FUN ACTIVITIES

KIDS
1. Alphabet Soup: place plastic letters in a bowl. Divide flashcards by their beginning
letters. Each student draws a letter from the bowl and then finds the flashcards
associated with that letter.
2. Alphabet missing letter: write the letters of the alphabet on the board in a jumble.
The children put their heads in their hands while you rub one or more letters off the
board. Get the children to identify which letter is missing. Play with only a few letters
and add letters gradually.
3. Around the world trip: give each student, pair or group some scissors for paper,
glue (print-stick glue works well), large sheets of B4 card and a selection of travel
brochures. Students plan a trip (or give a report) around the world by cutting out
photographs of places, animals, food, etc. Next to each country the students write a
description of what they will do or what they did in each country. If your students can
write have them write a description of what they will do or what they did in each
country. Adapt the game to the level of your children, bring a sphere if necessary.
4. Attention: call out commands such as: Attention, salute, march in place...stop, sit
down, stand up, walk in a circle, clap your hands...stop, run in place...stop, jumping
jacks...stop, swim in place....stop, etc. At first students will copy you but later they
should be able to do the commands without you.
5. Alphabet letter puzzle: give out different letters cut in two (in three or in four). It is
a good idea to use different colors for each letter to help the children if the letters
should become mixed with each other. Let the children make up the letter from the
pieces. If necessary write up the letters on the board.
6. Appearance game: choose a student to begin. This student steps out of the room.
Hand a ring to another student. All students in the classroom should see who receives
the ring. Call student to return to class. He or she must try to guess who has the ring
by asking various classmates ten or fewer yes/no questions. Sample questions
include... Does a girl have the ring? Does she have dark hair? If the student guesses
correctly, he or she gets another turn (limit two or three). If the student guesses
incorrectly, the student who has the ring becomes the next player.
7. Balloon Badminton: place a skip-rope tied up to two chairs. Make two small teams
(the other Ss can say numbers in order every time the ball touches the racket). Give
each S a flyswatter or badminton racket ("racket"). Inflate a balloon (ball).
Remember: the younger the Ss, the bigger the balloon must be (slower). Decides who
serves and for every point one team scores, have the opposite team call out the
flashcard or picture card by the T shown. Lots of fun! (NOTE: For very active Ss be
careful since they might hit the others' faces when playing).

8. Blindfold guessing game: blindfold one or two children, give them each a few
objects or things they know. They have to find a pair and name them. Remember to
check if it is OK for them to be blindfolded. If the child is not keen then allow them to
shut their eyes instead. Fruits are an obvious idea because one can come by them
easily.
9. Basketball: Ss take a shot at the trash box. First ask a question to S1. If s/he answers
correctly then s/he can have a shot at the basket. If the S gets the ball in the basket
then s/he wins 2 points. If the S hits the basket without going inside then s/he wins 1
point. The person who gets the most points is the winner. This can also be played in
teams.
10. Balancing Act: the children lie on the floor on their backs. Each child balances an
object you have given out on his or her forehead. Ask the children to do movements
and (touch your nose, lift your left arm). Show flashcards between actions and get
kids to name them. When a child is out he must do a penalty such as name a
flashcard and then join in the game.
11. Blow that fish: Make two teams. Tell each team to make a paper fish. Line the
teams up at the starting line. Then you start asking questions when a student
answers the question correctly he gets a chance to blow on his teams fish. The team
that is able to move there fish to the front of the room wins the game.
12. Bring me game. Students are in teams. The teacher calls out: "Bring me a ruler."
or just "A ruler, please." The first team to bring one to the teacher gets a point.
13. Birthday game: Make a birthday wheel and ask students to check whose
birthdays take place each month. Practice questions: When s your birthday and
answers: My birthday is in.). So you can practice months, sing Happy birthday
to you and have a mini birthday party.
14. The Bell Game: Make two teams; show a flash card to the Ss, the first person to
ring the bell and read the word correctly gets one point for her team. (Youll need two
bells).
15. Candy bank team game: get two boxes and some candies, one or two for each
kid is enough. Divide the candies up into the two boxes, and the kids up into two
teams. Explain that if they get the question right, they keep the candy, if they get it
wrong the candy goes into the other team's box. Make sure that each team member
has to answer the questions individually. You can take figured candy (candy animals)
and name them.
16. Chinese whispers: put the Ss into a circle. Whisper a simple sentence or word
into the first students ear. He or She must say the exact same sentence to the next
student and so on until the last student in the team must say the word aloud. Check
to see if the sentence is the same. Progressively make the sentences more difficult.
17. Chopsticks Race: Make two teams. Have a student name a flashcard and then let
her/him try to pick up and transfer a sweet from the bowl to the teams cup. The team
which will transfer more sweets wins!

18. Cross the River: Place flashcards on floor in winding manner. Each card
represents
a
stepping
stone
in
the
river,
as
students
must
say
word/phrase/question/etc in order to step on it and cross the river!
19. Colors in the Air: This is good for very young ones. Give each S 2 pieces of
different colored paper (origami paper is ideal for this). T calls a color (e.g. "Blue") and
the Ss with that color hold it up.
20. Clothes Fun: Students form teams of 2. Each team has a bag with some clothes in
it. You ask: put on your hat etc.. The first team members put on the clothes. He/She
must say, "This is my shirt", "These are my trousers", "This is my hat" etc. Each team
tries to put on clothes faster than the other. If you have some fancy high-heeled shoes
and silly hats this is a really fun game! Very young beginner students will normally
only say, "a shirt", "a hat" etc. but it's still a worthwhile game for the vocabulary.
21. Can You Actions: Use this game for teaching "Can you...?" "Yes, I can" "No, I
can't". These actions are fun: wiggle, dance, run quickly, hop, skip, do a star jump, do
a handstand, touch your toes, cross your eyes, snap your fingers, whistle, sing. E.g.
Ask a S "Can you cross your eyes?". If the S replies "Yes, I can" then say "Ok, go!" and
the S does the action. If the S says "No, I can't" say "Too bad. Ok, can you (wiggle)?".
22. Do that dont do that game: have the kids do your simple commands: sit
down, jump etc and then say dont jump (dont change your intonation) if some of
them do jump chase them or rob them of one point (grant each child 5 points before
you begin)
23. Do you have? Its simple for the kids to pick up "Do you have a ...?" when
talking about one specific thing. Split the group into several groups. Assign each
group a different word (this is the thing that that group wants to collect.) Give each
child mini-picture cards, the students then go round asking as many people as
possible "Do you have ......." (for example the "turtle" team asks "Do you have a
turtle?") If the student still has the object he/she says "Yes, here you are!" and gives it
to the person who asked. If they have already given it away then they say "No, I'm
sorry" and walk off. The group that is the first to collect as many of their items as
there are students in the group (e.g. 10 items for a class of 10 kids), sits down and
they are the winners!
24. Exercises: This one is great for over excited Ss who need to burn off a bit of
energy. It's also good for classroom commands and numbers. Stand the students in a
line and call out instructions: "Jump 10 times", "Turn around 4 times" etc. Other good
ones to use are: run (on the spot), hop, hands up & down, touch your (body part),
stand up & sit down and star jump.
25. Fishing game: Prepare words written on small papers. Attach a paper clip to each
one. Place words in a hula hoop on the floor or into a box. Call up 2 or 3 students at a
time to use the fishing rods and read the words they fish out.
26.
Flashlight Word game: Start off the game by turning off the lights and pointing
the flashlight at a particular word on the Word Wall. The teacher calls on a student to
read the word. When the child has read the word, it is their turn to shine the flashlight

