British Edition

British Edition
i ll
Copyright Year: 2007
Copyright Notice: t) 2007, Kathi W yldeck. All rights reserved.
ISBN : 978-1-84753-579-5
Edition: British
Printed in: The United States of Am erica
Publisher: Lulu.com
D edicated to my grandparents,
E rnest and M arie Vines,
who gave m e a love and respect
for the English language.
A cknow ledeem ents
W ith m any thanks to M arcus Cremonese for designing the front cover of this book.
As an artist and m edical illustrator, he can be contacted through his website at
m .m edicalilluskation.com .au
Contents ! lntroduction
Alphabet Sounds
Notm Types
Verb Types
Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives
Adverb Types
Case of Pronouns
Prepositions, Verbs and Pronouns
Conjunctions
Articles
Vocab Game //1
Vocab Game //2
Vowel Lengths
That Crazy ty ' Guy
Phonic Grid Relay
Simon Says
Know That Noun
W ho Am 1?
l W ent to the Shops and .. .
Adjective or Not?
Verb Triplets
Race of the Adverbs
Vocab Victors
Parts of Speech Bingo
Ready, Set, Take Your Positions'!
A Trip to Town
Quarticles
Category Keyboard
Actverbs
Tick Tock
Person, Number, Gender, Case
Vocab Circle
W hat Did W e See?
Conjugation Noughts and Crossrs
Punctuation Panic!
Everyday Escapades
W hat's That W ord?
Noun W arfare!
Action Story
Guess the Proverb
W hat Type?
W ho Am 1?
How's lt Done?
W hat's That?
Circular Story
Punctuation Relay
M other, Father and Baby
Clever Clogs
ln the M ood
Phrase or Clause?
Analyse That!
Games Resources
Other Books and W ebsite Activities
Introduction
This little book provides teachers and hom e-schooling parents with an
assortm ent of fun activities to help teach and practise gram m ar and vocabulary
skills.
M ost of the gam es are active and require plenty of space. The school hall, the
playground or other open area w ould be ideal.
At the end of a formal lesson, when children m ay be getting restless or losing
concentration, these learning activities w ill act as a reward for hard w ork, or for
keeping restless children's m inds active w hile, at the sam e tim e, allow ing them
to let off steam .
Several gam es are very useful for ESL teachers who m ay w ish to practise
vocabulary and listening comprehension w ith their ESL students. All of the
games require the children to listen and concentrate carefully on w ords and
instructions that the Gam es Leader calls out, and children who need practice
with follow ing instructions, and concentrating on a set task, will be strengthened
by these exercises.
If children do not have the know ledge required to play a particular gam e, then
the Games Leader (teacher or parent) can give a lesson on the topic before
starting the activity. By concentrating on the lesson, the children will be
rew arded w ith the fun of a gam e at the end of their efforts.
The directions for quite a few of the gam es in this book involve team '' or
ttgroup'' play, but these instructions can be easily m odified for sm aller groups of
players. For home-schooling families of just two or three children, where the
directions for a game use the word team'' or ttgroup'' just substitute the word
tplayer'', so that instead of having, say, three team s competing against each
other in a race, you w ill have three players racing each other. In a relay where
each m ember of a team m ay nm once, ask the individual players in a sm all
group to nm tw o or three tim es instead. W ith m ost of the gam es in this book,
single players can also enjoy the activities with a parent, and instead of
competition between children, these single players can play the games just for
the sheer pleasure of having f'un and leam ing.
The second half of the book contains signs and answer sheets that w ill be
needed to play the gam es. Just photocopy the pages as required for the gam es
you choose to play.
The activities are suitable for children betw een the ages of seven and thirteen.
There are fifty games in all. Have fun and enjoy the book.
Game #1)
Alphabet Sounds..
Give the children tw o or three letters of the alphabet to rem em ber, and ask them to
sit in a circle on the floor. Tell the players that you are going to say a w ord, and
that they m ust listen to see if the w ord starts with one of their letters. If it does,
they m ust get up, nm around the circle clockwise, and try to be the first to sit back
down in their place. The first one sitling down scores a point. 'l'he children should
keep their own scores and at the end of the gam e, see who the winner is. Examples
of words that could be called out are:
apple, ant, boy, bee, coat, cat, D avid, drum , egg, elephant, frog, fox, goat, girl, hen,
hill, ink, igloo, jug, Jack, koala, kite, lemon, lion, moon, mother, octopus, ox, pool,
pan, queen, quiet, rain, rabbit, snake, socks, train, tree, uncle, ugly, van, vase,
whale, wet, X -ray, xylophone, zoo, zebra.
Game #2)
N oun Types ..
Prepare three signs (from page 38 of the appendix), each with one of these words:
Com m on, Proper or Abstract. Stick them on three different w alls of the room and
point them out to the children. Tell the players that you are going to call out som e
nouns, and the children are to decide w hether the w ord is a com m on, proper or
abstract noun. A s soon as they know , they should run to the correct sign on the
wall. 'I'he first child to reach the correct sign wins a point. Children should keep
their own scores to find a w inning player at the end of the gam e. Possible
examples of words to use could be:
Com m on Pro er Abstract
Desk Jack Love
Chair M r. Brown Sadness
Ant Korea Hunger
Cup Dr. Sm ith H eat
D og Sydney Noise
Game #3)
Verb Tenses:
Sort the children into pairs and ask each pair to sit down on the floor
,
facing each
other, in a line w ith all the other pairs. Ask the players to stretch their legs straight
out w ith feet touching their partner's. Tell the players that once the gam e starts
,
it is
very important for them to keep their knees down and their legs still and straight
,
or
they m ight get trodden on. Give each pair of players a verb tense
,
either present,
past, perfect or future.
To play the game, read out a simple sentence, or even just say a verb in a
particular tense. The players representing that tense m ust get up and nm down to
the end of the line, stepping between each pair of legs as they go. Then they m ust
run behind their side of the line, back to the other end and then down between the
legs and back to their places. The first player to sit back in his place w ins a point
for his side of the line. Continue the gam e until everyone has nm tw o or three
tim es, and see which side of the line has scored the m ost points. Examples of
sentences to call out could include:
a) Mary loves her dad. (Present)
b) Peter goes to school. (Present)
c) David fell over. (Past)
d) Anna jumped onto the chair. (Past)
e) l will go to church on Sunday. (Future)
9 We have written some stories. (Perfect)
g) John loolts happy. (Present)
h) Sam has ridden his bike to the shops. (Perfect)
i) Emma went to Jane's house. (Past)
j) Adam will fly his kite. (Future)
k) Ben has been to town. (Perfect)
Game ##)
Nouns, Verbs tt A4ectives:
Draw three big circles on the floor with chalk. Label one circle lNoun'', another
one tverb'' and the third one iAdjective''. Tell the children that you are going to
say a word and they must decide if it is a noun, verb or adjective. As soon as they
have decided, they should run and stand inside the correct circle. T'hose who go to
the correct circle, and can tit inside it, are safe. Those who go to the wrong circle,
or w ho are too late to fit into the right one, are tr ead''. tr ead'' players should
stand next to the Gam es Leader and can help by taking t'urns to call out w ords from
the list. Keep playing until the circles can hold al1 the rem aining players. These are
the w inners. W ords for the list could include:
Noun Verb A d'ective
Cat Run Pretty
Tree Jum Soft
Girl Go Red
Jenny H ave Five
Tom ls Slow
Australia M ake Hot
N ew York D o Sad
M rs. Jones Swim Happy
Pencil Sing Fast
Noise W ere Quiet
7
Game #5)
Adverb Types..
Place the children into three groups and give each group a set of three signs
labelled t-l-ime'' tManner'' and tplace'' (from page 39 of the appendix). Sit the
children on the floor, in their groups, in front of you, and tell them that you are
going to say an adverb (or a sentence with an adverb in it). The players must
decide whether it is an A dverb of Tim e, M anner or Place, and quickly hold up the
correct sign. The first group showing the correct sign scores a point. Keep track of
team scores until there is an obvious winning group. Examples of adverb
sentences, w ith adverbs italicised are:
a) Today l turn nine. (Time)
b) Peter fell over. (Place)
c) You speak quickly. (Manner)
d) l will come home soon. (Time)
e) Mrs. Evans talks quietly. (Manner)
9 James jumps high. (Place)
g) Get up and go outside. (Place)
h) Jack runs/as'/. (Manner)
i) Tomorrow is Monday. (Time)
j) Eat your dinner ntpw. (Time)
k) l looked down and saw a snake. (Place)
1) Peter talks loudly. tMannerl
Game #6)
Case ofpronouns:
This gam e is especially for ESL pupils. Give each child two signs, one saying
ttRight'' and the other saying iWrong'' (gom page 40 of the appendix). Sit the
players on the floor in front of you and tell them that you are going to say som e
sentences containing pronouns. Som etim es the sentences w ill be right, and
som etim es one of the pronouns w ill be in the wrong case. The children must listen,
and then hold up one of their signs to show the Gam es Leader if the sentence w as
right or wrong. Correct answ ers score a point and each child can keep his own
score to find a winner. Examples of sentences could be:
a) John gave a book to her. (Right)
b) This is she 's shoe. (Wrong)
c) That is mine. (Right)
d) Here is him toy. (Wrong)
e) Her is a tall girl. (Wrong)
9 They are coming home soon. (Right)
g) Them are his. (Wrong)
h) I went with he. (Wrong)
i) Wendy gave us a present. (Right)
j) The pen is her. (Wrong)
8
Game #7)
Prepositions, Verbs (f Pronouns..
Draw three lines across the floor with chalk, so that the room is divided into thirds.
Nam e each third either tprepositions'' tiverbs'' or ipronouns''. Tell the children
that you are going to call out a w ord that w ill be either a preposition, a verb or a
pronoun, and that they m ust decide which one it is. A s soon as they know , they
should run and stand in the correct third of the room . The first child to reach the
correct place scores a point. Children can keep their own seores so that a winner
can be found at the end of the game. Examples of the selected parts of speech
could include:
Preposition V erb Pronoun
ln Sing 1
On Talk They
Under W alk Us
Dow n Am Him
W ith H as Their
To ls Ours
At Com e M ine
For Slee Y ou
Game #8)
Conjunctions:
Divide the
som e sheets of
pen and write the required w ords, another child as the <r isplayer'' to hold the sign
up for the Gam es Leader to see, and the rest of the children to be the ttThinkers''.
