You don’t need an expensive IWB to have fun with your preschool or primary students. You don’t even need a sticky ball or fly swatters. In fact, these “teaching tools” get many teachers in trouble because they limit who gets to play and how many times. You can instead involve everyone and have fun with just a set of flashcards, sticky-tack, and this simple EFL listening game: Flashcard Safari. It’s great for getting everyone involved and also, importantly, moving – even in tight spaces.
How to Play Flashcard Safari
To play, put the flashcards for your lesson up on the walls with sticky-tack. Leave a lot of space between each card – at least a few feet works. This helps you monitor the game. Beware paint, however. Only put sticky-tack on glass, plastic, or something else that won’t rip off.
Next, tell students to get out their “cameras.” Hold your hands up like you’ve got an imaginary camera, press the shutter button, and say “click!” to take a picture. Instruct the students to listen to you and “take pictures” of the flashcards.
The students can stand up or twist around in their chairs to take the pictures.
As you play the game you can go faster and faster to increase the challenge. Don’t worry if one or two students make a mistake. They’ll see their classmates and self-correct. You can always hit a word more than once.
Keep going until you’ve gone through all the words at least a few times and the students start to trail off. You don’t need to identify any winners because the kids are happy to just move and play for fun.
How to Get the Most from the EFL Listening Game
Easy: There are lots of ways to adjust the level this activity for students. Little ones and low level students do great with just the vocabulary or short sentences such as; “a snake!”, “It’s a tiger!”, or “There’s a monkey!”
Harder: As the students get older and higher level you can increase the challenge as appropriate, for example by describing the flashcard. “It’s small and noisy. It can climb trees and it likes bananas.” You can also use the word in longer, more complicated sentences.
Get Out the Guns: I like taking “photos” because it’s non-violent. Preschoolers also like waving hello or blowing kisses at the flashcards.
Some classes, especially those with lots of boys, appreciate more aggressive versions. They like doing ninja chops, shooting energy beams, or shooting with finger guns and air bazookas. Just make sure you choose a nice version during family or jobs themes. Some schools don’t appreciate students gunning down grandma!
Bring in the Imagination: This EFL listening game goes great with imagination and chants for younger students as well. Both of these increase student learning and involvement. To do this, I like to tell students to imagine they’re in the jungle looking for animals, in the kitchen asking for food, or at the pet shop looking at animals.
We can combine the imagined context with a little chant. For example:
"We're walking in the jungle, looking for some animals.
Where oh where, can they be?
Listen! Listen!
(make an animal noise) Oh! It's a (parrot)"
*students turn and take a picture of the parrot
"We're walking in the jungle..."
Involve the Students in Setup: If it will take a minute or two to set up the flashcards then you want to involve your students so they don’t lose focus. Get them to identify the flashcards as you put them up. You can also do the same as you take them down. I like to get my preschool students to say “Goodbye (tiger)” as I take the flashcard down.
Have you played this game before? What tips do you have for other teachers? Share your experiences in the comments below.
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