star
jump, do a handstand, touch your toes, cross your eyes, snap your fingers, %histle,
sing. 6.g. "sk a S 'an you cross your eyes?'. f the S replies 'Bes, can' then
say '*k, go>' and the S does the action. f the S says 'o, canCt' say '&oo bad.
*k, can you (%iggle!?'.
43. 0uc' duc' goose game: n this game, kids sit do%n in a circle facing eachother. *ne person is 'it' and %alks around the circle. "s they %alk around, they
tap peopleCs heads and say %hether they are a 'duck' or a 'goose'. *nce someone
is the 'goose' they get up and try to chase 'it' around the circle. &he goal is to
tap that person before they are able sit do%n in the 'gooseCs' spot. f the gooseis not able to do this, they become 'it' for the ne9t round and play continues. f
they do tap the 'it' person, the person tagged has to sit in the center of thecircle. &hen the goose becomes it for the ne9t round. &he person in the middle
canCt leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.
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44. 0o that dont do that game:have the kids do your simple commands+ sit
do%n, jump etc and then say donAt jump (donAt change your intonation! if some of
them do jump chase them or rob them of one point (grant each child 5 points
before you begin!
45. 0o )ou ha-e tAs simple for the kids to pick up 'o you have a ...?' %hen
talking about one specific thing. Split the group into several groups. "ssign each
group a different %ord (this is the thing that that group %ants to collect.! /ive
each child mini8picture cards, the students then go round asking as many people
as possible 'o you have .......' (for e9ample the 'turtle' team asks 'o you have a
turtle?'! f the student still has the object he$she says 'Bes, here you are>' and
gives it to the person %ho asked. f they have already given it a%ay then they say'o, Cm sorry' and %alk off. &he group that is the first to collect as many of
their items as there are students in the group (e.g. 10 items for a class of 10
kids!, sits do%n and they are the %inner>
46. 0ont Step on *e+ prepare mats %ith different vocabulary %ords on them.
7lace all over the floor. &eacher needs to call out one of the %ords. Studentsneed to #uickly try to stand on any mat 2& that one. &he student on that mat L
is out and the mat gets turned upside do%n until there is only one student left.
&hat person %ins>
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4. 7ercises: &his one is great for over e9cited Ss %ho need to burn off a bit
of energy. tCs also good for classroom commands and numbers. Stand the
students in a line and call out instructions+ '
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5%. ishing game: 7repare %ords %ritten on small papers. "ttach a paper clip to
each one. 7lace %ords in a hula hoop on the floor or into a bo9. all up or 3
students at a time to use the fishing rods and read the %ords they fish out.
51. lashlight 8ord game: Start off the game by turning off the lights and
pointing the flashlight at a particular %ord on the ord all. &he teacher calls
on a student to read the %ord. hen the child has read the %ord, it is their turn
to shine the flashlight on a %ord and call on another student to read. &he children
really enjoy this because they get a chance to 'be the teacher.E
52. ,uess whats in the Bag: put an object in a bag and have a pupil touch it.
S$he has to guess correctly. *r describe the item to the group.
53. ,i-e it bac' game:have Ss stand in a line, gibe them a small object and tell
them to hand it over behind their backs. &ry to guess %hich child has an object.
"sk+ Ddo you have)..?E say+ D/ive it back>E. n minutes get a student to guess and
ask.
54. 9app) (amilies: @ake several teams. /ive four$three flashcards from a
single %ord family (animals, transports, food, etc! to each member of the group.
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&he students look carefully at their cards, then all the cards for the group mi9ed
together and dealt out randomly to the Ss. Ss have to recompose their %ord
family by asking in turn for the cards they need+ do you have)..?
