The Hot And Cold ESL game is a version of the well-known children’s game, in which the proximity of a hidden object is indicated using temperature clues.
1+
5-10 mins
Setup
Make sure you or the students have a suitable range of objects to hide. You may want to align these objects with your target language (see below) .
This game is played in pairs (or as student and teacher in a private class).
Game
- Student A leaves the room or closes their eyes. Student B hides an object somewhere in the room.
- When it is hidden, student A has to try and find the object. Student B gives them clues using temperature indicators. For example if a student is getting closer: warm, warmer, hot, hotter, boiling. Or when getting further away: cool, cooler, cold, colder, freezing.
- When the object is found, you may require the student to say or write down where they found it (if you wish to practise prepositions of place).
- The students switch roles and repeat as many times as desired.
Target Language
The Hot And Cold ESL game is a fun exercise for young kids at beginner level. If you are in a classroom, you can use it to practise classroom objects vocabulary (by hiding pens, pencil sharpeners etc.).
Optionally, you can also use it to practise prepositions of place. In this case, students have to state where they found the object, e.g. It was under the chair, next to Tom’s bag.
If you are doing a private class at a student’s house, you could incorporate vocabulary for home and furniture into the above descriptions too. For example I found the pen on the bookcase, or I found the teddy under the sofa.
For a game with the same premise to practise numbers, try Hot And Cold Numbers.
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