When I taught in Korea, I was working in a small hagwon (cram school) in Yangsan city. The hagwon was really nice, and I loved my classroom; but sometimes I just had to get out of there.
Also, many of my students spend the majority of the day indoors. When they aren’t studying in school, they’re studying in cram school. They don’t get to enjoy the outdoors. This is why at least once a month I will choose a day for us to leave the hagwon. Sometimes we’ll be gone the whole class, other times we will only talk a quick walk around the block. Whatever we choose to do, the students seem to enjoy the change of scenery.
I’m lucky that there was a nearby park. Which means it was easy enough to head over there and play a lot of the same games we do in class. As long as there is a big space for them to run, you can spend half the class tiring them out and then the latter half in the classroom, discussing what you’ve done.
But what if you don’t have a nearby playground or park to take your students? Or maybe you do, but you don’t want to spend so long outside – you just want to take a nice stroll. If that sounds like you, here are some easy ESL activities you can do while taking a walk.
ABC Hunt
This is best done in a city (like Yangsan) where there are plenty of signs, posters, and businesses. Give each student a piece of paper and have them list the alphabet. As you walk around the block, tell them to keep a lookout for any words in English that they can write in their list. It’s surprising how much English a Korean city block will have, and I’m sure it’s the same in other cities. When you are back at your school, have them take out their lists. You can give a reward to whoever has the most words. I also recommend going over the words they’ve found. Make the latter half of the class a discussion.
Sometimes it helps to put the students into pairs or teams. Also, make sure to walk slowly so that the students have time to really look around. Whenever I’ve done this activity, I couldn’t help but drop hints so students see the words I see.
Follow The Directions Quiz
This activity takes some extra planning. Before school opens, I like to walk around the area and take some pictures/video. This is so I will remember the directions. Then, I head to my computer and type out the directions, adding questions in between. For example:
Turn left and head straight. Stop in front of the Starbucks. What store is across the street?
I usually write three to six questions, because I don’t want our stroll to take too long. I like having time after the activity to discuss with the students what they’ve seen. Also, they are likely to make small mistakes that take them the wrong way. This could lead to them taking longer than you planned. For some classes I’d tell them right away that they’re wrong. Others may get a gentle reminder like “read your pages carefully”. And for my most advanced class, I’d stand back and let them figure it out themselves.
If you want to make this more interesting, write two separate directions. Make the second direction go the opposite of the first one. While one group of students turns left the other half turns right. Both will eventually lead back to the school. You’ll need another teacher/assistant/other adult to help you. You will help chaperone one group while they do the other. The first group to answer all their questions and make it back to the school wins.
Outdoor Bingo
This is the one game here that comes with a download. After printing out the BINGO boards and the words, have the students cut the words and stick them (via tape or glue) to the board. This way, each person has a unique board. Have them walk around the area with their BINGO boards on hand. Tell them to say whenever they find something. That way, everyone can mark it off on their board. Once you are all back in the classroom, have them count their BINGO score. The winner gets points/rewards.
ABC Pictures
When I was in High School I tried to play this game with my friends I called the Paparazzi Game. Basically, I emailed them a list of things they could take a picture of during the school day for points. At the end of the day, we’d meet at the bleachers and count how many points everyone has. It looked a lot like this:
Opposite Gender Bathroom (10 points)
Opposite Gender Locker Room (15 points)
Teacher facing the class while teaching (10 points)
Teacher facing the board (5 points)
Principal’s Office (20 points)
Picture of another player without them noticing (10 points)
etc….etc…
I know it sounds pretty bad that we planned to invade other bathrooms/locker rooms but you’d be happy to note that my group of friends were too chicken to take most of these pictures, and the game was a bust.
I still like the idea of a harmless game that utilizes picture taking. So here is a game that mixes that concept with the first game on this list.
You see, the problem with the ABC Hunt is that there is a chance you’d have a mischievous student that will write words in and pretend that they definitely saw it on your walk. But, by making it a requirement that students take pictures of the words they find, they can’t fool you so easily.
The biggest obstacle with this version is dealing with phones. Most students will already have their own phones, if not, you can always put the students into teams. Then there is the decision of how you’ll see the pictures. You can have them write down what they see and only check their phone when you suspect a word is false. You can also have them text/message you the pictures – but that means sharing contact info and not every student will be comfortable with that (many teachers are also uncomfortable with that). Finally, you can make sure there is enough time after the activity for you to look through all those photos.
For points I simply use the Scrabble point system:
Words that start with A,E,I,L,N,O,R,S,T, and U = 1 point
Words that start with D and G = 2 points
Words that start with B,C,M,and P = 3 points
Words that start with F, H, V, W, and Y = 4 points
Words that start with K = 5 points
Words that start with J and X = 8 points
Words that start with Q and Z = 10 points
You can also tell them to only take one word photo per letter and see which team is closest to finishing the alphabet.
Extra Tips
No matter how many times they’ve gone outside the school, ALWAYS remind them of the rules before an outdoor activity. I make it very clear that there are no second chances when it comes to outdoor activities. There is no three strike system. One strike and we go back to the school without finishing the activity (and we likely won’t go outside for several months). My rules were usually simple:
- Speak English
- Stay where the teacher can see you (don’t run ahead)
- Wait for the teacher before crossing any roads
If you can get another teacher/assistant/whoever to help chaperone that can make the walk so much easier to handle. When I worked in Taiwan I had a teaching assistant in all of my classes. They were very helpful because they spoke Mandarin fluently and could make sure the students understand all the rules.
Most of these activities can only be done with a smaller class. A big class will take up too much room in the sidewalk and generally become a nuisance to deal with. I would also only do these activities with older students. If you are confidant in your class and your ability to maintain order I suppose you can bring your littles outside – but I don’t recommend it.
Anyway, I hope these tips are helpful for you. Thanks for reading!