Charades

Each of the pupils will get a word. They will then take turns in explaining the word to the classroom but they are only allowed to use their body to express the meaning. The pupil that guesses the word correctly will get a point. The pupil with the most points wins the game. 

Content: Vocabulary

Instruction blocks

One pupil will get a picture of a figure. This figure is made out of blocks. The other pupils are not allowed to see this picture. The other pupils in the group will get a selection of blocks. The pupil with the picture needs to give clear instructions to his teammates so that they can recreate the figure from the picture. 

Content: Prepositions of place, imperative, colours

Storytelling dice

The pupils have to throw the dice and create a story with the images that they can see.

Content: Writing, Present simple, Vocabulary

Who am I?

The pupils have to stick a card on their head. Each pupil has to guess who/what they are by asking yes/no questions?

Content: yes/no questions, vocabulary

Slip in 

The goal is to hold a class conversation but there is a catch. Each people will get a word that they have to sneak into the conversation. In order to do this, they can steer the conversation in different ways. However, if other pupils notice that someone is using a word in an unnatural way, they can pull the 'bullshit' card. Each pupil gets one chance to call bullshit on another person. At the end of the conversation, you can ask the pupils who managed to include the words and who didn't.

Content: vocabulary, grammar

Who is it?

Each pupil picks out a character on the board. They have to guess which character the other pupil has choses by asking them yes/no questions.

Content: vocabulary (appearances), yes/no questions 

Board games

You can use the tools for educations site to create a board game that fits your lesson. There is also an option to make a more eco-friendly board by using an empty template and colour in the field with 5 different questions. You can then make cards in those colours. Each colour will be a different type of question. This way you can reuse the board and just make new cards for the game instead. I like to use board games to revise an entire unit before a test. The cards would be about the grammar and vocabulary from that unit.

Content: grammar, vocabular

Pictionary

The class gets divided into two teams.

A pupil will get a card with a word on it. They have to then explain this word to their teammates by only drawing clues on the board. They will get two minutes to guess as many words as possible. The turn will then go to the other group. The group with that has the most correct answers is the winner. 

Content: vocabulary

Hangman

The pupil chooses a word and draws lines that correspond to the letters of the word on the board. The rest of the class has to guess letters. If they get a letter right, the pupil will write this letter on the correct line. If they get it wrong, the pupil will start drawing the hangman.

Content: vocabulary

Roleplaying 

Create a scenario in which the pupils have to use the new grammar/vocabulary. Examples: One pupil sits behind the register and another is the customer buying food/clothes/...; creating a fake airport in which the pupils have to go through passport check, security, etc. (credits: Tessy); cooking a meal with the pupils...