Slap the Board Needs an Upgrade - Star Teacher Training

Slap the Board is a terrible game and it shouldn’t be played in most EFL classes.

Before you go and leave a nasty comment hear me out. First, I want to say that I’m well-acquainted with this popular young learner’s game. It was the first primary school EFL game I saw ever in Vietnam and it quickly became one of my top listening games back in the day. It’s played everyday in classrooms around the world and for some good reasons – it’s easy to set up, seems to be fun, and has a clear aim.

However, there’s something deeply wrong at the heart of Slap the Board – something that didn’t become clear until I started observing teachers on my own. I haven’t played this game (also known as Fly Swatters) much in years and you should stop today. Instead, read below to upgrade your game & lessons with these simple changes.

Related Post: Increasing ESL Participation Rates

Slap the Board – the Classic Game

To play this game the teacher puts up a set of pictures or words on a board and divides the class into two teams.

The teacher then has a student from each team come up to the board with fly swatters. They then listen as the teacher calls out a word or a sentence and they race to slap the correct picture. Whoever is the fastest with the correct slap gets a point for their team and the next students then come up.

Issues with Slap the Board

There are several problems with Slap the Board as its played above and all of them stem from the game’s Rate of Participation (RoP).

Long Waits…

First, only two students get to play at a time. If there are large numbers of students in class (more than 15) then students have to wait a long time for their turn.

In my observations I’ve often seen children waiting one, two, three, or even five minutes for their turn – sometimes they only get to play once or even not at all. They spend more time waiting for their turn than actually using English.

…Cause Frustration,: At the start kids are usually excited but then boredom and frustration set in. They have to spend long stretches of time staring at the backs of their classmates with little or nothing to do. Remember, kids don’t like waiting. They like playing.

…And Time Crawls: Frequently the teacher has no idea that their students are bored. He or she is too busy managing the two players up at the front. Time flies for the teacher because they are always busy. They feel productive, but time drags for their students who begin to talk among themselves, doodle, or get into other things.

Long Lines…:

Next, many classrooms aren’t set up well for Slap the Board. One way teachers speed up participation rates is to put their students into lines, but there often isn’t enough space to fit them all. Students end up getting squished together. This leads to arguments, pushing, and sore feelings.

…Or Slow Turns: Other teachers choose to have their students wait in their chairs and call on them for their turn. This unfortunately wastes class time while students walk up to the board. It seems small, but the seconds quickly add up to wasted minutes.

Wrong Focus

Finally, children often focus on the wrong things during Slap the Board. They just pay attention to team scores and who is winning. Most of the kids can’t participate in the fun so instead they focus on cheering for their team.

In many cases they also get upset with slower classmates or their teacher’s decisions about who gets points.

I’ve also seen students complain that they don’t want certain classmates on their team. They only care about winning, not about learning.

Many times players also just randomly & rapidly slap flashcards without listening for the actual target. They’re just focused on being first.

Some teachers might interpret all this as their students are really engaged with the game, but actually their students are distracted from the actual focus of the lesson.

…And Poor Outcomes: In the end, Slap the Board usually finishes after 10 or 15 minutes. The teacher feels the students got some listening practice and had some fun. The students, however, have often had their time wasted and feel dissatisfied. They had to wait a lot to only play a little.

Upgrading Slap the Board

The key to fixing Slap the Board is improving the participation rate so students get more opportunities to play, use English, and focus on what is important. There are several ways to accomplish this.

Band-aid Solutions

Three Teams or Four: The least radical change is to increase the number of teams you organize. The more students up at the front then the more often each student gets to play. It’s not a big stretch to referee for three or four players instead of two. This works great for smaller classes though it still has problems with students focusing on the wrong things such as team points.

Student Speakers: Some teachers let the winning student of each pair call out the next word or sentence. This adds a little more student-centeredness to the game, but doesn’t do much for the participation rate or solve any other issue.

Flashcard Safari

Another option is to ditch the board and put your flashcards on the walls with sticky-tack to play Flashcard Safari. Distribute the cards widely apart around the room so it will be easy to tell which card the students are pointing at.

You then call out a word or sentence and your students point at the correct one while they sit or stand at their desks. You can have your students use their fingers to point, take photos with imaginary cameras, or shoot with their finger-guns. Everyone can play at the same time, or you can divide them to play in turns; boys then girls, rows or tables, or by groups.

There’s no need to keep score in Flashcard Safari – you won’t be able to – instead just challenge the students to do their best and enjoy the game.

Finally, instead of flashcards on the walls you could up put A, B, C, and D for multiple choice questions or True and False for a whole range of additional possibilities.

Listen & Point

Another version is to pass out papers and play Listen & Point or Slap. In this game pairs or small groups of students share materials with pictures or words. They listen to you call out vocabulary or sentences and they race to point to the correct picture on their handouts or in their books.

Students can also play alone with their own papers, but sharing adds a little competition and fun. The students don’t need to keep score; they will have fun enough without needing to have a “winner.” They’ll also often correct each other when someone makes a mistake.

Delay Showing Answers: In this game it helps to keep a copy of the handout for yourself. Once you’ve called out the vocabulary and students have reacted you can point at the correct answer for them to check. Make sure to delay for a bit so you’re not giving the answer away.

It also helps to say “fingers up!” in between each round so students raise their hands. This helps them follow along and it helps you see their participation and answers.

Demonstrate: When you’re setting up this game it helps to demonstrate up front with a student or two. In my demonstrations with younger learners I always act extra enthusiastically about winning or losing – that helps get them excited about the game. I also make sure to get help passing out the papers from a TA or a few students to save time and prevent students from losing their focus.

Final Points

Listen & Point goes great with several other activities such as Coloring Dictations, Speed Speak, or Listen Quick. You can build in extra vocabulary and language with colors or build up towards speaking skills.

Lastly, another advantage of Flashcard Safari and Listen & Point is that they don’t last as long as Slap the Board. Every student gets to participate frequently so you can pack in a lot of listening practice in much less time – I only play these games for just a few minutes. This frees up more lesson time for productive speaking or writing activities.

It’s time to retire the old version of Slap the Board. Try these other games to maximize your students’ practice time and improve their behavior.