A fun and easy game that not only revises key vocabulary and grammar but also develops students reasoning skills. Works well for both in-person and online lessons.
Recommended Level: A1 – B1.
How to play:
Before the game starts assign someone the role of Queen Ant. This person can be either the teacher or a student. The Queen Ant has to think of a way to group some or all of the different types of food e.g. vegetables, meat, words ending in N and red food.
The other students play as hungry ants that have to ask the Queen what they are allowed to eat. By asking and answering questions, student have to deduce what the rule is. When all of the food has a cross or circle over it, the ants have run out of food. If the hungry ants deduce what the rule is before all the food runs out, they win and the game is over. If they are unable to figure out the rule, the Queen wins.
Students take it in turns asking the Queen Ant questions such as: Please can I have an apple? Can I eat a burger, please? May I have some pizza?
The Queen Ant responds by saying “Yes, you can.” or “No, you can’t.” The queen then puts a cross over incorrect food or a circle over correct food.
If someone thinks they know what the rule is, they can ask during their go e.g. “Is it dairy?”
PowerPoint version:
The PowerPoint version of this game is recommened for whole class activities or for online lessons.
To play this game do not use Presentation mode as you will be unable to move the crosses and circles. Instead, play the game in Edit mode. When students correctly or incorrectly guess an item of food drag an O or X on top.
Top tip! If you plan on playing more than one round of the game, have more than one board availble in your PowerPoint. This avoids needing to reset the game each time by pressing and holding down “Control” + “Z”. The different boards can also be modified slightly with different food items to make the game more engaging.
Click here to download The Hungry Ant Example PowerPoint slides
Worksheet versions:
The different worksheet versions of this game work best for students working in small groups with at least three students per group. Before spliting students into groups, demonstate how the game is played. You could use the PowerPoint version to do this. Give students some time so that they can come up with some rules. For lower levels encourage students to make notes in their notebook to help them.
Worksheet A: Allows students to personalise their boards as they can draw some food. Scissors are needed to cut out the Xs and Os. However as students can share their cutouts, students do not have to cut out every single shape.
Worksheet B: A fully complete board. Scissors are needed to cut out the Xs and Os.
Worksheet C: A fully complete board. Instead of using scissors, students write an X or O in the numbered squares. For round one of the game, students will write the Xs and Os in the squared numbered 1. For round two of the game, they will write the Xs and Os in the square numbered 2 and so on.
Click here to download The Hungry Ant Worksheets
Similar games:
This style of game isn’t just limited to food, it can be used to practise a wide range of topics and grammar structures e.g.
“Are you wearing a hat?”
“Do you like reading books?”
“Can you make the bed?”