Tell the players that you are going to say som e sentences, each of which w ill
contain a conjunction. The Thinkers must think of the conjunction being used and
tell the W riter to write it down. The Displayer m ust then grab the sign and show it
clearly to the Games Leader. The first team with the correct sign displayed scores
a point. K eep score to select a winning team . Examples of sentences could include:
a. M ark ate a sausage and Jenny ate an apple.
Let the PZPG '
and give each group a m arker pen and
children in each team choose a ttW riter'' to hold the
b. l should com e but it is raining.
c. Jfyou go to the pool, l will be there.
d. Although it was dark, w e couldn't sleep.
e. D o your work until 1 tell you to stop.
f. Peterjumps higher than Sam does.
g. When you arrive, we will go out.
h. Kate w as sick so she w ent to bed.
children into three or four team s
i. Unless you have a w atch, you w ill be late.
j. Wendy painted a picture because she likes painting.
Game #9)
Articles..
This gam e is fun for all children, but is especially helpful to ESL students who
often find choosing the correct article very difticult. Give each child three signs
saying ttthe'' ta'' and tan'' (from page 41 of the appendix), and sit the players
down in front of you. Tell them that you are going to say som e sentences with the
articles left out. lt is the children's job to decide which article is needed and then to
hold up their correct sign. The first child with the correct sign up w ins a point.
Find the w inner at the end of the gam e. Sentences to read out m ight be:
a) l ate. . .. . ... egg. (an)
b) Then I ate . . . . . .. banana. (a)
c) Jill has . . . . . ... new toy- (a)
d) Please get . . . . . . . . . book that is on . . . . . . . . .. table. (the)
e) Sam has . . . . . . . . .. sister and two brothers. (a)
9 . . . . . . . . . television is too loud. (the)
g) Mr. Evans bought. . . . . . . . .. red car. (a)
h) < at is . . . . . . . . ... time? (the)
i) That is our house. lt is . . ... oldest house in . . .. street. (the)
j) You should eat . . . . . . . . . orange evel'y day. (an)
k) I saw . . . . . ... little mouse. (a)
1) David saw . . . . . . . . . octopus. (an)
m) . . . . . . . . . ant is on the table. (an)
n) . . . . . . . . .. train we wanted to catch is late. (the)
Game #10)
Vocabulaly #1 :
The following two gam es can be used to test any vocabulary you like. Just change
the w ords and categories as you please. These gam es are especially suitable for
ESL students, but can be enjoyed by al1 children just for fun:
Sort the children into pairs and ask each pair to sit down on the floor, facing each
other, in a line with all the other pairs. A sk the players to stretch their legs straight
out with feet touching their partner's. Tell the players that once the gam e starts, it
is very im portant for them to keep their knees down and their legs still and straight,
or they m ight be trodden on. Give each pair of players a category, such as Food,
Anim al or Transport. M ore than one pair can belong to the sam e category.
To play the gam e, say a w ord belonging to one of the selected categories. The
players representing that category must get up and nm down to the end of the line,
stepping between each pair of legs as they go. Then they m ust nm behind their side
of the line, back to the other end and then down between the legs and back to their
places. The first player to sit back in his place w ins a point for his side of the line.
Continue the gam e until everyone has run two or three tim es, and see which side of
the line has scored the m ost points. Exam ples of w ords in the above categories
could include those shown ahead:
10
Food A nim al Trans ort
Apple W olf Car
Tom ato Pig Bus
Chicken Cow Train
Broccoli Shark M otorbike
Sausages Lion Lorry
Plum Platypus Yacht
Potato Rabbit Fire engine
Grapes Duck Bike
Cheese Fox Rocket
Game #11)
Vocabular
.
y #2..
Label the four walls of the room w ith a different category of vocabulary to be
tested. For example: Musical Instruments, Clothes, Jobs, Landscapes (see page 42
of the appendix). Tell the children that you are going to say a word and that they
m ust run to the correct wall to show which category the w ord belongs to. The first
child to reach the correct wall wins a point. Keep score to find a winner. W ords to
include in the above categories could include:
lnstrum ents Clothes Jobs Landsca es
Harp Jum per Electrician Beach
Violin Dress Teacher D esel't
Piano Skirt Doctor M ountain
Gong Tie Dentist Grassland
Guitar Shirt Carpenter Cliff
Drum Shoes Labourer lsland
Trum pet Trousers Builder Farm land
Bagpipes Hat Scientist G lacier
Game #12)
Vowel Lengths:
Rem ind the children that vowels can be pronounced three w ays: short, m edium
and long. (There is a phonics list included in the appendix on page 44, for revision
of these sounds). ln the school hall, or outside in the playground, the Games
Leader is to choose three walls to represent the words LONG , SHORT and
MEDIUM. Put a sign for each word up on the walls (from page 43), so that the
children know w hich way to run. Explain to the children that you are going to say
a w ord, and that the players m ust listen and think about whether the word contains
a short, long or m edium vow el. Then the children m ust nm to the correct sign. The
first child to reach the correct sign scores a point. K eep playing for as long as the
11
children are enjoying the game, and at the end of it, ask for the children's scores.
See which child has the highest score. Tlzree cheers to the winner. Exam ples of
w ords that could be given are shown below :
LonM vowels Short vowels M edium V ow els
eye, tie, go, tree, grey, say Jack, cot, log, big, sat, cat hair, m an, bear,
m eat, seat, feet, cute, bake m at, dog, pig, m ug, cup, col'n, bath, fan,
bike, light, goat, boat, lake sock, dress, cliff, duck, fun ear, care, deer
(Tell the children that you are trusting them to be honest in keeping and giving
their correct scores. Cheats should be disqualified and given extra homework).
Game #13)
That Czwz
.p '> '' Guy:
Sit the children in a big circle on the floor, and then go around nam ing every child
ither a tconsonant'' a ttshol't i'' a t ong i'' or a tt ong e'' There should be aS e , , .
about a quarter of each type on the circle, spread out random ly, or at every fourth
place on the circle. Explain to the players that you are going to call out a word that
will contain a G%'' in it, either at the beginning of the word, in the middle of it or at
the end. The children m ust quickly think whether the ty'' is acting like a vow el or
a consonant. lf it is acting like a consonant, a1l the children that have been labelled
as ttconsonants'' m ust get up and nm around the outside of the circle in a
clockw ise direction and get back to their places as quickly as possible. The first
player hom e scores a point. If the w ord that has been called out uses the ty'' as a
vowel, the children m ust decide by them selves w hether the ity'' is acting like a
itshol't i'' a tt ong i'' or a tt ong e''. Those children labelled with the correct vow el
sound must get up and dash around the circle and back to their places. The first
one home scores a point. lf a player gets up when he shouldn't have
,
he scores a
negative point, but can keep playing the gam e and try to score positive points to
catch up. Keep playing for as long as the children are enjoying themselves. At the
end of the gam e, see who has scored the m ost points
. Three cheers to the winner.
Examples of words could include those shown below :
Consonant Long i
yellow, yak, yacht, yarn cry
,
fry, dry, m y,
yesterday, Y orkshire by
,
fly, shy, rhym e
yard, yodel, yell, yeast type
,
psychologist
year, yaw n, yolk hypotenuse
,
dyke
Short i Long e
Egypt, physics, pyjamas baby, lady, cosy
gym nastics, analysis happy, hobby, story
m yth, oxygen, pyram id puppy, study, busy
symm etrical, system
hymn, rhythm
12
Game 1114)
Phonic GridRelay:
Prepare four sheets of paper (see page 45), each with a grid containing an
assortm ent of different phonic groups, like the one shown below :
or ar aw ng ph wh oa ay
oy ai oi nk u..e i..e a..e o..e
oo (short) th (hard) ch sh igh .. . .y ee ea
ey au er ir ur ear are ..33
oo (long) th tsoftl 1tn ew air ow lazy end ie
N ow , place the children into four team s and stand them in straight lines, ready for
a relay, at one end of the room . At the other end of the room , place the grids on the
tloor, in line with each team . H and a felt-tipped pen to the first child on each team .
Explain to the children that you are going to call out a word which will contain one
of the phonic groups shown on their grids (e.g. iboat'' -@ t%a''). The first child on
each team m ust rtm down, write the w ord next to the correct phonic group on his
grid, without talking, and run back to his team , handing the pen to the second in
line. The first child should now stand at the back of the line.
A s soon as the first team to complete their w ord is ready for a new w ord, the
Games Leader should call it out. The slower team s must remember the new word
while they wait for their pens to com e back hom e. The gam e should cany on until
all the children have had a t'ul'n, or until al1 the words have been called out. The
winning team is the one with the m ost correct answ ers on their phonic grid sheets.
Three cheers to the w inners. W ords to be called out could include:
sport (or), thief (ie), tart (ar), sister (lazy end), photo (ph), whale (wh), today (ay),
coat (oa), now (ow), claw (aw), wing (ng), toy (oy), flute (u..e), moon (long oo),
donkey (ey), brain (ai), soil (oi), pink (nk), hair (air), bul'n (ur), knee (kn), spine
(i..e), gate (a..e), chips (ch), shops (sh), night (igh), book (short oo), baby (. . ..y),
chew (ew), sauce (au), girl (ir), fel'n (er), this (hard th), near (ear), with (soft th),
care (are), tree (ee), seat (ea).
Game #15)
Simon Says:
This gam e is fun for all children, but is especially good practice for ESL children in
vocabulary building and listening comprehension. The Gam es Leader takes on the
nam e of ttsim on'' for this gam e and calls out com m ands which the children m ust
follow, provided the com m and is begun by Etsim on says''. lf a com m and is given
w ithout ttsim on says'' before it and a child perform s the com m and, he is out. The
Gam es Leader calls out com m ands quickly, so the children m ust act fast, w ithout
too much time to think. A s the players get caught out, there will finally be only one
player left as the winner. Sim on can also give the com m and sim on says freeze'',
13
and once said, any further com m and given, even if Sim on says it
,
must be ignored
until the com m and, Etsim on says ungeeze'' is given.
e.g.) Simon says hands on your heads, Simon says hands on your knees, Simon
says jump, Iie on thejloor, Simon says lie on the floor, Simon says freeze, Simon
says stand on your /c
.# leg, Simon says stand on your right leg, unfkeeze, stand on
b0th legs, Sim on says ungeeze, Sim on says put your hands on your hips
,
frcczc,
Simon says to bow, Simon says to curtsy, put your head on the Jotpr, Simon says
hold the hand of the player next to younputyourfngers in your ears...
(All the italicised commands must be ignored, as Simon didn't say them, or they
were frozen).
Game #1 6)
Know that N oun:
Remind the children about the five types of nouns: common (ordinary things),
proper (special names), collective (collections and groups), abstract (ideas and
feelings), genmd (actions ending in jng). Using the signs for the noun types on
pages 46 & 47, display them on five different parts of the hall (or playground).
