Hot Potato ESL Review Game
Starting your ESL class with a review game is the perfect way to start the class on a high note while bringing some fun and energy into the lesson. When it comes to review games, I always search for simple ones, because I don’t want to bring tons of stuff with me every day or need certain supplies to do the game. And of course, this game works perfectly for adults or children.
This hot potato review game only requires two things:
Some type of ball/stuffed animal/soft thing to throw
Some music
Playing is really simple. Simply give the ball to one student and hit play on the music (you can download your own and bring it with you, or just stream some music in the classroom). If your classroom doesn’t have a computer or internet, in the past, I’ve brought a small speaker to class, which works great too.
As long as the music is going, students have to pass the ball to the person next to them. Once the music stops, whoever is holding the ball has to answer a review question. When they’ve finished answering, hit play on the music and continue.
Tips:
I’m pretty selective about the songs I play. I like to choose songs I know my students are familiar with, and I always choose fun, upbeat pop songs over slower ballads. Playing loud, upbeat music creates a fun atmosphere.
If you trust your students, one fun way to play is to physically turn your back while the music is playing (think the red light/green light game). When you pause the music and spin around to face the students, they usually get a kick out of it.
To switch things up, you could even choose a student or a few students to take turns controlling the music as well.
If you have a music lesson, this game is the perfect choice to start the lesson with! If you’d like to see some ideas for an ESL music lesson, check out these articles: https://www.atlasteaching.com/lesson-planning/eslmusiclessonideas
https://www.atlasteaching.com/lesson-planning/besteslmusiclesson
I love that this review game is simple and high-energy. It’s also great that this game could be literally two minutes or twenty minutes. Try it out with your students! Enjoy the music and get a few laughs in.