Games & Icebreakers For The ESL Classroom (41 Pages) PDF

GAMES & ICEBREAKERS Page 1 of 41 AUGUST 2013
GAMES & ICEBREAKERS

For the ESL Classroom
Compiled by Delia Dunlap
English Language Fellow, U.S. Department of State
Nouakchott, Mauritania
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction …………………………………………………Page 3
2. Dividing Students Into Pairs ………………………………Page 3
3. Dividing Students Into Small Groups .……………………Page 4
4. Conversation Starters …………………………………….. Page 5
5. Energizers …………………………………………………. Page 10
6. Concentration Exercises …………………………………. Page 16
7. Team-Building Activities ………….………………………. Page 17
8. Vocabulary-Building Activities …………………………… Page 21
9. Grammar Games …………..……………………………... Page 35
10. References .……………...………………………………… Page 41
11. Online Resources …...…………………………………….. Page 41

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction …………………………………………………Page 3
2. Dividing Students Into Pairs ………………………………Page 3
3. Dividing Students Into Small Groups .……………………Page 4
4. Conversation Starters …………………………………….. Page 5
5. Energizers …………………………………………………. Page 10
6. Concentration Exercises …………………………………. Page 16
7. Team-Building Activities ………….………………………. Page 17
8. Vocabulary-Building Activities …………………………… Page 21
9. Grammar Games …………..……………………………... Page 35
10. References .……………...………………………………… Page 41
11. Online Resources …...…………………………………….. Page 41

1. INTRODUCTION
Games should be an essential part of any curriculum. According to Martinson and Chu (2008),
“Games are effective tools for learning because they offer students a hypothetical environment in
which they can explore alternative decisions without the risk of failure. Thought and action are
combined into purposeful behavior to accomplish a goal. Playing games teaches us how to strategize,
to consider alternatives, and to think flexibly.” There are countless benefits to using games in the
classroom. Games can:
• Help students to learn more about themselves
• Enable students to form
form close bonds with their classmates by creating
creating a shared experience
experience
• Foster a sense of community in the classroom where all students feel comfortable expressing
ideas in a safe learning environment
• Energize students to become more active
active participants in the
the learning
learning process
process
Recent research shows that students learn more when they are having fun. Judy Willis asserted that,
“The truth is that when the joy and comfort are scrubbed from the classroom and replaced with
homogeneity, and when spontaneity is replaced with conformity, students’ brains are distanced from
effective information processing and long-term memory storage… Optimal brain activation occurs
when subjects are in positive emotional states or when the material holds personal meaning, connects
(Research-Based
to their interests, is presented with elements of novelty, or evokes wonder” (Research-Based
Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacher ,
Teacher , 2006). Our
goal as teachers should be help our students learn in a positive environment where they feel
intellectually challenged
challenged and engaged.
Group work and pair work has also shown to have a positive impact on students’ abilities to learn,
especially in large classes where the teacher cannot always respond to the needs of each student
individually. According
According to James Zull, students can learn a tremendous amount from their peers, who
(The Art of Changing the Brain , 2009). Games
they may be able to relate to more than their teacher (The
are important tools to facilitate cooperative learning.
2. DIVIDING STUDENTS
STUDENTS INTO PAIRS
FINDING "TWINS"
Decide ahead of time on a category such as animals, famous people, occupations, emotions, sports,
etc. and prepare slips of paper with specific examples of the category you have chosen. Make two
slips for each example (one set of three for an odd number). After distributing the slips, each person
makes a noise associated with the example and/or performs a movement. The group circulates until
all partners have been found.
FIRST NAMES
Instruct the students to count the number of letters in their first names (for example, Mohamed has 7
letters). Tell students to find one person with the same number of letters as their own names and then
sit down. Those two are now partners. If a person can't find someone let him/her use another name
s/he is called by (i.e., a student named Fatimetou may use the name Fati and then look for someone
with 4 letters instead of 9.) If they still can't find someone pair up with a person who has the closest
number of letters.
LINE UPS
Tell students that they will line up. Select a variable for them to line up according to, for example,
oldest to youngest; tallest to shortest; alphabetically by first or last name; chronologically by year of
birthday. If you want to add another challenge to the process, do not allow students to talk. The two
people at the ends of the line become partners, the next two become partners, etc. until everyone has
a partner.
PICTURE PUZZLES
1. Cut pictures from a magazine so that there are half as many pictures as members
members of the group.
group.
If you have a theme, try to find pictures related to the theme. Cut each picture in half and mix
them up in a hat.
2. Tell each student to take a card from the hat
3. When all of the students have a card,
card, tell them to move
move around the class until they find the
other half of their pictures.
3. DIVIDING STUDENTS
STUDENTS INTO SMALL
SMALL GROUPS
BLUE SKY
This activity will divide students into two groups. Explain to the students that they will count from one
to ten by holding up their fingers so that everyone can see. They will only begin after they hear the
prompt: "Green fields, red earth, blue sky. Go!" They will stop counting when they hear the words,
"Blue Sky." Tell the students to keep their hands raised until they are told to put them down. After
students have counted for few seconds, tell them that all the people holding up an even number of
fingers will move to one side of room and the odd fingers on the other. Tell them to put down their
hands and move to the correct side of the room.
FINDING "CLONES"
This activity is similar to “Finding Twins," explained above. Decide on the general category (for
example, animals) and the number of small groups you want to have (for example, four). For this
example, the teacher will distribute a slip of paper with an animal name (say, horse, dog, cat or cow) to
each person. When the teacher tells them to “go,” everyone will start making their animal's sound and
start “listening” for the other members of their group.
PLAYING CARDS
For this activity you will need a deck of cards. Decide how many groups you want and how many
students you want in each group. For example, if you wanted 5 groups with 5 students then you would
take 5 Kings, 5 Aces, 5 2's, 5 Jacks, and 5 Queens (of course you will need more than one deck of
cards) and mix them up and pass one card out to each student. Then instruct the students to find their
“matches” (the students with the same cards).
RAINBOW
This activity works for dividing students into to seven (or less) groups.
1. Write the colors of the rainbow on the board (ask students if they can list list them - red,
red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).
2. Assign each student a color, starting
starting with the color red. Continue around the class until
everyone has an assigned color.
3. Tell the students
students to form groups
groups according to their
their colors with all of the reds together, oranges
together, etc.
VALUES CLARIFICATION
Present the group with a value statement related to the theme of the event. Ask them to arrange
themselves in a line from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree based on their answers to the
questions. Encourage discussion so each person is in the right place in line. Count off my 2's for
diverse groups or divide in half for more homogeneous groups.
4. CONVERSATION STARTERS
ANIMAL PAIRS GAME
1. The teacher will write the names of animals on pieces of paper, there will be two cards for each
animal. Here are some suggestions:
Cat
•
Donkey
•
Rooster
•
Monkey
•
2. He/she will distribute one card to each student and instruct him/her not to show the cards to
anyone else
3. The students must move around the room, making the sound of the animal on the card in order
to find his/her partner.
4. Once students find their pairs they will sit down quietly.
BALL TOSS
1. The teacher will organize the students to stand in a circle and ask for a volunteer to hold a ball
2. She/he will tell the person with the ball say his/her name and then toss it to someone else in
the circle.
3. After the ball is thrown to everyone in the circle or there are too many names to remember, the
person with the ball will throw it to the person who threw it to them saying the other person’s
name instead of their own.
4. If the ball is missed, or the information is wrong, just go back to the last person who did catch
the ball, or get help from other students in the circle.
BALLOONS
Blow up as many balloons as there are students and write a different name on each balloon (one
name per balloon). Play music and instruct the students to walk around the room and touch the
balloons as they walk. Explain that when the music stops, each participant must grab a balloon, read
the name on the balloon, and find the person whose name matches the one written on the balloon.
BLANKET NAME GAME

1. The teacher will divide students into two teams.
2. Each team will sit on the floor facing the other team.
3. A blanket will be held by two volunteers (a teacher and student) between the two groups.
4. Each team will quietly choose one member of their team to sit behind the blanket. The two
chosen individuals will be facing each other, but concealed by the blanket.
5. On the count of three, the volunteers will drop the blanket and both students will try to say the
name of the person on the other side of the blanket.
6. A point is scored for the team who shouts out the opposing person's name first.
CIRCLE NAME GAME

1. Organize the students into a circle (For larger groups, organize students into many small
circles)
2. Tell each student to say his/her name. After each student says his/her name, the rest of the
students in the circle repeat it.
3. Instruct students to say their names again but this time tell them to add a simple movement to
their names, so that action is made at the same time as the name is said. The rest of the
students repeat the name and the action. For example, Adama snaps when he says his name,
and the rest of the students say “Adama” and snap at the same time.
4. Next ask students to go around the circle saying all of the names and actions together
5. Afterwards, ask if any students can volunteer to say the names of everyone in the circle.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
1. The teacher will tell students to write down one or two adjectives describing themselves on a
small piece of paper or sticker.
2. Pin/stick the adjectives on to the shits of the students. Tell students to walk around the room,
looking for one person with similar (or opposite) adjectives.
3. Instruct the pairs to discuss their adjectives for three minutes.
COMPANY YOU KEEP

1. Make a list of categories you think might be appropriate for a getting acquainted activity
(Examples: month of birthday, people who like/don't like something, favorite something, color of
your shoes, agreement or disagreement with any statement of opinion on a current issue).
2. Clear some floor space so students can move around freely.
3. Call out a category. Direct students to locate all the people whom they would associate with the
given category as quickly as possible. For example, students wearing brown shoes would
separate from students wearing black shoes, white shoes, red shoes, etc.
4. When students have formed the smaller groups based on shoe color, ask them to shake hands
with "the company they keep."
5. Tell all students to observe approximately how many people there are in different groups.
6. Then the teacher will announce another category to keep the students moving, and changing
groups.
FAMOUS PAIRS GAME

1. In advance, the teacher will write names of famous people on pieces of paper. The names
should each have a “match.” Here are some examples:
• Tom & Jerry
• Beyonce & Jay-Z
• John Cena & The Undertaker
• Famous television stars from your country
• Two famous singers from your country
• Two famous football players from your country
2. The teacher will distribute the papers and instruct the students not to show the paper to anyone
3. Then, instruct the students to walk around the room trying to find their “matches” without saying
the name of the person. They may give a description of who they are (once they figure it out) or
say a common phrase.
Variation: Students could match the regional capitols with the names of the regions of a country or any
other “pair,” such as salt and pepper, etc.
FAMOUS PERSON
People write a famous name on a piece of paper and pin it on someone else's back. Person tries to
guess what name is pinned on his/her by asking others around the room yes or no questions.
Variation: Use famous place instead of famous person.
FIND SOMEONE
Each person writes on a blank index card one to three statements, such as favorite color, interest,
hobby, or vacations. Pass out cards so everyone gets someone else's card. Have that person find the
person with their card and introduce him or herself.
GREAT WIND BLOWS