on a word and call on another student to read. The children really enjoy this because
they get a chance to "be the teacher.
27.
Guess whats in the Bag: put an object in a bag and have a pupil touch it. S/he
has to guess correctly. Or describe the item to the group.
28. Juice: Bring a small bottle of juice (e.g. orange juice) to class. At some point during
the lesson take out the bottle and have a sip. This almost certainly will cause a miniriot of kids asking for some. Here's an ideal opportunity to teach "Can I have some
juice, please?". Say this sentence to the first S and get him/her to repeat it - only give
him/her some if the sentence is said correctly. Bring juice along every week and
before long your Ss will be requesting a drink in perfect English! (bring along a few
plastic cups for you and for them).
29. Line True or False: Put a line of tape on the floor and designate one side "True"
and the other "False". Hold up an object or flashcard and say its word. If Ss think the
you have said the correct word they jump on the True side, if not they jump on the
False side. Incorrect Ss sit out until the next game.
30. Preposition race: give each child a toy then run around the room with kids and
say put your toys on the table, put them under the table, put them behind the chair,
put them in the box
31. Pronunciation game: Make two teams, write some letters or words which are
difficult for your Ss to pronounce. (Then, what, thin..). Every student can get a point
for his team by pronouncing the word correctly.
32. Rescuers: give out animal flashcards (3 per each student) and put a paper
crocodile in front of each flashcard, tell them that they are rescuers and they can save
their animals from the crocodiles by answering your questions. Put a paper river
behind the crocodiles. If the student answers your question move a crocodile towards
the river if s/he fails move the crocodile towards the animal flashcard. When a
crocodile is too close to the river, say: go home Mr. crocodile! Jump into the river!
The saved animal says thank you very much! to its rescuer and you put it on a
jungle picture or on a picture of a farm go home Mr. Antelope/Mr. Horse. If your kids
are young let them help each other and DONT let the evil crocodiles eat Mr. Antelope!
It can make the young kids upset.
33. Rope Jump: you need a rope for this one! Have Ss stand behind each other in a
line. Hold a rope (have a S hold the other end) at a height that the Ss should be able
to jump over. On the other side of the rope spread out some objects or flashcards and
a box. Call out the name of one of the objects/flashcards to the first S. S/he has to
jump over the rope, pick up the correct object and put it in the box. For other rounds
you can hold the rope down low, so Ss have to crawl/roll under.
34. Simon Says: A good game for review ("Simon says touch your knees, Simon says
count 1-10"). You could change Simon to your name to avoid confusion. When T says
a sentence without the word "Simon" (e.g. "Touch your knees") then Ss shouldn't
follow that instruction. If a S makes a mistake s/he has to sit out until the next round.

35.
Shirt Game: Divide the children into two teams and give a man's shirt to each
team. Be sure each shirt has the same amount of buttons down the front. At the
signal, the first person on each team puts on the shirt and buttons all of the buttons
down the front. The one who is buttoned-up first gets to answer the question you ask.
Of course a question equals points. If the answer is incorrect, the person from the
other team gets a chance to answer.
36. Socks on Hands: Students need to put socks on their hands and try to pick up a
flashcard they named! It is hard because socks make the card slippery. More cards =
more points.
37. Tower Blocks Building: Answer the card or question, win some blocks for your
team to try to build the tallest tower.
38. Telephone numbers: make the list of the telephone numbers of the kids. Then
have one of the kids write one of the telephone numbers on the board. Ask: Whose
telephone number is this? the owner answers: it's my telephone number and so
on. Later you can let them identify their numbers by ear.
39. Train Ride Game: Have the Ss form a train (standing in line holding onto each
other). Choo choo around the classroom and call out instructions (e.g. faster, slower,
turn left/right, stop, go)
40. Whose favorite color is. ask the kids for their favorite colors (or numbers),
give out their favorite colors correspondingly and tell the kids to hide the flashcards in
their hands. When you ask: Whose favorite color is. The kids run as fast as
possible to the person and shake hands, the first one gets one point or a little
surprise.
41. Finding treasure: Prepare small things such as keys, pencils, rulers, buttons,
erasers, scissors, matches, etc and hide them in the classroom. Each item has a point.
Ask the students to hunt the treasure, write down where the item is found and the
word/meaning of the item. The one with the most treasure is the winner.
42. Missing vowels: write several words on the board with the vowels erased. Ask
the students to complete the word.
43. Spelling Contest: Divide the class into two groups. Ask the students to line up
and form a group. Then, the teacher says a word to spell. The first chance is given to
the first person in the first group. If he/she can spell the word correctly, it moves to
the second person in the group. Otherwise, the second group will have the chance.
The winner is the group that finishes spelling the word.
44. Yes!: The purpose of the game is to collect as many YES as you can. Students
will work in pair, take turn and ask each other question. For each YES collected,
students will be given a candy or marble.
45. Please, Mr. Crocodile: One student will be appointed as Mr./Ms. Crocodile. The
others will be the deer. Draw two lines as the river and get the Mr. Crocodile and deer
to stand on the opposite side. The deer then asks Mr. Crocodile. Please, Mr. Crocodile,

can I cross the river? Mr. Crocodile then answer, Yes, you can cross the river if you are
..
- wearing red shoes, wearing skirt, wearing red ribbon
- tall, short, a girl, a boy etc.
The other deer who are not mentioned should spread out as fast as they can before
Mr. Crocodile come and get them. The one caught by Mr. Crocodile will be the next
crocodile.
46. Buzz! Ask the students to form a circle. The teacher decides a forbidden number
and replace it with the word BUZZ (for example 4=buzz). Students then start counting
from 1, 2, 3, buzz, 5, 6, 7, buzz, 8, 9, 10, buzz,) The one who makes a mistake will
be out of the circle, and the last one left will be the winner.
47. Puppet: Divide the class into 3 students in a group. The first student will be the
leader, the second one will be the puppet and the last one will be the mirror. Once the
leader says, Raise your left hand, the puppet will have to raise the hand, but the
mirror should raise the opposite side (left hand). The game continues if the group
doesnt make a mistake.
Instructions:
- Turn left
- Lift up your left foot
- Wave your left had
- Close your left eyes
- Move forward
48. Quack-Quack: Stand in circle. One person closes their eyes or is blindfolded; they
spin around and point at someone standing in the circle. That person says Quack,
Quack and the blindfolded person has to guess who it is. If they get it right, they
switch spots with the blindfolded person and take a turn
49. What's Been Changed?: One person leaves group and changes something about
themselves (unties shoelace etc). They come back to group and everyone has to
guess what it is they changed.
50. Telephone: Form a circle or line. One person whispers a message into the next
person's ear. They pass it on and then the last person says it out loud.
51. Hot Dog: One person stands in front of the class. Everyone asks them questions
(e.g., What do you wear on your feet?) and they are only allowed to answer 'Hot dog.'
The first person to make them smile/laugh wins.
52. This Is My...: Person who is 'it' points to a body part and says this is my- and
names a different body part. (e.g., Points to elbow and says 'this is my foot').
Everyone must point to the body part that is said, rather than the one pointed to.
People who point to wrong body part are out.
53. Graveyard: Everyone lies down on the ground, except for the 'gravediggers.' They
must walk around and try to make everyone laugh (or smile). If a person lying down
laughs (or smiles) then they become a gravedigger. Last one lying down wins.
54. Bus Stop: Have two kids sit in front of the group. They are at a bus stop, waiting
for the bus. Each one of them must come up with a secret 'habit' that they do during

