ENERGETIC GAMES TO LIVEN UP ANY CLASSROOM.
Do you sometimes look for a game, a challenge that will inject some life into an otherwise lifeless class? Do you look for ways to energize your students and motivate their level of enthusiasm? Are you constantly looking for something different to try when laying out your long-term yearly planning?
Of course you do, all great teachers are constantly on the lookout for new and unusual ways to inject some energy into their classes. When a class is slow and boring, then students minds automatically wander away from the reality of the classroom to a place brimming with creativity, imagination, and fun.
For students to effectively learn today, they need to experience the same level of mental stimulation that they receive from video games and Smartphones. Kids today fall mentally idol if left unchallenged, and when they are put into a position of educational apathy, then they merely go through the motions when undertaking an ineffective activity that at best generates mental indifference.
If you sometimes find yourself in a position where it is hard to fire up your students level of enthusiasm, then below are 10 entertaining classroom games and challenges that are guaranteed to help you to light a fire of zealous fervor in their imaginations.
ONE
Name of Game: Words in Words
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Number of Students: Teams of 3-4
English Skills: Spelling Vocabulary
Objective: Use the letters of a long word to spell smaller words
1. Make sure each team has a dictionary
2. Write a large word or phrase on the board
3. Give teams 10 minutes to come up with as many words as possible by using the letters on the board
4. When time is up, one leader from each team will say the team's words
5. Each word is scored as follows:
• 1-letter words = 1 point
• 2-letter words = 3 points
• 3-letter words = 5 points
• 4-letter words = 8 points
• 5-letter words = 10 points
• 6-letter words = 12 points
• 7-letter words = 15 points
• 8 or more letter words = 20 points
• Have each team submit words one at a time and write them on the board, with no duplicate words allowed
• Words that every team has are omitted and have no point value
• Simply have teams hand in word sheets and tally scores.
Use words/phrases with an 'e' and 'r' so students can make words that end in 'er'. Do the same with 'ing', 'ly', 's' and other tails. You can have each team choose a 'secretary' to write down the words and 'seekers' to look in the dictionaries.
Be sure to follow up this game by having students make sentences with some of the words (5 seems to works well) and use the words in listening exercises in future classes.
TWO
Name of Game: Typhoon
Duration: 15-40 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 3-6
English Skills: Grammar Listening Speaking Writing
Objective: Practice making sentences with game board grid.
1. Draw a 6x6 bingo grid on the board
2. Randomly write points in the squares
3. In some squares, write 'Typhoon' instead of a number
4. Stick words cards on top of the squares and cover the number/typhoon
5. One team chooses a word card and must make a sentence with the word
6. If they make an incorrect sentence, move on to the next team
7. If they make a correct sentence, they get the number of points under the card
8. Typhoons allow you to erase all the points from another team
9. The team with the most points at the end wins
• Play with 'Bankrupt' instead of 'Typhoon'
• Use category cards instead of word cards
• Make a minimum number of words for each sentence
• Have students listen and repeat after correct sentences
Keep track of the sentences students make and use them for a follow-up activity.
THREE
Name of Game: Telephone
Duration: 5-30 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 6 or more
English Skills: Listening Speaking Writing
Objective: Groups should pass a message to each member of their group by whispering.
1. Divide the class into groups of 6 or more, and arrange each group in a straight line or row.
2. Ask for a volunteer listener from each group. Take them outside of the classroom and give them a message (one sentence or more, depending on student level).
3. Open the door, and let the students run to the first member of their group to whisper the message.
4. Each member passes the message, by whispering, to their neighbor.
5. When the message reaches the end, the last person should run to the board and write the message that they heard.
The winner could be determined in various ways: the first team to pass a legible, complete message (even if it's wrong), the first team to finish, first team with a message closest to the original.
Ask the last student to repeat the message to YOU, and write it on the board yourself. This is a good way to practice pronunciation and to determine which sounds students have trouble with.
This game could take up to 5 minutes or 30, depending on how much time you have and how interested the kids are.
FOUR
Name of Game: Write Now!
Duration: 15-25 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Spelling, writing, and Vocabulary
Objective: Use substitution to practice vocabulary
1. Break students into teams
2. Each team will select a student to be the writer
3. The teacher writes a sentence on the board with a blank in it, such as "I like _."
4. Each team must fill in the blank with as many English words as possible in one minute
5. Have teams turn in their papers and mark the correct answers
6. Explain the incorrect ones.
7. The team with the most correct answers wins
8. Have teams change writers, write a new sentence, and play again.
Make sentences structures that allow students to practice grammar structures they are learning, such as countable and uncountable nouns. Students get pretty loud shouting out answers to their writers so be sure to close the doors and windows.