1. Arrange a circle of chairs in the middle of the room (or put pieces of paper on the floor for
students to sit on).
2. Ask each student to sit in one of the chairs (have an exact number).
3. Tell students that if they agree with your next statement, they should stand up and move to
another chair.
4. Stand in the center of the circle and say: "My name is ___________ and the great wind blows
for everybody who...." (Choose an ending that would likely apply to nearly everyone in the
class, such as "likes to drink tea."
5. At this point, everyone who likes to drink tea gets up and runs to another empty chair. As the
students move, make sure that you occupy one of the empty seats. If you do, then one student
will have no seat to occupy and will replace you in the center.
6. Have the new person in the center finish the same incomplete sentence.
HOT POTATO
Equipment: Potatoes or tennis balls, music
1. The teacher will divide the students into groups of four or more.
2. She/he will give each group a potato. The activity works by passing the potato clockwise
around the group until the music stops. Once the music stops the person left holding the potato
stands up and performs an action, for example, cluck like a chicken.
3. Once they have done this task, they can sit back down. The music will start again and they
continue passing the potato.
4. The person who has been given the action must stand up and perform this action every time
they hold the potato.
5. By the end of the game, you will have a group all doing different actions while passing the
potato.
HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Ask the students to write down words or phrases that describe their feelings on the first day of class.
List the responses on the blackboard. Then ask them to write down what they think you, the teacher,
are feeling on the first day of class. List them on the blackboard in a second column and note the
parallels. Briefly comment on your feelings and then discuss the shared student/teacher
responsibilities for learning in the course.
HUMAN SCAVENGER HUNT

Provide each student with a worksheet with a grid. Write “Find someone who…” on the top of the
page. In each square of the grid, write sentences with information about your students. Tell the
students to walk around the room un til they write a different student’s name in each square. The game
is over when most students have filled in most (all) squares. For example:
• Knows how to ride a bike
• Knows how to swim
• Knows how to drive a car
• Likes to drink coffee
• Likes to eat pizza
• Has visited at least two countries
• Has visited at least three countries
• Likes to eat rice & fish
• Knows how to play guitar
• Likes to cook
• Likes to play football
• Likes to play basketball
I'M GOING ON A TRIP

1. Tell students that they will each need to think of an item that they could take on a trip that starts
with the same letter of their name, For example “Fatimetou - Flashlight” or “Bocar – Bag”
2. The teacher will start the activity, saying, "I'm going on a trip. My name is_____ and I'm taking
_______." For example, “I’m going on a trip. My name is Ahmed and I'm taking apples.”
3. The next person will add their name to the list, such as, "I'm going on a trip. My name is Sidi
and I'm taking shoes. This is Ahmed and he is taking apples."
4. The game continues around the class until each person has contributed something or as long
as possible.
INTRODUCE ONE ANOTHER

Divide the class into pairs. Each person talks about him/herself to the other, sometimes with specific
instructions to share a certain piece of information. For example, "The one thing I am p articularly proud
of is..." After five minutes, the students introduce the other person to the rest of the class.
I'VE DONE SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T DONE.

Have each person introduce him or herself and then state something they have done that they think no
one else in the class has done. If someone else has also done it, the student must state something
else until he/she finds something that no one else has d one.
I'VE NEVER...BUT I'D LIKE TO SOMEDAY

For this exercise, the entire group should form a circle and each participant should be given three
sticks. The first person begins by saying, "I've Never (insert words), but I'd like to someday." Each
person in the group who HAS done that activity should throw a stick into the middle. This continues
around the circle as many times as necessary. The goal is for each person to run out of sticks. For
example: I've never ___________, but I'd like to someday."
• Driven a car
• Cooked rice & fish
• Visited another country
• Played a guitar
• Seen the ocean
• Visited (a famous city in your country)
LINEUPS
The teacher give will the students a direction for lining up. Students must ask each other for information and
sort themselves onto the correct order. Some possible ways to line up include:
• Time went to sleep last night
• Time got up this morning
• Number of brothers and sisters
• Number of hours spent watching TV this week
• Alphabetical by first letter of last name
• Alphabetical by last letter of first name
• Alphabetical by vocabulary review cards
• Age, birthday, etc.
MY NAME
People introduce themselves and tell what they know about why they have their name (their mother
wanted to name me after her great aunt Helen who once climbed Pike's Peak in high heels, etc.). It
could be the first, middle or nickname.
MY NAME IS…
Everybody sits in a circle and the first person starts by saying his name and an animal with the same
first letter – and doing a gesture: Example: “Hi, I am Mike, the mouse” Then everybody says: “Hi Mike,
the mouse” and do the gesture. Then the next person continues and so on.
NAME CLAPPING
Rhythm game with clapping. Point to someone else as you say your own name. Person pointed to says own
name while pointing to someone else, all within rhythm of game.
NAME, NAME, NAME

Group stands in circle. One volunteer player starts in the center of circle, and attempts to say the
name of a player in the circle three times. If the named player says the middle person’s name before
the three names are spoken, he stays outside. If the middle player manages to say the name three
times with no response, that named player now comes into the middle.
NICE TO MEET YOU

1. Each person in the group should write their first name (or name they go by) on one card, and
their last name on the other.
2. The teacher should collect all the cards and redistribute them so that no one gets either of their
own cards.
3. The students should then go around and introduce themselves to each other until they get both
of their cards back. Make sure the students don’t share whose cards they have
4. For a variation, add a third card where each person writes something about him/herself.
PARTNER TV COMMERCIALS
1. The teacher will organize students into groups of two
2. Tell the students that they will each have two minutes to interview the other person.
3. After both partners have been interviewed, tell them that they will have one minute to create a
quick television commercial advertising their partners.
4. Each person will perform his/her commercial in front of the rest of the class.
5. Variation: Provide students with an interview questionnaire and/or perform an example
commercial first.
PILE OF HATS
1. The teacher will gather as many different and unique kinds of hats as she/he can find and
place them in the center of the room.
2. Organize the students to sit in a circle around the hats and ask for a volunteer to choose one
hat that they feel best represents how they are feeling.
3. Allow everyone to take a turn selecting a hat and to explain why he or she chose the hat.
4. Each person should return his/her hat to the pile when their turn is done so others may select
the same hat if they choose.
RECENT ACTIVITIES NAME GAME

1. The teacher will ask students to sit/stand in a circle
2. She/he will instruct students to introduce themselves by their first names and tell something
they did during the summer (or past weekend, etc.) that starts with the same letter. For
example, "Hi, my name is Djeneba and I drank a lot of tea.”
3. The next person will continue but must also introduce the previous students and their
summer/weekend activities.
REMEMBER MY NAME
1. Organize the students in a circle.
2. Tell the first student to say his/her name and add a nickname that starts with the same letter.
3. The group will continue around the circle, repeating each nickname of the student afterwards.
4. For example:
• Amadou - Adventurous Amadou (loves to travel)
• Fatimata - Fearless Fatimata (always wants to try new things)
• Mohamed – Millionaire Mohamed (excellent at doing business!)
SOUND/MOVEMENT CIRCLE INVOLVING NAMES

Everyone stands in a circle. One person begins by saying his/her name and then doing a
gesture/simple movement. He/she then passes it to the person on his/her left. When it reaches the
person whom it belongs to, it is the next person's turn.
STUFFED ANIMAL THROW

1. The teacher will bring stuff animals to class and organize students to stand in a circle
2. Ask the students to create a pattern throwing one stuffed animal to another student. Prior to
throwing, he/she will say the name of the student.
3. Once the group has established a pattern and everyone has thrown to one person in the group,
the teacher will add stuffed animals to see how many they can get going at the same time
without dropping them.
4. Variation: Throw colored balls, etc.
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE

1. The teacher will tell each student to write down three sentences describing himself/herself. Two
of the sentences need to be true and one of the sentences needs to a lie. For example, "I love
eating mangoes, I know how to drive, and I have three older brothers.”
2. The students will work in pairs, reading each other their sentences and guessing which one is
the lie.
3. After everyone has shared their sentences, ask for a few volunteers to share their answers and
have the rest of the class vote on which sentence is a lie.
4. Variation: One person begins by stating his/her name and then states one truth, one lie, and
one wish. The other members of the group try to guess which is which.
WHO AM I?
1. Give each student a piece of paper and writing utensil.
2. Have them write three things about themselves.
3. Fold the papers in half and collect.
4. Redistribute the papers.
5. Have the students read the statements and guess who wrote them.
5. ENERGIZERS
BOMBS AND SHIELDS
1. The teacher will tell the students to walk around the room.
2. After a few minutes, the teacher will ask students to pick someone in the room (without saying
anything) to be their personal “Shield.”
3. Then tell the students to continue to silently walk around the room
4. Tell the students to pick another person, without saying anything, to be their personal “Bomb.”
5. Tell the group to continue to move around the space without explaining anything else
6. Then, explain that the goal is to keep the person who is your “shield” between yourself and
your “bomb.”
BOB-BE-DI-BOB…BOB
1. The teacher will ask for a volunteer to be “it”
2. She/he will tell the volunteer to stop and point to a person, saying, “Bob-be-di-bob-bob.” On the
last “bob” the person pointed at has to say “bob” at the same time.
3. The person pointed at is “it” if he/she doesn’t say it fast enough or if he/she says “bob” too early
(when the “it”-person only says ”Bob-be-di-bob”)
4. The game continues with the same “it” or a new “it”
BUZZ
1. The teacher will organize the students to sit/stand in a circle.
2. Tell the students to begin counting by passing a ball around the class
3. The students must say “BUZZ” when the number reaches 7
4. The students continue counting but must replace all numbers with 7 in them must be replaced
with the word “BUZZ”
5. It can be more complicated by making students also replace multiples of 7 with “BUZZ” as well
6. If a student says the number 7 instead of “BUZZ,” the group must start over
7. See how high the group can count without starting over.
CAPTURE THE FLAG

1. This game requires a large outdoor space (i.e. a football field)
2. The teacher will divide the students into 2 teams: red and blue
3. She/he will assign each team to the half of the field. She/he will also give a flag to each team.
4. Each team will hide their flags somewhere on their half of the field – making sure that a part of
the flag is visible (it cannot be 100% concealed).
5. The teams will also designate an area as the “prison,” where captured people from the other
team will stand.
6. The object of the game is for each team to try to capture the other team’s flag by running into
the other teams half, get the flag, and return safely to their own half. Here are the rules:
• You can only be touched and captured on the other teams half of the field.
• The students in the prison can form a line, holding hands. If a “free” team member touches
one of the “prisoners”, they can all run home - but can also be captured on their way back.
• If the flag is taken by a team, but lost on the way home, the flag has to stay there – it
cannot be hidden again.
CHARACTER FREEZE
1. The teacher will tell the students to walk freely in the room until someone yells freeze.
2. The students must all stop moving and the teacher will announce the kind of character the
students should be.
3. Once everyone has their characters the teacher tells the students to move again until someone
yells freeze.
4. Switch the characters. Some examples include: Old lady, macho man, young child, etc.
CROSS THE ROOM IF…OR THE BIG WIND BLOWS

