Spin the Coin

ESL/EFL Game Profile
Name of Game:
Spin the Coin
Target Students:
Young Learners
Target Students:
Elementary School
Duration:
10-15 minutes
Number of Students:
Groups of 3-5
English Skills:
Grammar
English Skills:
Speaking
English Skills:
Vocabulary
Objective:
Practice grammar structures and vocabulary words with flashcards
Instructions
  1. Lay out an arbitrary number of flashcards in a circle
    formation, making sure the edges of the flashcards are touching (i.e.
    no “holes” in the circle: taping the cards down helps)
  2. Give each player some marker pieces (colored chips work well)
  3. Prepare a 'coin' from cardboard, etc. with a line on each side, from the center of the coin to the edge
  4. Spin the coin in the middle of the circle and have the first student slam their hand down on the coin
  5. The
    line on the coin serves as a pointer and the student says the
    vocabulary word or grammar structure on the card the line points to
  6. If they are right, they place one of their markers on the card
  7. The first student to get rid of all of their markers wins
Variations
  • Use pictures for less advanced students
  • Have special flashcards such as 'place your marker on any available card' or 'remove 1 marker from a card'
  • Only allow one marker on each card
Notes

If you are using only a few flashcards, make the number of markers be equal to the number of flashcards.

A big thanks to David for this EFL/ESL game!