Introduction
Each of these games is designed for beginning learners of varying ages. Feel free to adapt the ideas in the games to accommodate teams, individual learners, or even to focus on a specific idea. When a game asks for a sentence to be created, it may be necessary to say the sentence in English. Work toward total foreign language usage.
Cards 1, 101, and 201 are wild cards and can be used as any word in the target language.
Submit Games
Watch for new games to come in the near future. If you
have any game ideas, you can submit them at: games@power-glide.com.
(Games that are selected will be reviewed thoroughly before they are posted.)
Games to Play!
Below are a list of games along with the instructions needed to play.
Download games.pdf
Hear and There
Spread out the word cards, face up. Start the audio CD playing. The speaker will say a word. The first player to spot the card and grab it gets to keep it. The audio may be paused as necessary. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
Sentence Adventure
Select one player to be the score keeper to add points for each sentence. Deal each person 8 cards. Place the remaining cards face down for a draw pile.
The first player forms a sentence using as many of their word cards as possible, laying each card down as he or she uses the word. For beginners, the sentence can contain English words. Advanced players should try and form complete sentences in the target language.
For each card used correctly in the sentence, the player receives 5 points. The player then draws as many cards as they used (up to 8) from the draw pile. The next player can then add to the previous player's sentence, and then creates his or her own sentence. Play continues until there are no more cards in the draw pile. The player with the most points wins.
Sentence Scatter
Spread the cards out face down. Players take turns picking up 2 word cards at a time. They must create a sentence in the target language using both words, or they lay the cards back down. If they can create a sentence, they can keep the cards. The player with the most cards wins.
Time to Draw
This game is played with 2 teams. One player has a stack of word cards. Using either the picture side or the word side, they must draw as many items as they can, while their team tries to guess the drawing and correctly say it in the target language. The other team can compete for a faster time, or for the most objects drawn and guessed in 1 minute.
Awesome Actors
This game is similar to Time to Draw, but this time, the team member acts out the picture or word on the word card, and their team must guess the word in the target language. Remember to answer in the target language.
Super Speller
This game can be played with 2 teams or 2 players. The cards are divided into 2 piles. One team holds up a word card, showing the picture to the other team. The other team must say the word correctly and spell it, or it goes back in the pile to be used again. The team with the most correct identifications and spellings wins.
Story Time Adventure
Deal cards equally, with 1 card lying face up in the middle of the game area. Each player keeps their pile of cards face down in front of them. The first player looks at the card in the middle and uses that word in a sentence to begin a story. The player on his left draws one of his cards and uses it in a sentence, repeats the first player's sentence, then lays his card down in the middle, next to the first card. Each player uses one of their cards to add a sentence to the story, and then repeats the sentences used by others, using the cards laying in order, if necessary. A new story begins when a player is unable to repeat one of the sentences used.
Question and Answer
Spread out the picture cards face up. One player asks a question (in English or the target language) and the other player has to point to a card and answer the question. Use as much of the target language as possible, and be creative in questions and answers!
Category Color
Each player is dealt 5 cards. The first player asks (in the target language) the person on his left if they have a certain category of cards, such as "months" or "family members." If they have cards from that category, they must give them to the person who asked. Four cards from each category could be considered a set, and are laid down in front of the player. If they have no cards from that category, the person asking must draw a card, and his turn is over. The player who has the most cards laid down wins.
Rotten Egg
The wild cards (1, 101, and 201) are the Rotten Eggs. Deal all the cards. A "set" is created when a player has 4 cards from a category. Lay down all the sets from your hand. The first player chooses a card from the person on his left and adds it to their own hand. If that card creates a match, the player says each card in the target language and then lays those cards down. Players continue to draw a card from the person on their left until all possible matches have been made. One point is scored for all matches laid down. 3 points are subtracted for every Rotten Egg card.
Mighty Match
Depending on the number of players, place that number minus one of an object, such as spoons, in the middle of the play area. The object of this game is to create a match (4 cards of one category), and grab a spoon from the middle. Deal 7 cards to each player, and leave the remaining cards as a draw pile in the middle. Turn over the top card and leave it face up as a discard pile. The first player can choose the card in the discard pile, or a new card from the draw pile. That player either keeps it or discards it. If it is kept, one other card must be discarded. When a match is made, the player lays it down and grabs a spoon. This allows the other players to each grab a spoon. The person without a spoon is eliminated. The game ends when one player remains. |