55. 9eads down thumbs up:t%o children are chosen to stand up and all the
others put their heads do%n on their desks %ith their eyes closed and thumbs
sticking up. &he t%o left standing must then gently touch one person each on the
thumb. 6veryone is then told to open their eyes and the children %ho %ere
touched stand up and try to guess %hich child touched them. f they get it right
the children s%ap places if not the children have another go. &his game is good to
use for settling a class do%n. Bou can give your chosen children flashcards of
animals or jobs and thro% in some more vocabulary. (6.g. %ho picked you? &he pilotpicked me>!
56. 9ot seat:a student seats %ith his$her back to the board or to the teacher. &he teacher displays a %ord
or flash cards. *ther students describe the card to enable the student guess %hat it is.
5. 9opping to meet: ;op and say is a pretty easy game to play. &he teacher
brings a number of flash cards to class and lines the cards up across the floor in aro%. &%o teams stand at the e9tremes of the ro%. hen the teacher orders the
game to start, the first student from each team starts to jump on the first
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card. 6very time a student jumps on a card s$he says %hat is on the card8For
higher levels ask them to make a sentence %ith the %ord on the cards. 6ventually
s$he %ill meet the other team player some%here on the ro%. hen the t%o team
players meet, they have to do the old guessing game of -*, 7"76- M
SSS*-S. &he student, %ho looses the -ock, paper M scissors game of chance,
leaves the ro% and goes to the back of his or her teamAs line up. "nother player in
his$her team restarts the game for their team. t should be such that the ne9t
team mate in the line up should be ready to start immediately %hen s$he reali=es
that their team player has lost the stone paper scissors guessing part. &he idea is
not to let the other team player get to the end of the ro%. f the other team
player gets to the end of the ro%, his $ her team %ins.
5!. sp): & says ' spy %ith my little eye something that begins %ith '. Ss try
to guess the object (e.g. 'book'!. olors are a good alternative for younger Ss ('...
my little eye something that is red'!.
5#. ;uice: ring a small bottle of juice (e.g. orange juice! to class. "t some pointduring the lesson take out the bottle and have a sip. &his almost certainly %ill
cause a mini8riot of kids asking for some. ;ereCs an ideal opportunity to
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teach 'an have some juice, please?'. Say this sentence to the first S and get
him$her to repeat it 8 only give him$her some if the sentence is said correctly.
rink juice along every %eek and before long your Ss %ill be re#uesting a drink in
prefect 6nglish> (bring along a fe% plastic cups for you and for them!.
6%.
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come sit back to back. &ell them %hat the rules are. &he students %ill say %ords
related to a group of %ords. For e9ample you can tell them to say animal %ords or
%ords related to animals. hen the teacher raises the mallet over a studentAs
head s$he has to say an animal. hen one student says a %ord the other student
cannot say it. Students cannot say a %ord t%ice in one sitting of the game.
Students cannot %ait for more than 4 seconds before saying a %ord. Shorten the
time as you advance in the game.
6very time anyone of the above rules is violated the student gets a mallet hit on
his or her head. &hen replace the student %ith another student and continue %ith
the game. Caution: 'ids can be delicate= e-en when using a so(t mallet= do nothit their heads hard.&o start the game sometimes, kids find it fun %hen you
test the mallet by hitting your o%n head hard.
64. *ath game: 7ut the students into groups of 4 or 5, give each group a die,
assign a number from 81 for each piece of vocab. tCs best to let the students
decide %hich ones are %hich.&he students shout out the appropriate #uestion fore9. hat do you do? *ne person in the group rolls the die. &he students
remember the numberH the other S. rolls the die. &he students add up the
numbers and then shout out the corresponding ans%er. i.e. if they roll and then
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5, they shout out the ans%er on the picture card ne9t to number I. tCs also
really fun to do the gestures as %ell. &he fastest person to call out the correct
ans%er then becomes the die roller and gets a point for the team.