Tell the children that you are going to call out a w ord and that they have to decide
whether it is com m on, proper, collective, abstract or genm d
.
As soon as the
children have decided, they should nm to the correct sign. Have a few practice
turns, and then warn the children that the last child to reach the correct sign will be
taken out of the gam e. Also, any child who starts to run to the wrong sign will be
taken out of the gam e. These children can help the Gam es Leader call out som e
m ore nouns to the children rem aining in play. K eep playing until there is only one
player left in the gam e. This child is the tN oun Champion''! Examples to call out
could include:
Com m on Proper Collective
duck, pen, dog Henry
,
M ark group, herd, flock
beach, tree, boy Africa, London bunch
,
fleet, m ob
cup, pig, sky M t. Everest school
,
pod, pack
film , book, bird M r. Evans audience
,
crow d
Abstract Genm d
dream, beauty nmning
love, thirst, war shopping
sadness, noise reading
danger, peace playing
14
Game #1 7)
I'J''/ztp am 1/
Each child is given a m ale or female anim al identity, which is unknown to
them selves, but is shown to the others by a sticker on their forehead. The idea of
this gam e is for the children to discover their identity, without talking, and then to
find their partner and form m ale/ fem ale pairs. To find out what animal and gender
each player is, the children m ust help each other by looking at each other's stickers
and then giving clues through actions and anim al noises, but without talking. For
example, for a bull, a child could display two big horns on his head. For a cow , a
child could say ttm oooo'' and show her udders. At the end of the gam e, the children
should be lined up along the hall, w ith cow and bull, fox and vixen, cock and hen,
boar and sow , and so on, a1l standing in their pairs.
Game #18)
1 Went to the Shops and . . ...
This is a pronoun game. Draw six big circles on the floor (or ground) with chalk.
M ake the circles big enough for the children to be able to stand inside. W rite one of
these pronouns inside each circle: 1, you, he, she, it, they.
Tell the children that you are going to the shops to see som eone or buy
something. If you see a boy or man, the children must jump inside the he'' circle.
lf you see a girl or wom an, they m ust choose the ttshe'' circle, and if you see several
people, the children should jump into the itthey'' circle. lf you buy an item that is of
neuter gender, the tit'' circle will be chosen, and if you buy a m asculine or fem inine
item , the children must run to the correct circle. N o points need to be scored, and
no children should get out. Just play the gam e for fun. To start each game, say:
-
t1 went to the shops and 1 saw . . ...'' or tt1 went to the shops and 1 bought. . .''
Examples of people or item s to be called out could include:
* 1 went to the shops and l saw . . .
M yself in the m irror, m y reflection in the glass: I
* l went to the shops and l saw . . .
A11 of you children: you
* l went to the shops and I saw . . .
John, Peter, M r. Sm ith, Henry, David, Sim on, M r. Evans, the policem an: he
* 1 went to the shops and I saw . . .
Lots of people, big crowds, mothers and fathers, children and adults: they
@ l went to the shops and l bought. . .
Som e fruit, som e m eat, som e m ilk, som e cheese, som e bread, som e butter: it
* 1 went to the shops and I saw . . .
sfary, Jane, Ann, Jenny, M rs. Brown, the w aitress, the aviatrix, the queen: she
* l went to the shops and I bouMht. . .
A bull, a ram , a drake, a gander, a fox, a stag, a stallion, a billy-goat, a boar: he
@ I went to the shops and l bought. . .
(4 cow, a sow , a doe, a hen, a ew e, a nanny-goat, a m are, a vixen, a goose: she
Game #19)
Asective or Not?
N am e each of the four walls of the room one of the following: noun, pronoun,
descriptive adjective and limiting adjective (see pages 48 & 49). Tell the children
that you are going to call out three words. If the three words are nouns, the
children must nm to the lNoun W all'' if they are pronouns, the children should go
to the tpronoun W all'', and if the words are adjectives, the children must decide
whether to run to the tr escriptive W all'' or tt im iting W all''. If the three words are
a m ixture of the parts of speech, the children should sit down on the floor. The tirst
child to the correct wall or onto the tloor scores a point. Keep playing for as long
as the children are having ftm . Then see who has scored the most points. Three
cheers to the winner. Exam ples of words and categories could include:
N oun Pronoun
cat, dog, rat, he, she, it,
sadness, heat, they, we, you,
happiness, boy 1, m e, us, them
Descriptive Adiective Limiting Adiective
pink, yellow , old, new m any, last, first, few ,
big, little, angry, happy five, enough, seven,
sad, clever, bad, good earlier, much, later,
Game #20)
Verb Triplets
U sing page 50 of the appendix, prepare three sheets of lined paper w ith num bers
from 1 to 15 down the left hand m argin. Place the sheets on the floor down at one
end of the room . Leave a pencil on top of each sheet for the children's use during
the gam e. N ow , sort the children into three team s. The first team is called the
itActions'' the second team is called the t-l-enses'' and the third team is called the
>
tstyles''. Stand the team s at the other end of the room , in line with their sheets k>-.'
paper. Give each player in the ttActions'' team one of the following nam es E
tDoing'' EtBeing'' or il-laving'' Give each player in the t-l-enses'' team one of thf'
; *
follow ing nam es: ttpresent'' ipast'' and tFuttlre'' Give each player in the styles-' > *
team one of the following names: tsimple'' tcontinuous'' and ttperfect. t'I'heos 5
m ay be tw o or three players w ith the sam e nam e in each team , depending on tbz
numbers of children that are playing).
N ow , tell the children that to play the gam e, you are going to call out a sentence
The tirst team m ust decide whether the sentence uses a doing, being or haN inj:
verb. The second team must decide which tense the sentence is in, and the thtoz'
team must decide on the m ain style of tense used. Once each team has m ade :s
decision, the children should send one of their players down to the other end of Le
room to m ark his answ er on the sheet of paper. Once the players are back hom e.
call out another sentence, and carry on until every player has nm at least once. At
the end of the gam e, collect the answ er sheets, and see which team has the m ost
correct answers. Three cheers to the w inners. Sentences to call out could include:
1) The dynamite blew up. (Doing, past, simple)
2) l found the gold. (Doing, past, simple)
3) Jill will be skiing next week. (Doing, future, continuous)
4) The hen has laid an egg. (Doing, present, perfect)
5) Dan is ten years old. (Being, present, simple)
6) Where have you been? (Being, present, perfect)
7) 1 had gone to bed. (Doing, past, perfect)
8) Judy will have painted a picture by now. (Doing, future, perfect)
9) George has a new camera. (Having, present, simple)
10) Dad will be here tonight. (Being, future, simple)
1 1) The clouds were drifting across the sky. (Doing, past, continuous)
12) Jack is being good today. (Being, present, continuous)
l3) 1 like bananas. (Doing, present, simple)
14) Michael will go to France next year. (Doing, future, simple)
15) Sarah has had enough to drink. (Having, present, perfect)
Game #21)
Race ofthe Adverbs:
Sit the children down on the floor in a big circle, with legs crossed, and tell them
that they are all adverbs. W alking around the circle, give each player an adverb
identity. The first child could be an Adverb of M anner, the second an Adverb of
Time, the third an Adverb of Place, and the fourth an Adverb of Quantity, and so
on around the circle.
Now tell the children that you are going to call out a sentence. They m ust a11
listen and work out what type of adverb has been used. The children who belong to
that adverb type must then get up, race around the circle, in a clockw ise direction,
and try to be the first back to their places. The first player hom e wins a point. lf a
player gets up with the wrong identity, he m ust sit back down, uncross one 1eg and
put it straight out, to show that he has made a mistake. This player is not out of the
game and can keep playing. lf any player w ith a leg out gets up at the w rong tim e
again, he m ust put both legs straight out. lf this player m akes a third m istake, he is
ou1 of the gam e. Keep playing and 1et the children gain points, or put their legs out,
for as long as the players are having fun. Then find the winning player. Sentences
could include som e of the following:
1) Jill reads slowly. (Manner)
2) Tim spells badly. (Manner)
3) We came home late. (Time)
4) Look up there. (Place)
5) 'I'he weather is really cold. (Quantity)
E
k.
1
6) They will anive soon. (Time)
7) lt is extremely hot in a sauna. (Quantity)
8) Yesterday was my birthday. (Time)
9) Please come here, Julie. (Place)
10) T'he earthquake hit suddenly. (Manner)
l 1) 'l'he birds in the trees sing sweetly. (Manner)
l2) Go inside and get your coat. (Place)
13) David was so cold that his lips turned blue. (Quantity)
Game #22)
Vocab Victors:
This gam e is helpful in practising and testing vocabulary in ESL sm dents, but can
also be playedjust for fun by native English speakers. For groups of native English
speakers only, use m ore difficult vocabulary to m ake the gam e m ore challenging.
U sing pages 51 & 52 of the appendix, place tive signs around the hall or
playground with one of the following nam es on each:
W eather & Seasons; Food & Drink; Landscapes; Buildings; Household ltem s
m iddle of the room and tell them that this gam e is for
call out a word, the children are to run to the con-ect
sign to show that they understand which category the word belongs to. The first
player to the correct sign wins a point. Keep playing for as long as the children are ;
'
i'i enjoying themselves
,
and then find a winner. jt
I i'
For greater competition, take the last player to reach the sign, or players who go to i
the wrong sign, out of the game. The winner will be the only player remaining in i I
.
1 the game at the end
.
The players who are taken out of the gam e can help by calling ! j
out w ords from the vocab list. The vocab list could look something like the i
following:
dscapes BuildinMs Household ) Weather Food Lan
& Seasons & Drink ltem s

'
hurricane pizza countryside igloo sink
blizzard orange city wigw am spoon '
rain banana desert m ansion television
snow eggs m ountain skyscraper broom
flood m ilk plain flat saucepan ;
tornado cheese valley castle toilet
w ind sausages island tent oven
storm bread glacier palace w ashing m achine
i
J
'
1
;
Stand the children in the
vocab practice. W hen you
Game #23)
Parts ofspeech Bingo..
Prepare a set of tBingo'' cards for each player, using pages 53 to 59 in the
appendix. Every child should have 2 or 3 of each part of speech to play the gam e.