1. In advance, the teacher will organize chairs in a circle with enough chairs for everyone except
one person
2. Everybody except one person will sit in a circle; the person starting off the game will stand in
the middle.
3. The person in the middle will say, "Anybody who...(fill in the blank)." For example, "Anybody
who loves rice and fish." Or, "Anybody who is wearing brown shoes." The statement must be
true for the person who says it.
4. Anybody who this statement applies to (who loves rice and fish or who is wearing brown shoes)
must get out of their seats and change to a different chair
5. The person in the middle will try to find an empty chair
6. The person who doesn’t have a chair is “it”
DONKEY
1. The teacher will organize the students to stand in a circle. She/he will stand in the middle.
2. The teacher will count 1, 2, 3 and then point to a student while calling out one of the figures
below, such as “elephant”
3. The student the teacher pointed at will start to make the figure (directions below) along with the
students on both sides of that figure. If any of the three students don’t get into position by the
time the teacher counts to 3 or they do something wrong, they are out or they become the
person in the middle.
4. The teacher will repeat this game, pointing to different students and calling out these figures:
• Elephant
Middle—Arms in front with hands clasped to make a trunk
2 Sides—Arms in “C” on sides to form ears
• Horse
Middle—Both fists in front to form a muzzle
2 Sides—Arm bent at a 90-degree angle with elbow on the middle person’s shoulder and
forearm
• Surfer
Middle—posed on a surfboard with arms out
2 Sides—Arms above head with hands waving like palm trees
• Flamingo
Middle—Hands in front of face to make a beak
2 Sides—Facing in with hands behind back sticking out to make feathers. One leg up.
• Bunny
Middle—Both hands behind back to make a tail
2 Sides—arms straight up to make an ear
• Donkey
Middle—NO MOVEMENT AT ALL
2 Sides—NO MOVEMENT AT ALL
FREEZE
1. Group of 10 volunteers take the stage.
2. Two people start an improvised scene.
3. At any point during the scene someone from the back line may yell, “freeze.”
4. The people doing the scene freeze in whatever position they are in.
5. The person who yelled “freeze” taps one of those people on the shoulder to let them know they
are out of the scene, assumes the position of the previous player and starts the scene in a
whole new direction.
FRUIT BOWL
1. For this activity, the teacher will need pictures of three fruits (banana, orange, mango). One
picture per paper. Alternatively, there could be an actual piece of fruit for e ach student.
2. Organize the room/space with chairs in a circle (Alternatively, you could place pieces of paper
in a circle and students stand on the paper, one paper per student)
3. The teacher will stand in the middle of the circle and give each student a piece of fruit (or
picture of a fruit)
4. Once each student has a fruit, the teacher will call out one of the fruits (for example: Orange!)
5. All of the students with “orange” must stand up and find a new seat (students cannot return to
their original seats. At the same time, the teacher will quickly remove one of the seats (or
pieces of paper).
6. One student will not have a place to sit/stand, and he will now be the one to call out one of the
three fruits. He/She calls out any of the 3 fruits. The student will quickly try to take a seat/paper
so that he is not in the middle anymore. Another student will take his place in the middle.
7. Once this is established throw in one more rule: The person in the middle can call Fruit Bowl.
When this is called, everyone must change places.
HEY NEIGHBOR
1. The teacher will organize the room so that the chairs are in a circle and one person is standing
in the middle of the room
2. The person in the middle (can be the teacher first) says, "Hey Neighbor!” and asks a question,
for example, ”Did you eat bread for breakfast today?"
3. Everyone who is sitting in chairs that ate bread for breakfast must get up and move to a new
chair. The person in the middle tries to grab an empty chair and so there is a new person left in
the middle to ask another question.
4. The game continues and a different student becomes the person in the middle. She/he asks
another question starting with “Hey Neighbor!”
HONEY IF YOU LOVE ME

1. The teacher will organize the students to sit in a circle.
2. One volunteer will stand in the middle and walk around the circle until he/she decides to stop.
3. Then he/she will stand in front of one student and say, "Honey, if you love me please smile."
4. The chosen player must reply without smiling or laughing, saying, "Honey, I love you but I just
can't smile."
5. If the chosen player smiles, he/she has to change places with the person in the middle. If not,
the person in the middle must repeat the process of walking around the circle and stopping in
front of one student. The rest of the group can judge what's a smile and what's not.
JUMPING GAME
Everyone stands in a circle holding hands and jumps. The goal is that when the teacher calls out
"stop" everyone lands at the same time.
LEMONADE, A.K.A. NEW YORK, NEW YORK

1. The teacher will divide the students into two groups, with each group standing on opposite
sides of the room facing each other.
2. Each group will decide among themselves a “character” that they will portray to the other team
via a mimed action. The group learns a chant:
A: Here we come!
B: Where from?
A: New York!
B: What’s your trade?
A: Lemonade!
B: Well give us some, if you’re not afraid!
3. Tell Group 1 to start to walk toward Group 2 while still performing their mimed action. If Group
1 manages to walk all the way to Group 2 and they have still not been guessed, they continue
miming while walking backwards. When anyone from Group 2 guesses the character, Group 1
must run back to his or her side before being tagged by Group 2. If tagged, they join Group 2.
4. The game continues with team B starts the chant.
LION/LEMON
The teacher calls out “Lion” and the group opens their mouths and take their tongue out while raising
their eyebrows. The teacher calls out “Lemon” and the students all squish their features. When she/he
adds the body they can move their body in a big way or contort as small as they can.
MOVEMENT DOMINOES
One person starts movement, it moves around circle speedily, like dominoes. The students must concentrate
in order to pass the same movement quickly to their neighbors. Once it has reached the starter, the next
person in the circle will start a different movement.
MOVEMENT EVOLUTION
The teacher will start a movement (usually with sound- such as a hand clap, knee stomp, foot tap, etc.).
Explain to students that they will pass the movement from one person to the next around the room. However,
the students will pass exactly what movement is passed on to them, which might be different from the
movement that the teacher started. No matter how much the movement has changed, students will pass the
same movement that they receive.
OPPOSITE TOE TAG

A quick energizer/pick me up! Played in pairs. Pairs face each other and hold each other’s right hand.
The object is for both players to try and tag the other person’s left leg.
PASS THE ENERGY WITH MOVEMENT

One person starts with movement and gives it, through physical gesture of some sort, to someone
else. This person takes it, and transforms it, and gives it to a different person.
PATTERN GAME
1. Students will stand a circle
2. One person will begin by pointing to another and saying "You!"
3. The first time around, raise your hand when someone calls on you so that everyone knows
you’ve been picked.
4. Each person must remember 2 things:
Who pointed at them
•
To whom they pointed

•
5. The person "receiving" the 1st "You!" points to someone else, saying "You!"
6. The pointing continues until everyone has been pointed to once, thus establishing "The
Pattern."
7. Repeat the pattern a few times, keeping up the speed and following the same pattern.
Variation: Repeat the same pattern, using the names of U.S. states, keeping up the speed.
Then, Start both patterns ("You!" and U.S. state names) at the same time.
RAINMAKERS
Divide the students into four groups and have them sit with their groups. Students remain sitting for
this activity. First, explain the roles for each group:
• Group 1: Slowly snap fingers
• Group 2: Rub palms on knees
• Group 3: Stomp feet on ground
• Group 4: Clap hands
The teacher will walk around room, allowing each group to practice their movements. After each group
has mastered their role, she/he will ask each group to follow the command, starting with Group 1.
Group 1 will not stop their movement when Group 2 is added. Group 3 is added, followed by Group 4.
By the end of the activity, the class has made it rain (the sounds together sound like rain). You can
explain to the group that if they can make it rain, anything is possible.
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

1. The teachers stands in front of the room/ space (might be best played outside)
2. The students form a line at the other end of the room/space
3. Tell them to pretend that they are standing behind an imaginary starting line. When the caller
(teacher) yells "green light", the students can move forward towards the caller. When "red light"
is called, the students must freeze in whatever position they are in. If the caller catches a
participant in motion, she/he is sent back to the starting line.
4. The goal is to be the first to reach the caller
SHAKE VIRUS
The teacher will tell students they have a “virus” that starts to shake the foot, then works up through body, one
piece at a time, until it attacks the whole body.
SOUND BALL
1. Organize the students in a circle
2. One student begins by throwing an imaginary ball accompanied by a sound of their choice to
another person in the circle. That person has to then "catch" the ball with the same sound that
was thrown to them.
3. Then they throw it to someone else with a new sound.

4. Continue around the circle until every student has “caught” the ball
5. As the students get used to the game, challenge them by allowing only 2 seconds to send the
sound on, by being as loud as possible, by incorporating the way in which they throw the ball
with their sound, or not repeating any sound, etc.
STOPLIGHT (Kim Deprenger, 2013)

1. The teacher will organize the chairs in a circle, ensuring that there is one less chair than the
number of people. The teacher will remove a chair for each round.
2. Ask for a volunteer to be the "caller" who will call out Red, Yellow, or Green: Yellow means
"jump," green means "walk," and red means "sit."
3. When the caller calls a word, all of the students must get out of their seats and find new ones.
4. The "out" person (who couldn’t find a seat) has to sit out.
5. Once a few people are "out," they have to serve their "punishments," which requires students
to pick a small paper from a hat (or bag) and do what it says. It may say: "Tell us about your
family," or "Tell us about your dream job," etc. The questions can be adapted to match the
content of the course taught.
STEAL THE SPACE

1. The teacher will organize the students in a circle.
2. She/he will ask for one volunteer to sit in the middle of the circle.
3. The objective of the students in the circle is to make eye contact with someone on the other
side of the circle and switch places with them safely.
4. The objective of the person in the middle is to get out of the middle and into the circle, trying to
“steal” the spaces left by people on the outside.
TILT
1. The teacher will organize students to form two lines of the same number of people, facing each
other on opposite sides of the room.
2. Tell each line to count numbers from 1 on up. The numbering off should begin at opposite ends
of the two lines (there will be two number one’s, two’s, three’s, etc.)
3. The teacher will place an object in the middle of the space and explain to the group that they
are standing on the edge of a plate and the object is the center point of the plate. The object of
the game is to keep the plate from tilting out of balance and crashing off of its center point.
4. Call #1 from one of the lines and when he/she steps onto the imagined plate, the #1 from the
other line has to step out and move to balance the plate. The person who is called first is the
teacher of the pair.
5. Each pair has to keep a straight line between themselves and the object in the center point at
all times.
6. Next, call out all of the numbers until everyone is playing at once. The teachers are all from the
same line until you call to switch teachers.
7. You can switch teachers often and have the group play with varying speeds and different ways
of moving. This is a silent game.
WEST SIDE STORY

1. The teacher will divide the students into two even groups. She/he will organize the students to
stand in two lines facing each other, about 10 feet apart.
2. Tell each line to count numbers from 1 on up. The numbering off should begin at opposite ends
of the two lines (there will be two number one’s, two’s, three’s, etc.)
3. Explain the objective: Each team tries to advance on the other “gang” and push them back by
“topping” them with sound and motion.
4. To begin, player #1 of one team, who starts a sound and motion, makes sure the rest of the
team understands, and starts advancing forward.
5. Before they get too close, player #1 of the second gang starts a sound and motion to stop
them.
6. The game continues in this way, moving down the numbers so the teachers are always
switching.
6. CONCENTRATION EXERCISES
LIGHTNING CLAP GAME
Everyone stands in a circle and the first person starts out by turning to the person next to him/her and
clapping. The clap continues around the circle until eventually the clap goes very fast and it almost
looks like lightning.
NUMBERS
1. The teacher tells the students they need to count from one to ten following these rules:
• Only one person can speak at a time
• Only one number can be spoken at a time
• Each person may only provide one number
2. If any of these rules are broken, the game starts again at number one. The teacher gives the
students time to work and try to achieve the goal.
PLEASE / NO
1. Two people stand across the room from each other.
2. The teacher will give them two different scenarios:
• Person "A" may only use the word "Please" in order to get person "B" to give him/her what
he/she wants.
• Person "B" may only use the word "no" unless person "A" uses the correct approach to get
"B" to give him/her what he/she wants.
POINT AND GO
1. The teacher will organize students in a large circle.
2. The teacher will start by pointing at someone in the circle.
3. The person will respond with "Yes" (No or Maybe are not allowed).
4. The teacher will move to take the place of the person who said yes. At the same time, the "Yes"
person will point at someone else and wait for a “Yes”, and upon receiving a “yes,” will move to a new
space.
5. The pointing person will have the focus of everyone in the circle and will look for permission to take
someone else’s space. The game will continue until everyone has changed places.
RED BALL/YELLOW BALL