the conversation. (e.g., Winking, swinging their legs, starting each sentence with a
certain word or letter). A leader calls out 'beep beep' when the bus arrives, and one of
the people has to leave. The audience guesses what the habit was. The person who
guesses right gets to be at the bus stop next.
55. Adverb Action: T writes on the board an activity like "bush your teeth." S/He
picks one student, they come to the front of the class. The T then shows the S a card
with an adverb written on it, such as "slowly". The chosen student then does the
activity in the way of the adverb. The other Ss have to guess the adverb. The one who
guesses right gets a point and mimes the next action which the teacher writes on the
board. To help them you can give them a list of options, if you think they need some
help.
56. Airplane competition: First, have your Ss make some paper airplanes. Stand the
Ss in a line and let them test fly their planes. For the competition, assign different
classroom objects points (e.g. table 5 points, door 10 points, trash can 20 points). Ask
a S a question and if s/he answers correctly then s/he can throw and try to hit one of
the target objects to win points. This works well as a team game.
57. Apple Pass: Have all Ss sit in a circle. Use a fake apple and toss it to one S. But
you must say one English word as you pass. The S then throws to another S and says
a different English word. If the student you threw it to drops it, he/she is out. And the
game keeps going until you have one winner. It can be played with different
categories, such as Food, Animals, Etc.
58. Art Gallery: This is a great activity for reviewing vocab. Draw enough squares on
the board for each S to be able to draw in. Have the Ss write their names above their
squares. T calls out a word and the Ss draw it (could be simple nouns e.g. "dog,
bookcase, train", verb structures e.g. "draw a man running, eating cake, sleeping") or
adjectives ("draw a big elephant, an angry lion, an expensive diamond ring"). For each
S give a score for his/her picture, and then move on to the next picture. The S with
the highest score at the end is the winner.
59. Backs to the Board Game: This one is good for higher level kids. Make two
teams and stand one S from each team in front of the board, facing away from it.
Write a word or draw a picture on the board (e.g. "hamburger") and the Ss have to
explain that word to their team member (e.g. you can buy it in McDonalds, it's got
cheese and ketchup in it). The first S out of the two standing in front of the board to
guess the word wins a point for his/her team.
60. Bang!: Materials: Small piece of paper, shoe box or coffee can. Write words on
pieces of paper and fold them in half (sight words, vocab, blends etc.). Also add a few
cards that say "BANG!". Ss take turns picking cards and if they read the word correctly
they get to keep the word. If they draw a BANG! card they yell BANG! and then return
all their cards (except the BANG! card) to the can/box. Very simple but the kids love it
and there are many variations for the game!
61. Bet you can't: This game can be played in millions and millions of different ways,
and essentially it's just this: go to the toy store and buy toy money. Give each student
the same amount of money at the start. Have the students bet each other that they
can't do something - like this: make each S stand up and walk around. Have them say,

"I bet you can't (e.g. count to 20, run around the room 5 times, sing the ABC song.
etc.)". Get the Ss to bet using the toy money. You'd be surprised how much even adult
students enjoy this game.
62. Blindfold Course: Make an obstacle course in your classroom (use desks, chairs,
etc.), put a blindfold on a S and help guide him/her through the course by giving
instructions (e.g. walk forward 2 steps, turn left, take on small step, etc.). This is a
good pair game.
63. Can You Actions: Use this game for teaching "Can you...?" "Yes, I can" "No, I
can't". These actions are fun: wiggle, dance, run quickly, hop, skip, do a star jump, do
a handstand, touch your toes, cross your eyes, snap your fingers, whistle, sing. E.g.
Ask a S "Can you cross your eyes?". If the S replies "Yes, I can" then say "Ok, go!" and
the S does the action. If the S says "No, I can't" say "Too bad. Ok, can you (wiggle)?"
64. Category Spin: Sit Ss in a circle. Spin a bottle or an arrow - the S that the arrow
points to is first. The S needs to say a word from a pre-decided category. The next S
will say last word plus his own and so on until it gets to the one who fails. For
example: S1:"zebra", S2: "zebra cat", S3: "zebra cat dog"
65. Category Writing Game: Divide the classroom into two or three groups. Each
group chooses their "captain". The teacher writes on the board a word like "FRUIT" or
"COLORS" or "ANIMALS", etc. Each group has to tell their captain to write down as
many words as they can which belong to that category. They have 1 or 2 mins. Each
group takes 1 point for each word. Correct Spelling is very important in this exercise!
66. Do as I say, not as I do: A 'Simon says' game with a difference. First practice
Simon Says with the Ss so that they understand the game and body parts. I find it
works just as well omitting the 'Simon says'. Now tell them to do as you SAY, not as
you do, and repeat playing the game - only this time, when you say 'touch your
knees' etc, touch your ears instead, or any other part of your body. This is a good way
to see who is listening to you correctly and who is just copying your movements. Ss
find this game much more fun than the original.
67. Follow the leader: Ss line up behind the T and follows him/her around the
classroom. The T does an action and shouts out the word for that action. The Ss copy
the action and repeat the word. Good actions include: wave, hello, goodbye, it's
cold/hot, stop, go, run, hop, skip, crawl, walk backwards, jump, sit down, stand up.
68.

Hangman: The old favorite. Very good for reviewing vocab from past lessons.

69. Knock-Knock: This can be used at the beginning of each class. Teach the Ss to
knock on the door before entering the classroom. There are 2 variations for the next
step: 1. When the S knocks, T says "Who's there?". The S replies "It's (Koji)" and then
the T says "Come in (Koji)". 2. When the S knocks the T must guess who it is "Is that
(Koji)?". The S replies yes or no - if no, the T continues guessing. Having your Ss
develop their own knocking styles makes this even more fun
70. Machine: This is good for practicing emotions and sounds. Pick one S to start.
Give that S an emotion or a feeling to act. They must do an action and make a noise.

