This PowerPoint game helps ESL/EFL students review vocabulary and practice speaking in a fun and simple game format, complete with animations and sound effects.
I based this game off the classic darts game in carnivals, where players throw darts to pop as many balloons as they can to win a prize. In this version, there is a prize hiding behind each balloon that is revealed once the balloon is popped. The prize you get determines your fate in the game!
How to Play
- Everyone stands up. (This is played as an individual game).
- Students take turns making a sentence to choose a balloon.
- The teacher clicks on the balloon to reveal a prize.
- The prize can be a teddy bear, water gun, magic 8-ball, or clown doll.
- Teddy bear means keep standing, water gun means sit down (you’re out!), magic 8-ball means see the future, and clown doll means choose again (the student must make another sentence!)
- If a student gets the magic 8-ball, they must make a sentence to choose another balloon. Then the teacher will click on the question mark in the top left corner of the box holding the balloon. This will preview the prize hidden behind the balloon, so everyone in the class can “see the future.” This adds a memory element to the game as students need to remember which prize was revealed behind which balloons.
- You can pause or play the background music by clicking on the music box in the top left corner of the slide.
Download
You can download the editable pptx file below.
Lesson Notes
Grade / Level:
Grade 3-6 • Elementary EFL
Skills Practiced:
Speaking
Time Required:
~15-20 minutes for 22 students
Teacher Notes
- The game is set up to practice describing appearances. For example, “She has blue eyes,” “He has curly hair,” or “They’re wearing green pants.”
- Since it is set up as a grid where students choose a row and column to select a balloon, you could change the words and pictures representing each row to practice a different topic. For example, using objects and prices to practice asking “How much is this dress?” and answering “It’s $8.” Feel free to use the PowerPoint to suit your needs.
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