1. The teacher will organize the students to stand in a circle
2. She/he will throw an imaginary ball to someone in the circle using the following format: (call a
name of someone in the circle) “Mohamed! Red Ball!” (Throw ball). Catcher calls “Red ball,
thank you.” And calls/throws to a new person, using the same format.
3. The teacher will introduce more imaginary balls of different colors. The object is for students to
remain focused on what color ball they have, or what is coming their way.
SEVEN IN A ROW
1. The teacher will ask for seven volunteers. She will give each student a number and tell them to
line up according to their numbers
2. Then she will take the seven students out of the room and change their numbers.
3. Bring the students back into the room and ask the rest of the class to put them back in the
correct order.
SHEEP AND SHEPHERDS

1. The teacher should organize the classroom so that there is one chair for every two students
(remove half of the chairs from the space)
2. Tell the students to each find a partner.
3. Clear space and find one chair per partner to arrange in circle. Designate which student will be
“A” and which student will be “B.” A will stand behind B, who will sit in the chair. A’s are
shepherds and B’s are sheep.
4. One student will be without a partner, as a shepherd, standing behind an empty chair.
5. The single shepherd tries to get a sheep to move to his/her chair by signaling to them (via a
“look” or “wink”).
6. The sheep will try to escape from their shepherds and run across the circle to the new chair.
7. The shepherds will keep their sheep by tagging them (GENTLY) before they can make it out of
the chair.
8. If the sheep are tagged, they cannot move. If a shepherd loses a sheep, the game resumes
and s/he tries to attract another.
THREE THINGS
1. Organize students in partners. The teacher will tell the partners to stand and face each other
2. Then the teacher will tell students to turn around, facing away from their partners (so that they
are not looking at each other)
3. Now tell each partner to “change” three things about their physical appearance (i.e. take off
their glasses, put their watch on the other wrist, remove one shoe, etc.)
4. Tell the students to turn around and face each other, guessing what has been changed
ZIP-ZAP-ZOP
Everyone stands in a circle. Someone begins by saying, "Zip" as they direct their hand towards
another player. The next player repeats the action to a third person saying, "Zap." The third person
points to a fourth player saying, “Zop.” The fourth person looks at a new person, saying, “Zip.” Zip-zap-
zop continues around the circle.
7. TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES
BLINDFOLD
Objective: To be able to identify members of your group simply by using the senses. Also, it is a test to
see how well the group knows each other, without using sight.
1. One person is chosen to be blindfolded and stands in the middle of the room. The student must
be blindfolded at all times, until he correctly identifies the tagged person.
2. The rest of the students move around the room and try not to be “tagged” by the blindfolded
person
3. If the blindfolded person tags or touches a member of the group, the tagged person must stand
close and wait for the blindfolded person to correctly identify him or her
4. If the blindfolded person is incorrect, the student must continue participating in the game. If the
blindfolded person is correct, the tagged person must then become the blindfolded person in
the middle of the room
BODY LANGUAGE
This is really fun, but hard to introduce, especially to students you have not been working with for a
long time. The point is for the students to see how they feel when their bodies are in different shapes.
1. Make everyone count off by twos. Explain the situation to them while they are still sitting and
before you tell them to do anything.
2. They are at a party. The point is to have a short conversation with everyone. However, ones
have to look everyone in the eye a nd twos have to look at the floor only.
3. Ask several times if everyone understands. Make them tell you what they are going to do just
to be absolutely sure.
4. Tell them to stand up and go when you clap your hands, and that when you clap them the
second time that means stop and sit down.
5. Clap your hands.
6. Watch carefully. After about 5 minutes, clap your hands. Ask what everyone noticed. Hopefully,
the two will say that they had a hard time feeling confident and they did not want to talk if they
could not look at anyone in the face. The ones will say how frustrating and impossible it is to
talk to someone who will not look at them. Probably the two groups will have separated
themselves from each other. The ones will end up talking and laughing with each other while
the twos stand in the corner and look uncomfortable.
7. Do this twice more, switching ones and twos each time.
8. You can discuss what it means to be able to look people in the eye, and how it feels for each
one.
9. Note that you do not tell people that it is always better to make eye contact. People get shot for
doing that. However, this is a pretty amazing exercise because the difference in the way
people feel is remarkable and everyone should quickly pick it up.
CIRCLE HEIGHT
Everyone moves around in the space with his or her eyes closed. The teacher says, “freeze.” When
she/he says, “go,” each student begins searching and places themselves according to height in a
circle with the shorter person on the left and the taller on the right. When a student believes that they
have found their place in the circle they should keep hold of each person’s hand. Ultimately, the tallest
person in the group should end up with the shortest person in the group on the right. This is a silent
game.
CIRCLE OF KNEES
1. This activity can be done in two groups, with one group for females and another group for
males. It is best to do it in a large space.
2. The teacher will tell all students to stand in a circle
3. Then she/he will tell students to all face the same direction so that each student is looking at
the back of the person in front of them
4. Then tell students to take one step closer to the person so that the circle is close
5. Now tell students to slowly “sit down” so that they are “sitting” on the knees of the person sitting
behind them
6. If it doesn’t “work” the first time, ask the group to try again
7. For an additional challenge, instruct them to try to walk/move. Chaos will ensue!
DESIGNATED TEACHER
1. Organize the students into a few “circles” of students
2. Tell the students to face inward and stare at each other without saying a word. Then instruct
them to close their eyes
3. The teacher will walk around each circle more than once. As the teacher does this, the teacher
announces in a loud voice that she/he is walking around the circle and tapping someone on the
shoulder (and that the talking is to cover any perception of tapping the shoulder). The teacher
will “tap” one student on the shoulder.
4. Now tell the students to open their eyes. Still without talking, try to see who was tapped: Who is
the designated teacher. Of course, one person is "lying" with their look.
5. They know they are the one who was chosen, and they are pretending to look for the
designated teacher.
6. Next, the teacher will ask everyone to raise his or her right arms with a pointing finger extended
to the sky. Then the teacher will explain that, on her/his signal, everyone will to bring down their
finger and point at the person they believe to be the teacher. But they are to remain absolutely
silent as they do this.
7. The amazing thing, the teacher explains, is how much agreement there always is within the
groups.
8. After this is completed, and each group has chosen a teacher, the teacher explains that the
second round will be much like the first -- the reason for doing it is the second round always
gets compared to the first.
9. Everyone stays in their circles, shuts their eyes, and the teacher walks around the circles giving
a similar speech as the first round. Again, the students stare at each other and attempt to
determine a teacher for about two minutes.
10. Again, the teacher asks them to raise their arms, and then bring them down to select a teacher.
Again, they remain silent through and after this.
11. When this is completed the teacher brings everyone into a circle. The teacher directs the
attention of the group to the first round. People are instructed not to speak about who the
teacher "really" was -- but to talk about who they chose as the teacher, and why. It does not
matter who the teacher chose.
12. For this exercise, it is explained, it only matters who the group chooses. Then the group talks
about who they chose in the second round. After this, people get back into their circles. They
are told that the person who was tapped the second time is going to raise their hand, very
quickly, and then quickly put it back down.
13. They are instructed that they want to be the first to see this person do it, so they should lean
back a little and open their eyes as wide as possible. The teacher says, "Go!" and everyone
raises their hands. Everyone laughs. Next the teacher says that we are going to do the same
thing for the first round. People get in to a circle and lean back. The teacher says, "Go!" and no
one raises their hand. Conversation ensues.
HODADADADADADA….
The students are divided into 2 teams and stand on both sides of a line.
1. A person from team 1 runs into the field of team 2, while shouting: “Hodadadadada….” – in one
breath!
2. He has to touch as many people as possible and return to his own team. If he looses breath
before returning, then he is a part of the other team.
3. Team 2 has to try to stop him from returning, by making a “human wall”. They can stand in his
way, but their arms have to hang down an d they cannot reach out and grab him.
4. If he returns safely, all the people who were touched moves to team 1. Then it is team 2’s turn.
HUMAN KNOT
1. Everyone stands in a circle, close enough that shoulders almost touch.
2. People reach into the middle and each person takes the hands of two other people, making
sure that left hands grab left hands and right hands grab right. Then the fun begins.
3. The group tries to "untie" this knot by having people duck under, step over and slide between
each other's arms.
4. Every person has to keep contact with his or her original arms at all times.
5. The goal is to get everyone standing in a circle with their arms extended toward each other
(e.g., with no ties left in the knot).
6. It really is possible to untie the knot--but much bodily contact, laughter, and patience are
required.
MINEFIELD
1. The teacher will set up a “minefield” of safe objects in the middle of the room, such as: Chairs,
books, crayons, etc.
2. She/he will select a volunteer and tell him/her to close his/her eyes.
3. The group, only using their voices, will attempt to lead the “blind” volunteer through the
minefield to a designated point across the room, without stepping on anything. If the “blind”
student steps on one of the objects, BOOM, they are dead.
4. The voices leading the blind cannot talk to one another and they cannot designate one
speaker.
5. They cannot call the blind by name or call each other by name.
PRUI
This game will need a large space without any furniture (You can move the desks out of the way to the
walls of the classroom).
1. Instruct the students to close their eyes and keep them closed until the end of the game.
2. The teacher will secretly select one person to stand still and keep his/her eyes open. That
person is “Prui” (proo-ee), and must remain silent.
3. Instruct the other students to close their eyes and move carefully around the room, quietly
calling “Prui.”
4. When they meet up with someone they must shake hands and ask, “Prui?” If that person
answers, “Prui”, they must continue their search. When they contact the real “Prui”, they are
met with silence. They then stay connected. They may open their eyes but must remain silent.
5. After a few students join “Prui”, the room will become more quiet as fewer and fewer students
are calling “Prui”
6. Finally, only one or two voices are calling “Prui.”
7. After the game is over, talk to the last students who joined “Prui.” How did they feel?
SHOE GAME
1. Everybody has to have a pair of shoes. Put all of them in a big pile and tell people to get a right
and a left shoe.
2. They shouldn’t be their own and they should be different.
3. Tell the students to wear the shoes as best as they can.
4. Now they have to form a line with the shoes – this is done without talking.
5. A match is when a person has a left shoe and the person on the left has the same right shoe.
6. This means, that people will stand with the legs crossed together with their partners on both
sides.
TEAM VACATION
1. Provide each team with a stack of index cards (different sizes in each stack are best).
2. Challenge each team to be as effective a group as possible by constructing a three-
dimensional model of a "vacation house," using only the index cards.
3. Folding and tearing the cards are permitted, but no other supplies can be used for the
construction.
4. Encourage teams to plan their houses before they begin to construct them.
5. Provide markers so that the teams can draw on the cards and decorate the house as they see
fit.
6. Allow at least 15 minutes for the construction. Do not rush or pressure the teams. When the
constructions are finished, invite the class to take a tour of the vacation houses.
7. Visit each construction and request that team members show off their work and explain any
intricacies of their houses.
WHAT IS YOUR COMFORT LEVEL?