FIVE
Name of Game: Read Now!
Duration: 15-25 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Reading and writing
1 Break students into teams
2 Each team will select a student to be the writer
3 The teacher writes a sentence on the board from the book with a blank in it, such as "When he was walking _."
4 Each team must read the activity and when they find the sentence, run to the board and write the complete sentence.
7 The team who writes the correct answer first wins
8 Have teams change writers, write a new sentence, and play again
SIX
Name of Game: Running Dictation
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Number of StudeNts: Pairs or cmall groups
English Skills: Listening Reading Speaking Writing
Objective: Remember words and phrase and dictate them to Your partner
1. Break students up into groups of 3-4, or pairs for small classes
2. Put one sentence on a piece of paper for each team
3. One leader from each team goes to the board and tries to remember their sentence
4. The leader returns to their group and dictates the sentence while team members write it down
5. The first team to finish correctly gets a point
6. Change words/sentences and switch leaders
• Use pictures for children who can't spell and have them draw the picture instead of writing the words
• Use multiple sentences for more advanced students
• Place sentences around the room and have each group member do one each.
• Groups have to put the sentences into the right order before turning in the paper
Make each team's paper different so students do not simply listen to other teams. Leaders are not allowed to take their paper, write down anything, or yell across the room. They are allowed to return to the board to look at their paper as many times as they like. Use words from class to reinforce learned vocabulary and grammar structures.
SEVEN
Name of Game: Run and Write
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 3-4
SKILLS Listening Spelling Writing
Objective: Find a word in the list and write in on the board
1. Give each team a list of words
2. Have each team select a leader
3. Teacher says one word from list several times
4. Teams search for a word, then have leader go to the board and write THE word
5. Leaders must give the teacher a Hi-five after writing the word correctly
6. The first leader to give the teacher a hi-five gets five points
7. Next leader to finished gets 4 points, next one 3, etc
Use sentences for higher levels
EIGHT
Name of Game: Minesweeper
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 2-4
English Skills: Reading Vocabulary
Objective: Review vocabulary with flashcards
1. Place a number of flashcards face down
2. Set one of the flashcards to be a whammy card
3. Students take turns flipping over and one card at a time and say the word/sentence
4. Whoever turns over the whammy card must perform a silly task
5. After someone pulls the whammy card, shuffle the cards and start again
• Make the whammy card be a “safe” card, where everyone but the student who turned over the card has to perform the silly task
• Have players get one point for each card the say/answer correctly
• Play this game with regular playing cards to practice numbers, with one face card as the whammy
• Combine playing cards with a list, using numbers 1-6 or so and having a numbered list on the side with six vocabulary words /grammar structures.
If a student turns over a 3, they say the item that is third on the list.
Use grammar structures and/or questions for more advanced students.
If you use flashcards, make sure that you can’t see through the back!
NINE
Name of Game: How Many Words Do You Know?
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Speaking Spelling Vocabulary
Objective: Write down all of the 2-letter words you know.
1. Divide the chalkboard into four equal vertical sections (columns).
2. Make two rows of deskbound students one team
3. Have teams pick a team leader to go to the chalkboard
4. Leaders write all the two-letter words they know on the count of 1, 2, 3, GO!
5. Team members help their leader by shouting out words and by writing words in big letters on paper and holding it up for the leader to see
6. Stop with 10, 9, 8,...0, STOP!
• Three-letter, four-letter words, etc.
• Words that begin with the letter 'S', 'R', 'Th', etc.
Decide beforehand whether dictionaries, textbooks, etc. are legal or not and rules for what kind of words can be used (ie names, acronyms that are accepted as words, etc). Will you count words if students don't know the meaning? Also, the class gets noisy so make sure to close windows and doors.
TEN
Name of Game: Sentence Jumble
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Grammar Reading Speaking Writing
Objective: Review sentence structures and verb tenses
Preparation:
1. Make a series of sentences, three more than the number of teams in your class
2. Print the sentences in large text
3. Cut each sentence into separate words
4. Put each sentence into its separate envelopes
5. Number each envelope with a marker
Instructions:
1. Diving the class into pairs or small groups
2. Give each team one envelope
3. Students arrange the words into a correct sentence, copy it into their notebooks, and put words back into envelope
4. When finished, students say the sentence, show their notebooks, and bring their envelope to the teacher
5. If sentence is not correct, they go back and fix the error
6. If sentence is correct, they can swap their envelope for a new one with a different sentence
7. The first team to unscramble all of the sentences is the winner
Use easy sentences for less advanced students
Use more complex sentences for more advanced students.
