Have you played board games in your elementary Spanish class yet? I used to think the only way to use board games was to bust out Candyland during our colors unit. Thankfully my awesome colleagues introduced me to the idea of making the board games fit the content in our elementary Spanish curriculum.
Shout out to Sra. Schreiner & Sra. Gloudemans!
Why play board games in Spanish class?
My goal for using board games in class has always been to increase student engagement while giving them a reason to communicate in Spanish. Each turn provides an opportunity for a question/answer mini conversation. Nowadays my goal has shifted slightly to include intentionally teaching & practicing social skills, turn taking, & winning/losing gracefully.
What do you need to play board games?
What’s nice to have?
In order to set kids up for success, I like to provide a student resource page for kids when they’re playing board games in small groups. I either print off a copy for each group or make sure to have key vocabulary on the board while they’re playing. Even younger students are able to use the resource and feel more confident about their answers.
Teaching students how to play
I love to teach new games to students by playing it as a whole group first. We play “clase vs. Sra” starting in kindergarten. Then when they play in small groups they are familiar with the rules and able to play independently.
We occasionally play board games in small groups during the kindergarten year. That said, we play with small groups much more often starting in 1st grade.
Procedures for Play: Stories by Señora Style
Set Up–Whole Group
When I play a board game with the whole group, I put the game board on my google slides. *Since I move the game pieces around, you can’t play while in “present” mode.
I use a digital dice roller and switch back and forth between the tabs. To make it easy on myself, I just link the dice roller to an image of a die on my slide. A colleague (shout out to Srta. Younkle!) has kids roll a big die and that sounds fun as well.
For game pieces, I insert 2 shapes into my slides. Mine is always purple (my favorite color) so I don’t have to think about it.
Playing the game–Whole Group
When I play with the whole group, students always go first. I roll the digital die, move their game piece, and call on volunteers to say the term for the space they landed on. Then we go back and forth taking turns. I always play it up when I’m losing, trying to roll a bigger number. Kids love the competitive nature of the game even though I tell them it’s just the luck of your dice rolls. We also always say “buena jugada” or good game at the end.
I try to add in extra language that’s meaningful while we play. “Me toca a mí” & “les toca a ustedes”are a natural fit. I tend to say “la clase tiene tres” & “Señora tiene dos” after rolling and we always count the spaces out loud in Spanish.
Winning the game
In order to win, Señora’s rules say you have to roll the exact number needed. Looking at the sports board game below, the orange player needs a 1 in order to win. They have to roll a 1 or else they’re stuck until their next turn. This is a fun way to ensure an early lead doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win in the end.
Set Up–Small Group
When playing with small groups, I copy the game boards on card stock or put them in plastic page protectors. I also have a bin with dice & game pieces (we always use ositos). *Foam dice are nice so you don’t hear a million rolling dice for the duration.
Playing the game–Small Group
Rules for the game are the same when playing in small groups. I like to have enough copies of the game board for groups of 2-3 students. That makes sure no one has to wait too long in between turns.
I find about 10 minutes is plenty for small group play. It’s important to make your expectations for Spanish use during the game clear. I always tell students I want to hear Spanish numbers and lots of the content words! Walking around and engaging with the groups helps students use lots of Spanish.
Paper vs. Digital Versions of the Board Game
The lovely virtual teaching of yore initially forced me to come up with a digital version of board games. I still use the digital version from time to time to mix things up from one unit to the next.
Our district uses Seesaw & it works well for board games! I just create an activity, upload the game board, add some game pieces and a digital dice video. I usually include a student resource page as a second slide in the activity. Take a look at this activity to see what I mean.
Make Your Own Board Games
If you don’t love creating resources like I do, please find a ton of board game options in my shop. If there’s a topic you’re needing and you don’t see it, please contact me! I’d love to make it for you.
That said, making your own board game isn’t too tricky. You can find blank game board templates on TPT. Then after you’ve collected images for your content, you just copy and paste them into the blank spaces. Give it a try! I bet your students will enjoy it as much as mine do.
Interested in other game ideas?
Tic Tac Toe is always a fun one!
Baamboozle is a fun online whole group game.
To read more about why I am mindful to include playing in my lessons, this post might interest you.
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Are you looking for a fun way to get your elementary Spanish students moving during class? We know kids benefit when we incorporate movement into our lessons at school. One of my favorite ways to do that is a simple movement game: 4 Corners.
I’ve heard about a variety of different ways to play 4 Corners and I thought I’d share how my students and I like to play. When I plan to play this game in class, I have two goals: get students moving while engaging with Spanish.
Movement Game Set Up
I love this movement game for several reasons…but my favorite might be the easy prep. All you need in order to play are signs to hang around the room. I tend to put the signs in plastic page protectors and then hang them up with masking tape.
If you travel to different classrooms, make sure to have a student help you remember to take them down at the end of the lesson. It’s easy to forget them!
What goes on the signs?
Images or images plus text!
Depending on the content you’re working with, you can have anywhere from 3-6 signs. I always use at least 3 signs at a time. If you plan to use more than 4 signs, I encourage you to only use 4 at a time. Switch out a few signs part way through the game or the next time you play.