One at a time Ss can add to it and you essentially create a "machine". This is a really
fun game!
71. Make Words Game: Write a few random letters on the board. Have the Ss work
in pairs/small groups to make up as many words from the letters as possible (e.g.
letters: g, h, a, t, p, e, c. Possible words: cat, pet, tea, hat, get, etc.). The team with
the most words is the winner.
72. Odd-One-Out: Write 3 or four words on the board. Ss must circle the odd-one-out
(e.g. cat - horse - cake - bird)
73. Puppet Conversation: Hand puppets really liven up a classroom, especially for
young learners who are shy when talking to the T. You'll probably find that some Ss
prefer talking to the puppet than to you! Fun puppet characters (such as Sesame
Street's Cookie Monster) that talk to Ss can produce unexpected results. I always use
Cookie Monster at the beginning of my young classes. Here's what I do: 1. Cookie
Monster is sleeping in a bag. Each S has to shout "Wake up Cookie Monster!" into the
bag. Cookie Monster only wakes up when the whole class shout together into the
bag. 2. Cookie Monster says hello to each S and asks them questions (their names,
how they are, how old they are, etc.). Ss reply and asks Cookie Monster the same
questions. 3. Ss and Cookie Monster sing the 'Hello Song' together. 4. Cookie
Monster says goodbye to each S individually and then goes back to sleep in the bag.
The actual lesson can now start.
74. Silent Ball: If the Ss are being loud and off task play this game with them. It
really works and they love to play it. Have all the Ss stand up and give one student a
ball (make sure it is soft). Have the students toss the ball to each other without saying
a word. Any student who drops the ball or talks must sit down.
75. Smells Game: Preparation: Take eight small, empty jars; opaque jars work best
(e.g., plastic vitamin containers). Put good-smelling things (e.g., shampoo, syrup) in
four of the jars and bad-smelling things (e.g., vinegar, strong dried herbs) in the other
four. Only a small amount is needed. Place all the jars in a big paper bag. Execution:
Write "It smells good" and "It smells bad" on the board. You can also draw a happy
face and a disgusted face to clarify things. Teach the phrases. Each S then comes up
to teacher, one at a time. S is then blindfolded and you hold an open jar under his/her
nose. S must say whether it smells good or bad. Great fun!
76. Spin the Bottle: Sit Ss in a circle with a bottle in the middle. T Spins the bottle.
When it stops spinning the S it is pointing to has to answer a question. If the answer
is correct then that S can spin the bottle. This is a good class warm up activity.
77. Touch: Have Ss run around the classroom touching things that T orders them to do
(e.g. "Touch the table" "Touch a chair" "Touch your bag"). Colors work well for this, as
Ss can touch anything of that color (e.g. "Touch something green").
78. Unscramble: Write a word on the board that has all its letters mixed up (e.g.
"lrocsmaos" = "classroom"). Ss have to unscramble the word. This works well in a
team game. Variation: use letter blocks / letter shapes instead of writing on the
board.

79. Vocabulary Tic Tac Toe: Draw a basic tic tac toe board on the white board with
new vocabulary in each block. Each word is missing one, two or three letters
depending on students level. One S from each team is called up and must fill in the
missing letter(s) and say the word aloud. The team with three in a row wins.
80. Vanishing Objects Game: place a number of objects in front of the Ss. Give
them a few moments to memorize the objects and then tell them to close their eyes.
Take away one of the objects and then tell the Ss to open their eyes again. The first S
to guess the missing object can win that object (for 1 point) and take away an object
in the next round.
81. Whiteboard Draw Relay: Make 2 teams and line them up as far away from the
board as possible. Call out a word to the first members of each team, and they have
to run to the board, draw the picture and run back to his/her next teammate. The
process is repeated for each student and the team that finishes first is the winner.
Variation: T Whispers the words. The S can only run back to his/her team when his
teammates guess what the picture is.
82. Window Game: You can only do this if your classroom has a window that you can
stand outside of and look into the classroom (don't try this on the 10th floor!). Model
first: stand the Ss in front of the window and go out of the room. Wave to them
through the window and silently mouth some words (so it seems like they can't hear
you through the glass). Look at a flashcard and then mouth the word a few times. Go
back in and the S who first tells you the word you were saying can have a turn.
83. Zoo Game: This is a fun activity for young learners on the topic of animal noises.
After teaching the animals and their noises sit each S in a different part of the
classroom and assign them as different animals (to make it clearer you can give each
S a flashcard of the animal they are representing). Walk around the room and talk to
each S, who can only reply as an animal. E.g. T: "Hello Yumi", S1:"Moo! (cow). T:
"What's your name?" S2: "Roar!" (lion). T: "How are you, Kenta?" S3: "Bow-wow!"
(dog).

TEENAGERS

1. Draw a vacation: Everyone needs a pen and a paper. Place a blank sheet of paper
in front of you, in the landscape direction. We are all going on a vacation. Close your
eyes keep them closed, and I will tell you when it is okay to open them. We are going
on a vacation to a tropical island, so draw an island in the middle of your paper.
To the left of the island, draw a ship.
You are surrounded by water, so put some fish in the sea.
This is a tropical island, so put a palm tree on the island.
It is a nice day, so put some birds in the air.
That ship didnt get there by itself, so put a sailor on the ship.
The sailor might get hungry, so put some coconuts on the palm tree.
Sailors like to see where they are going, so put portholes on the ship
Sailors like to see entertainment, so draw a hula dancer on the island.
It is a sunny day, so put a sun in the sky.
Okay everyone open your eyes and see how you did
To score your artwork:
10 points if your island is in the middle
10 points if your ship is to the left of the island, but not touching it
15 points if you have more than one fish
20 points if the base of the palm tree is on the island
15 points if more than two of the birds are in the air
20 points if the sailor is on the ship, not swimming
15 points if any coconut is on the tree
25 points if any porthole is on the ship
25 points if the hula dancer is dancing on the island
20 points if the sun is to the left
15 points if the sun is to the right
10 points if the sun is in the middle
200 points possible. Person with the most points wins a prize.
2. Skittles and M&Ms: This activity uses the colors of the skittles or M&Ms to
determine which question a participant will answer for the group. It is best to use
peanut M&Ms so you can tell the difference between M&M's and Skittles! Make a
sheet with the colors of each candy and the corresponding question. After the
participant answers the questions, let them eat their treats! Make up questions
related to the organization.
M&Ms
Yellow
Red
you go?
Orange
Green
Brown

If you were president, which one policy would you change?

If you could travel anywhere with all expenses paid for 2 weeks, where would
Would you eat a bowl of crickets for $10,000?
What color represents love and why?
Who would you like to trade places with in history?

Skittles
Red
What magazine cover would you like to be on and why?
Orange If you could use a voodoo doll on someone, would you?

Purple
Green
be?
Yellow

If you could do anything without repercussion, what would you do?

If you could change one thing about your working conditions, what would it
If you could have any talent, what would it be?