65. *a'e a group game: /et rid of any tables and chairs and get the kids
together in one big group. ;ave the kids move around, mingling %ith each other.&he kids ask you a #uestion that you can ans%er %ith a number e.g. DhatAs the
time?E Bou ans%er and the kid gets into groups of that number e.g. you say 'tAs 4
oAclock' and the kid gets into groups of four. Bou can change the verb any time
you %ant to play %hile the kids move around, mingling %ith each other. 6.g. 's%im'
%here the kids s%im around %hilst mingling, or 'dance' or 'hop' or anything really.
66. *on'e)>Banana ,ame+ 7repare one big dice %ith pictures of monkey heads
on some sides and bananas on the others. Students ans%er #uestion and then roll
the dice for their team. f bananas they get the number of bananas sho%n on
that side of the die. f it is the monkey, the monkey eats some of their teamAsbananas$points.
6. ?umbers game: you need soft dices and to 1 large numbers flash cards
and point cards (points can be done on the board or you can use surprises as
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points take a bag and have the kid pull out a surprise every time he$she gets a
point!. "fter revie%ing numbers 1 to 1 %ith the kids place large to 1 flash
cards of the floor around the room. /et the kids to stand by a number. &hro% the
dice (later get the kids to do this! and ask D%hatAs the number?E /ive the kids on
the right number a point card (or e#uivalent!. Shout hange> "nd continue again
from For real lo% level kids use just 1 to J cards %ith 1 dice.
6!. ?oughts and crosses: dra% a noughts and crosses grid on the board, and
number each bo9 from 1 to O. o%, divide the children into t%o teams, and label
the teams 'noughts' or 'crosses'. 6ach team has to ans%er a #uestion correctly
before they can place their symbol into an appropriate place on the board. &he
%inning team is the one %ho gets a line of three of their symbols on the grid. &hiscan be used %ith any vocabulary.
6#. @range= orange= orange game:the children sit in a circle, each child is given
the name of a fruit. *ne person is chosen to stand in the centre of the circle andrepeats the name of one of the fruits three times e.g. orange, orange,
orange. &he person around the outside of the circle %ho is the orange, must
interrupt by shouting the %ord orange, before the other person has managed tosay it three times. f they interrupt successfully the person in the middle
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chooses another fruit. f they are not #uick enough they replace the person in
the middle.
%. @dd@ne@ut: make a line of four or five objects. 6. g. choose a banana an apple an orange and a pencil.;ave a kid name the objects and remove a superfluous object.
1. &ut up a Christmas tree: @ake t%o teams, tack a paper Pmas tree on the
%all have your Ss name flashcards or ans%er your #uestions and let them put upthe Pmas tree %ith silver stars made of foil (one team! and paper balls made of
colored paper (the other team!. &he team %hich tapped more adornments is a%inner> (*A& choose a %inner team if you %ork %ith young kids!.
2. &ass the parcel: 7lace a gift at the centre of the parcel. 2se a small bo9 ifyou %ant an even shape or to make it look larger than it is. rap as many layers as
players, %ith some to spare in case more players turn up. &he parcel should belarge enough for at least a 5 minute game, so add more layers even %hen you have
only a fe% playersH it just means they get more turns. 7lace a gift at the centre ofthe parcel and a gift on every layer of the parcel. &his is the best %ay
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of preparing the parcel for children ages 3 8 N, as then each child receives a pri=e
no matter %ho %ins the pri=e %rapped in the middle of the parcel. ame the gifts
during the game. /et the children to name them. ( have a)))..!
3. &icture game:choose a picture and does not let children see it. 7lace a sheet
%ith slits (or several pieces %ith holes of different si=es! over the picture. &heSs have to guess %hat is depicted on the picture by looking at a small section. f
nobody can guess the picture, remove a part of the sheet and one of the pieces.
4. &reposition race: give each child a toy then run around the room %ith kids
and say put your toys on the table, put them under the table, put them behind
the chair, put them in the bo9)).
5. &ronunciation game: @ake t%o teams, %hite some letters or %ords %hich are
difficult for your Ss to pronounce. (&hen, %hat, thin)..!. 6very student can get apoint for his team by pronouncing the %ord correctly.