You m ay w ish to cut the sheets up into separate cards yourself, or if you have
enough scissors, ask the children to cut their own sheets up into tparts of speech''
squares. Now , ask the children to sort their bingo cards into neat little piles for
each part of speech, so that the cards can be easily chosen during the gam e. Tell
the children that you are going to call out a word, and that they have to decide
(quietly to themselves, without speaking) to which part of speech the word
belongs. As soon as they know , they m ust put the correct part of speech onto the
floor in front of them . G ive them five seconds to think, before calling out the
correct answer. The children with the right answ er can keep their cards on the
floor. Those w ho have ch
,
osen the wrong answer m ust rem ove them . N ow call out
the next w ord and repeat the gam e. Carry on until som eone has five bingo cards in
a row . This player should call out ttBingol'' and has won that round. Keep playing
for as long as the children are having ftm . Examples of parts of speech are show n
below .
Noun Verb Pronoun Adiective Adverb Conjunction
dog do it pretty yesterday and
girl kick she big quickly but
m ouse go him clever slowly because
school sleep w e cold soon although
m other eat us happy happily until
house play them sad in unless
car work you tired up if
hen write he dangerous dangerously than
city draw they little tom orrow how ever
beach swim m e sm aller out since
This gam e is a great w ay to practise vocab or gramm ar learnt over several lessons,
and should be played often to revise work, varying the vocabulary and parts of
speech as further work is covered.
Game #24)
Ready, Set, Take Your Positionsl
Take the children out into the playground. Look around for a place where they can
get under things, behin4 beside, between, amongst, on, in and over things such as
tables, benches, playground equipm ent, trees, bushes, and so on. Tell the children
that when you call out a preposition, you are going to turn your back and count to
thirty. During this time, the children must run and get into the requested position,
som ewhere in the playground w ithin your view . Anyone still nmning and not in
19
Game #23)
Parts ofspeech Bingo..
Prepare a set of ttBingo'' cards for each player, using pages 53 to 59 in the
appendix. Every child should have 2 or 3 of each part of speech to play the gam e.
You m ay wish to cut the sheets up into separate cards yourself, or if you have
enough scissors, ask the children to cut their own sheets up into tparts of speech''
squares. Now , ask the children to sort their bingo cards into neat little piles for
each pa14 of speech, so that the cards can be easily chosen during the gam e. Tell
the children that you are going to call out a word, and that they have to decide
(quietly to themselves, without speaking) to which part of speech the word
belongs. A s soon as they ltnow , they m ust put the correct part of speech onto the
floor in front of them . Give them five seconds to think, before calling out the
correct answer. The children with the right answer can keep their cards on the
floor. Those who have chosen the wrong answ er m ust rem ove them . N ow call out
the next w ord and repeat the game. Carry on until som eone has five bingo cards in
a row . This player should call out tBingol'' and has won that round. Keep playing
for as long as the children are having ftm . Examples of parts of speech are shown
below .
Noun Verb Pronoun Adiective Adverb Conjunction
dog do it pretty yesterday and
girl kick she big quickly but
m ouse go him clever slowly because
school sleep we cold soon although
m other eat us happy happily until
house play them sad in unless
car work you tired up if
hen write he dangerous dangerously than
city draw they little tom orrow however
beach sw im m e sm aller out since
'Fhis gam e is a great way to practise vocab or gram m ar learnt over several lessons,
and should be played often to revise w ork, varying the vocabulary and parts of
speech as further w ork is covered.
Game 1124)
Ready, Set, Take Your Positionsl
Take the children out into the playground. Look around for a place where they can
get under things, behin4 beside, between, amongst, on, in and over things such as
tables, benches, playground equipm ent, trees, bushes, and so on. Tell the children
that when you call out a preposition, you are going to turn your back and count to
thirty. During this tim e, the children must nm and get into the requested position,
somewhere in the playground within your view . Anyone still nm ning and not in
19
position when you t'tzrn around, after the count of thirty, scores a penalty point
.
Keep playing for as long as the children are enjoying themselves. Then see who
has the low est score. 'rhis player is the w inner.
Game #25)
..
4 Tr+ to Town..
Talk about the different types of shops in a town, such as the chemist (pharmacist),
baker, butcher, new sagent, superm arket, greengrocer, bank and post office. Talk
about the different item s that can be bought in these shops. A lso tell the children
what services are offered in a bank or post office. N ow you are ready for the gam e.
Choose several shops and put signs up around the playing area, so that the
children know what each place represents. (See pages 60 & 61 of the appendix for
some shop signs). Then tell the children that you are going to call out an item for
them to buy. They m ust decide which shop w ould sell the item , and then run to the
correct location. The first child there scores a point. Keep playing until there is an
obvious winner. Shops and item s to buy could include:
Greengrocer Chem ist Post Office Superm arket N ewsagent
apples plasters aerogram m es cheese m agazine
potatoes m edicine stam ps m ilk newspaper
cauliflow er perfum e envelopes cereal writing paper
oranges bandage pay a bill eggs pen
tom atoes suncream post a letter rice glue
bananas hair bnzsh enrol to vote soap postcard
Game #26)
Quarticles!
Divide the hall or playing area into quarters, using chalk to m ark out the
boundaries. W rite the articles in each quarter as shown below :
TH E A
AN NO ARTICLE
Place al1 the children in the tiN o Article'' quarter and tell them that you are going
to call out som e sentences w ith their articles m issing. A s you give a sentence
,
the
children must decide what article should be used to fill in the blank
,
and then run
into the correct quarter. The child who gets into the correct quarter ftrst
,
wins a
point. Any child who runs into the w rong quarter should put one hand on his head
20
and keep it there. % en the next sentence is given, if the player runs to the right
quarter, he can take his hand off his head. If he goes to the wrong quarter again, he
should put both hands on his head. A child is out of the gam e if he has two hands
on his head and goes to a third wrong quarter. Keep playing until there is only one
child left or until there is an obvious winner. Sentences to use could include:
1) Peter ate . . .. . .egg. (an)
2) Anna cooked . . ... potato. (a)
3) Jenny had . . . . . .orange. (an)
4) l love. . ..peaches. (no article)
5) . . ..book over there is mine. (the)
6) This is my baby brother. Look at . . ... big smile on his face. (the)
7) l love swimming at. . ...beach. (the)
8) A1l children love. . .. holidays. (no article)
9) Fathers have. . ... jobs. (no article)
l0) . . .. . .Frtzit is delicious. (no article)
1 1) Please give me . . ...apple. (an)
12) Please give me. . ..apple that is on my desk. (the)
13) 1 missed. . ..train to school. (the)
14) Do you have. . .. computer? (a)
l 5) l have . . .. brown hair. (no article)
16) . . ...sea is rough. (the)
17) . . ..air is clear. (the)
18) May l have. . ..glass of milk? (a)
19) . . ..glass that you gave me dropped onto the floor. (the)
20) . . ..book l was given for Christmas is very interesting. (the)
Game #2 7)
Category Keyboard..
Sort the children into pairs and ask each pair to sit down on the floor, facing each
pther, in a line with all the other pairs. Ask the players to stretch their legs straight
E'ut nrith feet touching their partner's. 'l'he players should now be sitting like a
piano keyboard, with each pair of legs as the keys. Tell the players that once the
game starts, it is very important for them to keep their knees down and their legs
Fcill and straight, or they m ight get trodden on. Give each pair of players a vocab
:ia:egory, depending on the words you want to revise. (There may be more than one
patr of players in the same category).
To play the gam e, call out a word from one of the categories
. The players in that
cia:egol'y m ust get up and nm down to the end of the keyboard, stepping between
zouh pair of legs as they go. Then they m ust run behind their side of the keyboard
,
ryi1:ck to the other end and then down between the legs and back to their places
. The
7:7ss: player to sit back in his place wins a point for his side of the keyboard
.
L zc:inue the gam e until everyone has nm tw o or three tim es
,
and see which side of
21
the keyboard has scored the most points. 'rhis game can be used to test any
vocabulary or grammar that needs to be practised, as well as providing the children
w ith fun and exercise at the sam e tim e. Categories to sort the children into, and
w ords to call out, could include:
Anim als V erbs Clothes
-
School Body
stallion run shirt pencil nose
boar skip sltirt rubber face
m are sleep dress sham ener hand
drake w rite tie exercise book ear
sow sw im shorts classroom thumb
doe drink underwear textbook elbow
fawn eat jumper science finger
kid read scarf history lips
lamb jump gloves geography teeth
ew e go shoes m aths eye
ram is socks English leg
cock have hat pen foot
vixen walk pyjamas teacher arm
Game #28)
Actverbs:
M ake two lists, one of verbs and another of adverbs, which can easily be acted out
by the children. Then arrange the players facing towards you, evenly spread out
around the playing area, so that each child has enough space to mov in. Call out
one verb and one adverb from the lists. 'I'he children m ust do their best to act out
the action of the verb in the w ay described by the adverb. Give points for the best
or most imaginative acts performed by the children, or just play for the fun of it,
without scoring points. Examples of the two lists could be:
Verb A dverb
stand still
sit cross-legged
lie quietly
talk quickly
sing sweetly
shout loudly
sneer nastily
sm ile happily
walk slowly
sw im well
write neatly
snore noisily
crawl silently
22
)
Verb A dverb
look continuously
sit down
look up
yawn now
Game #29)
Tick Tock:
This gam e needs thirteen players per clock. Gam es Leaders can occupy any empty
places on the clock face, if there are not quite enough players. For each clock that is
playing, draw a big circle on the floor w ith chalk, and place num bers one to tw elve
as they appear on the clock face. A lso place a spot in the centre of the clock where
the hands go. Stand the players on the clock face at each hour, w ith a Gam es
Leader or player standing on the centre spot.
Now , call out a tim e. Start w ith easy tim es at first, such as 3 o'clock. The players
standing on the appropriate num bers m ust then run to swap places, while the person
on the centre point must t'ry to grab one of their places before one of the tw o others
gets there. e.g.) For 3 o'clock, the players at number 3 and number 12 must swap
places. lf they sw ap w ithout the centre person grabbing a place, the gam e continues
with a new tim e called out, and the sam e centre person m ust try a second tim e. lf,
however, the centre person succeeds in grabbing a place on the clock face, the loser
takes his place in the central position.
As the gam e progresses, call out half pasts, quarter to's and quarter pasts, and
then move on to five, ten, twenty and twenty five minutes to and past. (Many
children cannot read an analogue clock these days, so it may be a good idea to
check tirst and give a quick revision of time-telling, if some are not sure). Make
sure everyone gets a go. The younger or less able children should be given easier
tim es than the older or more able children.
12.15 (a quarter past twelve) means that players at 12 and 3 must swap places.
5.20 (twenty past tive) means that players at 5 and 4 must swap places.
8.45 (a quarter to nine) means that players at 8 and 9 must swap places.