It never fails that the lesson after we play this game, students are asking to play it again! I often plan to play it the second half of one lesson and then just a few rounds at the start of the next lesson.
Student Instructions
Since the main idea of this game is that students are MOVING, it’s very important to review the rules each time you play. I remind students that we have to follow these rules for safety and if we don’t, the game will end.
#1: Use walking feet
#2: Be near a sign by the time I get to 10. If you’re not, you’re out. (No hiding somewhere being goofy).
After reviewing the rules, have students check around their desks and put away anything that could get stepped on or tripped over. I ask students to push in their chairs and stand behind their table spots when they’re ready to play.
During the Game
The game starts when I start counting slowly to 10 in Spanish. During that time I “keep my eyes closed” and students move to a sign. I cover or close my eyes so I don’t know who is where when I call a sign. *I usually need to give a few reminders about walking feet as students get quite excited to start the game.
Once I get to 10 I pause and listen for all the little feet to stop moving before I call one of the signs. Whoever is standing by that sign sits back at their table spot and helps me count for the rest of this round. Play resumes when I start counting to 10 again.
I used to play this game until there was only one person still standing. That is definitely always an option. When you play that way, make sure to tell students once there are fewer students than signs, there cannot be two kids at the same sign.
I found that after a while, the students who were “out” had trouble waiting until the next round. Asking them to wait in their seats all that time felt counterproductive. So, I came up with a new version that restarts when there are still several students who are “in.” You can restart at any time but I usually do it if I call a sign that has no students standing by it.
Playing 4 Corners with Kindergarten Classes
Teaching this game to kindergarten students at the start of the year can be hit or miss. They definitely enjoy the game but it also comes with some challenges.
I like to introduce this movement game after we’ve been in school for at least a month. We play it when we’re learning to describe our basic feelings with this freebie set. During the game set up, I stress that there are no winners in this game and when you “get out,” remember you’ll be back “in” soon.
I tend to monitor students a bit more when playing with kindergarteners. There are always a few students who never sit down when they’re supposed to. This can be frustrating for others who are trying to follow the rules.
Overall, kindergarten students love this game and as the year goes on, they do quite well with it.
Wrap it Up
It always feels good to get students up and moving during Spanish class. Moving is such a big part of learning for kids at the elementary level; and, it serves us well as teachers to plan for movement.
Read more about planning for movement within your lessons here!
Reading and playing. I know, not new concepts. Especially for an elementary teacher! That said, these words have been a game changer for me. They have helped me find more joy in a job I already loved. Even more importantly, they have helped me teach more effectively.
I keep these words in mind when I think about and plan lessons for my elementary Spanish students. A few years ago I started intentionally re-thinking how I teach with an increased focus on playing. Play combined with reading has had an incredible impact on my teaching.
Reading in the Elementary Spanish classroom
Over time, I have learned that even our young learners benefit from reading-focused activities in their new language. I know our youngest learners are still learning to read in their first language, but that doesn’t mean they can’t read in their second language as well.
Using simple readers like Mundo de Pepita’s booklets was my first introduction to reading with my students and not just to them. I love sitting in a circle and pointing to the words as we say them together. After that we take turns and volunteers get to read the different pages. Then (in the years pre-covid) I encouraged students to read on their own to a friend or stuffed animal. Gosh I miss those days and look forward to their eventual return.
One of my favorite things about reading with students is that they get to experience the language in the context of sentences. After reading and repeating a simple sentence structure many times, students start to internalize it. After time the goal is for them to create that sentence on their own, right? Reading is a most important way to model language for students. I used to think young learners only needed oral input, but I’m here to tell you they can and should be reading as well!
Playing in the Elementary Spanish classroom
We all have more fun when I plan with the idea of “play” in mind. Not only are we having fun, but after a few months I saw students acquiring the Spanish language faster and with more ease. It’s so exciting to witness students using their new language spontaneously!
When students are playing a game in class, they don’t even realize they are learning. We all love hearing “aww, it’s over already?” when it’s time to finish up class. There’s a true sign students are engaged and focused on your learning goals.
Now, when I talk about playing in class, please don’t hear me saying we play just for the sake of having fun. I’m talking about intentional, linked to my learning goals, play while using the target language.
I’m pretty sure my background in being a camp counselor helped me build up this skill–but, I can turn almost anything into a game. (And you can too, I promise.) I use a few different techniques and I’m sure there are others. It’s important for teachers to find strategies that work best for them and their personality.
Here are some favorite ways to increase the sense of play:
High energy—When the teacher is excited / pumped and having fun, most students will automatically be excited. Starting an activity or lesson with high energy gets students engaged right away. Then you can move the lesson in a more relaxed or calm direction.
Suspense, Surprises, & Secrets–Anything that keeps students guessing brings a playful sense of excitement to your classroom.
Chants—This might be my summer camp background but I often find myself clapping rhythms and making up chants within my lessons. This can be spur of the moment or chants made ahead of time to help learn a new concept or vocabulary.
As you’re planning or brainstorming in the future, I hope you’ll look for ways to bring more intentional reading and “play” into your lessons.
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