Gesture Game Activity for Teaching Languages
The Gesture Game, also known as Charades, is a dynamic classroom activity to review vocabulary, which works especially well for action verbs. This page will introduce the Gesture Game and how it can be used in language learning classes including English as a Second Language (ESL).
Aim
For action verbs the Gesture Game is great for demonstrating the meaning of the words very clearly. For other vocabulary such as animals or food the game is a fun way to review vocabulary.
Materials Needed
- Vocabulary Cards or Flashcards: Prepare a set of cards with words, phrases or pictures for the lesson's target language.
- Whiteboard or Chalkboard: Useful for displaying vocabulary and explaining the rules using by drawing diagrams.
Preparation
- Pre-teach the target vocabulary and any other phrases that the students will use
- Create groups of 3 to 5 students
- Give each group a set of the vocabulary cards
- Demonstrate performing a gesture by taking a card, looking at it and performing a gesture. Have the students guess the word. If you are teaching a certain sentence or question and answer pattern, include that too.
How to Play
- In each group, assign one student as the "actor" for the first round. The other students will guess the word or phrase that the actor does the gestures for.
- The actor from each group draws a vocabulary card and silently acts out the word or phrase, using gestures, facial expressions, and body movements. They cannot use any words or make any sounds.
- The other students in the same group watch the actor's gestures and try to guess the word or phrase.
- When a student guesses the correct answer, the round finishes, and if keeping score both the actor and the student who guessed the correct answer receive points.
- Rotate the role of the actor to the next student within the same group. Continue with the next word or phrase. This process repeats until each student has had a chance to be the actor.
Tips
- This game can be fun and competitive enough without needing to keep scores, but keeping score may help in some cases.
Variations
- Another way to play is by having two teams, and both team's actors perform their own different gestures at the same time at the front of the class to their teams. The winner of the round is the team that guesses the word first. This variation works best with two people being the judges, one for each team, as it is difficult for one judge to listen to both teams at the same time.