6. uestion game:first the teacher introduces the vocabulary by sho%ingstudents the cards one after the other. &hen later, holds the cards to the
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chest, making sure students canCt see. ra% a big smiley face above and about J
small smiley faces belo%. &he big face represents the teacher and small faces
represent all the students. Students try to guess %hat card the teacher is
holding to his$her chest. 6very time they make a %rong guess, the teacher gets a
point. hen they make a right guess, the students get a point and the teacher
pretends to be disappointed that the students are gaining a point.
. $escuers: give out animal flashcards (3 per each student! and put a paper
crocodile in front of each flashcard, tell them that they are rescuers and they
can save their animals from the crocodiles by ans%ering your #uestions. 7ut a
paper river behind the crocodiles. f the student ans%ers your #uestion move a
crocodile to%ards the river if s$he fails move the crocodile to%ards the animalflashcard. hen a crocodile is too close to the river, say+ D go home @r. crocodile>
E &he QsavedA animal says Dthank you very much>E to its rescuer
and you put it on a jungle picture or on a picture of a farm Dgo home @r.
"ntelope$@r. ;orseE. f your kids are young let them help each other and *A&
let the evil crocodiles eat @r. "ntelope> t can make the young kids upset.
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!. $ope ;ump: you need a rope for this one> ;ave Ss stand behind each other
in a line. ;old a rope (have a S hold the other end! at a height that the Ss should
be able to jump over. *n the other side of the rope spread out some objects or
flashcards and a bo9. all out the name of one of the objects$flashcards to the
first S. S$he has to jump over the rope, pick up the correct object and put it in
the bo9. For other rounds you can hold the rope do%n lo%, so Ss have to
cra%l$roll under.
#. $obbers and cops:BouCll need to get a number of small objects for this
game. Bou can use objects found around the classroom, or any other objects you
%ould like to bring into the classroom. Split the young learners into t%o groups.
*ne team are cops, the other robbers. ;ave them sit on chairs on opposite sidesof the classroom. Stand at the end of the room, ne9t to some empty chairs %hich
are the CprisonC. ount the robbers, having each young learner remember his$her
number. o the same for the cops. 7ut the objects in the middle of the classroom
giving a slight advantage to the robbers. all out an object and say a number (fore9ample+ Cook 8 si9C!. -obber number si9 runs to get the book %hile, at the same
time, cop number si9 tries to catch the robber by touching him or her (like tag!.f the robber gets back to his chair %ithout having been
touched, he or she calls out+ C have the book, etc.C *n the other hand, if the cop
has touched the robber, he or she calls out+ C/ive up>A. D;ands up>E
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!%. $h)ming pair game: @ake a rhyming pairs set of cards %ith one %ord on
each card. f you have young kids you can use pictures instead of %ords. 7lace the
cards face do%n on the table. Students must take it in turns to turn over t%o
cards. &hey must say the t%o %ords out loud to see if they rhyme. f the t%o
cards rhyme, they can keep them. hen there are no cards left on the table,
each student counts ho% many cards they have to see %ho the %inner is. (*A&
choose %inners if your kids are young!.
!1. Shapes numbers and directions game: umber 4 circles and 4 s#uares 1 to
4. ivide the students into t%o teams (DcirclesE and Ds#uaresE!. Students on each
team are paired. *ne student is blindfolded and the other student becomes theguide. ;ide the shapes all over the room but they should not be under anything.
/uides cannot touch or lead their partners by the hand. &hey can only give them
directions such as turn right, turn left, go for%ard, etc. hen they have found a
shape, they must return it to the place that has been chosen by the teacher.&hey remain blindfolded until they have completed the task. &heir partners must
give them directions on %here to put the cup that has been found. "s soon
as a cup has been found and returned by one pair of students, the ne9t pair goes,
&h b f d d d i d &h fi fi d d
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etc. &he cups must be found and returned in order. &he first team to find and
return all the circles or all the s#uares is the %inner.