3. Martian Name Game: Pass out a piece of colored paper or a 5 x 8-index card to
each participant. Have them write their first and last name on the card, only they
must write it backwards! When the participants introduce themselves, they must say
their name backwards and also what the meaning of their name is. Example: nhoJ
htimS (John Smith) may mean builder of teams! Encourage them to be creative!
4. Scrambled Words: Identify 10-15 words related to your topic or to your
organization. Scramble them up and type them on a sheet of paper. Distribute them
to the participants and have them unscramble the words as quickly as they can.
5. Deck of Cards Introduction Game: Arrange chairs into a circle. Shuffle a deck of
playing cards. Take a card off the top of the deck and pass the rest of the deck
around the circle (clock wise); everyone takes one card off the top, as the cards are
passed around. Everyone may look at their card. After everyone has a card, the
leader explains the value of each card. [Face cards, including the jokers are worth 10
points; numbered cards are worth the value of the number; aces are worth 1 point]. In
a clockwise direction, each person introduces himself, and tells something unique
about himself according to the value of the card he holds. For each point that the
card is worth, the individual tells one statement about himself. Example: A 3 of
any suitthe individual would tell his name, and three different statements about
herself; with a kingthe individual would tell her name and ten different statements
about herself.
6. Question of the Day: Start class with a question of the day (or ask them all on the
first day)go around the room and ask all students to respond!
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)

I could have gone anywhere, but I chose _____ because...

If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead, who would it be and why?
If I was going to write a book, it would be about...
I am from _____ and it is a unique place because ______.
What are you most worried about for this year?
What are you most excited about for this year?
What super power would be most useful to you at this time?
The person who has been most influential in my life is...
If you had a time machine that would work only once, what point in the future or in
history would you visit?
j) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
k) If your house was burning down, what three objects would you try and save?
l) If you could talk to any one person now living, who would it be and why?
m) If you HAD to give up one of your senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling,
tasting) which would it be and why?
n) If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
o) Do you have a pet? If not, what sort of pet would you like?
p) Name a gift you will never forget?
q) Name one thing you really like about yourself.
r) What's your favorite thing to do in the summer?

s) Who's your favorite cartoon character, and why?

t) Does your name have a special meaning and or were you named after someone
special?
u) What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
v) If you are at a friend's or relative's house for dinner and you find a dead insect in
your salad, what would you do?
w) What was the best thing that happened to you this past week?
x) If you had this week over again what would you do differently?
y) What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about God?
z) What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
aa)
If you could ask Christ to change one problem in the world today, what would
you like him to change?
ab)
What book, movie or video have you seen/read recently you would
recommend? Why?
7. My Name Isand I like to(with action): 1st person says their name and acts out
the corresponding thing they like to do, and then the 2nd person repeats 1st persons
name and acts out 1st persons action, and then says their name and acts out the
thing they like to doand so on, and so on until youve gone around the entire
circle and repeat everyones name and action good memory game.
8. Who Am I?: Cartoon Characters Create the names of Cartoon Characters (or movie
stars, or musical artists, etc.) and put them on sheets of paper and tape them onto
peoples backs so that they cannot see which character they are. Participants then
have to guess which character they are by asking yes and no questions.
9. Shoe Race: everyone takes off their shoes and puts in pile, divide into two teams,
and one person from each team goes and runs to pile, puts on their shoes, and runs
back and tags next person, who gets their shoes and so on.
10. Going Fishing: Participants have to figure out what 2 items they can bring with
them on their fishing trip. If they don't figure it out, they can't go on the trip.
Participants say their first and last name and then say what two items they will bring.
The key is they must bring items that have the same beginning initials of their first
and last name. I.E. "My name is Kia-Rai Pittman and I will bring a kite and a pillow with
me." Some people catch on right away while others may take longer.
11. Tale Toss: Everyone stands in a circle. Select a small object that can be tossed
easily from one player to another. Toss the object to a player in the circle. The person
catching the object must begin to tell a story- something made up on the spot. The
player holding the object tosses it to another player who must catch it and continue
the story. The story can take any form, as long as it is connected to the last player's
contribution. Players must continue the flow of the story no matter how fast the object
is passed.
12. Fact or fiction?: Ask everyone to write on a piece of paper THREE things about
themselves which may not be known to the others in the group. Two are true and one
is not. Taking turns they read out the three facts about themselves and the rest of
the group votes which are true and false. There are always surprises. This simple
activity is always fun, and helps the group and leaders get to know more about each
other.

13. My name is?: Go around the group and ask each young person to state his/her
name and attach an adjective that not only describes a dominant characteristic, but
also starts with the same letter of his name e.g. generous Grahame, dynamic Dave.
Write them down and refer to them by this for the rest of the evening.
14. Desert Island: Announce, 'You've been exiled to a deserted island for a year. In
addition to the essentials, you may take one piece of music, one book and one luxury
item you can carry with you i.e. not a boat to leave the island! What would you take
and why?' Allow a few minutes for the young people to draw up their list of three
items, before sharing their choices with the rest of the group.
15. If: Ask the group to sit in a circle. Write 20 'IF' questions on cards and place them
(question down) in the middle of the circle. The first person takes a card, reads it out
and gives their answer, comment or explanation. The card is returned to the bottom
of the pile before the next person takes their card. This is a simple icebreaker to get
young people talking and listening to others in the group. Keep it moving and don't
play for too long. Write your own additional 'IF' questions to add to the list.
a. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
b. If I gave you $10,000, what would you spend it on?
c. If you could watch your favourite movie now, what would it be?
d. If you could talk to anyone in the world, who would it be?
e. If you could wish one thing to come true this year, what would it be?
f. If you could live in any period of history, when would it be?
g. If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change?
h. If you could be someone else, who would you be?
i. If you could have any question answered, what would it be?
j. If you could watch your favourite TV show now, what would it be?
k. If you could have any kind of pet, what would you have?
l. If you could do your dream job 10 years from now, what would it be?
m. If you had to be allergic to something, what would it be?
n. If you sat down next to Jesus on a bus, what would you talk about?
o. If money and time was no object, what would you be doing right now?
p. If you had one day to live over again, what day would you pick?
q. If you could eat your favourite food now, what would it be?
r. If you could learn any skill, what would it be?
s. If you were sent to live on a space station for three months and only allowed to
bring three personal items with you, what would they be?
t. If you could buy a car right now, what would you buy?
u. If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
v. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
w. What is one goal youd like to accomplish during your lifetime?
x. When you were little, who was your favorite super hero and why?
y. Who is your hero? (a parent, a celebrity, an influential person in ones life)
z. Whats your favorite thing to do in the summer?
aa.
If they made a movie of your life, what would it be about and which actor
would you want to play you?
ab.
If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be and why?
ac.Whats your favorite cartoon character, and why?

