Action Games for English lessons

1. TOUCH

 

 

SUMMARY

Games don't get any easier than this. Students race to touch one flashcard from a row on the board..

SET–UP

Line up a set of flashcards on the board, or lay them on the floor at the front of the classroom. Divide the class into teams or play rounds one student against another. 

PLAY

Call two students up to play. Line them up against the wall opposite the flashcards. Make sure there is a clear running space for the students. Now, say the name of one of the flashcards and then shout "Go!" The two students race to touch the correct flashcard. The first student to do so is the winner.

This game has endless variations. For example: 
a) The students can crawl, hop, carry an egg on a spoon, or a balloon between their knees as they move toward the flashcards.
b) The students can point to the correct flashcard, point and identify the flashcard, or even point and make a sentence using the flashcard.
c) The flashcards can be on the board, on the floor, in a bag or box, upside down, or in the four corners of the classroom. 

USES

1. Play with any set of flashcards. This is a simple, yet fun way to introduce new vocabulary. 

 

 

2. FOUR CORNERS (Version 1)

 

 

SUMMARY

There are flashcards in all four corners of the classroom. Don't get stuck standing near the wrong word when the teacher stops counting to ten, or you'll be out.

SET–UP

Place one flashcard in each of the four corners of the classroom. Push the desks aside to give the children ample space to move around.

PLAY

The 4 corners game has two versions, an A and a B. Version A, in turn has two styles of its own.

Style 1. Close your eyes and count to ten. The students run to the four corners of the room. When you finish counting say "Stop!" Any student still in the middle of the floor must quickly find a corner. Now, call out one of the flashcards. Any student standing in the same corner as that flashcard is "out" and must return to his or her seat.

 Note: if you are playing with very young children don't ask them to sit down. In either case, however, ask all the students in the corner to identify the flashcard or use it in a sentence. 

Style 2. Count to ten with your eyes closed. Say "Stop!" However, instead of calling out a flashcard, point to one of the corners (with your eyes still closed). The students in that corner are "out", or "it" and must identify the flashcard or use it in a sentence.

USES

1. To teach or review vocabulary, help the students to make sentences or answer questions. This game is a staple for many teachers' young children classes.

 

 

3. FOUR CORNERS (2)

 

 

SUMMARY

Similar to 4 corners (A) except that all the students start by crowding together into one corner. When the teacher calls out a flashcard everyone must rush to that corner. The last student to reach the card is out. 

SET–UP

Place one flashcard in each of the four corners of the classroom. Again, make sure the students have enough space to run freely between the corners. Don't play this version of the game with more than 5-6 students at one time, however.

PLAY

Get all the players to crowd into one corner. Now call out one of the flashcards in another corner. The students all dash over to that corner. The last player to reach the flashcard is out. 

Note: you can also play this game with just two students at a time. We recommended this for big or aggressive classes that push too much.

For fun, call out the flashcard in the corner that the students are already standing in. See who runs without thinking. 

USES:

1. Play with any flashcard vocabulary.

 

 

4. TEACHER SAYS

 

 

SUMMARY

This is just the ESL/EFL name for Simon Says. Everyone, do as I'm doing, but only if I first say, "Teacher Says."

SET–UP

Get the class to stand up in front of you.

PLAY

Demonstrate to the class that they must follow your directions (run, touch your nose, stand up, sit down, etc.) but only if you preface the command with "Teacher says." Anyone who follows a command that was not prefaced with "Teacher says" must sit down.  

USES:

1. To practise command language.
2. Training student's listening comprehension.
3. This game is especially good for reviewing vocabulary like body parts and action words (run, touch your nose, touch your toes, eat, walk, swim, etc.).

 

 

5. TURN 

 

 

SUMMARY

You're holding a flashcard. In front of you stand two students with their backs turned. You give the command to "Turn around!" Who can identify the flashcard first? 

SET–UP

Get two students to stand in front of you with their backs turned. Hold a flashcard in your hand or place it on the board.

PLAY

Like the game "Run and Touch," this is an extremely simple game to play, and full of variations. 

A) The students turn and simply identify the flashcard.
B) The students are asked to make a sentence with the flashcard, or answer a question. For example, you ask, "What do I like to eat?" In your hand there is a banana flashcard. When the students turn they must answer "You like to eat bananas!"
C) The students stand back to back. They are given each a flashcard to hold (face forward) in front of their chest. When they turn they must identify their opponents flashcard. 

USES

1)  When teaching any flashcard vocabulary or simple sentence patterns.