This game allows the teacher to see the comfort level and prior knowledge of the students in the class.
1. Write a list of concerns that students have in a foreign language classroom, or grammar topics
to be studied in the course.
2. Write one of these phrases on one piece of paper: No problem, almost no problems, some
problems, and many problems. Place one paper in each corner of the room
3. Read the topic and instruct students to move to the corner of the room that best describes their
views. The teacher can keep track of how many students are in each corner.
Variations:
• Instead of using the corners, tape lines on the floor and have the students move to the section,
take a written survey, make tally marks on the board, raise their hands or use counters and a
piece of butcher paper.
8. VOCABULARY-BUILDING ACTIVITIES
BINGO
1. This game can be used to review vocabulary, teach letters, numbers, or almost anything else.
2. The teacher will write a grid on the board (25 spaces). Each square in the grid will have one
word (you can also use letters, numbers, or pictures). You can also ask students to write the
words in the squares.
3. The order of the words needs to be random so that each student has a different grid.
4. Here is an example:
Free
5. Cut the words from the chart into strips. Take the words out of a bag, one at a time, calling it
loudly. Tell students to place an “X” in the box when the word has been called (you can also
use stones, pieces of paper, or anything else “mark” the places of the words called).
6. The first student to get an X in five consecutive squares (in a line), calls out “BINGO”
7. The teacher will check to see that the student is correct
8. Once one student wins the boards are used for another round.
Variation: Irregular Verb Bingo- The teacher will call out the past (or past perfect) form of verbs, in
random order. If students have the verb on their card, they cross it out.
BLUFF (Talak-Kiryk, Amy. “Using Games In A Foreign Language Classroom. 2008.)

1. Divide the group into two teams.
2. The teacher will ask one team to define a vocabulary word.
3. Any student who knows the definition will stand up.
4. A student on the opposing team will select one of the students standing to translate.
5. If the student’s definition is correct, then one point for each person standing is awarded.
6. If the student’s definition is incorrect, then one point per person standing is deducted.
Variations:
• Pose a question to be answered instead of just translating a word.
• Have the student use the word in a sentence to define or explain the word.
Suggestions:
• Allow each student a turn at choosing a member of the opposing team.
• Don’t let them pick the same student two rounds in a row.
• Make sure that the words or questions are of similar difficulty per round.
• Set a limit for points, i.e. the first team to fifty wins.
• The teacher could pick a person to answer from the students standing
CHARADES
1. Divide the group into teams.
2. Students should be given a word or phrase to act out.
3. Other players guess the word.
4. If their guess is correct, then they score a point.
5. Move to the next team, for the next actor.
Variations:
• Have the group play as individuals and the person who guesses the word is the next to act.
• Allow them to use props, or work in tandem as necessary.
CONCENTRATION (Buttner, Amy. Activities, Games, and Assessment Strategies for the Foreign
Language Classroom. Eye on Education: Larchmont, New York, 2007.)
1. Before class, the teacher will prepare 20-24 cards for each group of students. On each card,
write one phrasal verb and on another card write it’s definition. Here are some examples:
• Pick Out / Choose
• Put Off / Postpone
• Hold On / Wait
• Throw Away / Discard
2. Next, instruct the students to mix all the cards together and spread them out face down on the
table, like a grid. No cards should overlap and all cards should be visible.
3. The first student chooses two cards and shows them to the other students. If they match,
she/he keeps them. If they don’t match, he/she puts them back in the same place.
4. The next student continues. The students continue to play until all the cards are gone.
5. The student with the most pairs at the end is the winner.
Variations for either Slap! or Concentration

• Homophones (for example: so / sew, wear / where, ate / eight)
• Synonyms (for example: gift / present, pleased / glad, many / a lot)
• Present and simple verbs (for example: eat / ate, know / knew, speak / spoke)
• Words with the same vowel sounds (for example: bean / street, hi / buy, two / blue)
• Words with the same stress (for example: enjoy / repeat, happy / prayer)
• Words and prefixes (for example: im- / possible, dis- / regard, un- / happy)
• Words that make compound nouns (for example: bus stop, rest room, gas station)
CROSSWORD PUZZLES
1. The teacher can prepare the crossword puzzle in advance and either write it on the board or
make photocopies to distribute to students (individually or in groups). The teacher can also
write a list of clues for students to solve in order to find the missing words.
2. The crossword puzzle will have words written horizontally and vertically, connected to each
other with common letters. The students will receive a blank puzzle, with spaces identified
where the words are missing. The students identify the correct words by answering “clues”
about the words, which can be definitions or synonyms, etc. Here is an example:
Clues:
a. You make it with tea and sugar
b. You often eat it for dinner with spaghetti
c. It is the name of the first meal of the day
3. Tell the students to write the correct words in the spaces provided. They can cross the clues off
from the list when they find the words and continue until all of the spaces are filled.
4. These words can also form a jumbled (mixed-up) sentence that the students need to
unscramble.
DESCRIBE AND DRAW A PICTURE

1. Organize the students to work in pairs or small groups
2. One member of the pair/group should have a blank piece of paper and pen
3. The other member should be given a picture to describe (the teacher will need to make the
copies of these pictures in advance)
4. The partner with the picture then starts to describe it to his/her partner. All the while, either
member can ask or give clarifying information based on how the description is going.
Variations:
• The students can write a description of something they are familiar with as the basis for their
drawing. For example, a person in their family, their best friend, their bedroom, a room in their
house, an item in the school, etc.
• Hang all the drawings up on the board and ask the students questions. For example, where
can you find a …, who uses a ..., what can you find near a ….
• This activity could be used, for example, for a lesson about giving directions
DICTIONARY SCAVENGER HUNT

For this activity, each group needs a dictionary and a list of words that they need to define. Give each
group 30 minutes to find the words on the list. The group with the most correct definitions at the end of
the game wins.
DICTOGLOSS
1. The teacher will choose a text that is more than one paragraph that can be easily understood
(Excerpts of songs, such as Three Little Birds by Bob Marley or World’s Greatest by R. Kelly,
could also be used as texts. Speeches, such as excerpts from MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech
could also be used.)
2. Read the text aloud (or play the song) at normal speed. Tell the students to listen.
3. Read the first line (or play the song) and stop. Instruct students to try to write down notes about
what they listened to. Explain that they don’t need to write down the exact words or worry
about grammar.
4. Continue reading (playing) the text, line by line until the end of the text.
5. Tell students to work in pairs to use their notes to reconstruct the text.
6. Two pairs can work with another pair to form a small group to finalize the texts
7. Groups can read/perform their versions of the original text to the entire class.
FILL IN THE BLANK

1. The teacher will read a sentence and ask students to repeat the sentence and fill in the blank,
for example, "My life has never been the same since ____"
2. Then students can share their answers with the student sitting next to them
3. Then the teacher reads another question, such as, "You wouldn't know this just by looking at
me, but___". The student can “share” this answer with the person sitting in front of them
4. The “game” can continue as the students “share” the answers with different students sitting
near them.
FOUR SYMBOLS (Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)

1. The students will draw a design that includes four squares
2. The teacher asks four questions and tells students draw a symbol in each square to represent
their answer to the question.
3. In groups of two or four, the students will ask each other about the symbols and explain their
answers to the questions.
4. Form new groups and repeat the discussion to increase fluency.
Possible questions:
• What is a decision, large or small, that you made this week?
• What is a complement you received this week?
• What did you do this week to help someone else?

• What is something you have never done?
• What country would you like to visit and why?
• Where do you hope to be in 2020?
FREE ASSOCIATIONS
Helps work the right brain and works best when students don't think!
1. Organize students into a large circle
2. One person looks at someone else in the group and begins with saying one word "e.g. lunch "
3. That person responds by looking at someone else saying the word they think of in reaction to
that word "e.g. salad".
4. Repeat until the theme has escalated to a satisfying point or come full circle.
GOING TO… (Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)

1. The teacher will pick a city (capital city of the country where she/he teaches)
2. She/he will draw a cartoon of a happy family on the board and ask students to work in small
groups to brainstorm possible reasons why they think the family is happy to leave the village to
go to the city.
3. Then the teacher will change the pictures to make the faces on the family sad. She/he will ask
students to brainstorm possible reasons why the family is unhappy seven years later and want
to return to the village.
HANG MAN
1. The teacher will think of one word and write the blank space ____ for each letter. She/he will
not tell the students the word he/she is thinking of.
2. She/he will ask students to provide a letter to fill-in-the blank space in order to spell the word.
3. If the students guess correctly, she/he will fill in the blank space with the correct word.
4. If the students guess incorrectly, she/he will write the letter on the board and draw a head.
5. Continue with another letter and if the letter is incorrect add a body to the head, etc.
6. Continue the game until either the word is guessed correctly, written on the board, or the man
is complete (head, arms, legs, feet, hands, face, hat, etc.).
HUMAN SENTENCES
1. Write a series of sentences that fit into what you are teaching and write each word in a different
index card. Make a set of cards for each g roup.
2. Distribute the cards to each group of students in an envelope and tell them to put the words in
order. Ask the students to stand up in the order of the sentences to share with the class.
3. Together the group’s sentences can tell a story.
4. You can make it a challenge by asking which group can make their correct sentence the most
quickly.
JEOPARDY
1. The teacher will write questions for four or five categories in advance. The questions may be
worth various point levels to coordinate to the difficulty level of the question.
2. Write the category headings and point values in rows and columns on the board:
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 Category 5

500 500 500 500 500
400 400 400 400 400
300 300 300 300 300
200 200 200 200 200
100 100 100 100 100
1. Divide the group into team and give each team a noise maker (or have them make up their
own “noise”
2. Explain the rules:

• Only the person with the noisemaker may answer.
• Students cannot “ring” in until the question is complete.
• Students have only one chance to answer a question.
• The noisemaker will be passed after each question is answered.
• The team that answered the last question correctly will pick the next clue.
Variations:
• Have all the questions worth the same value.
• Deduct points for incorrect answers.
• Allow teammates to help the student with the noisemaker.
• Have a Double Jeopardy round where questions are worth twice as many points.
• Create a “Final Jeopardy” round where students can wager their points to answer one
question.
JIGSAW GAP-FILL (Activate!: A Guide to Using Activities in Learning. Adapted from the Curriculum
Project, Dakar, Senegal. 2010.)
1. The teacher will select a text about the topic studied containing important information.
2. Create two different versions of the same text. Each version should contain gaps to fill in key
information but the gaps should be different in each text. For example, Text A h as the answers
for Text B and Text B h as the answers for Text A.
3. Organize the students to work in pairs and give each member of the pair a different text. Tell
the students to ask each other questions to fill in the gaps in their texts.
4. Here is an example:
Text A
Kofi Annan was Secretary General of the ________________. He is from Ghana, in
Africa. His name, Kofi, means _________________.
Text B
Kofi Annan was ______________ of the United Nations. He is from ____________, in
Africa. His name, Kofi, means “born on Friday.”
MADLIBS (Bohlke, David. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2010.)

1. In advance, the teacher will select a text and delete certain words
2. The teacher will ask students to provide words to fill in the blank spaces but without showing
them the text. The words needed will depend o n the text selected, for example a noun will be
replaced with a noun, etc. The number of words needed also depends on the number of words
deleted. For example: 1. A noun. 2. An adjective. 3. A place, etc.
3. Once students have listed a word for each blank space, provide them with the text and ask
them to write the #1 word in the #1 blank space, #2 word in the #2 space, etc. until there are no
more blank spaces.
4. Instruct students to take turns reading their “new” texts to each other. These new stories are
guaranteed to be funny.
MEMORY (Buttner, Amy. Activities, Games, and Assessment Strategies for the Foreign Language
Classroom. Eye on Education: Larchmont, New York, 2007.)
1. Create cards with a matching pairs of cards with a word on one card and its corresponding
picture on the other card (you can also ask students to make the cards as a separate class
activity). You will need one set of cards for each group of students.
2. Turn the cards face down, and rearrange them so that no pairs are near each other.
3. Each student takes a turn attempting to find the match.
4. When a match is made, then he or she gets to go again.
5. The student with the most pairs wins.
Variations:
• Tell the students to match questions and answers. The pairs could also be of opposites.
• Use the cards to play the card game “Go Fish.” In this game, students try to get as many pairs
of cards as possible. The student with the most pairs at the end of the game “wins.” The game
can be played in pairs or in small groups:
1. The cards are all placed in a pile on the desk
2. The students take turns picking a card, once cards are picked they remain in the hand of
the person who picked them
3. The student asks the rest of the group students ask someone else has a particular card, for
example, “does anyone have a dog?” and the person with the “matching” dog has to give it
to the student.
4. The students continue taking turns picking cards from the pile and asking their peers for a
“pair” until there are no more cards. The students count the number of “pairs” in their
hands.
ORAL GAP FILL (Activate!: A Guide to Using Activities in Learning. Adapted from the Curriculum
Project, Dakar, Senegal. 2010.)
1. The teacher will select a text and read it out loud to the students.
2. Instruct students to listen- do not provide a copy of the text for them to read
3. While reading the text, stop in the middle of a sentence to ask students to guess the next word;
this should be a word they are familiar with and can guess easily
4. When a student provides the correct word, continue reading the text.
5. Continue to the end of the text, stopping periodically for students to guess the next word.
PARAGRAPHS IN THE CORRECT ORDER (Activate!: A Guide to Using Activities in Learning.

