Introduction

Remember the times you have problems with learning new vocabulary and the newly acquired words won't stay in your head? With this game, you can change that.
This game is derived from the popular kid's game "I packed my bag" and is supposed to help kids with memorizing new vocab and sentence chunks. This game can be adjusted to any skill level.

Target group and Time

The target age group could start at the age of eight and could go up to whatever you can imagine. I have used this game with seniors to help them remember words.
A good time limit is hard to pinpoint, but I would recommend not longer than 10 minutes.

Learning objectives

As already mentioned in the introduction, this game helps the players memorize newly and already known vocabulary and use it in context. This game is supposed to be acted out since it helps the mind to intertwine the new vocab with movement and therefore to make it easier to remember.

Instructions to set up the activity

You will need enough space for the groups to move freely and you have to put the learners into groups of 5-8 people (max. 15), otherwise it will be too hard for them to remember the movements of the other players. 
After that you can do this game with the vocabulary you need. A good suggestion would be using cards, but make sure you put the depicted word on the back so that the game can go on even if the word might be unknown. This game is played in two phases:

Phase 1:
Each player reads their card, and clockwise they think of a movement that goes with the card. 
After that, all of them repeat the movement and word together.

Example for Round 1:

Child 1: Eagle + Movement
Child 2: Tiger + Movement
Child 3: Shark + Movement

Round 2: One after another:
Child 1: Eagle + Movement
Child 2: Eagle + Movement, tiger + Movement
Child 3: Eagle + Movement, tiger + Movement, shark + Movement

Phase 2:
Now all of the players think about a sentence. The sentence should be given by the instructor and depends on the skill level of the learners. Now they use the phrase with their word and movement (important: they are supposed to stick to the movement they did before). They use the sentence and act out their word. In turn all of them repeat every phrase and word.

Example for Round 1:

Child 1: I see an eagle. + Movement
Child 2: I see a tiger. + Movement
Child 3: I see a shark. + Movement

Round 2:

Child 1: I see an eagle. + Movement
Child 2: I see an eagle + Movement and a tiger. 
Child 3: I see an eagle + Movement and a tiger and a shark. + Movement

Note: If the learners are advanced they could tell a story and still use the given words and have to repeat them as the story goes on.

Example for Round 3:

Child 1: The eagle was very hungry.
Child 2: The eagle was very hungry + and flew up high into the sky.
Child 3: The eagle was very hungry + and flew up high into the sky. + There he saw a tiny little mouse.

Letting it run

Make clear what the task is and how the game is played. Best would be to show an example at the beginning. To help with time, put someone in charge and let a child/ learner be the anchor and timekeeper (again: make sure to have clear instructions).