6. RUN PAST ME

 

 

SUMMARY

The students dash from one wall to another. Can they get past you? If they can't they must answer a question.

SET–UP

Line your students up against one wall in the classroom. There should be a clear running space across the floor to the opposite wall. 

PLAY

When the students are lined up and ready shout  "Go!" The students make a run for the opposite wall. You try to catch one or two as they rush by. Any student you do catch must answer a question before being released.

Note: this game is best played with very young children who are slow at running. To catch a student you need only tap them on the shoulder, arm, or head.

USES

1. To practice the answers to simple questions (What's your name? How old are you? What do you like to eat? What animal can fly? Etc.).

 

 

7. YES/NO

 

 

SUMMARY

One ball is a "yes" ball. One ball is a "no" ball. Students are asked yes/no type questions ("Can elephants fly? Is a banana yellow?") and then the teacher throws both balls. The children race to pick up the appropriate ball.

SET–UP

You need two different colored balls. Demonstrate that one ball is a "yes" ball, and the other a "no" ball. Make sure the students have a clear space in which to chase after the balls. 

PLAY

Call two students to the front. Ask a yes/no type question. For example, "Are elephants little?" Throw the two balls. The two students should chase after the "no" ball, since elephants are not little. The first student to pick up the ball and bring it back to you is the winner. 

Repeat with other students. Ask other yes/no type questions. You may play this game simply for listening practice or for listening/speaking practice (in which case the students must answer the yes/no type question out loud).

USES

1. Wonderful for testing listening comprehension in a fun way.
2. For teaching or reviewing yes/no type questions: "Can you eat a house? Is it hot today? It is Monday today? Is a mouse bigger than a rhino? Does an elephant like peanuts?"

 

 

8. ZIG ZAG

 

SUMMARY

Each student has a flashcard behind his or her back. Who can eye the other's card without revealing his or her own? 

SET–UP

Call two students to the front and, without the opposing player seeing the picture, place a flashcard face up on the back of each student. Help the students to position their arms behind them so the cards stay in place. If you can find clothes-pegs, use them to peg the flashcards to the back of the children's shirts. 

PLAY

When the cards are fastened to the back of the students' clothes say, "Go!" The students now try to discover and identify what flashcard is behind the back of their opponent, (without of course revealing their own flashcard). This game can be quite hilarious to watch as the students zig and zag, and bob and dance about. Be careful, though as occasionally two students will bang heads. 

USES

1. Mostly for fun

 

 

9. ROLL & JUMP

 

SUMMARY

The students sit in a circle. They are all numbered from 1-6. There are flashcards on the floor. You call out "bear" and roll the dice. It's a four. The two (or three) students numbered "four" jump out of their seats and touch the bear flashcard. 

SET–UP

Arrange the students in a circle. Place a number of flashcards on the floor in the middle. Now, number all the students from 1-6. You should have at least two students named after each number. If you only have six or so students then number them 1-3 and fix your dice so that it only can roll 1-3 also. Divide the class into two teams if you want to.

PLAY

Call out one of the flashcards on the floor. For example: bear. Roll the dice. Let's say it is a two. The students that you numbered "2" jump up and touch the "bear" flashcard. The first student to touch the flashcard and identify it (or use it in a sentence) wins.

The great fun of this game is that the students never know when they will be next to play. It all depends on the luck of the dice. This uncertainty keeps the entire class excited and attentive round after round. 

USES

1. To teach or review any vocabulary.
2. Practice sentence making.
3. Practice numbers. 

 

 

10. DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

 

 

SUMMARY

Yes, it's the old children's classic. We'll show you how to use it to teach more than the words "duck" and "goose."

SET–UP

The children all sit in a circle on the floor, except for one who is chosen to stand. 

PLAY

The standing child walks around the circle touching the other students on the head. With each touch he says, "Duck." Finally, at the student's discretion, he says "goose" over the head of one student. This "goose" child must then stand. Now there are two students standing. One child runs to the left around the circle and the other to the right. Both children race to return to the spot where the "goose" child was previously sitting. The first child back to that spot gets to sit down. The child left standing now must walk around the circle tapping the students on the head and saying "duck, duck, duck, etc.." Again, at some point, this student must label someone a "goose." Again, a race ensues to circle the group and claim the empty seat.

To make this game more useful for the ESL/EFL classroom, simply replace the words "duck" and "goose" with some vocabulary you have recently taught. For example, the students could say "mother, mother, mother, father!". Or they could say "car, car, car, car, bicycle!" Any two words can be used.

