Name of Game: We’re Going Collecting.

Level: Beginner to pre-intermediate English as a foreign language. (Even at a higher level using phrasal verbs and clauses)

AIM: Teach vocabulary and counting up to 6.

Players: Groups of 2 or 3.

Time of game: 15-20 minutes depending on amount of food cards.

Materials needs:

• 1 copy of the play cards (shopping baskets) per player. You can make the shopping baskets using a table of 4 columns and 10 rows and then draw on a handle and wheels. Heading at the top of table should be “Fruits and Vegetables”.
  • 1st column – write the name of the fruits students will have to find.
  • The second column is for the picture cards of corresponding fruit.
  • 3rd column names of vegetables
  • 4th column is for the picture cards to correspond with shopping list.
  • Note: if each player has onions on their list, you will need to have 2 or 3 onion picture cards.
• 1 pair of dice per group
  
• Counters

Rules:

1. The picture cards are placed in a circle. Ask students to place fruit and vegetables alternately.
   
2. Choose a fruit or vegetable where all counters are placed.
   
3. One with the highest throw starts, then it carries on with the student on the left if 3 players.
   
4. Lets say player a) throws a 4 and lands on a banana. If he has the word banana in his chopping basket, he may take the picture and place it next to the word banana. If he does not have a banana, he simply stays on the banana card until his next turn.
   
5. Player b) throws and lands on the banana (he has a banana in his shopping basket) where player a) is, player b) takes the banana, player a) remains in the empty space until his next turn.
   
6. Through the game as players collect fruit and vegetables you will have empty spaces. These spaces are ignored and not counted. For instance – carrot, banana, cabbage. Banana has gone on this move; the next player will count carrot as one and cabbage as two.
   
7. The winner is the one to fill up their shopping basket.

Variation:

This game can be played with any groups of vocabulary – “Clothes for Boys and Girls,” “Farm and Zoo Animals,” and even with prepositions of place. Word student cards “into,” “behind,” “on top of,” etc., then picture cards in the circle with a bird in a tree, a cat behind the tree, etc.

I hope you have as much fun and success as I have had with this game.

Best wishes

Gaynor Morgan ESL teacher

Anyone who would like a copy of the shopping lists and picture cards feel free to e-mail me. I was unable to place them here.

E-Mail

Gaynor Morgan

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