Two teams, one line of cards stretching from the front left corner of the tables to the front right corner. Teacher starts the game and one contestant from each team proceeds down the line of cards, reading, answering or doing whatever assigned task there is. Once the two students meet, they do rock-paper-scissors, the winner continues, but another contestant from the losers team must start again at the beginning of the line of cards. When one student reaches the other team’s starting point, one point is assigned, teams switch sides and the game is played over again. Variation: teacher removes cards from the beginning of each line to increase the pace and therefore the tension.
There are five spaces around the basket, each associated with some vocabulary word and language task. A student starts at either end, does the language task for a space and shoots a free throw. If they make the shot, they move on to the next space. If not, the next contestant gets a turn. The first one to complete all the spaces is the winner.
Use two sets of matching cards, for example one set of words and one set of pictures, or one set of ABCs and one set of words that start with those letters. Spread one set out in one room and the other set out in another room (or outside). Call one card, the students have to find it, give it to the instructor and then find the other card from the pair outside. Team with the most pairs wins.
Blindfold two contestants and put some plastic numbers in front of them (same for each) and the first one who says the number in the target language wins.
See Blindfolded Number Recognition Races but use plastic fruit. When they guess, ask "Do you like ___?"
teach them plus and minus and you're off. Can add more complicated functions like multiplication, division, square root, etc.
with magnetic clock hands (line up each team, front of the room to the back, you sit in the back and whisper a time to the last people who have to relay it up to the front (in the target language). First team to do so correctly is the winner.
Traditional card game (also known as pelmanism). Can be used with any cards. Students must perform some language task with non-matches (make a sentence, say the opposite, etc.).
Start with two sets of daily activity cards (with pictures of daily activities) and two teams. The teacher says (for example) "I get up at 7:00" and the first one to grab the "get up" card, run to the board, write "7:00" and say "I get up at 7:00" is the winner. Can be done with magnetic clock hands: Two blank clocks are drawn on the board and magnetic clock hands are placed next to them. The first one to make the correct time wins.
Draw two blank clocks on the board, use two sets of Daily activity cards, you call "I get up at 7:00." They have to take the card, make the time on the board and repeat what you said.
make direction cards (go back two spaces, miss a turn, roll again, etc.) and the vocabulary cards. Set them up in a line, with the direction cards interspersed, some sort of goal at the end. Roll a die and move that many spaces forward, turn the card over, make a sentence or some language task.
Spread the ABC cards around the room and then order them to put single/multiple fruit on certain numbers. Once you've done them all, call out numbers/fruit and they have to say what's on that card/where they are.
See Relay below. Like a normal relay, put out single and multiple fruit. They have to go down the line saying them: three oranges, two apples, etc.
Spread the ABC cards around the room and then order them to put single/multiple fruit on certain letters. Once you've done them all, call out letters/fruit and they have to say what's on that card/where they are.
The traditional card game is good for beginners because it requires them to ask questions: Do you have any ___? Give me all your ___. Could I have all of you __ please? etc. Also, any deck of cards with four versions of one type of card can be used. For example, have four copies of one word, or four tenses, etc. A set of 40 numbered vocabulary cards can also be used. The words on the cards do not matter - students try to collect all the cards with the same ones digit (e.g. 5, 15, 25, 35). A language task can be set for when a group of 4 cards is laid down (saying the past tense of each, making a sentence, etc.).
Works best with 30-40 numbered cards. Write the numbers of the cards on the whiteboard in random places, covering the whole board. Then divide the numbers up by drawing lines between them to create a space for each number. Put the cards on the table. One student throws a suction cup ball/disk which sticks to a space with a number. The other students (all or just two contestants) have to look for the card with that number. The first one to find it and make a sentence with that word (or say the past tense or some other language task) gets to keep the card. The teacher then erases the number and enough lines so that there are no empty spaces – the space that contained that number just becomes part of another number’s space. The process continues on and the team with the most cards wins.
