TOYS - games and ideas - Learning can be fun!

I gave my students Mr. Potato head parts of the body. They worked in groups, put the pieces together and described the toy using parts of the body and have got/ has got.

Using songs - Learning can be fun!

I love music so I try to use it in the class as much as I can. This is an activity I saw on one of the seminars I've attended recently. What you need to do  before the lesson is to choose a song that will cover some of the vocabulary you are studying or grammar ( in my case it is revising words about transport and verbs that go with it). Write the lines of the song on different pieces of paper. Ask the students to stand in a circle and tell them to arrange the song on the floor. That means when they hear the line of the song that they have in their hands they should put it down. One piece of paper after another to arrange the lyrics of the song on the floor.

Movement in the classroom - Learning can be fun !

Lessons need to be interesting and dynamic. Sometimes space in the classroom  can be a problem but we manage somehow. The idea is that you put pictures of the target vocabulary on different walls in the classroom and once you say the word the students need to make the movement and get to the picture as shown on the video.

Food, containers and money vocabulary - Learning can be fun!

The photos say it all:) We practice dialogues with the target vocabulary - and of course we use toys :)

The Gingerbread man game - Learning can be fun

I'm sure you are familiar with this game, but just a reminder:) You can use any vocabulary you like. I did it with the letters from the alphabet.

Students need to say the alphabet letter from the card and the word that starts in that letter in English. Should they pronounce it correctly they colour one part of the gingerbread man. The first student who colours all the parts is the winner.

More games using toys - Learning can be fun!

I often do this in the class with my younger students. I use toys, ask students to close their eyes, touch the toys and try to guess the animal in English. I usually measure the time so that we can find out who the winner is. That's the student who names all of the animals correctly for the shortest time.
The good thing about using this type of toys is that you can use it with different vocabulary like - food, fruit, vegetables, shapes, number, letters from the alphabet...... the choice is yours!

TOYS, TOYS, TOYS - vocabulary game - Learning can be fun!

When you teach younger learners you simply must  use toys in your lessons. Not only they are very appealing to the students but they also keep the busy, make them think and make them learn new words. Different types of puzzles can be very useful for revision of vocabulary. I usually ask my students to solve the puzzle and name the object ( in this case - animals). I keep track of the time. The student who solves the puzzle first and names all the animals correctly is the winner.

Traffic signs - game - Learning can be fun!

This is another way on how you can revise vocabulary and have fun. Remember that you create the rules of the game, this is just one way how I do it with my students. You put pictures of the target vocabulary on the board ( in my case - traffic signs). Students work in groups and you give each group an equal number of pieces of paper with the name of a traffic sign written on it. You keep track of the time while each group- each member of the group runs to the board and sticks the name of the traffic sign under the correct picture. Now the catch is that the students don't only walk to the board or run, but they need to perform several movements on the way. You can come up with different ones. We usually do jumping up and down, running on one leg, etc....

Traffic signs ( listen and draw) - Learning can be fun!

In the fifth grade I have a unit on traffic signs. When we revise vocabulary I like doing this game. Students work in groups. You give them a piece of paper where they are expected to draw the traffic sign they hear. The group that finishes first is the winner. The good thing is that they have fun and you can do this with any vocabulary you like.

SCHOOL BAZAAR - Learning can be fun!

In the fifth grade I use the book Welcome 2. My students and I got inspired to make our own School Bazaar after doing Unit 5. The difference is that we didn't sell the food, but we all ate it together. The parents of the students prepared it all after we did the research and found all the recipes. The bazaar was on American and British food followed up by some nice games and activities. We invited some of the other teachers to be our guests and take part in this event. My colleagues were required to play the games and use their English:) I always like when students see how other teachers use English, and how important it is to know another language.
You might think that we had a lot of unhealthy food but I promise that it was only this one time.
The games that we did:
1. Pin the tail on the donkey.
2. A ring toss game
3. Close your eyes, touch the animal toy and name the animal
4. Guess how many beans are there in the jar.
5. Dart