Kazakh national games on English classes

National games on English classes

With the aim of advocating national customs during classes the conduct of national games will ameliorate quick thinking and good memory abilities of elementary school pupils and will contribute to the creation of solidarity milieu in the class. Therefore I introduce the following types of national games that are used during classes.

«Who is quick-witted?»

Pupils are divided in two small groups. In order to play this game we need to have a ball and an item which indicates time (I will be using sandglass). The facilitator can be appointed as a result of counting-out rhymes or draw. The two small groups stand opposite to each other. The distance should be approximately two meters.

The facilitator says the beginning of any word, "ele…" for example, to the very last player of one of the two teams and then throws the ball. The one who catches the ball says the end or continuation of the word ("…phant" in this case) and throws it further to the next player. The game is further played in this way. The facilitator controls the tardiness in the process of team members being answering and grants corresponding points for that. The game may last 3-4 minutes. In this game the team which gets the least number of points is considered as winner.

«Note!»

The class is divided in two groups. The two teams have to choose the team leaders among themselves. Members put 10-15 different small items (such as toys, pens, small pictures) on the table and cover them with a shred, while the two team leaders write down the names of all those items so that the rest does not see. Other children observe the items during one minute and turning away have to write all the names that they have just seen and observed. Each word, written without any mistake, is counted as one point.

The game improves observing and memory skills and exercises the ability to write the words without mistakes.

«Do not be mistaken»

Children create a circle by holding hands. The one who is willing goes out to the center, and tells a poem illustrating it by gestures. For example:

One, one, one (shows 1 by a finger)

Little dog run. (runs like a puppet)

Two, two, two, (shows 2 by fingers)

Cats see you (looks like a cat)

Three, three, three (shows 3 by fingers)

Birds on the tree (shows a flying bird)

Four, four, four (shows 4 by fingers)

Rats on the floor. (walks like a mouth on the floor)

The rest of the children have to repeat all gestures. The one who is not able to show the movements goes out to the center and continues the game by singing a song or telling a poem. If he or she finds difficult to sing or tell a poem in English, then he or she can dance.

The game accustoms children to creative solidarity and acumen.

«Flies-flies»

The facilitator can be appointed by a method of "Pen in the center". The facilitator tells different words from the past topics and says "Flies- flies". For example:

Flies- flies, peacock.

Flies- flies, pirate.

Children have to quickly understand the meaning of the words, and when the facilitator tells the names of the objects that fly they have to put their hands up and when the facilitator tells the names of the objects that do not fly they have to put their hands down. The pupil who is not able to do that has to tell a poem or sing a song in English.

The game sharpens sensitivity of children and accustoms them to think quickly, act accurately and be internally collected.

«Magic stick»

Children create a circle by holding hands and choose the one from themselves as a facilitator. The facilitator goes out to center by holding a stick. He or she, starting from one end of playing children, appoints to all of them the numbers of order in which they stand. For instance:

Bekzat- the first

Ainur- the second

After that the facilitator props the one end of the stick to the floor by holding it up and says the number of any of the playing children, and puts the stick down. Say, the number that facilitator says is fifteen and the one, whose number is fifteen, has to run quickly and hold the stick not dropping it down right after he/she hears his/her number. If he/she does not understand or is slow, and does not hold the stick quickly or drops the stick, then he/she has to do what others say. If the player gets to the place quickly and does not drop the stick, he/she exchanges the places with facilitator.

It is possible to use the names of different animals, items that are in the classroom or something from the past topics instead of numbers.

The game helps children think and act quickly, and memorize vocabulary.

«Hide and seek»

It is good if the game is played in the school's yard, sport gymnasium, or school's corridor during the break. It is possible to draw a big circle or limit the place within which the game is to be played. Toys are distributed to the participants and the scamp goat is chosen as a result of counting-out rhymes. Other children tell a poem while the eyes of scamp goat are tightly closed:

We go, we go,

We go to the Zoo.

There is a tiger there,

And a zebra too. (pupils can tell another poem that they know)

Children should not go out of the designated place while running off the scamp goat. The scamp goat tries to catch one of them. If it does, the one who is caught gives the toy to the scamp goat. The scamp goat has to recall the name of the toy and its owner by caressing the toy. For example:

It is a cow. It's Arman's cow. etc.

Assyk game

Putting the assyks on one side in a row, one pupil from each team goes out to the center. Participants that are in the center strike the assyks in a row. The teams get the tasks according to the way how assyks fall.

Buk- 1-task

Shik- 2-task

Taiki- 3-task

Alshy- 4-task (surprise)

The game accustoms children to think and act quickly and memorize vocabulary.