12 creative games and challenges to help liven up your classroom using the principles of Retrospective Kinesthetic Linguistics.

By definition, a game or challenge is a structured form of play that excites the senses and captivates players; all the ingredients we want students to have in our classrooms. Unlike regular teaching, a well-developed game can instinctively convey meaningful content

Retrospective kinesthetic linguistics is the revision of previously learned language skills, be it vocabulary or grammar, syntax, phonetics, or semantics through challenging physical games, challenges or various other activities.

When teaching English, it has become the norm to teach units of books, one after the other, month after month, new vocabulary, new grammar, etc, but, when and how do we ever go back to those very early lessons to review that which is often neglected and forgotten. We have this belief that "We have taught it so they will automatically use it", but seldom if ever is this the case with students often remembering and using just a percentage of what they have previously learned.

Retrospective kinesthetic linguistics is the belief in the necessity to take the time every once in a while to go back and refresh students' memories of those previously taught lessons and the valuable components that they covered. To review subject-based vocabulary through a specific grammar structure, or to review and practice correct pronunciation, etc is invaluable to the overall level of proficiency that is attained by students. Classroom games and challenges, the perfect foundation activities for retrospective kinesthetic linguistics have always been a popular methodological approach when it comes to teaching languages. Students love to play, and they love to be challenged, and the more fun they encounter whilst undertaking the challenge, then the more they enjoy the experience of learning a second language.

Whilst today the foundation of most English classes is based upon the use of a well-structured books series, they alone are never enough to achieve complete success, and if anything, if used correctly, they become the solid, reliable bedrock and guide for teachers to reinforce their classes through various activities such as games and challenges.

Games and challenges are suitable for learners of all ages and levels, from children to teens all the way up to business professionals. No matter who the students are, there is always a game that will challenge them to present their best results in order to achieve their desired goals.

Below is a selection of retrospective kinesthetic linguistics based games and challenges that I have played in my classes for years. Some of them, or similar versions of them may be familiar to some of you, whilst others may be completely new, but, no matter which of these games you wish to try, each and every one of them is guaranteed to breathe life, enthusiasm, and success into your classes whilst revising that which was previously taught.

1. Match and Catch the Riddle

For this activity, search the internet for level appropriate riddles.

(a). Divide the class into two groups: The QUESTION group and the ANSWER group.
(b). Using riddles, give the questions to the first group and the answers to the other group.
(c). Each student in the first group is supposed to read the question he has aloud and whoever has the answer in the other group reads the answer aloud.
(d). If the question and the answer match put the students in pairs. If they don't, then continue until the right answer is found. Each student can read his part only twice. When all questions and answers are matched ask the pairs to read the riddle they have just for fun.

E.g. QUESTION: What animal is grey and has a trunk?
ANSWER: A mouse going on vacations

2. Now that story is crazy!

(a). Prepare sheets of paper with six columns which bear the following titles at the top

 WHO?
(a man's name)
 WHOM?
(a woman's name)
 WHERE?
 WHAT DID HE SAY?
 WHAT DID SHE SAY?
 WHAT DID THEY DO?

(b). Divide the class into groups of 6. Give each group one sheet of paper. Ask the first student to write under the first part and fold the paper so as to cover what he has written. Tell the student to pass the paper onto the next person. As each person writes, he should only look at his fold. When all students finish, one student from each group will be asked to read their story in the following format. You can write the format on the blackboard.

 ............. Met ............... in/at..............
 He said..............................................
 She said.............................................
 And so they..........................................

This activity can cause quite a bit of fun in class depending upon the answers that the students contribute.

3. Can you name the Differences?

(a). Draw, or find in Google images two pictures which are the same except for seven features. Photocopy them on separate sheets of paper.
(b). Ask students to work in pairs. Give one copy of each picture to the pairs. The pairs are not supposed to show their copies to each other. Partner A's will describe their copy and Partner B's will listen carefully and examine their own copy to find the differences.

They can ask questions if they require more detailed information or need any clarification.

The pair that finishes first wins the game.

4. Catching up on your ABC's

This game is short and simple and great for either a warm-up or closing activity. Write the alphabet on the board. Throw a soft ball to someone and say a word beginning with the letter A. This person must catch the ball, say a word beginning with the letter B, and then throw it to another person this third-person says a word beginning with the letter C and so on.

Obviously, the game is meant to be played fast. If played with higher-level students you may not want to write the alphabet on the board. There are many ways to change the game to make it adaptable to your level of students.

5. Spymaster.

I sometimes give instructions to my students written in code that they have to interpret before completing tasks. I have used this at various levels:
Here is an example: to revise the alphabet and simple present verbs/vocal.