ad.
If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go and
why
ae.
Whats the ideal dream job for you?
af. Are you a morning or night person?
ag.
What are your favorite hobbies?
ah.
What are your pet peeves or interesting things about you that you dislike?
ai. Whats the weirdest thing youve ever eaten?
aj. Name one of your favorite things about someone in your family.
ak.
Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
al. If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be
am.
If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a
romantic, action, sci-fi?
an.
If I could be anybody besides myself, I would be
16. Would you rather..?: Questions may range from silly trivia to more serious
content. On the way you might
find out some interesting things about your young people! Place a line of tape down
the centre of the room. Ask the group to straddle the tape. When asked 'Would you
rather? they have to jump to the left or right as indicated by the leader. Don't forget
to encourage your adult helpers to join in too! I've included 20 starter questions, just
add your own and let the fun begin.
Would you rather..?
a. Visit the doctor or the dentist?
b. Eat broccoli or carrots?
c. Watch TV or listen to music?
d. Own a lizard or a snake?
e. Have a beach holiday or a mountain holiday?
f. Be an apple or a banana?
g. Be invisible or be able to read minds?
h. Be hairy all over or completely bald?
i. Be the most popular or the smartest person you know?
j. Make headlines for saving somebody's life or winning a Nobel Prize?
k. Go without television or fast food for the rest of your life?
l. Have permanent diarrhea or permanent constipation?
m. Be handsome/beautiful and dumb or be ugly and really smart?
n. Always be cold or always be hot?
o. Not hear or not see?
p. Eliminate hunger and disease or be able to bring lasting world peace?
q. Be stranded on a deserted island alone or with someone you don't like?
r. See the future or change the past?
s. Be three inches taller or three inches shorter?
t. Wrestle a lion or fight a shark?
17. Masks: You will need crayons or paints, markers, scissors and white card for this
activity. Give each young person a piece of white card. Ask them to draw and cut out
a life-sized shape of a face. They can also cut out eyes and a mouth if they wish. Each
young person is then asked to decorate their card face. One side represents what
they think people see/know/believe about them i.e. on the outside. The other side
represents what they feel about themselves i.e. things going on the inside, what
people do not necessarily know or see. This is best used in an established group

where the young people are comfortable and at ease with each other. 'Masks' is also a
good discussion starter on self-image and self- worth.
18. Flags: Flags is a get-to-know-you activity, helping young people express what's
important to them or more about themselves. Provide large sheets of paper, crayons,
markers and paints. Ask each young person to draw a flag which contains some
symbols or pictures describing who they are, what's important to them or what they
enjoy. Each flag is divided into 4 or 6 segments. Each segment can contain a picture
i.e. favorite emotion, favorite food, a hobby, a skill, where you were born, your family,
your faith. Give everyone 20 minutes to draw their flags. Ask some of the group to
share their flags and explain the meaning of what they drew.
19. Supermarket: The first player says: "I went to the supermarket to buy an Apple
(or any other object you can buy in a supermarket that begins with an A). The next
player repeats the sentence, including the "A" word and adds a "B" word. Each
successive player recites the sentence with all the alphabet items, adding one of his
own. For example; 'I went to the supermarket and bought an Apple, Banana, CD, dog
food, envelopes, frozen fish'. It's not too hard to reach the end of the alphabet, usually
with a little help! Watch out for Q and X
20. Tall stories: The leader starts a story with a sentence that ends in SUDDENLY. The
next person then has to add to the story with his own sentence that ends in
SUDDENLY. Continue the story until everyone has contributed. The story becomes
crazier as each young person adds their sentence. Tape it and play it back. For
example; 'Yesterday I went to the zoo and was passing the elephant enclosure when
SUDDENLY.....'
21. Word link: This is a word association game. Ask the group to sit in a circle. The
first person starts with any word they wish i.e. red. The next person repeats the first
word and adds another word which links to the first i.e. tomato. The next person
repeats the previous word and add another word link i.e. soup, and so on. To keep this
moving, only allow five seconds for each word link.
22. Object stories: Collect together a number of objects and place in a canvas bag.
The objects can include everyday items i.e. a pencil, key-ring, mobile phone, but also
include some more unusual ones i.e. a fossil, holiday photograph, wig! Pass the bag
around the group and invite each young person to dip their hand into the bag (without
looking) and pull out one of the objects. The leader begins a story which includes his
object. After 20 seconds, the next person takes up the story and adds another 20
seconds, incorporating the object they are holding. And so on, until everyone has
made a contribution to your epic literary tale
23. Vocabulary: You begin by thinking of a word and then give the first letter. The
next player thinks of a word beginning with this letter and gives the second letter. The
third player thinks of a word that begins with the first two letters and adds a third.
The object of the game is to avoid completing a word. When a player has completed
three words or failed to add a letter they can rest their brain for the remainder of the
game! You might need a dictionary handy to adjudicate on some words
24. One minute please!: The aim of the game is to talk for one minute on a given
subject. You announce the topic and a member of the group is randomly selected to

speak for one minute. Use a pack of cards to randomly select i.e. person who draws
the lowest number. Choose subjects to stimulate the imagination and which may be
amusing. Put a stopwatch on each person to see how long they last before drying up!
Subjects might include, my earliest memories, my favorite computer game, why
beans are good for you, 10 things you can do with potatoes, etc
25. Name grid: Divide the young people into groups of four. Each group needs paper
and pens. Ask them to draw a grid on which they write their forenames. For example,
SIMON
WENDY
ROBERT
ANNE
Give each team three minutes to write down as many words (three letters or more)
that they can make only using the letters in their names. Letters must adjoin each
other in the grid, but do not have to be in a straight line.
When the time is up each team adds up their score.
3 or 4 letter words = 1 point
5 letter word = 2 points
6 letter word = 3 points
26. Line up: Ask the youth group to line up. Works best with 8-10 in a line. If youve
got a bigger group, split them up and challenge each line to complete the task first.
Ask the group to form a new line in order of.
a. Height, from smallest to tallest.
b. Birthdays, from January through to December.
c. Shoe size, from smallest to largest.
d. Alphabetical first names (A-Z).
e. Alphabetical mothers first names.
f. Alphabetical grandmother's first names!
g. Anything else you think up.
27. Who am I?: Prepare a self-adhesive label or post-it note for each young person in
your group. Write on it the name of a well-known or famous person. This can be an
historical character or current sportsman, musician, TV personality, celebrity etc.
Have a good mix of men and women. Keeping the names hidden, stick the post-it
notes on the foreheads of everyone in the group. They must then ask questions of the
others to find out their identity. Each person takes a turn to ask questions and figure
out who they are. For example, Am I alive? Am I female? Am I in a band? Only yes or
no questions can be asked. If the answer is no, their turn is over. If the answer is yes,
they can ask another question and keep going until they get a no, or guess who they
are. Keep playing until everyone has guessed, or if time is short, stop after the first
few correct answers
28. Backward clumps: Divide into pairs. Ask each pair to sit on the floor with their
partner, backs together, feet out in front and arms linked. Their task is to stand up
together. Once everyone has done this, two pairs join together and the group of four
try to repeat the task. After they succeed, add another two and try again. Keep adding
people until your whole group is trying to stand together. A sight to behold!
29. Song scramble: Before the youth meeting write out the first lines from several
well-known songs, but write down only one line on each piece of card. Make sure that