This game is a sure success with any level or age group
Do you sometimes look for a game, a challenge that will inject some life into an otherwise lifeless class? Do you look for ways to energize your students and motivate their level of enthusiasm? Are you constantly looking for something different to try when laying out your long-term yearly planning?
Of course you do, all great teachers are constantly on the lookout for new and unusual ways to inject some energy into their classes. When a class is slow and boring, then students minds automatically wander away from the reality of the classroom to a place brimming with creativity, imagination, and fun.
For students to effectively learn today, they need to experience the same level of mental stimulation that they receive from video games and Smartphones. Kids today fall mentally idol if left unchallenged, and when they are put into a position of educational apathy, then they merely go through the motions when undertaking an ineffective activity that at best generates mental indifference.
If you sometimes find yourself in a position where it is hard to fire up your students level of enthusiasm, then below are 10 entertaining classroom games and challenges that are guaranteed to help you to light a fire of zealous fervor in their imaginations.
ONE
Name of Game: Words in Words
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Number of Students: Teams of 3-4
English Skills: Spelling Vocabulary
Objective: Use the letters of a long word to spell smaller words
1. Make sure each team has a dictionary
2. Write a large word or phrase on the board
3. Give teams 10 minutes to come up with as many words as possible by using the letters on the board
4. When time is up, one leader from each team will say the team's words
5. Each word is scored as follows:
• 1-letter words = 1 point
• 2-letter words = 3 points
• 3-letter words = 5 points
• 4-letter words = 8 points
• 5-letter words = 10 points
• 6-letter words = 12 points
• 7-letter words = 15 points
• 8 or more letter words = 20 points
• Have each team submit words one at a time and write them on the board, with no duplicate words allowed
• Words that every team has are omitted and have no point value
• Simply have teams hand in word sheets and tally scores.
Use words/phrases with an 'e' and 'r' so students can make words that end in 'er'. Do the same with 'ing', 'ly', 's' and other tails. You can have each team choose a 'secretary' to write down the words and 'seekers' to look in the dictionaries.
Be sure to follow up this game by having students make sentences with some of the words (5 seems to works well) and use the words in listening exercises in future classes.
TWO
Name of Game: Typhoon
Duration: 15-40 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 3-6
English Skills: Grammar Listening Speaking Writing
Objective: Practice making sentences with game board grid.
1. Draw a 6x6 bingo grid on the board
2. Randomly write points in the squares
3. In some squares, write 'Typhoon' instead of a number
4. Stick words cards on top of the squares and cover the number/typhoon
5. One team chooses a word card and must make a sentence with the word
6. If they make an incorrect sentence, move on to the next team
7. If they make a correct sentence, they get the number of points under the card
8. Typhoons allow you to erase all the points from another team
9. The team with the most points at the end wins
• Play with 'Bankrupt' instead of 'Typhoon'
• Use category cards instead of word cards
• Make a minimum number of words for each sentence
• Have students listen and repeat after correct sentences
Keep track of the sentences students make and use them for a follow-up activity.
THREE
Name of Game: Telephone
Duration: 5-30 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 6 or more
English Skills: Listening Speaking Writing
Objective: Groups should pass a message to each member of their group by whispering.
1. Divide the class into groups of 6 or more, and arrange each group in a straight line or row.
2. Ask for a volunteer listener from each group. Take them outside of the classroom and give them a message (one sentence or more, depending on student level).
3. Open the door, and let the students run to the first member of their group to whisper the message.
4. Each member passes the message, by whispering, to their neighbor.
5. When the message reaches the end, the last person should run to the board and write the message that they heard.
The winner could be determined in various ways: the first team to pass a legible, complete message (even if it's wrong), the first team to finish, first team with a message closest to the original.
Ask the last student to repeat the message to YOU, and write it on the board yourself. This is a good way to practice pronunciation and to determine which sounds students have trouble with.
This game could take up to 5 minutes or 30, depending on how much time you have and how interested the kids are.
FOUR
Name of Game: Write Now!
Duration: 15-25 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Spelling, writing, and Vocabulary
Objective: Use substitution to practice vocabulary
1. Break students into teams
2. Each team will select a student to be the writer
3. The teacher writes a sentence on the board with a blank in it, such as "I like _."
4. Each team must fill in the blank with as many English words as possible in one minute
5. Have teams turn in their papers and mark the correct answers
6. Explain the incorrect ones.
7. The team with the most correct answers wins
8. Have teams change writers, write a new sentence, and play again.
Make sentences structures that allow students to practice grammar structures they are learning, such as countable and uncountable nouns. Students get pretty loud shouting out answers to their writers so be sure to close the doors and windows.