9.55 (five to ten) means that players at 9 and l 1 must swap places.
Game 1130)
Person, Number, Gender, Case.
Split the players into three or four team s and sit them in their groups on the floor.
ln front of each team , place tw elve playing cards. The cards should have each of
st and grd jyj ujar the following words written on them
,
one w ord on each card: 1 , , , s g ,
plural, masculine, feminine, neuter, common, subjective, objective, possessive (see
page 62 of the appendix).
Tell the players that you are going to say a sentence, and that each team must
work out the person, number, gender and case of the pronoun in it. Team s m ust
23
decide quietly am ongst them selves which of their cards should be used, and as
soon as the answ er has been worked out, a runner from each team should run with
the cards to the Gam es Leader. The first one there should show his cards. lf they
are all correct, that team scores a point. lf the cards are not all correct, the Gam es
Leader should check the second team 's cards, and so on, until a winning team is
found. Repeat the gam e until a definite winning team can be chosen. Examples of
sentences that could be called out are:
.GI d to go to sleep now,'' said Wendy. (1St singular feminine subjective) 1) nee , , ,
tC ld wc please have a chocolate?'' (1St lural 2) Peter and Simon asked, ou , p ,
masculine, subjective)
' b tupid Mary. (2nd understood, singular, feminine, subjective) 3) Don t e so s ,
rd I j com m on
,
4) They are so noisy, all those people in the street. (3 , p ura ,
subjective)
'd i lar feminine
,
objective) 5) This book belongs to her. (3 , s ngu ,
rd i lar m asculine
, possessive) 6) The trousers are his. (3 , s ngu ,
rd i lar comm on
, possessive) 7) Whose is this jumper? (3 , s ngu r
8) They are a11 blunt, these pencils. (3'u, plural, neuter, subjective)
nd 1 j com m on
,
9) The teacher is very happy with you, children. (2 , p ura ,
objective)
rd i 1ar neuter
,
subjective) 10) It is a very heavy rock. (3 , s ngu ,
rd i lar m asculine
, possessive) 1 1) Ron lifted the rock and hurt his back. (3 , s ngu ,
' h lifted it. (3:d singular, neuter, objective) 12) Ron shouldn t ave ,
Game #31)
Vocab Circle..
This gam e is especially good for practising vocabulary with ESL children, but can
be enjoyed by everm ne. Sit the children down on the floor in a big circle, and go
around behind the players, giving each child one of the following category nam es:
shape, colour, animal, job, body part, school, transport. Tell the children that you
are going to call out a w ord belonging to one of the categories, and that a1l the
children in that category should get up and nm around the circle in a clockwise
direction and try to be the first back to their place. The first child back home scores
a point. K eep playing until everyone has nm a few tim es and a winner can be
chosen. W ords to call out could include:
Shape Colour Anim al Job Body Part School Transport
oval pink lion dentist thigh atlas bus
rectangle red tiger doctor calf dictionary ferry
cube black elephant farmer ankle desk pram
octagon grey squirrel builder thumb com puter taxi
triangle orange rabbit firem an elbow workbook train
rhombus brown hedgehog nurse toenail whiteboard car
cylinder blue snake teacher knuckle locker van
hexagon green platypus plum ber chest ruler lorry
24
Game #32)
@'/JJ/ D id mc See?
Sit the children on the floor in a big circle and say that this is a m em ory and vocab
gam e. Around the circle, the children m ust say: tl w ent to. . ..and this is w hat l
saw I saw a . . ...''
For example: &El went to the city and this is what l saw . l saw a sky scraper.''
Each child has to repeat w hat has already been said, and then think of another
suitable item to add to the list. W hen the children are running out of item s to say,
change to another location, such as the countryside, the school, the home, the zoo,
the road, the workplace, the sports field, and so on, so that the children can start
thinking of suitable words in the different locations.
A gam e m ight sound like this: i1 w ent to the city and saw a sky scraper, a
penthouse and a hospital. Then I w ent to the zoo and saw a lion, a tiger, a snake
and a rhinoceros. N ext I went to the countryside and saw a volcano, a cliff, a
waterfall, a farm and a cow . . .'' and so on.
Game #33)
Conjugation Noughts and Crosses:
Split the children up into tw o equal team s and call one team the iN oughts'' and the
other the ttcrosses''. Get one team to w ear caps for identification, or give players O
or X name tags. (See pages 63 & 64 for these). Then draw a big Noughts and
Crosses grid on the floor w ith chalk, and stand the two team s on each side of the
grid, ready to play. Tell the children that this is a verb conjugation quiz. Each child
will be asked a verb question when it is his turn. If a player gets the answer right,
he can choose where to stand on the grid. lf the player gets the answer wrong, a
player on the other team can try to answer the question correctly. A s the gam e
progresses, the grid w ill start being filled up w ith children. Each team m ust try to
get three of their own players in a row, just as in Noughts and Crosses. The first
team to get three in a row wins the gam e. The types of questions to ask involve
tslling in the m issing verbs. For exam ple, tell the children that you are going to say
the present simple and past simple form s of a verb, and they must give you the
N rfect tense of that verb. 'lhis gam e is extrem ely good practice, especially for
ESL children, in learning how to use verbs correctly. Som e examples are shown
below :
Present Sim ple Past Simple Perfect
go went have. . . . . .. (gone)
have had have. . . . . .. (had)
sing sang have. . . . . .. (sung)
swim swam have. . . . . .. (swum)
do did have. . . . . .. (done)
nm ran have. . . . . .. trunl
write wrote have. . . . . .. (written)
Present Simple Past Simple Perfect
ride rode have. . . . . .. (ridden)
make made have. . . . . .. (made)
cook cooked have. . . . . .. (cooked)
'
ump jumped have. . . . . .. Uumped) J
lie lay have. . . . . .. (lain)
lay laid have. . . . . .. (laid)
sleep slept have. . . . . .. (slept)
dream dreamt have. . . . . .. (dreamt)
spell spelt have. . . . . .. (spelt)
drive drove have. . . . . .. (driven)
lend lent have. . . . . .. (lent)
can could have. . . . . .. (been able) k
Game #34)
Punctuation Panicl
Split the children into groups of six, and give each player a punctuation m ark to
pin to his shil't, so that on each team there is a com m a, a fullstop, a question m ark,
an exclamation mark, an apostrophe and a set of quotation marks (see page 65).
Stand the children in relay form ation, in their team s, at one end of the room . Tell
the players that you are going to call out a sentence. Each team must decide which
punctuation m ark the sentence contains, and then the relevant player should run
down to the other end of the room , touch the wall, and try to be first home. The
tirst player there, w ho ran correctly, scores a point for his team . lf the sentence
contains m ore than one punctuation m ark, m ore than one player from each team
must nm . ln this case, the w inning team for that round is the one whose last player
got hom e before the rest of the team s. Keep playing until everyone has run at least
once, and see which team has scored the m ost points. Three cheers to the winners.
Sentences to call out could include:
( 1) l turned twelve today
.
(fullstop nms) )
2) What's the time please? (question mark and apostrophe nml
3) Oh my golly gosh! (exclamation mark nms)
4) l bought eggs, bacon, cheese and milk at the shops today.
(comma and fullstop runl k
5) The old woman said, iW hen you get to my age, you feel very wise.
(comma, qpotation marks and fullstop nml
6) Oh, it's freezing in here! (comma, apostrophe and exclamation mark runl
7) What a tenible stink! (exclamation mark nms)
8) Can you hear that strange noise? (question mark runs)
9) Seoul is a very big city. (fullstop nms)
10) Have you ever been to lndia? (question mark runs)
i
i
Game #35)
Evelyday Escapades:
This game is especially for ESL students, and is aim ed at helping them to cope
with everyday conversation, so that they can buy a train ticket or ask for an item at
the shops. The activity could be played over a three hur period, and the native
English speakers in the group could help run the gam e along w ith the Gam es
Leader.
Set up the hall or playground with stalls to represent a greengrocer's shop,
butcher's shop, baker's shop, post office, balzk, cinem a ticket office and railway
ticket office (see pages 66 & 67 for these signs). Ask the children to draw and
colour in various fruits, vegetables, cakes and bread, m eats, price tags, cinem a
ickets train 'tickets
,
bank withdrawal fonns, passport form s, water, gas and t ,
electricity bills, stamps, aerogram m es and play m oney, so that the gam e is m ore
realistic and m ore fun to play.
Place a pencil, the appropriate item s and price tags at each stall before beginning
the gam e, and organise native English speaking students to m an each stall. N ow ,
tell the ESL children that this gam e is to practise conversation in everyday life
situations. Each child should be handed an equal am ount of money, plus a
passport'' to show the places visited.
To start the gam e, ask the ESL children to go to the various stalls of their choice
and buy fruit or bread, go to the bank, get a ticket to the cinem a, catch a train, pay
a bill, or whatever else they choose to do. Each tim e a child goes to a stall, he must
ask clearly, in his best English, for whatever he w ants. The stall holders should
listen to the children's requests, give them the item s asked for, and politely correct
their English where necessary.
Each tim e a stall is visited and the requested item s are asked for, the child's
-passport'' should be ticked by the gtall holder. Play m oney should be used to pay
for the item s bought, and if a child nm s out of money, he can go to the bank and
withdraw m ore, after filling out a w ithdrawal slip correctly.
The gam e can be played until players have visited a11 the stalls and had all their
passports ticked off, or until all the m oney nm s out at the bank.
The gam e could be repeated on different occasions, changing the types of stalls
to others, such as a bus station, a superm arket, a petrol station, an ice rink, a
bowling alley, a hardware shop, and so on.
This gam e is a great w ay for ESL children to build up their confidence w ith
handling real-life situations, and also encourages co-operation and team w ork
within the native English speaking group of players.
Game #36)
I1'/ltz/ 's That Word?
Prepare nine signs w ith the follow ing parts of speech written on them : noun,
pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection, article (see
27
pages 68 & 69). Stick the nine signs in various places around the room or
playground, and point them out for the players to see. lf necessary, give the players
a quick rem inder of the function of each of the parts of speech, before starting the
gam e. Explain to the players that you are going to call out a w ord, and that they
must decide what part of speech the word is, without calling out to the others. As
soon as they ltnow the answ er, they m ust nm to the correct sign. 'I'he last one to
reach the sign is out, after a few practice nm s. Examples of w ords and parts of
speech could be:
W ords Part of Speech
donkey, Africa, piano noun
eat, sm ile, crawl verb
Wow! Blimey! Gosh! Interjection
under, am ongst, in, at preposition
because, until, and, but conjunction
pretty, stupid, small adjective
quickly, really, soon adverb
him , everyone, it, she pronoun
a, an, the article
i
1
Game 113 7)
Noun Watfare!