Adapted from the Curriculum Project, Dakar, Senegal. 2010.)
1. The teacher will prepare a text with paragraphs in the wrong order
2. Make sure that there are strong clues in each paragraph to show which order it should be in
3. Instruct students to each read the text individually
4. Organize the students to work in small groups or pairs to put the paragraphs in the correct
order
5. Ask students to provide the order to confirm that all groups have the correct order.
PASS THE POTATO

1. The teacher will bring an item to pass around the class, perhaps a potato, doll, or football
2. Organize the students to sit, or arrange their desks, in a circle (if possible).
3. Give the potato to one of the students, who will pass it around the circle.
4. The student with the potato needs to name 5 items in a category before the potato makes it all
the way back around.
5. The teacher should say the category and then the potato should be passed.
6. If the potato makes it back before the student finishes the list, he or she should go again.
7. When the student finishes the list, the person with the potato is now “it.”
Variations:
• Have other students in the circle say a category, but if the potato makes it all the way around,
have him or her finish listing 5 items. If he or she can’t, then he/she gets the potato and the
other student’s turn is done.
• Share all the categories beforehand. Give the students time to brainstorm with a partner/ small
group.
• If 5 things weren’t named, solicit other possibilities from other students. Use the category again
in this game.
Sample categories (Or use the list from Scattergories):

• Sports that don’t use a ball
• Countries (or cities) that speak English
• Articles of clothing that you wear when it is cold
• Female family relations (sister, mother, aunt, etc.)

• Parts of the face/body
• Electronic devices (brands of phones?)
• Foods that are… (Yellow, green, kept refrigerated, used on sandwiches, etc.)
• Items that have wheels
• Languages or nationalities
• Prefixes or suffixes
• Types of music or literature
• Words that. …(Are 5 letters long, start and end with a vowel, are action verbs, etc.)
• Words associated with…(math, school, playing football, cooking, etc.)
PASS IT UP!
1. Prepare a series of questions or statements leaving a blank for the word you want students to
fill in
2. The blanks can be any type of word; but words that fit in with a certain category work best, for
example subject pronouns, possessive adjectives, verbs, etc.
3. Make a set of cards that includes an answer for each question
4. Divide students into teams by rows and pass out a set of cards to each team
5. Read the statement or question students must answer.
6. Once students determine the answer, one student either needs to run the card up to you at the
front or have students go back to their desks and pass the card up the row to the first student in
the row, who stands up with the card
7. The teacher will give a point to each team with a correct response, continue with the next round
PICTIONARY
1. Prepare a list of words on cards in advance
2. Divide the group into 2 teams
3. Students will take turns being the artist. Get as many different students to be the artist as
possible
4. The artist will receive a word or phrase to draw from the teacher
5. The artist must not use letters or numbers in his/her picture. Symbols are allowed.
6. Other players will attempt to guess the word from the drawing
7. If their guess is correct, then they score a point. If they can’t get the correct guess, let the other
team guess in order to steal the point.
8. Move to the next team, for the next artist.
POEMS
1. ACROSTIC:
The letters of the title of the poem are used to create the poem. This is a free form poem and has as
many lines as the title has letters. Here is an example:
Study
Teacher
Unity
Determined
English
Nation
Tea
Alternatively, ask students make simple poems for their names, for example:
Marvelous student
Outstanding brother
Hard-working son
Ambitious athlete
Marvelous cousin
Energetic
Dedicated boy
2. CONCRETE
This type of poetry is depicted in its shape and the language used. How the poem looks is as
important as its words. Ask the students to imagine ‘A Snake’ then construct a poem in the shape of a
snake, from the words they provide. Here is an example of a poem about a snake:
Snake
slippery
gliding
over grass
flicking tongue
forked shape
sliding
long black
no sound
gone.
Here is another example of a poem about leaves:

A
leaf
dark green
on the branch
very healthy
smooth
curled
dry
3. CINQUAIN:
This poem is five lines long with a certain number of syllables or words in each. Cinquain poems do
not rhyme. There are many ways to write cinquain poems. Here is an example of one cinquain pattern:
Line 1: Title - one word or two syllables
Line 2: Description or example of the title - 2 words or four syllables
Line 3: Action about the title - a 3 word phrase or six syllables
Line 4: a 4 word phrase de scribing a feeling about the title or 8 syllables
Line 5: Synonym for the title - one word - 2 syllables
For example:
Panther
Sleek, graceful
Running, hiding, emerging
Happy to be free
Cat
4. COUPLET
The easiest of the verse forms. It consists of two lines with an end rhyme. Here is an example:
Grandmother sits in her old chair.
She rocks and she rocks all day there.
5. DIAMONTE
For this poem the students will need to think of a subject and its opposite and then follow this format:
Line 1: One word (subject).
Line 2: Two adjectives describing the subject
Line 3: Three words ending in -ing telling about the subject
Line 4: Four words, the first two describe the subject and the last two describe its opposite
Line 5: Three words ending in -ing telling about the opposite

Line 6: Two adjectives describing the o pposite
Line 7: One word (opposite from the first line)
It should look like this:

Noun
Adjective, Adjective
Verb, Verb, Verb
Noun, Noun, Noun, Noun
Verb, Verb, Verb
Adjective, Adjective
Noun
Here is an example:
Cat
Gentle, Sleepy
Purring, Meowing, Scratching
Whiskers, Fur, Collar, Leash
Barking, Licking, Digging
Slobbery, Playful
Dog
6. HAIKU
A form of centuries old Japanese poetry that consists of seventeen syllables and generally has nature
as its subject or theme. Haiku poems have three only lines with the structure: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5
syllables. Here is an example:
A sudden spring storm
Family of ducks paddling
The deserted lake
Here is another example:

The recharging phone
Ringing loudly all day long
But never for me
7. TANKA
This is another form of Japanese poetry that consists of 31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7). The themes for
Tanka are love, nature, seasons, and friendship. Here is an example:
Wind blowing my face
Making my cheeks rosy red
It's biting my nose
And chilling through all my bones
It is pushing me along
8. WHERE I’M FROM

Students can write this poem by answering the questions below and then adding the line “I’m From” in
front of each line:
• List three objects in your room/house
• List three names of people in your family
• List two or three things that your family does every day
• List three kinds of food that you eat every day
• Describe the weather where you are from
• What are your favorite things to do?
Here is an example:
I am from Nouakchott
I am from books, television, and clothes
I am from cooking, sweeping, and sleeping
I am from couscous, meat, and sweet tea
I am from heat, sunshine, and dust
I am from football and listening to music
9. I REMEMBER
This poem is similar to the “Where I am from” poems in the sense that the teachers ask the students to
answer a series of questions and then add the phrase “I remember” in the beginning of each line. Here
is the basic structure:
Line 1: I remember … ________________
Line 2: I remember … ________________
Line 3: I remember … ________________
Line 4: And … ________________
Line 5: I remember … ________________
Line 6: I remember … ________________
Line 7: I remember … ________________
Line 8: Even … ________________
Line 9: I remember … ________________
Line 10: But my favorite memory is yet to come.
Here is an example:
I remember my first day of school
I remember I was scared of the teacher
I remember I wanted to go home
And even tried to run away
I remember my dad hit me
I remember my mom cried
I remember my teacher helped me
Even though I was still scared
I remember the day I loved school
But my favorite memory is yet to come
POSTERING
For this task, students will work in small groups to answer and discuss questions.
1. Before class, the teacher will write a series of questions, one question per piece of paper. The
questions should generate discussions, such as: What is your worst fear? What is your dream
job? What is one thing you haven’t tried yet but want to? The themes can vary from “get to
know you,” to deeper more thought provoking questions.
2. Then pass the papers (questions) around the class, instructing students to work in small
groups to answer the questions and discuss their responses in the group.
3. After a few minutes, the papers can be passed to the next group and another topic can be
discussed.
OBJECTIVE GAME
One person has to try and persuade the others to do whatever it is they want (drink a cup of tea, buy a
dress, etc.)
ONE WORD STORY

1. Teacher asks for 6 volunteers and announces to a group: "We are going to write a story that
has never been written before. What will the title be?"
2. Take whatever title, however non-sensible it may be
3. One person begins the story with the first word.
4. Each person in the group then takes a turn adding just ONE word to the story.
5. The game can be stopped whenever anyone believes the story to be complete.
PROVERBS
1. The teacher can follow the same steps above for proverbs.
2. Alternatively, the teacher can provide only the first half of the proverb and ask students to
complete the second half.
3. Another idea is to cut the words or phrases of the proverb intro strips and allow students to put
the words into the correct order so that the proverb makes sense.
4. Here are some sample proverbs:
• Don’t cry over spilt milk
• Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today
• Look before you leap
• Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
• Live and let live
• If the cap fits, wear it
• When in Rome, do as the Romans do
• If at first you don’t succeed, try again
• Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill
RIDDLES/ JOKES
1. The teacher will write the joke on one strip of paper and the answer to the joke on another strip.
There will need to be one joke/answer for each student (i.e. if you have 50 students you will
need 25 jokes).
2. Next, distribute one strip of paper to each student.
3. Then tell students to find their partners without showing anyone the papers.
4. Here are some sample jokes:
• Why is number six afraid? Because seven eight nine (seven ate nine)
• What did zero say to eight? Nice belt
• What did number 1 say to 7? Nice hair
• What letter of the alphabet has got lots of water? The C
• What gets wetter as it dries? A towel
• Which letter is not me? U
• What starts with the letter E, ends with the letter E and contains one letter? Envelope
• What begins with P, ends with E, and has thousands of letters? The post office
• What comes after “B” in the alphabet? The letter E
• What’s worse than finding a worm in an apple? Finding half a worm
SCATTEGORIES (Talak-Kiryk, Amy. “Using Games In A Foreign Language Classroom,” 2008.)

