Flyswatter: An ESL Vocabulary Game for Kids
Skills: Listening/Reading
Time: 5-10 minutes
Age: 7+
Materials: Whiteboard, 2 flyswatters
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.
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:
1. Divide students into two teams.
2. Write 10-20 vocabulary words on the whiteboard in 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.
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 more hints if necessary. If both students are incorrect, both will sit down and neither team gets a point.
Like this ESL Vocabulary Game for Kids?
It’s from 39 ESL Vocabulary Activities: for Kids (7+). There are 38 more vocabulary activities for kids that will make your classes awesome and your lesson planning easy. Happy, engaged students, guaranteed!
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39 ESL Vocabulary Activities: For Kids (7+) on Amazon
