ESL Teacher

One of my favourite games to play with lower level classes is a variant of a simple memory game. I think the original way I learnt it was something like “I’m going to Grandma’s, and in my suitcase I have a …”, and students should add an object that they’ve packed for their trip to Grandma’s. As you go around the class, each student should add an object, as well as reciting all the objects that went before. In that case, it’s good for vocab revision.

I like to do it with a tense focus, for example, I remember very well playing this game to review the past tense after the winter holiday season one year. It started off with,

“In the holidays, I visited my friend in Vienna.”

And the student to my left - all standing in a circle - said,

“In the holidays, the teacher visited her friend in Vienna and I ate a lot of chocolate.”

Each turn becomes a little bit harder as you have to remember all the phrases that came before, but it soon gets hilarious. I usually let students be the “policemen” who decide whether or not someone has to drop out (by sitting down) or not, and as there are fewer and fewer students still standing I get stricter and make the sit down for a tiny error. In particular, in a case like this, I focus on them getting the past tense verb correct.

It’s a great warm up for a lesson, and I’ve never had a failure with it. A whole heap of fun!

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