Prepare a list of com m on and abstract nouns. Rem ind the players of the four
different types of nouns: com m on, proper, collective and abstract. M ake sure the
children know that a com m on noun is the nam e of som ething that can be seen or
touched, whereas an abstract noun is the nam e of som ething that is not seen or
touched, but is a feeling or idea. N ow split the group into tw o team s. One team is
the Common Nouns and the other is the Abstract Nouns. Stand the team s against the
w alls at opposite ends of the hall. Tell them that the w all behind them is their H ome
Base. Explain that when you call out a word, the players must decide whether it is a
com m on noun, an abstract noun, or not a noun at all. lf the w ord is a com m on
noun, then the Common Noun team can take one step fonvards. lf the word is an
abstract noun, the Abstract Nouns can m ove forwards one step, and if the w ord is
not a noun at all, the players must stay still. If a player m oves when he shouldn't
have, that player must join the other team. As the game progresses, the Commons
and the Abstracts will get closer and closer together. W hen the teams are only two
m etres apart, call out tW ttackl'' and the Common N ouns m ust chase the Abstract
N ouns and try to catch them before they reach their Home Base. Any Abstract @
Nouns that are caught must join the Common Noun team. Repeat the game, but this
tim e, tell the Abstract N ouns that when you call out iAttackl'' it will be their turn 7
to chase the Common Nouns back to H ome Base. Keep playing the gam e for as
long as the children are enjoying it. Examples of Common Nouns, Abstract Nouns
and Non-Nouns could be: :
28
i
Comm on Abstract Non-Noun
apple, chair, jet beauty, rage through, she
horse, cam et, car anger, headache the, speak, to
pencil, hospital fear, kindness and, because
pillow , tom ato education, love but, under, them
dog, girl, ant, bed governm ent if, on, at, he
Game 1138)
Action ksf/t?r
.,
p.'
Prepare an action story to read to the children, or use the one shown below . Rem ind
the children about verbs, telling them that they are m ainly action w ords. Sit the
children on the floor and tell them that you are going to read them a short story, and
that whenever you say a verb, they can act out the action. An exam ple of a sim ple
story could be:
Last night l wtzx so tired. l kept yawning and stretching, until finally, l decided to
have a shower, put on my pyjamas, clean my teeth and go to bed. Although 1 wtz,s
tired, it took a while to go to sleep. First m y shoulder ached, after that l could hear
my Ueartpounding in m y ears, and then l got a sudden cramp in my leg. But finally
I dr#ed off into tt-l-he Land of Nod''. I snored loudly, then tossed and turned and
then started to dream. At first l dreamt a beautiful dream . 1 was' skiing down a soft,
sm ooth, snowy m ountain, weaving in and out of the fir trees, doing perfectly
formed, round turns. I almost felt as if l wcrc Jlying. Then suddenly, my dream
turned into a nightm are. Behind each fir tree lurked a m ediaeval knight in arm our,
holding a cross-bow loaded with a sharp arrow . Each bow wtzx aimed at m y head or
chest, and although I wtz,s trying to ski as fast as l could, 1 just couldn 't escape the
evil stares of these knights. Suddenly 1 heard one of them call in a loud voice,
Eilkeady''. N ext came the order to aim, and as l skied behind a tree, the com m and to
hre wtu shouted at the top of the knight's lungs. One hundred arrows pierced my
flesh, and 1/c// the tearing pain of every one of them. Some went through my heart
and lungs, others wcn/ through my ears, eyes and throat, and som e went into m y
back and stomach. And then 1 wtz.s falling, in slow motion, face down, into the
snow . N othing but blackness. N o m ore pain. Pure silence, and then a terrible
ringing in my ears. It wtz.s m y alarm clock. Oh no! It wtzus m orning. Tim e to gc/ up
and go to work, and 1 hadn 't rested all night. 1 wtzs: exhausted from m y horrible
nightmare!
Game #39)
Guess the Proverb:
Prepare various proverbs from page 70 of the appendix. Talk about proverbs to the
players, telling them that they not only teach a lesson about life, but also add colour
to our language, and are a part of our linguistic heritage. Give som e examples of
proverbs and explain their meaning to the children. Give som e m ore exam ples
29
jnsjde whole
lbeir context. Now you are ready toplay the gam e.
of three to five children and hand out players
proverb, on a slip grOuP.Ask the groups to plan a m im e for their
pm icular proverb, so that they can ad it out in front of the others. The on-lookers
can have three tries at guessing which proverb each m im e refers to. W hichever
group guesses correctly w ins a point. If they can also explain clearly what the
proverb actually means, they can score another point. The group that has just
mim ed the correctly guessed proverb also scores a point. lf no-one can guess the
proverb, the actors should state what the proverb is, and then explain what it means
to the onlookers. If the explanation is correct, the group scores itself a point. K eep
playing until every group has m im ed its proverbs. Finally see which group has
scored the most points. These are the Proverb Champions. Examples of proverbs
could include som e of those shown below :
Split the up into groups
of paper, to each
a different
sentences and see if thechildren can work outwhat they meantrom
Proverb M eaning
Absence m akes the heart grow fonder. W hen som eone is aw ay, you like
them m ore.
A bird in the hand is w orth t'wo in the bush. W hat you actually have is w orth
m ore than som ething you m ight
A drowning m an will clutch at a straw .
A stitch in tim e saves nine.
A watched pot never boils.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Better late than never.
Birds of a feather tlock together.
Curiosity killed the cat.
Don't put a11 your eggs into one basket.
be able to get.
Som eone in serious trouble will
try anything to save him self.
M end something that's broken
straight aw ay, before it gets
w orse and is harder to fix.
If you stand around waiting for
som ething to happen, it will seem
to take forever.
Poor people can't be fussy about
the things they are given.
lt's better to do som ething, even
if it's done late, than not to do it
at all.
People who are sim ilar m ake
friends with each other.
Being too curious and nosey can
get you into trouble.
Don't put a1l your savings in one
place, or direct al1 your hopes in
one direction, because if
som ething goes w rong, you m ight
lose the lot.
Proverb M eaning
D on't count your chickens before they hatch. Don't depend on som ething
which you don't yet have.
Don't cross the bridge until you com e to it. Don't w orry about things which
you can't yet do anything about.
Em pty vessels m ake the m ost sound. lgnorant people talk the m ost.
Every cloud has a silver lining. There's always som ething good
in evrything.
Forbidden sweets taste sw eetest. W e like doing things that w e're
not supposed to do.
Let not the pot call the kettle black. Don't criticise others for things
you do yourself.
Let sleeping dogs lie. Don't stir up trouble when all is
going w ell.
People w ho live in glass houses Don't criticise others w hen you
shouldn't throw stones. have faults yourself.
Game ##Y
What Type?
Prepare four signs from pages 71 & 72, and stick them on the four w alls of the
room : statem ent, qpestion, com m apd, exclam ation.
Revise the four different types of sentences with the players, and remind them of
the correct punctuation to use for each type. Point out the four signs on the w alls
and tell the children you are going to read out a variety of sentences to classify. As
soon as the players know what type of sentence has just been read, they must run to
the appropriate sign. The first player to the sign scores a point. K eep playing for as
long as the children are having f'un, and then find a w inner. Exam ples of sentences
could include:
I don't like hot weather. (statement)
Be quiet while 1 speak to you. (command)
B'hat's the time, please? (question)
Oh no! l've missed the bus! (exclamation)
Elephants are very intelligent. (statement)
-
s
ke elephants very intelligent? (question)
Go and feed the elephants. (command)
Elephants live in lndia and Africa. (statement)
Good griefl There's an elephant in my garden! (exclamation)
Game #.4p
Who am 1/
Talk about som e fam ous books, film s, television show s and nursery rhym es and
+en discuss som e of the w ell-know n characters in them . N ow ask the players to
think about one of their own favourite, scariest, funniest or nastiest characters, and
get them to think up som e clues they could tell the others to help them guess which
character is on their m ind. Let the children take it in turns to give their clues to the
other players, and see how many characters can be guessed correctly. Advise the
players not to m ake the clues too easy or too difficult, and not to pick a character
that the other players m ight not know . A set of clues m ight be given in the
following way:
l am an English schoolboy.
l w ear glasses.
l go to a brilliant school.
M y best friend has red hair.
1'm handy with a w and.
W ho am 1?
(Answer: Harly Potter)
Other characters could include:
Indiana Jones, Superm an, M ario, Oliver Tw ist, lnspector Gadget, Sherlock H olm es,
Batm an, Hum pty D umpty, Jack Sprat, Peter Peter Pum pkin Eater, Little M iss
M uffet, the Hobbit, Donald Duck, or any w ell-known character that is fashionable
at the tim e.
Game ##J)
How 's lt D one?
Preparea set of verb cards, each with a different action to be m im ed. Also m ake a
set of adverb cards telling how the action should be done (see pages 73 & 74).
N ow , sit the children on a big circle drawn on the hall floor, or outside on the
ground, and rem ind the players about the function of verbs, telling them that verbs
can be Eidoing, being or having'' w ords. Say that this gam e concentrates on the
ttdoing'' words. Then revise the job of adverbs, reminding the children that:
Adverbs ofTime tell when an action is done: e.g.) soon, yesterday, later, now.
Adverbs ofplace tell where an action is done: e.g.) up, on, over, back, here, there.
Adverbs ofManner tell how an action is done: e.g.) quickly, fast, dangerously.
Say that this game will concentrate on adverbs of manner. Show the children the i I
two piles of cards in the centre of the circle and tell them that one is a verb pile and
the other is an adverb pile. To play the game, the players must take it in tul'ns to go
to the centre of the circle, pick up the top card from each pile, and then act out the .
action, in the m anner described, for the others to guess. lf the actor needs to m ove
to another part of the room , or needs another player to help with the action, that is
fine. W hoever guesses the action correctly w ins a point, as does the actor for doing
i th
e action clearly. Cany on until everyone has had a go, and see who has the m ost !
points. Alternatively, don't fuss with scores; just 1et the one who guesses the action
correctly have the next turn as the actor for his rew ard. Exam ples of verbs and
adverbs could include: i
p
32
Verb Adverb Verb Adverb
Talk quickly Stamp angrily
Run slowly W hisper secretively
Snore loudly Ask politely
Sm ile sweetly Sleep soundly
A ct strangely Step carefully
Nag continuously Cry sadly
Game #4J
,
I
What 's That?
