VERBS & TENSES practised in a FLEXIBLE CARD GAME – HAPPY FAMILIES created with younger students

– a fun activity to practice the different VERBS & TENSES after having MADE THE GAME TOGETHER with the students…

GETTING STUDENTS INVOLVED IN LESSON PREPARATION will make the CONTENTS MORE MEMORABLE...

ONE GAME – MANY VERBS & TENSES:  This blogpost is the development of a previous one I had written on involving students in lesson preparation for Happy Families.
 
Before the digital era I had dedicated many days to preparing a large set of Happy Families cards based on vocabulary sets:  cutting out pictures from magazines, writing in beautiful handwriting in different colours, covering the cards back and front with transparent sticky film - no laminating in those days.  After much fun play in class, my bag of carefully homemade teaching resources was stolen from my car together with my old school uniform, I kept to show my students.  So I lost all motivation to create a new set.
 
Recently, however, I felt the need for that very useful game and realized that in the digital age it would be much easier to recreate.  I suddenly realized how well it would also work with verbs and am now in the process of making a pack of cards for verbs and another for vocabulary which I shall share in due course.
 
Not having any cards ready, I decided to involve my students of varying ages in creating sets of cards based on different VERBS and explaining the rules at the same time.  THE GAME WAS A HUGE SUCCESS because, HAVING PARTICIPATED IN ITS CREATION, it was EASIER TO REMEMBER THE VOCABULARY and WORDS.  As a result I have decided I will involve my students in lesson preparation more often in order to make learning more memorable for them.
 
The cards are very flexible:  using VERBS allows for TENSE PRACTICE during the game.  Depending on the level of the students you can ask:
 
Have you got “go swimming?”
Yes, I have.
 
Are you “going swimming?”
Yes, I am.
 
Do you “go swimming” everyday?
Yes, I do.
 
Did you “go swimming” yesterday?
Yes, I did.
 
Have you ever “gone swimming” in the ocean?
Yes, I have.
 
 
Will you “go swimming” with your friends?
Yes, I will.
 
Do you like “going swimming” in lakes?
Yes, I do.
 
… and so on…

For those who don’t know how to play HAPPY FAMILIES:

1. Deal out the cards face down to all the players (in groups of min 3-5) 
2. Look at the cards and put similar sets together according to their verbs.
3. The object of the game is to collect a set, a family.  The first word is your card so you have to ask for the other three.
4. Ask your partner:  Have you got “go swimming?”
5. Yes, I have. – The player passes the card and the winning player asks another person.
6. No, I haven’t. – The player who replied no asks another person.

The winner is the player to have the most ‘families’.
 
You can download the game below in two versions:

• ready to use (just print and laminate)
• template with verbs (pictures to be drawn by your students)

I shall share any new ones I make in due course.
 
Hope you have fun with it!
Susan

happy_families_do..._sport.pdf
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happy_families_feel....pdf
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happy_families_go..._activities.pdf
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happy_families_go..._sport.pdf
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happy_families_have....pdf
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happy_families_listen_to....pdf
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happy_families_play..._sport.pdf
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template_play…_sport_-_happy_families.docx
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