Miming games for online or the classroom
Teaching tip
These activities are good for changing the tempo in the classroom or for the end of a lesson. Model each activity first and encourage students to think of their own mimes.
1 What am I doing?
Good for practising the present progressive. Ask students to mime an activity: I’m drinking, I’m eating, I’m sleeping – or for more advanced classes: I’m knitting, I’m brushing my hair, I’m watering the plants. Students guess the activity using the correct form of the progressive.
2 What is that?
Ask students to mime using household objects: for example, a hammer, a pillow (not a cushion!), a comb, a toothbrush, lipstick, a jar, a knife. If students are enthusiastic, you could ask them to mime animals: snake, dog, bear, cat, frog for example.
3 Sentence mimes
Create short sentences with clear visual imagery, for example: My bag is heavy. The soup is hot. My arm hurts. The beer tastes good. Ask students to mime the sentences, while the other students guess the sentence.
4 Occupations
Give each student an occupation: for example, a vet, a nurse, a builder, a carpenter, a post, a teacher, a flight attendant, a bus driver and ask them to mime the jobs.
5 Speechless tourist
Students should imagine they are on holiday and unable to speak so they have to mime their request. Other students have to guess what the request is.
Examples could include: Where is the post office? Is there a restaurant near here? Where is the beach? Where is the church?
Or tourists with problems: I’ve broken my sunglasses. Where can I buy a new pair?; I have lost my handbag. Where is the police station?; My car has a flat tyre. Where is the garage?
