1. TPR Storytelling Session
Tell a story to the whole class. It can be about anything: fairytale, adventure, even horror and comedy. Tell it with plenty of gestures and actions, which you repeat often. (That’s the TPR way!)
2. Simon Says with a Twist
A vocabulary-oriented game like Simon Says is analogous to the process that takes place as children acquire their first language. Adults often give instructions to kids, like “throw the ball” “come here” or “eat your chicken.” (By virtue of repetition and validation—and gesturing—children are able to figure out what mommy wanted done.)
3. The Amazing Race
I’m sure you’ve seen “The Amazing Race” on TV. But with this activity, you don’t have to send the class on a thrilling trip around the world. You only have to send them off to do some task or demonstrate comprehension by performing prescribed motions. (With TPR, you can always check for comprehension because you can just look at their actions.)
For example, one task can be a “bring me” scenario and you can tell the teams in your Spanish class to bring you an amarillo (yellow) object. Or you can ask the class to griten (shout) their favorite color.
4. TPR Theater
This one’s for those a little bit advanced in the target language since “TPR Theater” has some improve added into the mix. It is, for all intents and purposes, an impromptu play. Your role as the teacher is to narrate and move the story forward by telling the characters in front of the class what they need to do.
Think of yourself as a benevolent narrator and puppet master where the bit players are to do your every bidding.
5. Action Songs for the Whole Class
Action songs are actually TPR–but with music. Children love them. They add melody and cadence that the brain can latch on to. They are the perfect memory aids that can effectively embed language and movement into the long-term memory.
Use Zumba Lingua to lead the class in an aerobic routine that incorporates vocabulary lessons. You can use this as a culmination exercise that ties together different lessons on directions (left and right), numbers and body parts. So, make sure you have taught these and some other actions to the kids beforehand.
This is a TPR game where you divide the class into two to three groups of equal number, then let the kids form a line.
Oh, but of course it doesn’t stop there.
Call the kids at the front of each line into a group huddle, and whisper into each ear some action-oriented instruction. Then send them back to their groups.
Shout “Walk the talk… go!” and the first student will pass your instructions down the line by whispering it to the student behind them. Then the second kid will pass it to the third kid, and so on and so forth.
The last person in the line runs to the front of the class and performs the action required. The team that performs the correct action first gets the point.
One of the convictions of TPR is that, by pairing a certain vocabulary word with a certain movement, the memory of that word becomes stronger for students.
Weird Vocabulary is a TPR teaching technique where you use exaggerated or funny movements in order to make a word more memorable. First, you create a link between a word and a very specific movement. Then, you have your kids repeat the word and movement together. After that, you can try to always accompany that word with that movement in future classes.
This TPR activity is best done outside of class, perhaps on the playground or in the gymnasium. Students will have so much fun that—with the jumping around plus the change of scenery—they’ll soon forget they’re actually still in a language class.
Arrange your class into a small platoon, and play a drill sergeant who barks out orders aggressively yet humorously. Feel free to dress for the role, complete with whistle and hat. Treat your kids as new recruits, teaching them vocabulary through TPR, military style.
If in the previous activity you were a drill sergeant, think of yourself as an “imagination director” for this one.
This is an imagination activity. You direct your students’ imaginations by setting the context and giving instructions as to how they’re going to act. Think of it as improve or live theater, where you give their stage instructions out in real time.
Let’s say you want to teach kids about different animal names in the target language. Have your kids take an imaginary field trip to the zoo!
Charades is a helpful game for any learner, not just for language learning. Charades involves a student getting up and performing for the rest of the class. They are told a vocabulary word or action that the rest of the class needs to say, and then it’s their job to get that answer from the class. This helps test the student performers ability as well as the ability of the class.
Have some extra props lying around? Get your students interacting with them by using this pantomiming activity. Here’s how it works- think of a series of actions you can do with your props, then get your students to mimic the actions. Use simple sentences for each action, so your students can practice extended speaking.
For our example, we’ll use a grocery store scenario-
“Get a basket”
“Pick up an apple”
Do you sometimes feel like your students are a little dramatic? This is the perfect activity for them! A great way to test their language and TPR skills is to have them do a little improv. You’ll play the role of the narrator and decide how the story goes. Choose something light and easy to follow, like a hero’s journey.
This one’s all about total physical response. Your poor student has completely lost their voice! They’ll be assigned a partner who has to determine what they need, but they can’t say a word. You’ll give them a task or phrase they need to make their partner say. For example, “You’re looking for your dog.” The mime student must convey this entirely through their actions, and the partner must guess the target sentence.
A simple way to get your students talking and using TPR is to have them roleplay easy scenarios. This is better for more advanced students that have a little more confidence speaking. All you have to do is give them a scenario or a few pieces of target vocabulary and watch them go.
If your students are reluctant to talk, some teachers find it helpful to set a timer for how long the scenario has to go on. 30 seconds is a good starting point for most classes, and you can give them time to prepare before they start.
This is perfect for classes that love to compete. Group your students into four or five groups and send them on the scavenger hunt of their lives! Or at least of their day. Instead of giving your student’s paper clues, give them verbally. Whichever team completes the activity first wins for that round.
For example, after teaching action verbs, you can ask your students to “go to the back of the class”, “run to the front of the class”, “find something yellow”, or “jump in place”. Be sure to keep track of each teams points, and award the winner with bragging rights (or candy).
It is easy to implement this 'Commands' activity as it simply requires you, the teacher, to say commands consisting of simple instructions to the class to which they will respond by performing that action. Some simple commands could include:
Sit down
Stand up
Jump
Dance
This is a great beginner activity, and it can eventually become a classroom management strategy by incorporating commands such as 'silence' (where students could place their index finger on their lips to denote being quiet) or 'listen' (where students could cup their hands behind their ears to indicate they are listening).
In the earlier stages, you will need to model the commands, so that students can follow, but with time, students will be able to perform the actions on their own or by following each others leads.