Interactive

Starters/Ice-
breakers
Many of the ideas below can be used as starters; the starter can
be about getting students’ minds working or judging what they
have remembered from the previous session. This can be
adapted for any age.

A Bank of Ideas
 Box game
A student comes up to the front and steps into the imaginary box. The
teacher asks various questions, the student cannot leave the box until he
gets the correct answer. This can be done in small student groups also.

Move to the Answer – True / False

Students pick a statement from a box/hat and class must move to the
area according to what they think of the statement – dedicate an area of
the classroom to agree and one to disagree. Example: cat is a verb

Spot the Mistake

Put a small set of calculations or sentences on the board linked to LO and
get the students to spot mistakes. Put in some mistakes linked to things
students often do wrong and get them to spot the mistakes.

Fly Swatters
Split the class or a group into 2. Ask them to choose a member of their
group to be the leader. Have a series of cards/posters/items on either a
table or stuck on the wall. Each leader is given a fly swat. You ask them a
question and they must swat the answer as quickly as possible...the one
who loses must go back to the group and they choose someone else.

Jump Up!
Distribute cards with pictures. Teacher says the word. If the student has
the picture he/she jumps up. Eventually the teacher can use the initial
sound only.

Guess It
Get students to act out a verb the other students have to guess it.

Pass the Parcel

Pass around a box filled with statements about the topic you will be
studying in the lesson. Play music, when the music stops, the student
with the box must pick out a statement, read it and decide whether it is
true or false.
This could also be used to review what students have learnt in the
previous session - fill the box with questions; students should answer the
question when they pick it out.

Odd One Out - Statements

Provide students with a set of three statements. Students should decide
which one is odd and why. They must also be prepared to justify their
choice.

Cut up – Back Together

Give the students cut-up sentences and get them to put it back together
again – you can make this as difficult or easy as you like. Students could
work in pairs/groups.

Find Me a Partner
Half of the class are given questions and half are given answers. Students
must silently go around the room trying to find out who their partner is.
This could also be done with the questions and answers stuck on students’
backs to make it a bit more challenging. Alternatively, instead of questions
finding answers, questions could find other questions which provide the
same answer There are many different possibilities for this one!

Hot Seating
A student will be sitting on a chair; other students will ask him/her
questions about previous lessons or topics.

First Letter – Last Letter

In pairs or teams they have a start word and next word in list has to start
with last letter of previous word e.g. helpful- lovely- yoghurt.

Odd One Out - Words

Provide the students with a selection of 5 words (give the pictures to
match if you like) – students should decide the odd one out.

plum, onion, carrot, cabbage, broccoli

Instantly you might think that plum is the odd one out, as it is a fruit, the
rest are vegetables. However, students could come up with other ones
that are different from the rest e.g. onion – it begins with a vowel.

Eyes Closed
You could get the students to close their eyes and describe something to
them, then ask them to draw on white boards what they think you are
describing.

What’s the Question?

Give them an answer and ask them what the question is. This generates
discussion.

Making Numbers
Get the students to draw 2 dashes on some paper. Roll a dice and call out
the number. They have to write the number in any one of their spaces.
Repeat twice. At the end they will have a 2-digit number. The person with
the biggest number wins a point.

Bus Queue – Ordering Numbers/Words

Use kinaesthetic strategies such as having number cards and asking the
students to order themselves; or you can use words and students have to
order themselves alphabetically.

Odd and Even

All students stand behind their chairs. If you shout out a even number they
sit down, and if an odd number they jump up.

Noun/Adjective Game
Two students stand at the front - one starts with a noun e.g. chair and the
other student says an adjective that could describe it e.g. brown

Words Within Words

Teacher writes a word on board students look for other words hidden
inside the word.

Mime: Action Guessing Game

A student will mime what they did during the holidays and the rest of the
students need to guess what they did.
 Remember Me

Get students to sit in a circle. Each student will get to say what profession
they are, for example, “I am a doctor, teacher, policeman” etc. A student
will be given a ball and that student should toss the ball at another
student and ask “Remember me? Who am i?”

Riddles

Some examples:

1. Name 3 days consecutively where none of the seven days of the

week appear?
Answer: Today, yesterday and tomorrow
2. Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?
Answer: incorrectly
3. What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
Answer: A clock
4. I am a kind of soap. I am usually a liquid. You use me when you
wash your hair. What am I?
Answer: shampoo
5. I have legs and a back. I am not alive. What am I?
Answer: chair

Mix and Meet

Teacher will play music and students get to go around the class. When the
music stops each student needs to be standing with a partner (facing each
other) and start introducing themselves.
 Memory Game

Children stand up in a circle and teacher gives them the directions to

follow: When the teacher says 1, it means 'walk around', 2 = stand up in
one foot and 3=jump.
You can say the directions as you want, for example: 3, 1 ,2 or 2, 1, 3,
etc.
Students just have to do what it is expected. You can also use letters
instead of numbers, or use animals, shapes or colors and you can change
the directions.
For instance, red = hop, blue = run, green = stop. In this way you can
notice what they already know and you can lead them into a 'following
directions' routine.

Word cards could also be used for this.

Ball Toss

Prepare a beach ball with different questions on each color. Example

questions are - "What was your favorite thing you did this summer?"
"What is your favorite thing you see in the class room" etc. Toss the ball to
a student - the student must say his/her name and then answer the
question that is facing them. Then they can toss the ball back. The teacher
must repeat back each student's name before throwing the ball to the
next student.

Stand Up

Students will be seated at their tables. Teacher will ask a question and
students may only stand up if they have done what the teacher has asked.
For example: Stand up if you have…

1. Driven in an airplane.
2. Played with a ball.
3. Won a race.
4. Brushed your teeth this morning.
5. Been to Sheikh Zayed’s Museum.
6. Washed your face this morning.
7. Been to Al Ain Mall.
8. Eaten breakfast this morning.
9. Can write your name.
10.Can tie your own shoes.