Active Language Learning

A relay activity where the task is, for example, to create as many verbs as possible within a certain time limit, or to continue as long as one has letters to use. The tasks can be varied, for example:

• nouns
• words with diphthongs
• adjectives
• other word classes or thematic words

Preparation

Before starting, place the magnetic letters in groups on the floor in front of the magnetic board. Children line up behind a starting line some distance away and wait for the start signal.

How to Play

At the start signal:

• One participant at a time runs to the letters.
• The participant picks only one letter from the floor and attaches it to the board.
• Then the participant runs back and tags the next team member.

The team continues like this until time runs out. The activity can also be done as a shared team task without tagging. The goal is to create as many words as possible, or use as many letters as possible within the given time.

Tip! Feel free to add physical bonus tasks, for example:

• hop after creating one word
• run backward after creating two words
• jump over a hurdle on the way forward, and crawl under on the way back

Variations

The activity can be adapted in several ways:

• One can work both individually and in teams.
• Younger children can start as a group and collaborate on the task.
• The physical bonus tasks can be varied, for example:

• One can replace letters with numbers and work with mathematics by:

The tasks should be varied according to age and knowledge level.

The activity can be made more challenging by, for example, deciding that the children are not allowed to talk during the activity. Then they will have to plan and think more independently when choosing letters and forming words.