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🐥
Duck Duck Goose
Classic game with a vocabulary twist — say words instead of duck and goose.
⏱ 10-15 min⚡ High energy👥 Whole class
📚 Vocabulary
• any two contrasting words
• hot/cold
• big/small
• cat/dog
• red/blue
🛠 Materials
• Open floor space
• No materials needed
📋 How to Play
- Children sit in a circle facing inward.
- Choose two vocabulary words — for example "CAT" and "DOG".
- One child walks around the outside of the circle tapping heads gently.
- For each tap they say the first word — "cat... cat... cat..."
- When they tap a child and say the second word — "DOG!" — that child must jump up.
- The tapper runs around the circle trying to reach the empty space before being caught.
- If caught, the tapper goes again. If safe, the new child becomes the tapper.
- Change the vocabulary words every few rounds.
💡 Teacher Tips
✓Use vocabulary from the current lesson — animals, colours, food, shapes.
✓Make sure the circle is large enough for safe running.
✓Let shy children go last so they feel more confident watching first.
✓This game works brilliantly as a warm-up or energy release activity.
🔄 Variations
→Use three words — the third word means everyone must stand up and swap.
→Tapper must say a full sentence — "I like cats... I like cats... I like DOGS!"
→Play with numbers — tap and count, when you reach a target number the child jumps up.
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