Top Games

TOP GAMES

4 Corners (G1-5)

Put four different “answers” in each corner of the classroom and give the students questions to which one of the corners of the same. Students stand in the corner they believe to be correct. Game can be done with random luck involved with the answer.

ABC (G3-5)

Students in their rows say words through the ABC with 3-5 seconds maximum for each student. Teams get 1 point for each letter, students cannot “coach” each other.

Alphabet Shout (G2-4)

Teacher (or chosen student) shouts a letter and the first team to shout a word beginning with that letter gets the point.

Alphabet Writing Relay (G1-2)

Relay race in groups writing the alphabet on the board, the fastest team wins points.

Ball Throw (G1-5)

Students use a word or sentence from the lesson correctly and then get to throw a ball at a target on the board. The target has a range of points, they then throw at another part of the board trying to get win or steal and avoid lose.

Baseball Bee (G1-5)

Draw a baseball diamond on the board. In teams students must spell a word within 3-5 seconds, students can choose levels from 1-4, every homerun is point for the team.

Beat the Clock (G1-4)

Put flashcards in order as fast as possible, e.g. days of the week, months, alphabet, etc.

Bingo (G1-5)

Bingo played with teams or individuals using keywords to fill in a bingo sheet. Students pull keywords out from a pot, students win a reward (points, prizes, etc.) for getting bingo and saying all or one of the words in a sentence (depending on ability).

Blockbuster (G1-5)

Hexagonal board game with letters on each shape, students need to make a sentence using the letter on the shape. Teams get extra points for using more than one word beginning with the chosen letter and even more for using a word from the current lesson.

Boggle (G3-5)

Write a selection of letters on the board. Explain to the students that they have to make up as many words as possible from the given letters. Model one or two examples on the board for them. Give them a time limit.

Charades (G1-5)

Divide and line up the class into teams. The first student from each team comes to the front. The teacher whispers a word or shows a flashcard to the students and they act it out. The first team to call out the correct word in a sentence gets a point. E.g. sleeping, eating, playing soccer, etc.

Conversation Relay (G2-5)

Students line up in teams and have the last student in each team tap the shoulder of the student in front and have a conversation E.g. "What's you name?", "How are you?". The student answering then starts the same conversation with the student in front, and so on. When the conversation reaches the front, the student at the front must run to the back and continue the procedure. The first team to get all the students back in their original positions wins.

Draw (G1-5)

Divide the students into teams. Whisper a flashcard to the first member of both teams and have them run to the board and draw the word as fast as possible. Award points to the fastest team.

Flash Card Act Out (G1-5)

Choose a student to come to the front. Show a flash card or whisper a word, and have the student act it out. Reward the first student to guess the correct answer by letting them choose the next student. This can be used with many subjects (e.g. sports, actions, verbs, animals, etc.)

Hangman (G1-5)

Use review words from past lessons. The teacher chooses a word and writes the appropriate number of spaces on the board. Students guess a letter one by one. If the student guesses correctly, write that letter in the space and give the student another turn. If they guess wrongly, start drawing a hanging man and have the next student guess a letter. Let the first student to guess the word take the teacher's place. You may prefer to draw a hanging spider (Spiderman?) instead.

I've Got It (G1-5)

Have students sit in a circle. Give each student a flashcard or item. Ask "What is it?" and elicit the vocabulary. Call out the vocabulary and have the students stand up and say the flash card. Repeat until all the students are standing, then continue until all the students are sitting. Go at a fast pace so the students are sitting and standing rapidly.

