7 Fun Games to Practice a Second Language — Learn Safari
Whether it be with adults or children, games are one of the tools for learning. People often say that whatever is learned through play is learned much faster than through any other method. In fact, research suggests that learning experiences based on play are a very effective way of developing skills that will “allow children to step into uncertainty, create opportunities for themselves and their communities, and learn throughout life.”* ( https://www.legofoundation.com/media/1063/learning-through-play_web.pdf )
In the spirit of play, we have made a list of some really fun games that can be adapted for your bilingual child to learn and practice their target language.
Bingo
The basic game consists of giving each player at least one cardboard, with a 5x5 grid containing numbers and the word BINGO at the top. The caller draws a ball (randomly) that indicates the letter and the number on the cardboard and the players have to mark the matching ones on thier board. When a person completes a pattern indicated at the beginning of the game, they can call out BINGO!
The great thing about this game is that you can easily adapt it to fit your needs, so there’s nothing basic about it. You can use it to practice any kind of vocabulary animals, shapes, colors, clothes, words, verbs, etc. You can purchase the game, find different versions of it on Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teachers, or you can simply make your own!
Memory
This family favorite consists of placing opaque cards face down and having players take turns in finding matching pairs. Just like bingo, you can adapt this game to suit your needs. It can be played in any language to practice a slew of different vocabulary. It can be played alone or with a group of people, in any language, and literally it can be played anywhere. Spanish Safari and Eglish Safari both include a fun electronic versión of this game.
Stop (Scattegories)
You have probably played an oficial version of this game, but growing up we used to just use paper and pencil! Usually the sheet is divided into several rows and columns. The category (name, surname, color, fruit, animal, etc) is written at the top of each column, and the last column is reserved for the point totals.
Each player will take a turn choosing a letter by picking pieces of papers from a container. The players then proceed to fill out the sheets by writing in words that go with the category and begin with the chosen letter. The first player to fill out the whole sheet will yell stop. Players will then go around calling out their answers and each unique correct answer receives a point. In the end the player with the most accumulated points wins.
Simon Says
It is the classic children’s game where one person is the leader (Simon) and the others must do what the person indicates using at the beginning of the phrase “Simon says …”, this game must be performed with a minimum of 3 people or more, They are usually located in a line in front of the leader or in a circle around him.
The leader will begin with the actions that the players must carry out and the player who is wrong can be left out of the game or perform a penance (it all depends on the game guide and its rules). What should be taken into account is that if the leader says a phrase and it does not start with “Simon says” the action to be taken by the players is invalid and the player who performs it is eliminated.
You can choose a player who will be “Simon” or you as an adult can be and see the level of listening comprehension of your children or students, this is a great way to practice the minority language. With this game, you can practice verbs, body parts, and other vocabulary, this will help your children or students to improve vocabulary, oral comprehension, pronunciation, oral expression and the formation of sentences.
Charades
Charades is a game suitable for all ages. It consists of acting out words or phrases written on a strip of paper, and the objective is to make the person or the team guess the answer using only gestures. That’s right, when a player acts a word or phrase, he is not allowed to speak.
These words or phrases are written before the game can be on a specific theme or simply words in the minority language that you know your children or students will recognize. The player must remove the word or phrase from a container and will have a limited time for their team to guess the word through mimes. They can set their own rules before playing, such as the categories of the words found in the container and allow the player who draws the word to name the category, or if it is a phrase to announce by hand how many words it contains, and thus, this game you can adapt it to your liking and even set your own rules.
SCRABBLE
SCRABBLE is a crossword game for 2–4 players, but it can also be played in a group if you want to enjoy it with a group of students. Players can score points in by placing tiles onto a game board divided into a grid of 15x 15 squares. Each letter has a set number of points, some letters being worth more points than other.
This game can be played in many different languages and it can be adapted to suit your needs.
Pictionary
This guessing word game is played in teams with players trying to identify specific words from the drawings made by teammates. You can think of it as “drawing charades.”
You can purchase the game, but it’s also really to recreate. All you need is a board and you can define the categories at the beginning of the game, write the words that the players will guess and place them in a container.
Games are a lot of fun to play and with just a few adaptations, you can make any game a great learning experience. Do you have any games that you use to practice the target language? Tell us about it in the comments!
Originally published at https://www.learnsafari.com on April 1, 2020.
