Introduction

The game is called "Do you like your friends?". Alternatively it could be called "Do you like your neighbors?". The students make a big circle with one of them in the middle. It is important that the circle is generously large enough to avoid that students run into each other. If the students just learned the game, the teacher should start in the middle. The person in the middle asks a student from the circle "Do you like your friends?", if the student answers "Yes. I do like my friends.", the students next to them have to change their position as fast as they can without running into each other. If the student answers with "No. I do not like my friends." they have to follow up with "But I do like people with (blank)". The student decides an attribute that at least two of their classmates have in common. For example "But I do like people with brown hair.". It can be really anything as long as it is not offensive. The students who have that certain attribute have to change position. No matter what the student asked answers, the person in the middle has to try to get a place in the circle by being quick. There are no points or winners and the game ends as soon as the students have had enough.

Target group and Time

The game is best for children from grade 3 to 7 and can take up to 15 minutes, although there is no time limit. After much running at least some of the students will get tired. That is the perfect time to stop.

Learning objectives

This game helps with learning and memorizing vocabulary, listening comprehension and most importantly oral skills.

Instructions to set up the activity

Students usually understand the game pretty quickly. The teacher will have to explain the question and answers, and how the other students have to react. The teacher needs to mind that the circle has to be big enough, and if necessary should tell the students to be careful while running around, to avoid running into each other.

Letting it run

It is important that the teacher corrects the size of the circle if it gets to small (that will probably happen sooner or later). This is a game about speed but that does not mean that the students should be careless, it needs to be clarified that everyone is polite to one another. Pushing is prohibited. The answers need to be polite to, to avoid offending someone.

The game can also be extended by also allowing other facts about someone that are not only external. For example, "No, but I do like people who like elephants.". It is important to consider that there are some topics that should not be in the game, political topics should be left out generally. Everything else is fine as long no one gets offended.