CIRCLE TIME GAMES

During my English workshops in schools, I aim to establish a routine that begins with “circle time” .

Circle time is a moment when we all sit in a circle, greet each other, and sing songs. It’s the perfect opportunity to engage in quieter seated games, such as “Chinese Whispers”. 

Below, I've outlined two games I often recommend.

Duck, Duck, Goose 

“Duck, Duck, Goose” is one of the beloved games among my students. In this game, a child, known as “it” (or “picker”), walks in a circle while all the others sit in a circle, gently tapping the heads of the players. Each time “it” touches a classmate’s head, they must say “duck” until they choose a player who becomes the “goose.” The “goose” stands up, chases “it” and tries to catch them to avoid taking their place.

You can watch a demonstration of the game in this video: 

Chinese Whispers

I mentioned earlier that “Chinese Whispers” is nothing more than the classic game of “Telephone” that we all played during childhood. 

The rules are the same: everyone sits in a circle, and one of the players thinks of a word or phrase without saying it out loud, whispering it to the next student. 

The student then repeats the same word to the next player, and so on until it reaches the last person, who says the word aloud. 

Most likely, this won’t be the same as the original word spoken by the first player, and that’s what makes the game fun!

When I introduce this game to children, I make sure they choose an English word they know. With older kids, you can even try using complete sentences, as long as they relate to a familiar context.