| Children love to play. Who can deny it? So why not | | | | Learners can "drive" to places in a neighborhood, from |
| use this universal characteristic to provide and | | | | one part of the room to another or from one position |
| promote English language learning as well? If you do, | | | | on a game board to another. Small ones can serve as |
| you can hardly go wrong. What child is going to say, | | | | place markers in a board game, while larger ones can |
| "Teacher, I don't want to play"? Sure, it's ultimately | | | | be used as props in dialogues, role plays and |
| possible - but so is a force five tornado in South | | | | conversations. Don't forget about using them for |
| America or an "Armageddon-level earthquake in Tibet. | | | | grammar and verb practice activities either. And oh |
| Just don't hold your breath while you're waiting. | | | | yes, girls as well as boys like them too. Adults? Well I |
| Toys of all types and kinds are available worldwide. | | | | have to watch my vehicle props carefully or the adult |
| Why not turn this to your advantage to motivate your | | | | learners will "steal" them!o Board games - |
| young learners? For that matter, your not-so-young | | | | You really only need a small selection of board games |
| learners could benefit too; especially those learners | | | | if you have even a shred of imagination. Two or three |
| who are "young at heart", for those of you who might | | | | will work nicely. Some all-time favorites are ones like |
| be teaching adult learners. Let's look at some "realia" or | | | | "Scrabble", "Monopoly", "Checkers" and "Chess" which |
| "toys" that are commonly available and could be called | | | | both use the same alternately colored squares board. |
| into play. (pun intended)o Stuffed animals and dolls - | | | | Use the boards to "create" your own games too. Don't |
| A perennial learner favorite even my most mature | | | | forget a deck or two of Playing Cards either. No, not |
| adult students give up an "Awww", whenever I whip | | | | for Poker, but for simpler, faster-playing games like |
| out the likes of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Tigger, | | | | "War", "Fish" or "21" (numbers - not Blackjack!) |
| rabbit, puppy, Teddy or others of my stuffed animal | | | | Please note: |
| menagerie. You can simulate conversations, use them | | | | I'm not a proponent of using guns or simulations of |
| to illustrate prepositions of place and position, as | | | | firearms of any type in the classroom - not even |
| turn-taking devices or to "replace" learners in a game | | | | water pistols. No bats, hitting, or aggressive behavior |
| or activity. They (the stuffed animals) don't mind being | | | | promoting realia of any type normally enters my |
| tossed around either.o Soft rubber or inflated ball - | | | | learning environments. True you can get aggressive |
| How a classroom could function without at least one | | | | behavior from some of the toys I've mentioned, but it's |
| of these is beyond me. One learner can "select" | | | | easily squashed or put down without too much trouble. |
| another in a mill drill, TPR or group activity by simply | | | | I just explain to the learners what's allowed and what's |
| tossing the ball to someone else. That way the | | | | not. This of course, is by no means an exhaustive list. |
| teacher won't "play favorites" during the activity. A ball | | | | I'm sure you'll come up with many of your own |
| can be used in a relay fashion to signal the next | | | | locally-available favorites for use in your classroom. In |
| learner in a sequence or game. If it's dropped or | | | | fact, if you have some unusual or unique realia that |
| mis-handled, no problem, it just bounces a couple of | | | | you use, I'd love to hear about it. |
| times or so before returning to the game. Neat, huh?o | | | | Drop me a line at: |
| Cars, trucks and other Vehicles - | | | | And good luck. |