Turklish TEFL

Bonk! – A Vocabulary Review Game

Image courtesy of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

With my current job I’ve found I’m simply far too busy for long posts. Instead, I’ll be posting short and fun activities to do with kids.

One of my favorite games to play with kids is Bonk!, not least of all because it involves hitting students on the head For this game you’ll need two chairs and something soft to hit students with. A big inflatable bat is ideal, but plush animals work just as well.

How to Play:

1 – Form two teams

2 – Set up two chairs in the front of the class and call a member of each team up to sit in them.

3 – Say a category like colors, animals, clothes, or whatever else you want to review.

4 – Students must alternate saying a word from the category. If a student repeats a word already said or takes too long to think of a word, you hit them on the head and say Bonk!. The other team then gets a point.

This game is great because it challenges students to recall as many words as possible from a given category. It also works with any category, so is great for review. And students find the getting hit on the head part hilarious.

After a few rounds I usually call a student up to choose the category. Just be careful which students you give the bat to though

7 Comments

By DaveDodgson, June 8, 2011 @ 9:39 am

Hi Nick,

Good to see you back in action the blog. Next week is our last week before the summer break back here in Turkey and you’ve just given me the perfect fun activity to round off the year with.

Thanks!

Dave
By T Bestwick, June 8, 2011 @ 10:44 am

I remember watching this game as a child on Saturday morning TV – it was called Mallett’s Mallet. A really fun way to practise vocabulary and I think the added pressure of the bat adds to the fun!
By turklis1, June 8, 2011 @ 11:37 am

It’s good to be back Dave . I kept looking at the blog and had tons of stuff to write, but was always so tired. I think short, quick, and practical is the way to go for me at the moment.

The game is a blast. And I won’t lie, I even use this game with adults It’s often good for a laugh, especially with beginners.
By turklis1, June 8, 2011 @ 11:38 am

Hi Teresa, wow, this was on a TV show? That’s hilarious. Was it as a language game or just for something else. I picked up the game in Vietnam from some fellow teachers. The bat really does add to the fun.
By Sue Lyon-Jones, June 9, 2011 @ 10:49 am

Hi Nick,

This sounds like great fun to use with young learners, although I’m not sure if you could get away with using it in the UK without having to do a risk assessment

Good to see you back on the blogging block!

Sue
By turklis1, June 9, 2011 @ 5:26 pm

I wonder if these are the activities UK Immigration does to see if incomers English is up to snuff
By Richard, June 11, 2011 @ 8:02 pm

It’s a cracking game this, good enough without the bat, but a bit of extra fun/ motivation never hurt anyone. If hitting on the head is considered bad a tap on the knee can suffice.

Teresa mentioned the TV show previously, I grew up watching that nonsense as well! Here’s a good clip – 80s classic – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUfv-tAfXn4

Cheers Nick, good to see you back in action! : )