Are you looking for ways to connect with your students and build community during the first week of class? Do you want to get to know your students, but also set the expectation of “Spanish only” from the start?
Here are 5 games that accomplish both of those objectives!
1. ¡Corre, corre!
Students form a circle with one person in the middle. The middle person makes a true statement about themselves, not related to anything physically obvious.
Examples:
- Me gustan los Cubs. (I like the Cubs.)
- No me gusta la música country. ( I don’t like country music.)
- Tengo 2 perros. (I have 2 dogs.)
- Mi familia es de Honduras. (My family is from Honduras.)
- Este verano fui a Michigan. (This summer I went to Michigan.)
Everyone in the circle who can also truthfully respond to that statement must run to a new spot in the circle. The last person remaining stays in the middle and shares the next statement.
When using this icebreaker in a language class, it’s a good idea to put some sentence starters on the board to lower student anxiety. With a higher level class, you can also use more challenging examples to informally assess students’s comprehension level.
2. ¡Yo también!
This is a less physical version of the previous game. Students sit on their desks and one student makes a true statement about themselves. If another student has that in common with them, they raise their hand and call out ¡Yo también! (Me too!) and say a new statement about themselves. After they participate, they sit in their seat and the goal is to get everyone to say something and show that we are all connected in some way.
Another variation of this game includes a ball of yarn. When the first participant hears a “yo también,” they hold a piece of the yarn and throw the ball to the next person. Everyone holds onto their piece and continues throwing the yarn. At the end of the activity, the class has created a web of interconnectivity – a visual reminder that everyone has something in common.
3. Four Corners (4 rincones)
On a sheet of paper, write out these 4 words to place in the 4 corners of your room.
Call out several different statements and ask students to move to the corner that is most true for themselves.
Examples:
- Me gusta bailar.
- Juego los videojuegos.
- Me duermo antes de las 10:00.
- Soy competitivo.
- Leo las novelas para la clase de inglés.
- Desayuno antes de clases.
After students are settled in their corners, ask follow up questions to learn more about everyone. This can be done in Spanish or a combination of English and Spanish. Remember the goal is to get to know your students well, so don’t let the language barrier get in the way.
4. Human Bingo
Students try to fill in their full Bingo card by talking to their classmates and writing down their names when they find a relatable statement.
5. Me llamo / Se llama
This game comes from Allison Weinhold of Mis Clases Locas. Students form a circle. The first student starts with a ball and says “Me llamo (Bob). ¿Cómo te llamas?” They must make eye contact with another person in the circle and toss the ball to that person who says “Hola, (Bob). Me llamo (Fred) ¿Cómo te llamas?” Once the ball has traveled to everyone in the circle, tell students they must complete the activity again in the exact same order. However, this time they say “Soy (Bob), eres (Fred).” Sí, soy (Fred), eres (Maria). Time them and see how fast they can go and if they can continue to beat their best time.
At the very end, see how many students can go around the whole circle and state the names of every classmate.