Jeopardy (G3-5)

Make a jeopardy grid on the white board as follows:

Fruit Sports Animals Body

10 _______ _______ _______ _______

20 _______ _______ _______ _______

30 _______ _______ _______ _______

40 _______ _______ _______ _______

50 _______ _______ _______ _______

In teams, or individually, let the students randomly pick a category and the points to be attempted. The teacher will then ask a question and (a 40 point question should be more difficult than a 10 point question) if the students get the correct answer their team name is written in that box. When all the boxes are filled the team with the most points wins. Jumping The Line (G1-4)

Put a piece of tape across the middle of the floor or draw an imaginary line dividing the room. Designate ones side as 'true' and the other side as 'false'. Line up the students on the line, hold up a flashcard and say a word. If the students think you said the word that matches the flashcard, they should jump to the 'true' side, otherwise they should jump to the 'false' side. Students who make a mistake should sit out until the next round. Memory Buzz (G3-5)

Students sit in a circle and start building a sentence. Student 1 says "In the classroom, I see a clock", student 2 says "In the classroom, I see a clock and a map", student 3 says "In the classroom I see a clock, a map and a chair" etc.

Object Toss (G1-5)

Select three soft objects. Assign object 1 the question "Do you want some milk?", assign object 2 the response "Yes, I do." And object 3, "No, I don't". Toss each object to a student and have them use the appropriate phrase. Then they toss the objects to different students.

Students or teacher says a word and an individual student or team must respond with an opposite with 3-5 seconds. This can be done in teams or individually for points or getting individual students to sit down.

Parachutes (G3-5)

Draw people with 4/5 string parachutes above something dangerous (e.g. sharks) representing teams. Students must answer a question using keywords and sentences from recent lessons. If they are correct then they can choose to cut a string from one of the other team’s parachutes. The last remaining team is the winner.

Pictionary (G3-5)

Have a student come up to the front and show him/her a flashcard. That student should draw it on the board. The first student to guess the picture gets a point. This can also be played in teams.

Round Robin (G3-5)

Teams repeat a set of questions and answers in a circle, the fastest team to do this gets bonus points.

Ship In The Fog (G2-4)

Make an obstacle course, put a blindfold on a student and have the other students verbally help him or her through the course. For example: Take 2 steps, turn left, one small step, etc.

Simon Says (G1-4)

Play Simon Says as a review using "touch" body parts, classroom objects, etc., or with actions. E.g. "Simon says touch your toes" = Students touch their toes. "Touch your eyes" = Students don't move. When a student makes a mistake, he/she must sit out until the next round.

Snake (G3-5)

Have everyone sit in a circle or in groups. The teacher says a word and each student must add a word that begins with the last letter of the word just spoken e.g. apple-egg-girl-etc.

Snakes & Ladders (G1-5)

Put a snakes & ladders board on the board. In teams the students must use keywords and sentences from class. If correctly used then they may role a dice, the furthest a team gets during the lesson or the first team to the end wins.

This can be done with the whole class or in two teams. The first player on team one is given a word to spell orally. The teacher writes the letters on the board as they are spelled out loud. If correct, the team gets a point. If you do a class competition, line the students up and give them words one by one. When they make a mistake they must sit down. The last student standing is the winner.

Taboo (G4-5)

Have a student come up to the front and show him/her a flashcard. That student should attempt to tell the students what the word is without saying it. The first student to guess the picture gets to choose who goes next. This can also be played in teams and with points.

True or False (G1-5)

Create an imaginary line down the middle of the class and give the students true or false questions. Students stand on the side they believe to be correct.

Typhoon (G1-5)

In teams, students answer questions or use keywords in a sentence, if they are correct they get to choose a square from the Typhoon board. Students can, win, lose and steal points, the team with the most points at the end wins.

What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf? (G1-2)

Have the students line up against the back wall. The teacher should stand with his/her back turned to the class. The students must ask the teacher "What time is it, Mr. Wolf (or teacher's name if easier)?". The teacher answers with a random time, e.g. "It's four o'clock" - the students take four steps toward the teacher. The students should move the corresponding number of steps. If the teacher says "It's lunch time!", the students must run to safety at the back wall. The teacher chases the students and if tagged, the student must sit out until the next round.

Yes/No (G3-5)

The teacher or student attempts to illicit responses to questions from a chosen student, the student must respond correctly, but without saying yes or no. This can be done in teams or individually for points or getting individual students to sit down.