Prepare a shopping bag containing various objects. Sit the children in a semi-circle
so they can see whatever gets pulled out of the bag. Tell the children that an Alien
has recently arrived f'rom another planet, and that he has collected a bag of objects
which are totally strange to him . He wants to show the students what he's collected
,
and he will ask a person of his choice to describe the pumose of the object. W hen
asked, the student should be careful to give a good, sim ple but accurate description
of the object and its use, so that the Alien will understand.
To start the gam e, pick an Alien from the players and ask him to sit in front of the
semi-circle with the bag of objects. Ask the Alien to pick out just one object, show
it to the students, and choose one of them to explain the item 's use
. M ake sure the
Alien asks a different person each tim e he pulls som ething out of the bag
,
so that
everyone gets a tul'n to speak. Objects could include items like these: pencil, peg,
ball, chocolate, w ater pistol, egg, can of drink, cam era, glove, book
,
cap, radio, CD
disk, sponge, box of tissues, fork, spoon, bow l, m obile phone
,
clock.
N .B . Do not allow the children to use slang or sloppy language. Encourage them to
express them selves well by being concise and specific
. W ords like itthing'' and
'
tstuff ' should be avoided.
Game ##4
,
)
Circular S/t?ry'..
Draw a big circle on the floor or ground and sit the children on it
. Tell them that
you are going to start telling them a story, but that they have to take turns around
the circle to develop and then finish it. The story should be well-told
,
and include
an introduction, a detailed developm ent, an exciting clim ax and a well-rounded
conclusion. Every child should add two or three sentences, keeping the structure of
the story in m ind. The story should be nearing the end by the tim e the last student's
tul'n is reached, so that he can give a conclusion to the story
. The Leader should
open the introduction with som ething like the following:
'-
M any years ago, in a land far aw ay, there lived a clever m agician who could travel
through time and space. . .''
33
!
Game ##JI
Punctuation Relay:
Divide the players into equal team s, and stand them in relay fashion up at one end
of the hall. Place a pencil and numbered answer sheets (see pages 75 & 76) down at
the other end, in line with each team. Revise the use of al1 the punctuation marks
known to the age group that is playing, and then you are ready to play the game.
Tell the players that you are going to read out a sentence, and the players at the
f'ront of the relay lines should decide which punctuation should be used in that
sentence, without the help of their team members. They should then nm down to
their answer sheets, and write out the whole sentence, complete w ith correct
punctuation. M ake sure that Players //1 put their answ ers at //1 on the answer sheet,
and so on. 'I'he players cannot ask you to repeat the sentence, so everyone m ust be
quiet and concentrate. At the end of the gam e, collect and m ark the answ er sheets
and announce the winning team . A n example of a perfectly done answer sheet
could look som ething like the one shown below :
# Punctuation
1) How old are you?
2) Jane has red hair.
3) Here's a list of things for you to buy: eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms,
cheese, bread, m ilk.
4) Goodness gracious me!
5) ls that the time? l'm late!
6) ttGood workl'' the teacher said to Paul.
7) l fixed the woman's shoes.
8) John fixed the women's shoes.
9) There were three boys. I fixed all the boys' shoes.
10) The ghost whispered, tl've come to scare youl''
1 1) l saw t-f'he Lord of the Rings'' at the cinema.
12) Dickens' novels are longer than Ol-well's.
13) Who's got whose shoes?
14) There are their cars, parked outside the house where they're staying.
15) Dad said, ttplease put out the rubbish bin.''
16) It's your turn to wash the dishes.
17) The cat licked its sore paw.
18) There were oysters and cheese on the table; l had the oysters.
19) Do the exercise on fractions 1.42) and then write your essay.
20) 1 heard Mrs. Brown yelling- she has a tenible temper- and then cups
and saucers started flying!
34
Game f/a/6
.
)
M other, Father and Baby:
Place five signs from page 77 around the hall w ith the following anim al nam es:
horse, cow , sheep, goat, pig. Also, w ith chalk, draw five long lines across the hall
floor that the children can stand along. On each of these lines put the follow ing
anim al names from page 78: sw an, deer, fox, duck, goose.
Tell the children that there is often a com m on nam e that applies to a certain type
of anim al, and also m ore specific nam es that refer to the mother, father and baby of
that particular anim al. For example: cat is the com m on nam e, while tomcat refers
to the father, cat refers to the m other, and kitten refers to the baby.
Now point out the various signs on the walls and floor around the hall and
explain that when you call out a particular anim al nam e, the children should rtm to
the appropriate sign. For example, if drake is called out, then the players m ust run
to the duck sign, as drake refers to a father duck.
The first player to reach the correct spot wins a point, and the last player to reach
it should put his hands on his head for the next turn. Any players who run to the
wrong place before going to the correct spot should also put their hands on their
heads for the next turn. At the end of the gam e, see who has the m ost points, and
also see who hasn't had to put their hands on their heads during the gam e. These
are the w inning players. The list below may be helpful:
.
(
t Iz Father Bab j Com m on Nam e M ot er
horse m are stallion foal
cow cow bull calf
sheep ew e ram lam b
1
goat nanny-goat billy-goat kid
ig sow boar piglet
swan sw an cob cygnet :
r deer doe stag fawn
fox vixen fox cub
duck duck drake duckling
) eoose goose gander gosling
j Game //# 7)
F clever Clogs..
i
Teach the older children the grammatical concepts of mood, voice, noun, adjectival
and adverbial phrases and clauses, plus simple, compound and complex sentences.
S Once they are confident w ith these structures
,
give them each a sheet from page 79
. and tell them that w hen you call out one of the concepts, they should construct their
: on'n example of such a sentence. For example: a) Active Pbjcc: I went to the park.
b l Sllbjunctive Mood: 1 wish l were able to fly. c) Noun Phrase: Playing sport
r' keeps you fit. d) Complex Sentence.. 1 went to sleep because 1 wtaus so tired.
e ? .jkectival Clause: Mr. Brown, who turned one hundred yesterday, is very kind.
I
;
Game #W&
lh the M ood:
Teach or revise the four m oods used in English sentences:indicative, im perative,
interrogative and subjunctive. Then divide the players into two equal-sized teams,
and ask them to sit down on the floor in two straight lines, facing each other, w ith
feet touching in the m iddle. Each pair of players w ith feet touching should now be
given a m ood to rem em ber as their own identity. Tell the players that once the
gam e starts, it is very impol-tant for them to keep their knees down and their legs
still and straight, or they m ight get trodden on.
To play the gam e, call out a sentence for the children to identify. Players should
quietly work out the mood of the sentence for them selves, and once registered, the
children with that identity should get up and nm down to the front of the line,
stepping betw een each pair of legs as they go. Then they m ust run behind their
team m em bers, back to the other end of the line and down betw een the legs, to their
places. The first player to sit back in his place wins a point for his team . Continue
the gam e until everyone has nm tw o or three tim es, and see which team has scored
the most points. Sentences toidentify could include:
1) l woke up one night and met the -1-00th Fairy. (Indicative)
2) What did you ask her? (Interrogative)
3) l asked her what she did with a11 the teeth she collected. (lndicative)
4) tEf)o back to sleep'', she ordered. (lmperative)
5) 1 wish I were a -1-00th Fairy. (Subjunctive)
6) Make your bed and polish your shoes before breakfast. (lmperative)
7) Have you done a11 your homework? (lnterrogative)
8) lt is necessary that you be here by 8 o'clock tomorrow. (Subjunctive)
9) David looked as though he were completely lost in the mist. (Subjunctive)
10) Grammar teaches you to think clearly and logically. (lndicative)
1 1) Do you know what a genmd is? (Interrogative)
12) Please make me a cup of tea, Jack. (Imperative)
Game #W.$
Phrase or Clause?
Rem ind the children of the difference betw een plzrases and clauses, and revise tbe
types: adjectival, adverbial and noun. Then draw two big circles on the ground wii
chalk, and write GGphrase'' in one and GGclause'' in the other. M ake each one big
enough for m ost, but not all, of the children to stand in. Sit the children down tncl
the ground, cross-legged and facing aw ay from the circles. Tell them that when yoz
call out a group of words, they must work out quietly to them selves whether Eiz
contains a phrase or a clause. As soon as the players know the answ er, they shoiIllki . 1
' ..
get up and stand inside the correct circle. A ny players who are too slow to fit 777*,11)1
the circle gain a penalty point, but can keep playing. Play for ten rounds and fu llll
see who has the low est score. This player w ins the gam e. Examples of g'roups
words to call out could include:
1) at the beach (Phrase)
2) when it rained (Clause)
3) who is top of the class (Clause)
4) to be or not to be (Phrase)
5) because 1 said so (Clause)
6) talking loudly (Phrase)
7) at the end of the rainbow (Phrase)
8) that you should come with me (Clause)
9) being clever (Phrase)
10) where nobody would find them (Clause)
1 1) with a sausage on top tphrasel
l2) he put a sausage on top (Clause)
13) whom 1 met yesterday (Clause)
14) with an evil grin (Phrase)
Game #50)
Analyse Thatl
Revise sentence types, rem inding the children of the difference between a simple,
compound and com plex sentence. N ow , sit the players down in a big circle on the
floor and hand a football to one of them . Tell the players that you are going to say a
sentence, and once it is said, the ball should be passed around the circle from one
player to the next. W hile the ball is m oving, the children should be quietly
analysing the sentence so that when you say ttstop'', whoever is holding the ball
must be ready to tell you the answ er. lf the player is correct, he scores a point.
Keep playing until everyone has analysed two or three sentences. Check the scores
to see who has done the best. This is the Analyst Superior! Examples of sentence
types to analyse could include:
1) l have a beautiful, golden labrador. (Simple)
2) His name is Monty and he has just turned eight. (Compound)
3) He is a gentle, obedient, intelligent creature. (Simple)
4) He follows me evelywhere because he loves me. (Complex)
5) l love him too. (Simple)
6) Do you have a dog? (Simple)
7) I used to have a pet rat, before l got M onty. (Complex)
8) She was the cutest, sweetest, little dumpling of a rodent. (Simple)
9) Rats are very loving and intelligent pets, and they like to keep themselves
spotlessly clean. (Compound)
10) Did you know that a rat won iipet of the Year'' last year? (Complex)
1 1) Looking after a pet helps children to become caring and considerate of
others, and also gives them a faithful friend to play with. (Compound)
12) lf l couldn't have a pet, life wouldn't be quite the same. (Complex)
Gam es Resources..
On the following pages are some useful resource maierials for the games in this
book. Photocopy the sheets needed, ready for the games that you choose to play.