FIVE
Name of Game: Read Now!
Duration: 15-25 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Reading and writing
1 Break students into teams
2 Each team will select a student to be the writer
3 The teacher writes a sentence on the board from the book with a blank in it, such as "When he was walking _."
4 Each team must read the activity and when they find the sentence, run to the board and write the complete sentence.
7 The team who writes the correct answer first wins
8 Have teams change writers, write a new sentence, and play again
SIX
Name of Game: Running Dictation
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Number of StudeNts: Pairs or cmall groups
English Skills: Listening Reading Speaking Writing
Objective: Remember words and phrase and dictate them to Your partner
1. Break students up into groups of 3-4, or pairs for small classes
2. Put one sentence on a piece of paper for each team
3. One leader from each team goes to the board and tries to remember their sentence
4. The leader returns to their group and dictates the sentence while team members write it down
5. The first team to finish correctly gets a point
6. Change words/sentences and switch leaders
• Use pictures for children who can't spell and have them draw the picture instead of writing the words
• Use multiple sentences for more advanced students
• Place sentences around the room and have each group member do one each.
• Groups have to put the sentences into the right order before turning in the paper
Make each team's paper different so students do not simply listen to other teams. Leaders are not allowed to take their paper, write down anything, or yell across the room. They are allowed to return to the board to look at their paper as many times as they like. Use words from class to reinforce learned vocabulary and grammar structures.
SEVEN
Name of Game: Run and Write
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 3-4
SKILLS Listening Spelling Writing
Objective: Find a word in the list and write in on the board
1. Give each team a list of words
2. Have each team select a leader
3. Teacher says one word from list several times
4. Teams search for a word, then have leader go to the board and write THE word
5. Leaders must give the teacher a Hi-five after writing the word correctly
6. The first leader to give the teacher a hi-five gets five points
7. Next leader to finished gets 4 points, next one 3, etc
Use sentences for higher levels
EIGHT
Name of Game: Minesweeper
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Number of Students: Groups of 2-4
English Skills: Reading Vocabulary
Objective: Review vocabulary with flashcards
1. Place a number of flashcards face down
2. Set one of the flashcards to be a whammy card
3. Students take turns flipping over and one card at a time and say the word/sentence
4. Whoever turns over the whammy card must perform a silly task
5. After someone pulls the whammy card, shuffle the cards and start again
• Make the whammy card be a “safe” card, where everyone but the student who turned over the card has to perform the silly task
• Have players get one point for each card the say/answer correctly
• Play this game with regular playing cards to practice numbers, with one face card as the whammy
• Combine playing cards with a list, using numbers 1-6 or so and having a numbered list on the side with six vocabulary words /grammar structures.
If a student turns over a 3, they say the item that is third on the list.
Use grammar structures and/or questions for more advanced students.
If you use flashcards, make sure that you can’t see through the back!
NINE
Name of Game: How Many Words Do You Know?
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Speaking Spelling Vocabulary
Objective: Write down all of the 2-letter words you know.
1. Divide the chalkboard into four equal vertical sections (columns).
2. Make two rows of deskbound students one team
3. Have teams pick a team leader to go to the chalkboard
4. Leaders write all the two-letter words they know on the count of 1, 2, 3, GO!
5. Team members help their leader by shouting out words and by writing words in big letters on paper and holding it up for the leader to see
6. Stop with 10, 9, 8,...0, STOP!
• Three-letter, four-letter words, etc.
• Words that begin with the letter 'S', 'R', 'Th', etc.
Decide beforehand whether dictionaries, textbooks, etc. are legal or not and rules for what kind of words can be used (ie names, acronyms that are accepted as words, etc). Will you count words if students don't know the meaning? Also, the class gets noisy so make sure to close windows and doors.
TEN
Name of Game: Sentence Jumble
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Number of Students: Any
English Skills: Grammar Reading Speaking Writing
Objective: Review sentence structures and verb tenses
Preparation:
1. Make a series of sentences, three more than the number of teams in your class
2. Print the sentences in large text
3. Cut each sentence into separate words
4. Put each sentence into its separate envelopes
5. Number each envelope with a marker
Instructions:
1. Diving the class into pairs or small groups
2. Give each team one envelope
3. Students arrange the words into a correct sentence, copy it into their notebooks, and put words back into envelope
4. When finished, students say the sentence, show their notebooks, and bring their envelope to the teacher
5. If sentence is not correct, they go back and fix the error
6. If sentence is correct, they can swap their envelope for a new one with a different sentence
7. The first team to unscramble all of the sentences is the winner
Use easy sentences for less advanced students
Use more complex sentences for more advanced students.
This game is a sure success with any level or age group
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