!2. Simon Sa)s: " good revie% for body parts ('Simon says touch your knees'!.
Bou could change Simon to your name to avoid confusion. hen & says a sentence
%ithout the %ord 'Simon' (e.g. '&ouch your knees'! then Ss shouldnCt follo% thatinstruction. f a S makes a mistake s$he has to sit out until the ne9t round.
!3. Sound game:make alphabet flashcards or short %ords %ith sounds under
study and spread them on the floor (print the necessary sounds in italics or use
another color for them!. For each sound under study, provide a cut8out of a large
tree. rite or paint the sound$letter on the trunk of the tree. "sk the studentsto DhangE %ords on slips of paper containing the sound from the branches of the
tree. ;ave the Ss look for the necessary sounds$%ords and DhangE their
flashcards on the trees accordingly.
!4. Spiders and cand): place all of the flashcards face up in the middle of the
group, have the Ss turn around and cover theireyes. &he eacher places one
marker under each card (either a piece or candy or a spider, Bou can do it in aration of about +1 candy and spiders. Bou might %ant to have more candy for
S S t d d b ll t b l d &h t h
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younger Ss. Ss turn around and one by one call out a vocabulary %ord. &he teacher
lifts the card to reveal %hatAs underneath. f it is a candy card the student takes
the card and keeps it as one point. f it is a spider leave it on the top of the card
and proceed to the ne9t player. &he person %ith the most candy %ins. (if your
kids are young donAt choose the %inner! Bou can turn over cards after they have
been opened. &hat tells the Ss not to guess these cards again.
!5. Shirt ,ame: ivide the children into t%o teams and give a manCs shirt to
each team. e sure each shirt has the same amount of buttons do%n the front.
"t the signal, the first person on each team puts on the shirt and buttons all of
the buttons do%n the front. &he one %ho is buttoned8up first gets to ans%er the
#uestion you ask. *f course a #uestion e#uals points. f the ans%er is incorrect,the person from the other team gets a chance to ans%er.
!6. Slap that 8ord+ &his game helps Ss associate and reinforce %ritten and
spoken %ords that have been introduced during your lessons. BouCll need thesematerials+ fly s%atter, %ord %all (%ords %ritten on a chalkboard or %hite board!.
&he goal of the activity is that given a spoken %ord, the student %ill #uickly beable to recogni=e the %ordCs %ritten form.
! Sh ' 0 n m : &h kids th r t n sid f th r m &h t ch r
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!. Shar' 0anger game: &he kids gather at one side of the room. &he teacher
holds up one picture card and the kids have to make a sentence out of it, i.e. like
bears> &hen they are allo%ed to jump (spread big pieces of paper around the room
and tell the kids that the pieces of paper are islands in the ocean!. ut ... %hen
the shark card appears the kids all rush to the opposite side of the room. hase
the kids. f you have 5 y. o. kids tell them to jump to the opposite side of theroom from one island to another.
!!. Stic') ingers: First designate a Ckey %ordC like og, or cat. 6ach students
grabs one of your fingers Start yelling out random %ords. &his %orks best if you
use a bunch of nonsense %ords that sound like the key %ord. i.e. f the key %ord
is og, yell " dog> hen you yell out the key %ord, students have to run to the far%all %hile you chase them and try to catch someone.
!#. Soc's on 9ands+ Students need to put socks on their hands and try to pick
up a flashcard they named> t is hard because socks make the card slippery.
@ore cards R more points.
#% Spin the Bottle+ 7lace a hula hoop on the floor and flashcards around it :et
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#%. Spin the Bottle+ 7lace a hula hoop on the floor and flashcards around it. :et
students come up and spin the bottle. &hey need to say the card or ans%er
teachers #uestion using the s$p.
