Reverse Scattergories ESL Game
If you’ve ever played Scattergories, when you think about it, it’s the perfect ESL game. And if you’ve never played Scattergories before, that’s totally fine. I love this game because it requires zero prep, it’s super simple, and it can be played multiple times in a semester.
The game is simple. Here’s how to play:
First, divide students into small groups. Groups with four students seem to work best, but any group with at least three people will work. If possible, have them sit in a circle. They’ll need to be near each other.
Second, give each group one piece of paper and make sure each student has a pen. They will pass this paper around in the group.
Third, tell the students how to play. You will announce a category, and each group should write down words that fit within that category on the paper. The student who is currently holding the paper should write the first word, then pass the paper to the student next to him. The second student will write another word that fits within the category, then pass the paper to the next student. This process will continue until the timer runs out.
Finally, when the timer runs out, you can count up the number of words on each group’s paper. The group with the most words on the paper is the winning team. If you’d like to play again, set up another timer and announce a new category.
Category Ideas:
Animals
Food
Movies
Clothing
Colors
Sports
Drinks
Fruits
Vegetables
Fast Food restaurants
Ice cream flavors
Candy names
Holidays
Weather
Jobs
Famous singers
Famous actors
Things in the House
Things at School
Places (Cities, Countries)
Things that are made of glass
Things that are round
Things that smell good
Things that are yellow
Things that are hot
Breakfast foods
School subjects
Excuses for being late
Musical instruments
Cartoon characters
Adjectives
Adjectives to describe the feeling of “happiness”
Depending on your students, you can add your own! For example, because I teach in China, the category could be “Traditional foods you eat for the Lunar New Year” or “Famous Cities in China.”
How to make it easier?
If you have younger students or students at a lower level, here are a few ways to make the game easier:
1. Allow individual students to “pass.” If a student is handed the paper, and just can’t come up with a word to write down, give him the option of a “Pass.” That means he can skip over his turn, and just hand the paper to the next student. You could say that there are unlimited passes, or that each person gets one pass per round of the game.
2. Allow the team to work together and give suggestions to the student with a pen. If a student is stuck, you could say it’s okay for his teammates to help him out. They can whisper their ideas and suggestions to him while he’s drawing a blank.
3. Make the time shorter. It’s not that hard to come up with ideas for different animals in English if you’re only doing it for one minute. If you’re doing it for five minutes, however? It’s a lot harder to think of new animals when you feel like you’ve exhausted your options. If students are struggling, maybe lower the time for each round, so that there are still words to write down if they hadn’t run out of time.
How to make it harder?
If you have older students or students at a higher level, here are a few ways to make the game easier:
1. Announce a category and a letter. Not only will you announce that the category is “food,” but you’ll also announce that you can only write down the names of food that start with a “P.” That means they can only write down things like, “Pasta, pizza, papaya, potatoes.” Any word that doesn’t start with “p” isnt’ included towards winning.
2. Choose harder categories. For example, “nouns” is a lot easier than “food,” and “food” is a lot easier than “jobs.” You could also get creative with your categories. For example, “excuses for being late,” will require students to think a little bit deeper about what they write down.
3. Cross out repeated words. In the traditional game of Scattergories, not only do you have to think of words quickly, but you also have to think of unique words. Let’s say the category is “Food that starts with ‘p.’” If Team #1 writes down “Pasta, pizza, papaya, potatoes,” and Team #2 writes down, “Pasta, pizza, potatoes,” then you’ll cross out any repeated words. All the words Team #2 wrote down were also written down by Team #1, so Team #2 ends up with zero points. Since Team #1 had a unique word (papaya) that Team #2 didn’t write down, they get one point for that word and end up as the winner. This will challenge students to get more creative with their word choices.
This game is fun and challenging, yet also accessible for multiple English levels. You could play it for five minutes or fifteen minutes, and it’s a great game to have in your arsenal!