Move Around in English Class in Ikoma

Big Class to Move Around In

I am lucky because I have a big classroom. It is perhaps 6m by 4.5m or so. That gives me plenty of space with is good for time like now with corona virus. But it is generally great for kids classes since I believe it is necessary to move around my English class in Ikoma.

Move Around English Class Passing a Ball

One of the first activities I start with is playing catch with one or two balls. (I wrote more about balls in a separate post.) This sets the tempo for the class and gets spirits up and cheerful. It also lets us review numbers which are just so important that you cannot review them enough, yet it doesn’t take too much time. My class is big enough for even four people to pass the ball around. Sometimes I even set up a passing game so that all the students move around in my English class. That is the most fun.

Move around English Class Walking with Cards

Another popular activity is to walk with big flashcards. Kids like to move, and walking and asking and answering questions gets us moving around in my English class in an organized way. It turns an otherwise boring activity into something stimulating and fun. It is great when I pair students with each other, and they get to act a little goofy while still practicing English.

Sit At A Table

Another movement we do is to carry out the small table and sit down there to do some less vigorous study, like a card game or checking homework. This moves us around the class to move the table and arrange ourselves around the table. The kids are moving around the English class to get their books and carry them to the table.

Move Around the Class to Pass Stuffed Animals for Preposition Practice

There is lots of movement in the English class when we prepare for preposition practice. The students have to get out the cardboard houses, and the box of stuffed animals. They then take their positions and one passes a stuffed animal to another with a command where to place it, using a preposition of place. Then everyone rotates position so we are all moving around the English class, yet it is orderly.

Move to the Ends of the Class to Spin the cards

Another fun way to practice flashcards is to pass them across the room spinning ever so slightly above the floor on a cushion of air. The cards glide nicely, and students have to reach out to stop the card, and make the proper response, whether it is repeating or answering a question. They then get the chance to pass the cards back in the same fashion. This keeps everyone using different spaces in the English classroom so we are all changing places as we move from one activity to the next.

Yell Across the Classroom

Finally, my last activity to to get students to move around the English class to the ends of the class and yell questions and answers to each other, often using card prompts but sometimes just spontaneous simple questions. They move around the class as they take turns at different positions. It is great fun for everyone and never boring.