#1. Sweet $ing +oss game+ Spread flashcards or toys on the table cloth on the
floor, have children take turns tossing the rings after naming the objects they%ant. Bou can make this game harder or easier by having children stand farther
or closer. Bou %ill need three rings (at least J inches in diameter!.
#2. +ower Bloc's Building: "ns%er the card or #uestion, %in some blocks for
your team to try to build the tallest to%er.
#3. +ornado game+ Supplies+ flashcards (pictures or #uestions on one side,
numbers on the other!, C&ornado ardsC (flashcards %ith numbers on one side and
a tornado picture on the other!. Stick the numbered cards on the board
%ith either pictures or #uestions on the back (depending on the age group! facingthe board. "lso include J &ornado cards and mi9 them in %ith the picture cards.
Students then choose a number card. f they ans%er the #uestion correctly thentheir team can dra% a line to dra% a house. f they choose a tornado card then
they blo% do%n their opposing teamAs part dra%ing of a house &he first team to
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they blo% do%n their opposing team s part dra%ing of a house. &he first team to
dra% a house %ins.
#4. +elephone numbers:make the list of the telephone numbers of the kids.
&hen have one of the kids %rite on of the telephone numbers on the board (you
tell the ciphers one be one!. "sk+ Dhose telephone number is this?E the Do%nerEans%ers+ DitCs my telephone numberE and so on. :ater you can let them identify
their numbers by ear.
#5. +rain $ide ,ame: ;ave the Ss form a train (standing in line holding onto
each other!. hoo choo around the classroom and call out instructions (e.g.
faster, slo%er, turn left$right, stop, go!.
#6. 8hose (a-orite color is. ask the kids for their favorite colors (or
numbers!, give out their favorite colors correspondingly and tell the kids to hide
the flashcards in their hands. hen you ask+ Dhose favorite color is).E thekids run as fast as possible to the person and shake hands, the first one gets one
point or a little surprise.
#. 8hats the time= *ister 8ol(:&his is a traditional kidAs game 7ractice %ith
the kids the phrase 'hat time is it?' 7ractice the responses 'itCs 1 oCclock' '
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the kids the phrase hat time is it? 7ractice the responses it s 1 o clock
oCclock' etc. "ll the kids line up against one %all of the gym *ne kid is selected as
@r. olf %ho then %alks to the middle of the gym. &he studentAs objective is to
reach the far %all. @r. olfCs objective is to eat the other kids. &he kids shout
out 'hat time is it @r. olf?' in a big, huge voice. @r. olf then shouts the
time. &he time can be anything from 1 to 1 oCclock.e.g. 'tCs seven oCclock' &hekids then take the corresponding number of steps for%ard. For e9ample 3 steps
mean 3 oCclock. hen @r. olf decides that the other kids have got near enough
the far %all (really his house! then instead of saying 'itCs ..... oCclock' he says
'tCs inner &ime>'. "ll the kids then run back to%ards the %all they came from.
ut if @r. olf touches them before they reach the %all then they become the
ne% @r. olf>
#!. 8hat is it game: ;ide a card behind another, and sho% only a tiny corner ofthe object. &he students have to think or guess %hat it is.
##. 8here is the bell game:take a small bell and ring the bell near a studentAs
ear$knee$feet (blindfold the child or have her$him close the eyes!. ;ave the
child guess %here the bell is.
1%% nusual *usical Chairs: fi9 the target vocabulary (i e jobs! on each chair
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1%%. nusual *usical Chairs:fi9 the target vocabulary (i.e. jobs! on each chair,
play music and have the students dance or jump. hen the music stops, the
students all go for the chairs. &here is a chair for each student e9cept one. &his
student stays %ith you in the middle and asks anyone sitting do%n, 'ho are you?'
&hen say+ close you eyes and have t%o or four children silently get up and change
their places. "sk again for e9ample+ s it @ike? o, itAs not @ike> t is Sasha> sSasha a doctor no%? o, he is a driver no%> -epeat the game.
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