Materials Needed
30 Index Cards
Tape
Set Up
Write names of various animals on the index cards, one per card or use pictures for non-readers. There are lots of animals you can choose from. You may want to revolve around a theme, such as ocean life, farm animals, pets, zoo animals, etc. or just have a variety of animals you think your students would know. Have students sit in a circle to play the game and go over the rules of the game with them before play.
Variation I
Pick a child to go into the middle of the circle. This child is the animal. The teacher tapes one of the index cards onto this child’s back making sure he/she doesn’t see the card. The child turns around in the middle of the circle for all the children to see. If your students can’t read, then make sure to use pictures of animals instead of words. The object of the game is for the child in the middle to figure out what animal he/she is. The “animal” can do this by asking yes or no questions only. The child can ask each child in the circle one question each. When the child thinks he/she knows the animal he/she is, the guess can be called out, “I am a …”. They have to guess once there are no more children but they may guess before then as well. Play can continue with another child in the center as another animal once that child has guessed.
Variation II
Same object as above. The only difference is that instead of one person in the middle asking yes or no questions, each person in the circle, gives the animal (child in the center) a clue. The clues must all be different and can not name the animal. They can imitate the animal like charades, make a sound, or just give a clue such as physical characteristics of the animal, what the animal eats, or where the animal lives.
Variation III
You play the same as Variation I (yes or no questions only) but everyone in the class picks a partner. Each partner gets a chance to be an animal. Partners ask each other yes or no questions to figure out what they are. There is a 20 question limit and partners should take turns (one animal at a time).
Variation I and III Sample Yes or No Questions
1. Do I live in the zoo?
2. Do I live on land?
3. Do I have 4 legs?
4. Am I furry?
5. Am I brown?
Variation II Sample Clues
1. You are a pet.
2. You walk on 4 legs.
3. You are smaller than a breadbox.
4. You have whiskers.
5. You are soft.
