100 Classroom Activities & Games

100 Classroom Activities & Games - PART1

 

Title: 2 min Speed   Type: Concentration Game Target: Any vocabulary Materials: Timer Procedure: Set a timer for 2 mins. Challenge the students to see how many times they can recite the vocabulary words in 2 mins. For example, if you are learning the months of the year, see how many times the students can say all 12 months in 2 mins. Comments: Good for practicing fluency and retention. Can change the time limit depending on needs.  

2. Title: 4 corners

Type: Active Game Target: Any vocabulary Materials: None Procedure: One student is it and stands in the middle of the class with their eyes closed. Each corner is represented by a vocabulary word. The students have 10 seconds to choose a corner to go to. It calls out one of the vocab words and the students standing at that corner are out. Continue until only one person is left and that student becomes the it for the next round. Comments: Not very intensive on English speaking, but very fun.  

3. Title: ABC back drawing

Type: Concentration game Target: Alphabet Materials: None Procedure: The teacher draws a letter on the back of the first student. The student then tries to decipher which letter was drawn and draw the same letter on the next student’s back. This continues until the last student must draw the letter on the board. I usually play the same as the Telephone game, class against the teacher. Every time the class gets the letter wrong, I get a point. Every time the class gets the letter right, they get a point. It’s really motivating for the students and develops class co-operation on a common goal. Comments: This could be altered so that the student must say the letter out loud in stead of drawing it on the board. Or they must say the sound that the letter makes instead of the name. Or they must say a word that starts with the letter.  

4. Title: Angry Gorilla

Type: Active Game Target: Any vocabulary Materials: flashcards, angry gorilla cards Procedure: Have a pile of flashcards that you want to review. Mix in a few angry gorilla cards. Turn a card over and the students should say the word three times. If the angry gorilla card is turned over then students run to the safe zone and the angry gorilla (the teacher) tries to catch them. The caught student becomes the gorilla through an initiation dance (pounding of fists on the chest). Comments:

5. Title: Ball throw

Type: Active Game Target: Any vocabulary or sentence patter Materials: Ball Procedure: Throw the ball to a student. The student catches it and says a word or sentence, for example, “I like apples.” They throw to the next student who says a new word or sentence such as “I like pizza.” This continues until all the children have had a turn. Comments: This is a very simple game and fun for younger students. However, endless variations can be made to make it suitable for all levels. For example, the students must repeat the process and remember who threw to them and who they threw to as well as what the person before them said. The first person says “I like apples” and then throws to S2. S2 says “He likes apples. I like pizza.” Then throws to S3. S3 says “She likes pizza. I like Kim Chi.” This continues until it reaches the first student who starts the pattern over again. Everyone tries to remember the pattern of the ball and what they said. Another variation is to do the above and then add more balls into the mix so that after the first 2 students have gone throw another ball and the students must continue the pattern with more balls. Or else who can speed up the rhythm of the throwing.  

6. Title: Balloon Game

Type: Active game Target: Any vocabulary Materials: Balloon Procedure: Practice vocabulary words. The students then stand in a circle and a balloon is hit into the air. The object of the game is to not let the balloon hit the ground. But when someone touches the balloon, they must say a vocabulary word. If the balloon touches the ground, or someone hits the balloon without saying a word the round is over. Count how many touches you can get to and try to beat your own record. Comments: This could be altered to practice a sentence form instead of vocabulary by having the students hit the balloon and say one word from the sentence at a time in order instead of random vocabulary words.  

7. Title: Balloon Relay

Type: Active Game Target: Any vocabulary Materials: Balloon Procedure: Divide students into teams. Each team is split in half and stands in line opposite from each other as in a relay. The first student must walk to their team with a balloon between their knees without it falling. Once they get to their team they have to tell the next person a vocab word that I have given them. The next person repeats it 5 times and then takes the balloon between their knees. Then they walk to the other side, pass it to the next person and say the next vocab word. The first team to finish all vocab words is the winner. Comments:

8. Title: Banana Tree Game

Type: Game Target: Review Materials: picture cards Procedure: Divide the class into 2 teams. Draw a banana tree on the board with about 9 rungs up the tree. Each team has a mascot (monkey picture cards work well). The object of the game is to climb the tree the fastest to get to the bananas. The climb a rung at a time by answering questions correctly. The first group to get the bananas is the winner. Comments:  

9. Title: Battleship

Type: Concentration game Target: Any vocabulary Materials: None Procedure: Divide the class into 4 or 5 teams. The teams are now crews on a Battleship at war with the other ships. One person on each team is the captain, another person is the shooter and the rest is the crew. Each ship has its own name. The captain’s job is to answer when their ship is called, the shooter’s job is to call out another ship’s name and the whole crew must each say a vocab word. The teacher starts by calling out the name of a ship. The captain answers first by saying a vocab word, for example, let’s say the theme is food, they answer by saying bananas. Each crew member of that ship follows by saying in turn another food word until the last crew member is the shooter. The shooter himself says a food word and then calls out the name of another ship. That ship’s captain must answer and their crew must say food word until the shooter calls out another ship. If the captain doesn’t answer quickly (2-3 seconds after their ship is called), their ship is sunk. If the shooter can’t say the name of another ship quickly or any crew member can’t say a vocab word, their ship is sunk.
Comments: Can be made harder by not allowing students to repeat vocab words or else their ship is sunk.  

10. Title: Betting on Mr. Monkey