only enough songs are used to cover the number of people present. The cards are
then scattered on the floor. Once the game begins each person grabs a card and tries
to find the holders of the other cards which will complete the verse or section of the
song. The winning group is the first one to correctly assemble and sing their song.
Tape the songs to playback later.
30. Twenty questions: 20 questions is an old party game which encourages
deductive reasoning and creativity. One player is selected to think of an item. The rest
of the group tries to guess the item by asking a question which can only be answered
with a simple "Yes" or "No." Truthful answers only please, as anything else will ruin the
game.
31. Wink murder: Ask the group to sit in a circle. Choose a number of playing cards
to match the number of young people in your group. Be certain your selection
contains an ace. Each young person then draws a card. They must not comment or
show it to anyone else. The player who chooses the ace is the murderer and he kills
his victims by winking at them! The game begins quietly with players sitting looking
at each other. When someone catches the eye of the killer and is winked at, they are
killed, and can die in any manner they choose. Some prefer to die quietly with a
whimper; some opt for the blood curdling scream technique, while others might fall
off their seat and lie prone on the floor. The object is to identify the murderer while
trying not to be killed in the process. An incorrect guess results in instant death!
32. React and Act Game: React and Act involves some preparation; however, this is
part of the fun! Pass out Ask five people on each team to randomly select an event
from the bag. Instruct them to react to this event, without explicitly giving away what
the event is. Choose a time limit (usually 30 seconds to a minute works well) and
when you say Go! have all five people to simultaneously react to their event using
exaggerated gestures, facial expressions, and their voice. For example, the person
who has just won the lottery could raise his or her arms and scream excitedly,
jumping up and down. The person who has just confronted a bear might make a
terrified look, shake in fear, and call for help. And so on. Each of the five actors can
interact with each other, but they must stay in character and continue reacting and
acting based upon what their sheet said. After time expires, the other members of the
team try to guess what happened for each person. If you wish to keep score, each
team gets a point for each correct guess. This game is a great way to break the ice,
while watching people act out silly (and usually hilarious) things.
Examples of events can include:
a. Being surprised by a large, aggressive bear in the wood
b. You just won the lottery
c. You have just been proposed for marriage with an engagement ring
d. You just got fired by an incompetent boss
e. Making the game winning pass to win the Super bowl
f. You just fell in love
33. String Game: Purchase a big roll of yarn or string. You can buy any color, or
multiple colors if you wish. Take a pair of scissors and cut strings of various different
lengths as short as 12 inches, and as long as 30 or more inches. When you are
finished cutting the string, bunch all the pieces up into one big clump of string. To
play, ask the first volunteer to choose any piece of string. Have the person pull on it

and separate it from the other pieces of string. Ask them to introduce themselves as
they slowly wind the piece of string around their index finger. The funny part of this
icebreaker game is that some of the strings are extremely long, so sometimes a
person must keep talking for a very long time!
34. Amazing facts: In this session, you or a student have five minutes in which to
inform the class about something they may not be familiar with and which is likely to
amaze them. An obvious source of information is the Guinness Book of Records.
35. Categories: Ask the students to draw two or three columns on paper and give
them a category heading for each. For example, food and drink or animal, vegetable,
mineral etc. Then dictate a series of words which can fit into one of the categories.
Elementary
Food, drink
Animals, objects
Big, small
Round, square
Land, sea, air
More advanced
Sad, happy
Loud, soft
Good, bad
Superior, inferior
Sick, healthy
36. Controversial Statements: write up two or three controversial statements or
proverbs on the board. Each student writes down agree or disagree or I dont
know for each item. Invite them to compare their answers in pairs or threes. Then,
find out the majority opinion on each is, by vote. If you have time, discuss them.
Controversial Statements.
1. Beauty is only a matter of taste
2. Riches are for spending
3. Punishment never does any good
4. A foreign language can only be learned, not taught.
5. A womans place is in the home
6. Boys and girls should have the same education
7. A country gets the government it deserves
8. Teaching is basically a matter of explaining things properly
9. Married people are happier than unmarried people
10.
Love means never saying youre sorry
11.
People work better if they are paid more
12.
Everyone is basically selfish
37. Correcting mistakes: Indentifying and correcting mistakes in English to
encourage monitoring by students of their own mistakes.
Elementary
1. He love her very much
2. They maked a cake for thier mother
3. Wich one you prefer?
4. I not know were to go

5. This one is gooder then that one

6. Were is the girl go?
7. Why you look at me like that>
8. You must to tell me my!
9. The flowers was in the garden
10.
Yesterday I am very ill
More advanced
1. She asked me where am I going
2. I am living here since six years
3. I would have came if you asked me
4. The mony was stole by a theft
5. Where is the boy which you were looking at him?
6. He looked me after for much time
7. She raised slowly the hand
8. They will come, isnt it?
9. When I am younger, I was used to go to school
10.
You need the courage to do such thing
38. Erasing words: Write on the board about ten words which are difficult to spell and
give the class a minute to photograph them. Point to one word, and then erase it;
the students write it down from memory. And so on, until all the words have been
erased. Check the spelling.
39. Evidence: Information-gap discussion, use of the logical necessity modals can and
must. Two students stand with their backs to the board. They are the detectives. You
write up a brief situation. The rest of the class are witness and suggest orally concrete
evidence (sounds, sights, smells, etc) for the existence of the situation without
mentioning the situation itself; the detectives have to deduce it from the evidence.
For example, if the situation is The school must be on fire, the witnesses might say:
I can smell smoke, its getting hotter in here, I can hear the alarm bell, people are
jumping out of the school window
EVIDENCE
1. She must love reading
2. The lesson must be boring
3. They cant like me very much
4. That child must be ill
5. He cant have studied for the test
6. someone must be at the door
7. She must have run all the way here
8. That car must have been in an accident
9. IT must be time to go home
10.
It cant be very cold outside
11.
You must have a cold
12.
He must have hurt his foot
13.
She must be from the USA
14.
He cant be in a very good mood
15.
My house must have been burgled
16.
There must be a party at that house
17.
That girl must be very popular

18.
19.
20.
21.

That child must be lost

It must be a public holiday
He cant have washed for some time
That woman must be very rich

40. Feel the object: Collect various objects from the students and from around the
room. You can do this by asking the students to bring them to you. Put the objects in a
bag. Hold the bag and then ask students to feel the objects and to try to identify
them.
41. Finding the page: Write up or dictate a series of words. The students have to find
each word in the dictionary and write down the number of the page where it appears.
You, of course, have to do the same! How many of the words can they find the right
pages for in three, four or five minutes!
42. Five-minute writing storms: Tell the students that they have exactly five
minutes to write about something. Tell them that you will not mark any mistakes of
language but will only be concerned with the ideas or experiences they describe.
Five-minute writing storms.
a. The best thing in the lesson today.
b. The worst thing in the lesson today
c. The best thing to happen to me today
d. Something which is not fair
e. A jealous moment
f. A generous act
g. A sad (frightening/funny/strange/great) moment
h. What is friendship?
i. A road
j. A door
k. A dilemma
l. A memory from my childhood
m. A memory from my first school
n. What is in my head at this moment?
o. A place I know
p. A person I know
q. Something I hate (love) doing
r. My favorite TV programme
s. My favorite possession
43. How do you feel? Tell the students to close their eyes. They might like to place
their heads on their arms. Ask them to think about how they feel: They might think
about their day so far, or about their previous lesson with you and what they
remember of it, what they learnt and what their problem might have been. After a few
minutes, students who are willing to do so can say what their feelings are.
44. If I werent here, where would you like to be? If you were not yourself,
who would like to be?
45. Imaginary classroom: Tell students to imagine that the room is absolutely
empty, no furniture, no people, nothing. They have to create their ideal classroom by

