If you’re looking for a fun vocabulary game for kids or adults, then you’ll want to check out this flyswatter game. It’s one of the best fly swatting games out there so keep on reading to find out more.
Fly Swatting Game
Flyswatter Game
Skills: Listening/Reading
Time: 5-10 minutes
Age: 7+
Materials: Whiteboard, 2 flyswatters
The fly swat game is one of our favourite whiteboard games for ESL students. Check out some more top picks right here: Games to Play on a Whiteboard.
Here’s What To Do for the Fly Swatter Game
Flyswatter is a fun ESL vocabulary game for kids that can really energize your class at the end of a long day or semester. It makes an excellent way to review any new vocabulary that you’ve taught or as a warm-up at the beginning of the next class. One excellent example is for the ESL clothing unit.
Write the target words on the board in a random fashion. You can use 10-20 depending on the age and level of students. Divide the students into two teams. One person from each team comes up to the whiteboard and each person is given a flyswatter.
Give hints to describe one of the words and the first student to hit the word with the flyswatter gets a point for his/her team. If two students go for a word at the same time, the one on the bottom of the flyswatter stack gets the point. If a student makes an incorrect choice, he/she is out (no second chances).
I usually start with a very general hint and progress to more specific ones where the answer is quite obvious. It’s up to the student whether or not he/she wants to risk it and guess before the answer is apparent to everyone.
Procedure for the Fly Swat Game
1. Divide students into two teams.
2. Write 10-20 vocabulary words on the whiteboard in a random fashion.
3. The first two students come to the board and are each given a flyswatter.
4. The teacher gives hints for one of the words, starting with general ones and getting more specific. I usually aim for about 3 hints before the first student will guess the word. Make it fun by going general at the start with students have a few options.
5. The student hits the word with his/her flyswatter when he/she knows the answer.
6. If correct, his/her team gets a point and the next two students come to the board. If incorrect, the other student is given a chance to guess the word and the teacher can give 1 more hint if necessary. Finally, if both students are incorrect, both will sit down and neither team gets a point.
7. You can erase the word once selected if you like. Or, keep them up there for the remainder of the activity. You can also erase the chosen word and add a new one in its’ place.
Need some tips for helping students with new words? Check this out:
How to Memorize New Vocabulary.
Do you Like this Fly Swatting Game?
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What are some More Fun Flyswatter Games for the Classroom?
Playing games with a flyswatter can add an element of fun and excitement to the classroom. Here are a few games you can play using a flyswatter
Vocabulary Smash
Write various vocabulary words on the board or on flashcards. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team stands at the front with a flyswatter. Call out a definition or a synonym/antonym for one of the words, and the students race to swat the correct word. The student who swats the correct word first earns a point for their team.
Spelling Buzz
Similar to Vocabulary Smash, but this time, instead of definitions, call out words for students to spell. Write the words on the board or display flashcards. The students use the flyswatter to swat the letters in the correct order to spell the word. The first student to swat the correct spelling earns a point for their team.
Sentence Scramble
Write jumbled sentences on the board, leaving out the punctuation. Divide the class into teams and give each team a flyswatter. When you say, “Go,” the teams race to unscramble the sentence and correctly punctuate it using the flyswatter as a pointer. The first team to unscramble and punctuate the sentence correctly earns a point.
Grammar Smash
Write various grammar rules or sentence examples on the board or on flashcards. Divide the class into teams. Call out a question related to grammar, and the students race to swat the correct rule or example with the flyswatter. The first student to swat the correct answer earns a point for their team.
Flyswatter Quiz
Create a quiz with multiple-choice questions related to the topic you are teaching. Write the questions and answer choices on the board or display them using a projector. Divide the class into teams and give each team a flyswatter. Read out the questions, and the teams race to swat the correct answer choice. Award points to the teams that answer correctly.
Learn More about Teaching English Vocabulary to Kids
Check out this short video below to pick up some tips for teaching vocab to kids, including some fun games and activities you can use in your class.
Have your say about this Fly Swatter Game!
What are some of your favourite ESL vocabulary activities for kids? Or, have you tried out this ultimate fly swatter game? Or, other suggestions for fly swat games that you’d like to share? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts with us. We’d love to hear from you.
Also be sure to give this fun ESL game a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other teachers, like yourself find this fly swatting game.
Fly swatter Game: One of my favourite ESL vocabulary activities