• Tell students the code e.g. each code letter represents the letter that comes before it in the alphabet a is b, m is n, o is p, x is y, 'dbu' is cat etc.
• Then they decode their message and do the task:
o xbml up uif cpbse - walk to the board
o kvnq ufo ujnft - jump ten times

To make it more difficult, I have...
• used more complex codes,
• let them work the code out for themselves,
• have not defined where words end,
• have given more complicated tasks or vocabulary
• Or given them half an instruction which they must decode and then find the classmate with the other half of their task information.

This activity can be used to review or practice vocabulary or structure or simply be a different way to introduce the topic for the day's class -- each student gets one or two words to decode and then the classwork to put all the words together.

6. Quick thinking

Choose around 10 students to come and stand in a line at the front of the classroom. The first student in line must begin counting from one, and each student, in turn, calls out the next number. However, every fourth number, the student must say a word relating to a subject chosen by the teacher, e.g., Classroom details (Basic) or the environment (Intermediate / Advanced).

Following the word, the activity continues with the next student in line must call out the next number. For example, 1, 2, 3, WORD, 5, 6, 7, WORD, 9, etc.

If a student hesitates too much or makes a mistake (Teachers set up rules such as no repeating words, pronunciation or choice of words) they must sit down, so that eventually only a single student remains. Whenever a student sits down, begin from one again. See how far you can get!

7. Words that begin with…….

The teacher chooses a letter from the alphabet. Then each student must say a word that begins with that letter.

If a student repeats a word that has already been said, then they are out of the game. The game ends when only one student remains. That student is the winner. In high-level classes, students lose if they say a past form of the verb.

Example: see-saw. You can increase the difficulty by adding a timer. Only allow each student 5 seconds to think of a word.

8. My theme Cards

For this activity, you will need a deck of regular playing cards, and an imaginative theme that could be crafted into some sort of story.

For example, I choose "send the teacher on a vacation". On the board or projector, make a list like the following.

(You could ask your student for input.)
• A-exciting
• 2-depressing
• 3-expensive
• 4-heroic
• 5-romantic
• 6-fantastic
• 7-sad
• 8-almost fatal
• 9-cheap
• 10-dramatic
• J-happy
• Q-weird
• K-change one option

Prompt the students a little to get them started; perhaps offer a beginning to the story. They then must continue making an oral story by drawing one card and continuing the story along those lines.

For example, if they get 4, then the teacher/protagonist must do something heroic or some kind of heroic event must occur. If the students draw a K (or whatever card you stipulate), then they can change one option. This seems to help keep the momentum in the game.

Continue through all cards, with the stipulation that the story must be concluded by the end of the deck. Obviously, there is a lot of room for variation here. Your word list and theme could be related to your unit of study.

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9. Spot the differences

Choose 5 students to stand at the front of the class. Next, ask one volunteer to go out of the classroom. While the student is out of the room, get the 5 students at the front of the class to change their sweaters, shoes, coats, and so on. Bring the student who went out of the classroom back inside. They have to guess the differences (speaking in English, of course.)

Change groups and volunteers and repeat the activity as many times as you want.

As an alternative to changing clothes, maybe you could get the students to move 5 prominent items in the classroom into different positions, and then when the other students return to the classroom, they must look around and describe what has been moved.

10. What’s the letter?

This game is used to practice the alphabet. Divide students into groups and ask them to stand in line and give the students in the front of the line a piece of chalk to write on the blackboard. Then write with your finger a letter on the back of the students at the end of the line. They must do the same with the student in front of him/her and so on. The students with the chalk try to guess the letter and write any word that begins with that letter on the board.

11. My classmate is….

• Write down the names of every student in your class on pieces of paper.
• Give the names to students. Try to make two students describe each other.
• Ask them to describe the person whose name is on the paper.
• After they finish, give the description to the person who is described. They have to find any writing mistakes on the paper.
• Students work in pairs to correct the two papers.

12. Can you guess my vocabulary?

• Ask one student to be in front of the class. Give them a word that can’t be seen by the other students. Next, they must draw (on the whiteboard) a picture expressing the concept of the word.
• The rest of the class has to guess the word.
• If you are keeping score, the one who drew the picture gets the point if the class can guess the word.

Well, I hope that you like these games, and consider them suitable to add to your repertoire of classroom activities.

If you would like more information on other classroom games and challenges, please LIKE my Facebook page where you will receive new weekly games to try with your students.

https://www.facebook.com/Games-and-Challenges-for-the-EFL-Classroom-163879847408471/?notif_id=1527416648954519&notif_t=page_fan

Good luck, and good teaching.

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