suggesting how to refurnish it. For example: There is a thick soft wall to wall carpet on
the floor, there is a television in that corner with a video.
46. Imaginative descriptions: Hold up two pictures chosen at random and ask the
students to suggest a possible relationship between them. Encourage imaginative
even ridiculous ideas. For example, a picture of a car and a picture of a packet of
cigarettes.
47. Imaginative identifications: Give a pen or anything else to a student and ask
him or her to pretend that it is something else. Continue around the class as long as
imaginative ideas are forthcoming.
BOX:
Pen: plane, telescope, screwdriver, nail, boat, flute, etc
Book: bird, roof, telescope, table tennis bat, mirror, etc
Chair: horse, car, washbasin, animal, etc
Cup: hat, microphone, birds nest, face and nose, hammer, etc
Bag: balloon, monsters mouth, etc
48. Interrupting the story: Tell the students that you are going to begin a story and
that they should try to stop you saying more than a few words by asking questions.
For example
You: The other day
Student: What day was it?
You: It was Tuesday
Student: Was it in the morning or afternoon
You: Afternoon, anyway, I was
Student: What time was it? Etc
49. It is the way she said it: Take one word or a short sentence and ask the students
to say it in as many different ways as possible. You might like to discuss with the
students what difference the intonation makes to the meaning in each case, or in
what circumstances this intonation might be used. BOX:
I love you
Well
Yes
Oh
Come here
No
Hello
Please
Good morning
You

50. Jumbled sentences and Jumbled words: Write up sentences or words that the
students have recently learned in jumbled orders.
51. Martian: Place your two forefingers on either side of your head and tell the class
that you are a Martian. Pretend that you are unfamiliar with everyday objects for
example, coffee, cars, ships, music, etc. Pretend also that you dont have a very wide
vocabulary in English. The students should try to help you understand what each
object or idea is, but you must continually ask questions as if you dont understand.
For example.
You: What is a car?
Student: People travel in cars
You: What is travel in?
Student: Travel means go from one place to another place
You: What does a car look like?
Student: Its like a box on wheels
You: Whats a box?
52. Miming adverbs: One student goes outside and the others choose a manner
adverb. The student returns and orders one of the members of the class to do an
action by saying, for example, Stand up! Or Write your name on the board or Open
the door! The person addressed has to carry out the command according to the
manner adverb choose: to stand up quickly, or write their name angrily, etc. The
student has to guess what the manner adverb was
Elementary adverbs: quickly, slowly, sadly, happily, quietly, loudly, lightly, heavily
Intermediate adverbs: calmly, lazily, sleepily, fearfully, proudly, secretly, silently
painfully, seriously
53. Numbers in my life: Each students thinks of a number which is important in
his/her life a date, a telephone number, an age or whatever. A volunteer writes
his/her number on the board and the others try to guess what it is and why it is
important
54. Opposites: Write on the board and dictate a series of words which have fairly
clear opposites. In pairs or groups, the students help each other to think of and note
down the opposites
Elementary: foot x head, drink x eat, hard x soft, cold x hot, far x near, father x
mother, full x empty, old x young, new, fat x thin, short x long, tall, light x dark,
heavy, buy x sell, summer x winter, clean x dirty, right x wrong, left, wife x husband,
broad x narrow, arm x leg, begin x end
Intermediate: noisy x quiet, accidentally x on purpose, brave x cowardly, all x none,
friend x enemy, ask x answer, bride x bridegroom, increase x decrease, deep x
shallow, lose x gain, find, polite x rude, together x apart, punishment x reward, guilty
x innocent, cause x result, stay x leave, asleep x awake, cool x warm, war x peace,
common x rare, simple x complicated, complex, fail x succeed, female x male.
Advanced: single x double, married, concrete x abstract, hope x despair, rough x
smooth, essential x optional, theory x practice, private x public, bless x curse,
contract x expand, absent x present, accept x reject, victory x defeat, omit x include,
vacant x occupied, natural x artificial, ignorant x educated, joy x sorrow

55. Oral cloze: read a story or passage which can be from your course book. Stop
occasionally before a key word and get the students to guess what it is going to be.
They can either volunteer the word orally or write it down.
56. Proverbs: Write a well-known English proverb on the board and discuss its
meaning
57. Reason for wanting an object: tell the students that you have an item to give
away as gift, and the person who can give the most convincing reason why he or she
wants will get it
58. Spelling bee
Elementary
Quiet, altogether, chocolate, two, young, house, where, friend, sea, already, business.
Chief, light, address, beginning, bicycle, eye, answer, fruit, almost, beautiful, enough
color, vegetable, money, knee, water, write, always, right, believe, clothes, question,
daughter, people, thief, because, cupboard.
Intermediate: straight, design, independent, accident, advantage, accept, laugh,
pleasure, scene, echo, except, profession, measure, headache, stomach,
international, symbol, tongue, obvious, except, advertisement, guarantee, scientist,
responsible, success, calm, patient, geography, foreign, assignment, ghost, suggest,
necessary, privilege, cough, murder, treasure, religious, knowledge, laboratory,
efficient, sympathize, comfortable, persuade, weight, congratulations, microscope,
embarrassed, ceiling, character, height, psychology, jealous, average, communicate,
dumb, discipline, criticism
Advanced: Yacht, pronunciation, amateur, genuine, appreciate, principle, catastrophe,
hypochondriac, dialogue, seize, tyranny, agriculture, unique, weird, sophisticated,
hygiene, colleague, miniature, syllable, analysis, paralyze, rhythm, bureaucracy,
encyclopedia
59. Unusual view: Draw a familiar object from an unusual point of view, and ask the
students to identify it.

60. Whats the story behind it? Show the students an object which belongs to you,
for example, a penknife, a bracelet, your jacket, etc. Tell the class about the object
and encourage them to ask you questions. Ask individual students if they would mind
telling you the story behind an object of their own.
61. Why have you got a monkey in your bag? Empty a bag yours or one of the
students. Go up to one of the students, give him/her the bag and ask, Why have you
got a monkey in your bag? The student has to think of convincing or original reason
why there is a monkey in his/her bag. After giving the reason and answering the
questions from the rest of the class, he/she then takes the bag and goes up to
another student with the same question, only this time using another object.
62. You write next! Each student has a sheet of paper, at the top of which he/she
writes a sentence. It can be a simple statement of facts or opinion or a question. For
example: What are you going to do after the lesson? Or its cold today, or I hate
people smoking near me. This then passed to a neighbor who adds an answer,
comment or further question and passes it on to someone else. And so on. After about
five contributions, students are invited to read out the result. These are often
amusing!
63. Inserting letters: Divide the class into groups and ask the leader to write a word
on the board. The right order of the word is written down vertically on the left side,
and the reverse order of the word is written down vertically too on the right side.
Students have to insert the missing letters to form a meaningful word. Each formed
word is 1 point. The highest point is the winner.
Example:
P ai
N
= 1 point
E ch
O
= 1 point
R ose S
= 1 point
S ta
R
= 1 point
O rang E
= 1 point
N a
P
= 1 point
64. Context/Anagram: Write down a sentence with anagram and ask the students to
correct the sentence. For example:
- Simon likes melon in his tea (lemon)
- The panel landed smoothly (plane)
- The heart revolves around the sun (earth)
- You have to enlist to your teacher (listen)
- The rats shine brightly in the sky (star)