C O M M O N
PR O PE R
A B ST M C T
(Game #2, x 1)
Tim e M anner Place
T im e M anner Place
Tim e M anner Place
Tim e M anner Place
(Game #5, x 1)
R IG H T
W R O N G
(Game #6, 1 per player)
40
A
A n
T h e
(Game #9, 1 per player)
41
lnstru m ents
C lothes
Job s
L andscap es
(Game //1 l , x 1)
42
1
L ong
Short
M edium
(Game #12, x 1)
Sound Phonic G roup Exam ples
Shol't a a cats hats back
M edium a a iam, fan, sand
Long a a..e gate, gam e, snake
ai rain, m ail, m aid
ay day, play, stay
ei/ eigh vein, weight. neighbour
Short e e bed, gem , peg
ea heads healths bread
M edium e air hair, stairs, fair
are m are, care, dare
ere there, where
ear bears pear
Long e ee tree, bee, feet
ea seat, heat, team
ie thief, belief
y baby, sorl'y, lady
ey maoney. maonkey
Short i i w ins lip. hit
M edium i ear ear, fear, dear
eer queers deer. steer
Long i i..e tim e, bike, lie
ig/ igh sign, thigh, light
y dry, cry, spy
ei/ eiMh either. height
Short o o fox, lot, dog
a w as. w atch. want
M edium o or/ ore horse, stol'y, m ore
oor door, poor, tloor
au/ augh sauce, fault, daughter
aw claw, saw, awful
al talk, w alk, ball, tall
1
)
;
ough thought. brought i
Long o o..e bone, hom e, toe
oa boat, goat, coal r
ow w indow , grow , show
; o Mo
.
tom ato. piano
(Game //12, x 1) !
(
i
44
!
or ar aw ng ph w h oa ay
oy ai oi nk u.-e i..e a.-e o..e
I
!
I
I
I
I
i 1, ch sh igh
... .
y ee ea oo t
(short) (hard)
y ey au er ir ur ear are @*
i .
!
S
oo th kn ew air ow Iazy ie
I
4long) (soft) end ; l
:
$
'
4
) !
h
'
)
'
i
q
I
i ) I
t
.
(Game //14; x4)
:
45
C O M M O N
N O U N
PR O PE R
N O U N
A B ST R A C T
N O
(Game # 16, x 1)
C O L L E C T IV E
N O U N
G E R U N D
(Game # 16, x 1)
47
N O U N
P R O N O U N
(Game # 19, x 1)
48
D E SC R IPT IV E
A D JE C T IV E
L IM IT IN G
JE
1
(Game # 19, x 1)
:
'
49
T IV E
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 t
11
I
12
13
l
(Game # 20, x3)
50
W E A T H E R
and SE A SO N S
FO O D and
D R IN K
(Game # 22, x 1)
i
i
L A N D SC A PE S
B U IL D IN G S
H O U SE H O L D
IT E M S
(Game # 22, x 1)
n ou n n ou n n o u n n ou n n ou n
n o u n n o u n n ou n n ou n n ou n
n ou n n ou n n ou n n ou n n ou n
n Ou n n ou n n Ou n n ou n n ou n
n ou n n ou n n ou n n ou n n ou n
(Game # 23, 1 sheet per 8 players)
53'
,
1
Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun
Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pfonoun
Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun
Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun
Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun Pronoun
(Game # 23, 1 sheet per 8 players)
54
verb verb verb verb verb
verb verb verb verb verb
verb verb verb verb verb
verb verb verb verb verb
verb verb verb verb verb
(Game # 23, 1 sheet per 8 players)
:q'
:
'
I
!
'
.
adverb adverb adverb adverb adverb
adverb adverb adverb adverb adverb
adverb adverb adverb adverb adverb
adverb adverb adverb adverb adverb
adverb adverb adverb adverb adverb
(Game # 23, 1 sheet per 8 players)
adjective adjective adjective adjective adjective
adjective adjective adjective adjective adjective
; adjective adjective adjective adjective adjective
I
adjective adjective adjective adjective adjective
!
.
adjective adjective adjective adjective adjective
.
!
j'
(Game # 23, 1 sheet per 8 players)
conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction
conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction
l
(
'
conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction
conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction
conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction conjunction
(Game # 23, 1 sheet per 8 players) ;
i
l
1
1 58
4
preposition preposition preposition preposition preposition
preposition preposition preposition preposition preposition
preposition preposition preposition preposition preposition
preposition preposition preposition preposition preposition
preposition preposition preposition preposition preposition
(Game # 23, 1 sheet per 8 players, optional)
59
G R E EN
G R O C E R
C H E M IST
PO ST O FFIC E
(Game # 25, x 1)
60
SU PE R
M A R K E T
N E W SA G EN T
(Game # 25, x 1)
' st nd rd 1 2 3
Singular Plural M asculine
Fem inine N euter C om m on
Subjective Objective Possessive
(Game //30, 1 sheet per team)
62
O O O
O O O
O O O
O O O
(Game # 33, x 1)
!
X X X
X X X
I
X X X 1
ip X X t X
(Game # 33, x 1)
64
FU LL STO P FU LL STO P
C O M M A C O M M A
5 5
QUESTION QUESTION
M A R K M A R K
? ?
EX C LA M A TIO N EX C LA M A TIO N
M A R K M A R K
! !
QUOTATION QUOTATION
M A R K S M A R K S
ii 5: ii 99
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ * @ @
(Game # 34, x4)
65
R A IL W
O FF IC E
A Y T IC K E T
C IN E M A T IC K E T S
P O ST O FFIC E
(Game # 35, x 1)
66
)
I
B A N K
B A K E R
B U T C H E R
G R E E N G R O C E R
(Game # 35, x 1)
N O U N
V E R B
A D JE C T IV E
(Game # 36, x 1)
68
A D V E R B
PR O N O U N
C O N JU N C T IO N
(Game # 36, x 1)
69
A bsence m akes the D on't put alI your
heart grow fonder. eggs into one basket.
D on't count your C uriosity killed the
chickens before they cat.
hatch.
D on't cross the bridge Birds of a feather
until you com e to it. n ock together.
E m pty vessels m ake B etter Iate than never.
the m ost sound.
Every cloud has a Beggars can't be
silver Iining. choosers. !
'
1 Forbidden sw eets A w atched pot never
)t
aste sw eetest. boils.
l
L et not the pot call A stitch in tim e saves
the kettle black. nine.
Let sleeping dogs lie. A bird in the hand is
worth two in the l
bush. (
A drow ning m an will People w ho live in 1
't 7 clutch at a straw
. glass houses shouldn
throw stones.
(Game #39, x 1)
PR E PO SIT IO N
IN T E R JE C T IO N
A R T IC L E
STA T E M EN T
(Game # 40, x 1)
QU ESTION
C O M M A N D
E X C L A M A T IO N
(Game # 40, x 1)
T A L K ST A M P
R U N W H ISPE R
SN O R E A SK
SM IL E SL E E P
A C T ST E P
N A G C R Y
(Game #42, x 1)
73
QUICKLY ANGRILY
SL O W LY SE C R E TW ELY
L O U D L Y PO L ITEL Y
SW EE TLY SO U N D LY
STR A N G E LY C A R EFU LLY
C O N TIN U O U SLY SA D LY
(Game #42, x 1)
1)
2)
3) -
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
l0)
(Game //45, x number of teams in game)
75
11)
12)
l3)
15)
16)
17)
l9)
20)
(Game #45, x number of teams in game)
76
H O R SE
C O W
SH E E P
G O A T
P lG
! (Game //46
,
x 1)
i
SSVA N
D E E R
F O X
D U C K
G O O SE
(Game //46, x 1)
78
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
(Game # 47, x 1 sheet per player)
79
Other #/479 Published by the A
uthor..
* All You Need to Know About G
ram m ar
,
(Excel Essential Skills for Grades * 5
-
10), Pascal Press, Australia
,
2003
* Evelyday Spelling and Gramm
ar, (Blake's GoGuides)
,
Pmscal Press
,
Australia
,
2003
* Englishfor Everyone
,
#0//> 1 tf 2
, Lulu.com, U
.S.A., 2007 * Gam
esfor Fun, Fitness andLearning
,
Lulu.com
,
U .S.A ., 2007
Fun, Fitness andLearning Web
site: m vfunntnesslegrnint
.
com
Check out the author's websit
e for regularly updated ideas on
: * Gam es and Home
-
schoolers' Activities
* Topics for W riting Practice
@ General Knowledge Quizzes
@ Other Books by the Author
80
About the AuthMr:
Kathi W yldeck llyes in Sydney, Australia. She has
hqd broad exprrlence in both the arts and
sclences, worklng at hospitylj and univeqsities as
a biological techniciyn in cllnlcal endocrlnology
:ttlt ,) yy t,,,,# and molecular genrtlcs research, and m ore .
.
-.
;i-
;ss
,
I
, . recently as an Engllsh tutor, and author 9f ;ve
:y) ,.,).' ,,ztylsr gram m ar books. As a m other of three actlve boys,
i' 2't
,
;

,
1 '*' she hys spent a decade as a Cub Scout Leader,
organlsing gym es program m es for groups pf
enyrgetiy chlldren, as well as home-schoohng her
thlrd chlld. She runs a website of gam es and
learning activities at Fww.ftm fitnesslearning.com ,
which is updated weelcly. Her req eational lnterests over thy years
have ipcluded stlrfing, hiking, alplne and cross-country skilng,
skydiung, hot-alr ballooning, astronomx, histo!y and world trpvel.
She regards the fun and gam es involyed ln rearlng and edttcatm g her
qwn children, her Cubs and her Engllsh pupils as the highllghts of her
llfe.
About the Book:
''Gram m ar and Vocabulary Gam es for Children'' is a resource book for
teachers and hom e-schooling parents who want to m ake their
children's gram m al and vocabulary lessons fun. Gram m ar,
punctuation, phonlcs, vocabulary and proverbs are a1l presented in
the folp of f1% active games. At the end of a formal lesson, these
activitles can be given as a reward for hard work
, or to reinforcr the
topicjust smdied. For restless children who need to stretch thelr legs
and 1et off steam before they knuckle down to further work, the gam es
presented in this book prou de the perfect solution. Several of the
vocabulary gam es are designed to help ESL students to practise their
new words, and all the gam es encourage children to listen
,
concentrate and stay focused on the tppic of study. The activities are
aim ed at 7 to 13 year olds. Gram m ar lessons and vocabulary building
will never be boring when children are offered the gam es in this book
.
iD: eeG oo
wvgwmlt,llz.com
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