30 Second Vocabulary Game (A1/A2)

Take turns to choose a category and say as many words as you can for each one in 30 seconds.

People in Animals in Types of Types of Feelings

Action Verbs Musical
a Family the Zoo Music & Films Weather Adjectives
Instruments
(Things you
can do with
your body)

Clothes you wear School Types of Fruit &

Sports Meat & Fish above your waist Colours Subjects Housework Vegetables

Prepositions Places in Things you find Things you find in Things you find
Hobbies Jobs
a Town/City in a Classroom a Bedroom in a Kitchen
of Place

Illnesses & Types of

Daily Routines Pets Things you find Parts of Opposites
Injuries Transport
in Nature the Body

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 Teacher’s Notes
Lesson: 30 Second Categories (A1/A2) Level: A1 - A2 Time: 30 mins

Preparation:
- Display the categories board on your device. If you plan for the students to play in smaller groups, ask
them to take a screenshot or send a copy to them (or one from each group) by email.
- You may wish to demonstrate the game with an example on the board before you begin and you may
wish to check your students’ understanding of some categories/vocabulary. (Illnesses, Injuries,
Prepositions of Place, Opposites, Daily Routines and waist)

Instructions:
Option 1: Playing as a class
- Divide the class into teams of 2-3 students.
- Each team should take turns to choose a category.
- Set a timer on your phone to 30 seconds.
- The first team should say as many things as possible for the category they have chosen until the time
runs out. The other students/teacher should count all the things the current team says.
- Make a note of their points (1 for each correct item) when the 30 seconds is up.
- The game continues with the second team and so on either until all the categories have been used or
an agreed time limit has been reached.
- The winner is the team with most points at the end of the game.

Option 2: Playing in small groups

- If you are using video conferencing software which enables you to divide the students into separate
groups, you can divide the class into groups of 2-4 students and ask each group to take a screenshot
or locate the game in their email (having sent it to them).
- Nominate one student in each group to display the board for the other students to see and another
two students to keep time using the timers on their mobiles.
- Each group then plays the game as above but as individual players against the other students in their
group. The other students should count and make a note of their score.
- Switch between the groups as they play, taking note of any errors or examples of advanced
vocabulary they use.

- Highlight any errors or examples of good vocabulary used in a feedback session after the game.

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