Balloon Tennis

Balloon Tennis

This game is suitable for all ages and levels

·       Blow up one balloon

·       Divide your class into two teams (once the students have got used to the game, you can organise them into smaller groups of 2 teams each, each group needs a balloon – but consider the space you have available. You could use the playground for this).

·       e.g. with younger learners explain that they have to remember vocabulary for food

·       One team starts with a member hitting the balloon across to the opposition team and at the same time shouting (so all can hear) one word for an example of food e.g. chocolate

·       Next a member of the opposition team has to hit the balloon back shouting a different food word

·       If no one can think of a new word or repeats a word – that team loses the point (this encourages the learners to listen carefully)

·       If the balloon drops to the floor – the receiving team loses the point

·       You can score the game like tennis

·       You can change the lexical set whenever necessary

·       With older learners you can review a topic prior to a writing task e.g. the advantages and disadvantages of the internet

·       Nominate which team should shout advantages and which disadvantages

·       Play as above

This game has a number of advantages

·       It is kinaesthetic and can energise the class

·       It’s a team game and promotes a sense of community

·       The focus is on the balloon and shyer students feel relaxed and more likely to participate

·       You can change/play with the rules to suit your class and any language you want to practise

·       The balloon is quite slow and easier to keep in the air than a ball