ESL Gym Games
Stepping out of your English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom and into the gym for a day can build cohesion and team spirit in the classroom. As with any ESL game, practicing first to ensure everyone understands the rules is a good idea.
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Duck Duck Goose
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"Duck, duck goose" is an amusing way for elementary ESL students to hone their speaking and listening skills. This ESL gym game gives students the chance to run around and think in English while having fun. You can use recent lesson topics such as colors, animals or objects in the classroom, or employ participatory learning techniques to enhance the educational experience by allowing students to pick their own word pairs.
The game is played by having students sit in a circle. The teacher asks for a volunteer to go first and has the student announce the word pair of his choice. For example "snake, snake, tiger" or "red, red, blue." The first student walks around the outside of the circle and taps each student on the back or head saying the first word in the pair. When the first student taps someone on the back while saying the second word, the tapped student must get up and chase the tapper around the circle. The first student runs around the outside of the circle one time and then sits in the open space left by the tapped student. If successful, the tapped student chooses a new word pair and repeats the process. If the tapped student tags the first student, the first student takes another turn.
Simon Says
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"Simon Says" is a good game for intermediate ESL students that employs techniques to review parts of the body and basic verbs. After demonstrating this ESL gym game, ask for a volunteer to lead the class. You can personalize the game by having the student use his own name or a name of a celebrity. Before each requested movement the leader states "Simon says." The point of the game is to trick others into doing the proposed action when the words "Simon says" are omitted, at which point the students who mistakenly do the proposed action must sit down. The last student standing is the winner and becomes the leader of the next round.
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Relay Races
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Relay races are a great ESL gym game for all levels of English language learners. Divide the students into groups of 10 or more students. Large groups offer the opportunity for a lagging team to come from behind and win. This activity offers a variety of language practice and is a good way to get soft spoken students to speak English loud and clear.
The game is held by writing vocabulary words on pieces of paper and placing them into a hat. The first student runs to the hat and chooses a word. The student must speak loudly enough so that the second student can repeat the word correctly. When the correct word is spoken, the second student runs to tag the first student and the process is repeated. The first team to finish is the winner.
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