1. The teacher creates a list of themes and cuts the list into strips (to randomly pick from during
the game)
2. Tell students to write the numbers 1-10 in their copybooks three times
3. Organize students to work in groups of three or in pairs
4. Tell students they have 90 seconds to write down words that relate to a specific theme
5. When time is up, tell the students to read their lists
6. If another student has the same word, the word is crossed off all the lists
7. Words remaining score one point and students should keep track of the points for each round
Variations:
• Play with teams or individuals
• Give the starting letter that all of the words must begin with
• Have the students use the words in a sentence to receive the point
Suggestions:
• Determine if proper nouns are valid answers.
• Increase the difficulty of the theme to match the players’ ability level.
• If playing in teams, attempt to spread out the groups as much as possible to prevent answers
being overheard.
Possible themes:
• Adjectives to describe people
• Animals
• At the beach, desert, or market
• Celebrities or people from history (of the target culture)
• Clothing articles
• Colors, numbers, days, months, etc.
• Foods (fruits, vegetables, beverages, breakfast, dinner/lunch, etc)
• Greetings and farewells
• Hobbies and sports
• Items in a particular room (for example, kitchen)
• Modes of transportation
• Occupations/jobs
• Rooms in the house
• School subjects or school supplies
• Weather related words
SIDI SAYS (SIMON SAYS)

1. Ask all students to stand
• Tell the students that “Sidi” is responsible for telling the others what to do. For example, “Put
your hand on your nose”, “put your hand on your knee,” etc. Actions can also be used such as,
“stand up.” “Raise your left hand,” etc.
• The teacher should be the first Sidi to model appropriate commands, then students can take
turns to be Sidi
2. Tell students to only follow commands that are preceded by “Sidi says,” should be followed.
Students that do not follow the command should sit and are out of the game.
3. When Sidi gives a command that is not preceded by “Sidi Says,” it should not be followed.
Students that follow these commands should sit and are out of the game.
4. The last student standing is the winner and has the option of being the next “Sidi.”
SLAP! (Bohlke, David. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2010.)

1. Before class, the teacher will prepare 20-24 cards for each group of students. Write one word
on each card and the opposite of the word on another card. Here are some examples:
• Hot / Cold • Right / Wrong
• Easy / Difficult • Yes / No
• Big / Small • Thick / Thin
• High / Low • Tight / Loose
• Tall / Short • Light / Dark
• Slow / Fast • Late / Early
2. Instruct the students to divide the cards into two piles with the words facing down on the desk.
Place the opposite words in different piles. Mix up the cards in each pile.
3. Instruct the students to take turns turning over two cards, one from each pile. If the two cards
that are turned are opposites, students slap the table. The first person to slap the table takes
the two cards and keeps them. Continue until all cards are face up .
4. After one round, mix the cards, keeping the two piles separate. Continue to play until all the
cards are gone.
5. The student with the most pairs at the end is the winner.
SPARKLE (Buttner, Amy. Activities, Games, and Assessment Strategies for the Foreign Language
Classroom. Eye on Education: Larchmont, New York, 2007.)
1. Have all the students line up or stand in a circle in the front of the room.
2. The teacher says a word in the target language.
3. The students should spell the word. One person says one letter until the word is complete.
4. The next student should say, “sparkle” to indicate that the word is complete.
5. A new word is given and the spelling starts with the next student.
Variations:
• Have someone write down the letters that are being spelled to reinforce visual learning.
• If the word is spelled incorrectly, have the student who said the wrong letter sit down.
• If the word is spelled correctly, have the student after the student who says “sparkle” sit down.
• Have each person say a word to make a sentence that incorporates the word the teacher said
initially.
• Divide the class into two teams to see who can correctly spell the most words.
SUPERSTITIONS
Follow some of the activities listed above (Proverbs & Jokes) for superstitions. Use these superstitions
or ask students to generate a list of their own. Here are some examples:
• If you walk under a ladder you will have bad luck
• If you break a mirror you will have bad luck for seven years
• If a black cat crosses your path you will have good luck
• If you scratch your left hand you will give money away
• If you see a small spider you will give money away
• If you touch wood your good luck will continue
TABOO (Bohlke, David. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2010.)

1. In advance, the teacher will prepare at least 30 cards for each group of four students. Write on
each card an underlined word and four words written below it. For example:
House Banana Sleep Funny
Home Fruit Bed Laugh
Sleep Yellow Night Joke
Building Eat Dream Comedy
Tent Monkey Wake up Sketch
2. Divide the students into two groups (Team 1 and Team 2). Students will work in pairs to win
point for their teams. Each group will need a designated “time keeper.” The time limit for each
card is 30 seconds (or one minute).
3. The students will put all of the cards “face down” on the table.
4. A player from Team 1 will take one card. She/he must try to get a partner to say the underlined
word BUT she/he cannot use the words written on the card to describe it. If she/he says one of
the words by accident, Team 2 gets the card (give the card to Team 2). If she/he successfully
gets her/his partner to say the word, Team 1 keeps the
5. While the players are trying to get their partners to guess the word, the players from the other
team are judges to make sure that the others words are not said.
6. If the students are unable to describe and say the word, the card is ‘dead” and no one gets it.
Continue to play.
7. The team with the most cards at the end wins.
8. Additional rules:
• You can’t use any gestures or sounds (only words).
• You can’t use any other language (only English).
• You can’t say a version of another word. For example, if you can’t use ‘wake up’ in your
description, you can’t say ‘woke up or ‘awake’.
• If you break any of these rules the other team gets the card!
TRUE AND FALSE CHAIRS (Activate!: A Guide to Using Activities in Learning. Adapted from the
Curriculum Project, Dakar, Senegal. 2010.)
1. In advance, the teacher will prepare True/False statements. For example:
a. New York is the capital of the United States
b. There are 18 chairs in the classroom
2. Place two chairs in front of the class and write “True” on one chair and “False” on the other
3. Divide the class into two teams (A and B) and organize the two teams in two lines a few meters
away from the two chairs
4. Read a statement and tell the students that the first student in line for groups A and B will have
to quickly decide if the statement is true or false and run to be the first to sit in the True or False
chair. The team who sits in the correct chair first, wins a p oint.
5. Continue reading statements until the game is over. The team with the most points wins.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

1. Students organize themselves into two straight lines (A and B), facing each other.
2. One person from Line A begins demonstrating an activity without speaking, for example,
directing traffic
3. One person from Line B asks, "What are you doing?"
4. The person acting responds with something other than what they were doing. For example:
“Playing bad game of basketball”
5. The person who asked, "What are you doing?" starts acting from that prompt.
6. The next person from Line A asks, "What are you doing?"
7. Continue with the interchange between Lines A and B, until one person is left standing.
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

1. The teacher will distribute a small piece of paper to each student
2. She/he will tell each student to write a very detailed description of something that they are
wearing.
3. Then she/he will collect the pieces of paper from one half of the students (Side A) and put them
in a bag (Bag A). After she/he will collect the pieces from the other half of the class (Side B)
and put them in a d ifferent bag (Bag B).
4. The teacher will ask each person from Side B to draw a piece of paper from Bag A.
5. Next, the teacher will tell the students to find the person described on the paper and sit down
next to each other
6. Both people take turns asking and answering the questions about each other (See below).
When time is up, the teacher repeats the process by having students from Side A draw a piece
of paper from Bag B.
7. The teacher will choose questions for students to answer. Here are some examples:
• What is your name?
• Who is your favorite singer?
• What kind of movies do you like to watch?
• Who is your favorite football player?
WHAT’S IN THE BAG?

1. The teacher will create a bag of objects. Students must not be able to see into the bag.
2. Students take turns putting their hands into the bag to see what they have touched. The
students then try to guess what the object is, asking, “is it a ___?”
3. If they are correct, they can take it out of the bag and get a point for their team.
4. As a follow-up activity, ask students to write sentences about the objects in the bag.
Variation: Write the names of objects on cards and put them in the bag. When the students guess the
object, give them the card. The team with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
WORD RACE GAME

1. Prepare a list of various combinations of letters before the game
2. Divide the students into groups of four
3. Write the random letter combinations on the board for that round
4. Ask students to write as many words as they can, using only those letters
5. One person should record the words for each group
6. One student from each team will report to the class their words and the other students cross
the words off if they have already been stated
7. Each team earns one point for any word that is not crossed off
WORD SEARCH
1. The teacher can prepare the word search in advance and either write it on the board or make
photocopies to distribute to students. The teacher can also write a list of the words used.
2. Make a grid with hundreds of letters.
3. Words will be hidden inside the letters, written horizontally and vertically (can also be
backwards and diagonally). Here is an e xample of a puzzle with the words “school” and “learn”:
s o c k l e n s
c t h ae w z r
h x o c a i n q
o c a s r s I h
o d h r n h k v
l o v e f i h o
4. The students should circle the words when they find them. They can cross the words off from
the list when they find them and continue until all of the words are found.
5. These words can also form a jumbled (mixed-up) sentence that the students need to
unscramble. For example, the words in the puzzle above spell: “We love to learn in school.”
The task can be completed individually or in small groups.
YES, AND . . .
1. Two people start a scene
2. One person makes a statement.
3. The other person says “Yes, and...” and adds to that statement. For example: A: You have a
blue shirt on. B: Yes, and you gave it to me for my birthday. A. Yes, and it was a wonderful
party…
9. GRAMMAR GAMES
ANAGRAMS
Choose several vocabulary words from the text and scramble them. Students will compete to
unscramble the words.
APPLES TO APPLES (Buttner, Amy. Activities, Games, and Assessment Strategies for the Foreign
1. The teacher will prepare two sets of cards, one set of adjective cards and one set of noun
cards for each group of students (ideally on two different colors of paper)
2. Organize the students into groups of 3-8 players
3. Give students the cards and direct them to leave the adjectives cards on the table
4. Students can take turns being the judge and the student judge cannot participate in the round
5. The judge for the first round begins by dealing out five noun cards to each player
6. Then the judge flips over a card from the adjective stack
7. The players then pick the best noun in their hand to match the adjective on the table
8. Each player puts down a noun
9. The judge chooses the best noun and awards a point and the adjective card to that person
10. The next round continues with the person to the judge’s left becoming the new judge and
dealing a noun to each p layer
11. The game continues as long as desired. The player with the most adjective cards at the end of
the game wins.
12. Here are some ideas for topics:
• Noun-adjective pairings with professions and characteristic adjectives
• Noun-adjective pairings with objects and adjectives that describe the size, age, quality, the
way an object feels, etc.
• Subject-infinitive combinations using verbs in a particular tense and a variety of interesting
subjects
CONNECT FOUR (Buttner, Amy. Activities, Games, and Assessment Strategies for the Foreign
1. The teacher will prepare a grid that is six rows wide and five columns tall in advance
2. The object of the game is to be the first to get four correct answers marked in a column, row, or
in a diagonal line
3. Students should try to strategize to block the other team from connecting four in a row
4. To play with the entire class, divide the students into two teams and draw the grid on the board.
Have two color markers, one for each team.
5. The students must start at the bottom of the grid and work their way up as if stacking building
blocks. For example, to practice verb conjugation write the subject in the vertical line has the
subject and verbs to be conjugated on the horizontal line:
To know To believe To drink To write To live

I
You
He
We
They
You all
Definition
6. The first team reads a subject and a verb from the grid and then conjugates it. The teacher
writes the conjugation in the corresponding space in the team’s color.
Variations: Change the focus of the lesson by using an y vocabulary, grammar, or topic, such as:
• Form basic yes and no questions with the subject and verb
• Practice noun-adjective agreement with gender and number by putting a noun in the rows
and an adjective in the columns
• Practice possessive adjective and noun agreement
• Form a sentence by putting a subject pronoun and an infinitive in the row and place in the
columns. Students have to conjugate the verb and connect the place to the sentence with a
logical preposition
FINDING WORDS IN A WORD (Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)
1. The teacher will organize the students into small groups
2. She/he will write a long English word on the board and hold a competition to see which team
can make the most English words using only the letters in the long word. For example, if the
long word has one ‘t,’ words with two ‘t’s are not allowed, but it is OK to use ‘t’ in different words.
If the teacher provided the word ‘valentine,’ students could make both ‘tin’ and ‘tale’ but not
’tent.’
3. The team with the most number of words wins
HAVE YOU EVER. . . ? (Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)
1. The teacher will write on the board a list of questions that follow the pattern, “Have you ever…”
for example, “Have you ever eaten a pizza?”
2. He/she will instruct students to work in pairs and answer either “No, I haven’t” or “Yes, I have”
for each question. If the student writes the answer “Yes, I have” he will write when she/he did
so, using simple past tense.
3. Afterwards, the students can write their own “Have you ever. . .” questions to ask a partner.
4. Here are some more examples:
• Have you ever visited another country?
• Have you ever milked a cow?
• Have you ever ridden a bicycle?
• Have you ever gone fishing?
• Have you ever made tea?
LISTENING GRIDS ( Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)