Divide the students into three teams of at least two students each team. Draw a target on the whiteboard. Remove all tables and chairs from the room, except for 3 chairs within throwing distance of the whiteboard. Each team has a suction cup ball/disk. Teacher sits on the floor below the whiteboard. One contestant sits in each chair, the rest of the team members stand behind the contestants. Teacher shows a card, the first one to read the card gets to throw their ball/disk (teacher indicates). Then they run up to the whiteboard, record their score and return to their team, giving the disk to the next contestant. Meanwhile, the teacher continuously shows a new card once one has been read. Students must be seated and holding a disk to participate in reading. Team with the most points wins. This game relies on there being three or more teams. While one contestant is running up to the board to get the disk, the other two (possibly weaker) teams have a chance to read a new card.
2 contestants. The teacher writes a number on a piece of paper and show it to the rest of the class and they have to say it in the target language. First of the two to write the number is the winner.
A Variation of Karuta that works with the daily expressions cards (pictures of daily activities). Spread the cards out, have two teams, but this time the teacher calls an object in one or more of the pictures on the cards. First student to grab a card with that object in a picture and then say the phrase associated with that card gets to keep it.
Each pair is a team and sit opposite each other in rows. The teacher stands behind one side and hold up a vocabulary card for each pair, showing the word side. The people who can see the cards draw pictures to convey the word and the ones with their backs to you have to guess them. NO SPEAKING BY THE DRAWERS!! The first group to guess gets 3 points, the second gets 2 and the third gets 1. The teacher then switches sides and the paper switches sides and everyone does it all over again.
Students sitting around the table, teacher with a stack of cards. Two adjacent students A and B are specified and the teacher holds up a card. First of the two students to give the correct answer receives the card. Teacher moves to the next pair, which is student B and the student next to him or her, student C. Activity moves around the table in this way, each student receiving two chances to play.
Use 2 (or 3) sets of lowercase letter cards, adding extra vowels. Mix them up and distribute them out evenly. Students go around the room, doing rock-paper-scissors with each other. The winner holds up his/her cards (so that the loser cannot see the fronts) and the loser picks one card. If anyone can make a word with the letters in their hand, they can show the teacher and take those cards out of their hand. The winner is the first one to run out of cards.
Start with a 5x5 bingo sheet containing some prompt. One example would be foods. Each student has the same sheet, and they go around the room doing rock-paper-scissors with each other. The winner gets the right to ask “Do you like ____?” If the other person says “Yes” the person who asked the question gets to write their name in that space. Then they must move on to another student. The first person to get five spaces in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) is the winner. The teacher notes who comes in first, second third, etc., until all students have completed a bingo.
A variation of karuta, but all of the students are walking around the table. The teacher can also change the type of task: running, jumping, skipping, walking with hands on heads, etc.
Show the students a basket of fruit for a minute or so. Then take one student of them out of the room and have him/her choose one fruit and put it in his/her pocket. Take him/her back into the room, show the students the basket again and them ask the student "Do you he have a ___?" Winner gets to choose the fruit the next round. Can be done with other objects or multiple objects.
Put out the two sets of abc cards down the tables in order, and specify a position (first letter, second letter, etc), say a word and the students have to grab the letter. For example, specify 2nd position, say "cat" they have to grab a. Two teams, only two contestants at a time, replace the card for the next round. Success = +2, mistake = -1. After one player has found it, the other player has a five count to find theirs or -1. Do all 3 positions (first, second, third) but try to do a lot of vowels.
Start by setting up 2 letters of a 3 letter word. The teacher says the word and the students fill in the missing letter. This can be extended to spelling full words.
Put a 5x5 grid on the board, fill it in with adjectives (colors, too) difficult ones at the center. The students throw a suction cup ball/disk and have to make a question with the one they hit.
two sets of verb picture cards on the two tables in the classroom, two sets of words cards on the coffee table outside. A representative from each team has to run out, read the word, run back in and get the picture card with the team's help, give both cards to the next runner who goes out for a new card. One teacher stationed outside, checking the cards as they come back, one teacher inside, making sure they don't turn the pictures over or anything.
This game uses cards with pictures of places. Give a random card to one student and the others have to guess what that place is by asking "Can you ____?" Sometimes it is easier if the teacher starts by doing it themselves. Can also be done with occupation cards: "Do you ____?"
Two teams, contestant from each team goes up to the board. Teacher holds a card so that the remaining students sitting at the table can see it, they shout out the answer to the two contestants at the board. First contestant to write the answer is the winner, next two contestants go up to the board.
by Ken Romeo and Will Percy