TESOL Language Arts Games-Back Words

Back Words

Teams compete in a relay race by drawing letters on each other’s backs as a means of passing along a target word to the farthest person in line.

Setup

Common words of three, four, and five letters are written on cards. It is helpful to separate the cards into different stacks based on the number of letters.

This game is played with two teams of equal size. Players line up behind—but within reach—of each other. They can be sitting or standing. Play starts with the player at the back of each line being given a three-letter word written on a card. The challenge is to write that word, letter by letter, on the back of the person ahead of him or her. The player continues to write the word until the receiv- ing player signals, “Got it!” Then that player writes the word in the same fashion on the back of the next player. Play continues along the line to the front person.

The first front player to say, “Got it!” can

win for his or her team if that player says the right word. If the word is correct, that team

scores one point, but if the guess is wrong, the other team scores the point.

The front players go to the back of their respective lines for the second round. Teams continue to move players at the front of the line to the starting spot in this manner until each player has had the same number of turns in that position (i.e., six rounds for teams of three). The team with the most points wins the game. The game director can increase the challenge by giving words of four or five letters, but each team should have the same length word on each round.

Variation

A noncompetitive version of this game can be played with players in a circle to bring the word back to the person who started the chain to see if the word can be preserved through several interpretations.

Tips

■ Some age groups might be more comfort- able with teams being all girls or all boys since the game involves physical contact. If this is not feasible, the game can be modified to have players write with their fingers in the palm of the next player’s hand.

■ This game can be played for fun while a group is waiting in a line. It offers the ben- efit that the last person in line actually has an advantage rather than feeling unfortunate.

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