1. The teacher will direct each student to draw a grid on a piece of paper, small for beginners,
larger for more advanced learners.
2. Next, the teacher will give directions for completing the grid.
3. The students will write the directions in grid, for example:
• In the top row, next to the left column, draw a pen.
• In the bottom row, right column, put a question mark.
• In the next to the top row, next to the left column, put a minus sign.
MIMING SENTENCES WITH ADVERBS (Ur, Penny. Grammar Practice Activities. Cambridge
Handbooks for Language Teachers Series: Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, U.K., 2011.)
1. Before class, the teacher will write two sets of words on cards. One set will have manner
adverbs on them and the other set will have actions that can be mimed (acted out). Here are
some examples:
Adverbs Actions
Slowly
• Turn on a television
•
Happily
• Ride a camel
•
Nervously
• Drink a cup of tea
•
Heavily
• Climb a tree
•
Angrily
• Put on a shirt
•
Lovingly
• Brush your teeth
•
Gently
• Catch a ball
•
Violently
• Check Facebook
•
2. The teacher will invite students to come to the front of class and select two cards, one from
each set of cards
3. The student will have to act out the combination of cards together while the rest of the class will
try to guess what was written on the two cards. The students will have to state their guesses in
complete sentences.
4. The teacher could also make multiple sets of cards for students to do this activity in small
groups.
MINIMAL PAIR RESPONSES (Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)
1. The teacher will choose pairs of sounds/words that cause trouble for the students and create
sentences that differ only in one sound.
2. The students will work in pairs to take turns choosing a sentence to read aloud.
3. The partner will respond to the sentence she/he heard. If the response doesn’t match the
sentence, the students will practice again. Here are some example sentences:
Student A Student B
I need a pen.
• Oh, for writing?
I need a pin.
• Oh, for sewing?
I need a pan.
• Oh, for cooking?
• It’s a ship. Yes, on the ocean.
It’s a sheep.
• Yes, in the flock.
MY NEIGHBOR’S CAMEL ( Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)

Write, “My neighbor’s camel is an awful camel.” Students try to think of adjectives to describe the camel
beginning with each letter of the alphabet. For a shorter game, name the owner of the animal and find
adjectives for each letter of the owner’s name.
Awful camel
Beautiful camel
Cute camel
THE POLICE REPORT (Ur, Penny. Grammar Practice Activities. Cambridge Handbooks for Language
Teachers Series: Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, U.K. 2011.)
1. The teacher will create a list of accidents and minor crimes and writes each one on a piece of
paper.
2. Half of the students will be witnesses. The teacher will give each witness a slip of paper.
3. The teacher will create a “report form” and write it on the chalkboard.
4. One-fourth of the students will be police officers and one-fourth will be journalists.
5. Each witness must be interviewed by a police officer and by a journalist, who use the report
form to get the information they need.
6. The witnesses use their imaginations to describe the crime or accident.
7. Good items for the report form are:
a. Date/time/place
b. A description of people/ vehicles/ animals involved
c. A description of what happened
d. The name and phone number of the witness.
8. To expand the activity, students could be asked to write a newspaper report, a police report, or
a letter to a friend telling about the accident or crime.
RUNNING DICTATION (Bohlke, David. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2010.)

1. In advance, the teacher will select a text with 8-12 sentences. Write the text on a paper,
separating the individual sentences.
2. Cut the paper intro strips with one sentence per paper. Tape the strips of paper on walls
around the room. The papers should be at eye-level.
3. Organize the students to work in groups of three. Each student will be assigned a role:
a. The reader runs to a sentence, memorizes it, and dictates it to the writer. (The reader also
needs to remember the letter). If a reader forgets something she/he can go back and look
again.
b. The writer writes the sentence dictated by the reader
c. The checker helps the writer write the sentence correctly
4. The first group to finish writing all of the sentences raises their hands. The teacher will check to
make sure the sentences are correct. She/he will circle any sentence with errors but will not
say what the error is.
5. The students must go back to work until they believe that all sentences are correct. The
teacher will check the sentences again once the students finish.
6. The first group to dictate all the sentences correctly is the winner. As each groups finishes, the
students help groups around them to finish by checking sentences against their own. The
“game” is over when all groups have finished.
SPACE ALIENS ( Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)

1. The teacher will write prompts on the board for writing comparisons
2. She/he will tell each student to write sentences to describe an imaginary creature from outer
space. When the sentences are complete, the teacher will tell all students to give their papers
to the student on his/her right
3. The teacher will tell the students to draw a picture of the creature from outer space described
on the paper (perhaps as a homework assignment)
4. Here are some examples of prompts:
• as tall as: a giraffe a human a goat a chicken

• teeth like: a crocodile a wolf a tiger a shark
• ears like: an elephant a donkey a human a cat
• legs like: a camel a bird an elephant a spider
SUPERLATIVE CHALLENGE (Ackles, Nancy. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2011.)

1. The teacher will ask the students to think of some examples of a category (animals, cars, movie
stars, singers, foods, etc.).
2. The teacher will write all student responses on the board.
3. The teacher will tell each student (or pair of students or small group of students) to write a
superlative statement about each.
4. Here are some examples:
• Donkey The donkey is the most patient.

• Camel
• Sheep
• Horse
• Tiger
• Cat
TWENTY QUESTIONS
• The teacher will ask for one volunteer and tell him/her to think of an object or living thing, for
example, a student’s red folder on the desk.
• The other students will ask yes/no questions, such as “Is it a person? Is it an object?”
• The students are allowed to ask 20 questions. The volunteer must answer correctly.
• If they cannot guess after twenty questions, the volunteer is the winner. If someone guesses,
she/he will start the next game.
WH-JEOPARDY (Bohlke, David. Training Booklet. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 2010.)

1. In advance, the teacher will create a set of cards for each group of students. She/he will write a
statement on each card. The students will need to try guessing the correct question for the
sentence.
2. The teacher will divide the students into small groups.
3. Write the following chart on the board or distribute a paper with this info for each group:
What? Where? When? How? Why? Who?
100 100 100 100 100 100
200 200 200 200 200 200
300 300 300 300 300 300
400 400 400 400 400 400
500 500 500 500 500 500
4. Give each group of students a set of cards. Tell the students to place the cards so the question
words and numbers are “face up” on the table (visible).
5. Student 1 will act as the “teacher.” Student 2 will chose the question category and amount (for
example, Why for 500)
6. Student 1 will read the sentence twice at a natural speed. Student 2 must form the question
using the wh- question word with one try. He o r she may not write the sentence or get any help
from the other students. If the question is correct, Student 2 will keep the card.
7. If Student 2 makes any mistake, Student 1 will read the sentence again once and let Student 3
try to ask the correct question. If correct, Student 3 will keep the card. If Student 3 makes a
mistake, Student 1 will read the sentence again for Student 4 to try to guess. If correct, Student
4 keeps the card. If no one asks the correct question the card is “dead,” meaning no one gets
the card.
8. After the first round of play, Student 2 will take a turn in the role of the “teacher” and Student 3
will chose a card. The students will continue taking turns until all the cards are chosen.
9. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
WHAT ARE THEY DOING RIGHT NOW?

Each small group writes the name of a famous living person on a slip of paper. The teacher will collect
and redistribute the pieces of paper, one per group. The group must then write four sentences telling
what the person is doing right now. The teacher will encourage imagination and creativity.
WE’RE JUST ALIKE

The teacher writes a list of concrete nouns on the chalkboard. In small groups, students must put the
nouns into groups that have some feature in common (e.g. made of metal, used for communication,
etc.). Each group must contain at least three nouns.
X’S AND O’S (Activate!: A Guide to Using Activities in Learning. Adapted from the Curriculum Project,
Dakar, Senegal. 2010.)
1. The teacher will draw a grid with nine-squares (3x3) on the board and write one word in each
box.
2. Divide the class into two teams, X and O. Decide which team will start.
3. The first team to start will choose a square with a word in it. They will have one minute to write a
correct sentence using the word in that square.
4. The other team will decide whether or not the sentence is correct. If it is correct, the team who
wrote the sentence wins the square. They draw their mark (X or O) over the square. If it is not
correct, they do not win the square and it becomes available. Next it is the turn of the other
team.
5. The game will continue until one of the teams wins three squares in a row, vertically,
horizontally, or diagonally. The teams will try to block each other to stop the other team from
getting three in a row.

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GAMES & ICEBREAKERS Page 1 of 41 AUGUST 2013

GAMES & ICEBREAKERS

Compiled by Delia Dunlap

English Language Fellow, U.S. Department of State

2. Dividing Students Into Pairs ………………………………Page 3

3. Dividing Students Into Small Groups .……………………Page 4

4. Conversation Starters …………………………………….. Page 5

5. Energizers …………………………………………………. Page 10

6. Concentration Exercises …………………………………. Page 16

7. Team-Building Activities ………….………………………. Page 17

8. Vocabulary-Building Activities …………………………… Page 21

9. Grammar Games …………..……………………………... Page 35

10. References .……………...………………………………… Page 41

11. Online Resources …...…………………………………….. Page 41

2. Dividing Students Into Pairs ………………………………Page 3

3. Dividing Students Into Small Groups .……………………Page 4

4. Conversation Starters …………………………………….. Page 5

5. Energizers …………………………………………………. Page 10

6. Concentration Exercises …………………………………. Page 16

7. Team-Building Activities ………….………………………. Page 17

8. Vocabulary-Building Activities …………………………… Page 21

9. Grammar Games …………..……………………………... Page 35

10. References .……………...………………………………… Page 41

11. Online Resources …...…………………………………….. Page 41

BLANKET NAME GAME

CIRCLE NAME GAME

COMPANY YOU KEEP

FAMOUS PAIRS GAME

GREAT WIND BLOWS

HOW DO YOU FEEL?

HUMAN SCAVENGER HUNT

I'M GOING ON A TRIP

INTRODUCE ONE ANOTHER

I'VE DONE SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T DONE.

I'VE NEVER...BUT I'D LIKE TO SOMEDAY

NAME, NAME, NAME

NICE TO MEET YOU

RECENT ACTIVITIES NAME GAME

SOUND/MOVEMENT CIRCLE INVOLVING NAMES

STUFFED ANIMAL THROW

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE

CAPTURE THE FLAG

CROSS THE ROOM IF…OR THE BIG WIND BLOWS

HONEY IF YOU LOVE ME

LEMONADE, A.K.A. NEW YORK, NEW YORK

OPPOSITE TOE TAG

PASS THE ENERGY WITH MOVEMENT

To whom they pointed

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

3. Then they throw it to someone else with a new sound.

STOPLIGHT (Kim Deprenger, 2013)

STEAL THE SPACE

WEST SIDE STORY

RED BALL/YELLOW BALL

SHEEP AND SHEPHERDS

WHAT IS YOUR COMFORT LEVEL?

BLUFF (Talak-Kiryk, Amy. “Using Games In A Foreign Language Classroom. 2008.)

5. Move to the next team, for the next actor.

Variations for either Slap! or Concentration