5 Games for Small Classes
Class games are a great way to reduce teacher talking time and increase student talk time! Students will also get to know each other and it will create a great learning environment with interaction and engagement. We know that a lot of teachers have classes with fewer numbers and it can be challenging to find the perfect games for small classes. Don’t worry, we did the hard work for you! Here are a few games for small classes:
1. Last Man Standing
Start by choosing a category. This can be anything and you can get creative, for example food, movies, winter, places, hobbies, etc. Let your students stand in a circle and stand in the middle of a circle with a ball. State the category (for example, food) and the first related word to the category (for example, eggs). Pass the ball to a student who should then say an additional related word. Once they said a related word, they can pass it to the next student. If a word is repeated or a student cannot think of a word, they have to sit down. The last student standing will be the winner!
2. Hangman
This classic game is always a winner. You can even use it as a warm up activity for the first 10 minutes of class. Choose a word and write the same number of dashes on the board as there are letters in the word. The students take turns to guess a letter. If the letter is in the word, write it on the correct dash, if it is not in the word you will start drawing the hangman. You will continue until the students guessed the correct word (the students won) or until the hangman is completed (you won).
3. 20 Objects
Bring some objects from home to the classroom or choose some objects from the classroom. Give students a minute or two to memorise the objects in front of them. The next step is to cover the objects and give the students a few minutes to write down the names of the objects they can remember. Afterwards, write down the list of the objects on the chalkboard and go through them with the students so they can self-correct and learn. This is a fun way to test your students’ vocabulary!
4. Telling the Truth
You only need a board and some chalk or markers for this game. It can also be a great ice-breaker! Start by discussing what truths and lies are. As the teacher you can start the game by writing two truths and one lie about yourself on the board. Now it’s time for some interrogation! The students can ask you questions about the sentences on the board, for example if you wrote ‘I love my cat’, they can ask what is your cat’s name, why do you love your cat, etc. Every student gets a chance to say which sentence is the lie and why they think so. Next up, one of your students gets a chance to write two truths and a lie and the same process is followed.
5. Countdown
Write random letters on the board. The students should unscramble the letters to make a word. The longer the word, the more points the student gets. Here’s the catch, the students will only have 30 seconds to create a word from the letters. For example: YHILADO
“I”: 1 point
“HAY”: 3 points
“HOLIDAY”: 7 points
Make sure that your students know that ANY word, even “I”, gets points. The students can do this individually or in small groups.
Your smaller groups will enjoy these games, build their confidence in speaking the English language and get to know one another better. These games can even be used as warmers, ice-breakers or no-prep games for those last 10 minutes of class when the students are tired. Let the fun and games begin!