CIRCLE GAMES - The Shoe Behind You

Introducing Time Expressions

My Spanish students know a circle game called "La zapatilla por detrás".

I persuaded them to play it in English introducing some little changes to the original one and I made the most of it to teach the next concept for my classes: Time.

This is how it works:

- Arrange your class in a circle. Everyone is sitting on the floor except for one of them, who stands holding a shoe in his/her hand. 

Let's call him Carlos, to simplify.

- Carlos starts walking around the circle with the shoe while the class is singing a chant. I personally chose " The itsy bitsy spider" because it was a little difficult for them to learn and this way they have already sung it about 100 times!

- At the end of the chant they ask Carlos: " What time are you coming, daddy?"

If it was a girl they would say " What time are you coming, mummy?" 

- Carlos answers: "at 8 o' clock", for example, and the kids in the circle start counting until 8 while pretending to be asleep. At the same time Carlos is walking around them to decide who he is going to drop the shoe behind.

- Once the counting time is done, the kid who finds the shoe behind his back has to stand up and try to catch Carlos chasing him around the circle.

Carlos in the meantime will run away to take the place of his chaser. 

- If Carlos gets the seat before being caught then it will be the chaser's turn to walk around the circle and drop the shoe. 

There are a couple of rules in this game that will help to keep it under control:

1st: Don't let them run freely in the classroom. They have to run strictly around the circle. This way they won't hurt themselves or break something.

2nd: The pupil who is being chased has to complete two circles before trying to sit.

This way it'll be more challenging and engaging.

I hope you have a good time!

---> Quiero leer este post en español.

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