USES

1. To review any vocabulary.
2. Some fun.

11. HOT POTATO

 

 

SUMMARY

Students sit in a circle passing round a ball or a soft toy. After a count of seven the passing stops and the child left holding the ball is "it." 

SET–UP

Get your class to sit in a circle on the floor. If you have a very large class divide it into two circles. Give a ball, teddy bear, or soft toy, to one child in each circle. 

PLAY

Get the students to say the "Hot Potato" chant  with you. It goes: 

One potato, two potato, three potato, four. 
Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more.

While you are saying this the students pass the ball round the circle. On the word "more" the passing stops. The student who has the ball in his or her hands is "it" and must stand and answer a question, identify a flashcard, etc. Some teachers send the children out of the circle to sit down when they are "it." We don't recommend this for young children classes. 

USES

1. To teach or review any vocabulary or sentence patterns  

 

 

12. MUSICAL CHAIRS (Version A)

 

 

SUMMARY

The children run around in a circle while music plays in the background. When the music stops they rush to sit down. The only problem is there is one less chair than students. Who will be left standing?

SET–UP

Arrange the class chairs in a big circle like in the picture above. Take away one chair so that there is one less chair than students. Arrange the students inside the circle of chairs.

PLAY

Start to play some lively music. Get the children to dance around inside the circle of chairs. Don't let children stand still by one chair waiting for the music to stop. Without warning stop the music. Shout, "Sit down! Sit down!" The children will then sit down, except for the one who can't find a chair. Ask that child to identify a flashcard, make a sentence, or answer a question. Get the class to repeat the word or sentence so the student doesn't feel isolated.

Note: don't play this game with children under 4 as they are often upset by being left without a seat. Musical Chairs ( Version B) is a safer version to play with this younger age group. 

USES

1. To teach or review any vocabulary or sentence patterns.
2. To practice command language (Sit down. Line up. Make a circle.).

 

 

13. MUSICAL CHAIRS (Version B)

 

SUMMARY

Similar to Musical Chairs (Version A) except that in this version the students are circling a pile of flashcards like in the picture above. Again, there is one less flashcard than players. Whose hand won't find a card to touch? 

SET–UP

Arrange a set of flashcards on the floor like in the picture above. Get a number of students (one less than there are flashcards) to come up and make a circle around the flashcards.

PLAY

Start the music. The students hold hands and dance around the flashcard. When the music stops the students sit down and touch one of the flashcards. The student without a flashcard to touch is out.

Now take away one of the flashcards. Ask the class to identify the flashcard before you put it away. Now, repeat the above steps. Again, one student will be left without a card to touch. Send that student out. Repeat the above steps until you have one card left and two students. The winner of this round is the champion. 

Note:

1) This game works best with small groups. If you have a large class consider playing several games of musical chairs and then inviting the champion of each set for a final match. 

2) Let the student who is "out" in each round ask the other students to identify (or make a sentence with) the flashcard they are touching. The student can also choose which flashcard to take away. In this way, he or she won't feel so disappointed to have lost the round.

USES

1. To teach or review play with any vocabulary flashcards.

 

 

14. SPIN THE BOTTLE 

 

 

SUMMARY

There's no kissing in this game. Just spin the bottle and hope it doesn't point at you or you'll have to answer a question. 

SE –UP

Get the students into a circle. Place a large plastic or glass bottle in the centre. 

PLAY

Ask one student to give the bottle a spin. When the bottle stops it should be pointing toward one of the students. Ask that student a question and then get him or her to spin the bottle again. End the game before the class tires of it. 

USES

1. To teach or review any vocabulary or sentence patterns

 

 

15. SLOWPOKE

 

SUMMARY

You have to be quick to answer the teacher's question or your classmate will knock you on the head with a soft bat.  

SET–UP

No special set up. Give a soft bat, a toy hammer, or a rolled up newspaper to one of the students. 

PLAY

Ask an easy question: 

What do you like to eat? 
Where do you live?
 How old are you? 

Now, call out the name of one of the students. The child with the soft bat runs over to that student and tries to tap (make sure it is a tap and not a knock or a whap or a boff) him or her on the head before they can answer the question. If the batter student succeeds in taping the other student before he or she can answer then the batter must give the bat to the other student. This child then becomes the new batter. If the child succeeds in answering the question then he or she must ask the question herself ("What do you like to eat?") and then call out another student's name. The batter must run to that student's desk, and again try to tap this new student's head before the question can be answered. 

Note: if your class if too young to ask the question back quickly enough, then let them just answer and shout out a classmate's name. You can repeat the question while the batter is running. 

USES

1. To review simple questions and sentence patterns
2. For fun: this is a fast-paced game