Pass the Chalk

Materials: a chalkboard and chalk, or a white board and two markers
Description: Students divide into two teams (three for large classes) and each team has a marker or a piece of chalk. Everyone is given a category (like food or animals) and teams have to race to put as many words on their list as [...]

Point System

Materials: none
Description: It’s really simple – just start a point system for how the whole class behaves, and after 10 points or so, they get a fun day. When they’re listening and working, I give them a point, and write it up on the board, and when they’re not, I take one away. [...]

Playing Card Stories

Materials: a deck or two of playing cards, paper and pens
Description: Before class, I write a list on the board of all the playing cards in a normal deck of cards. Each card value is assigned an adjective or a noun (usually I give the number cards adjectives and the face cards nouns). Then we [...]

Baby, if you love me

Materials: none
Description: This is a fun little game to play around Valentine’s Day. Someone in the class is “it,” and they have to approach someone else in the class and tell them (as pitifully and woefully as possible) “Baby, if you love me, will you please smile?” The other person has to respond “Baby, I [...]

The Money Game (aka Jeopardy)

Materials: Whiteboard/Blackboard, index cards (if desired)
Description: We call this game “The Money Game” because the concept of “Jeopardy” was too hard to explain. Anyway, it works just like the game show back home – students divide into two or three teams, and answer questions that are grouped by category (holidays, sports, sea animals, whatever) and [...]