Clothing Game for Teaching Spanish and Other Languages

 

I use a simple game called "Ponte" to teach Spanish clothing vocabulary, and it's a hit every time! In this game, a student volunteer has to put on anything that classmates choose from a collection of clothing. 

In a prior class, students are introduced to clothing vocabulary, and on the day of the game, each student gets a "cheat sheet" with a list of the vocabulary in English and Spanish.  A collection of clothing and shoes is laid out on the desks, and I hold up each one to review its name in Spanish, asking students to repeat. A volunteer comes to the front of the room, and peers raise their hands to tell the volunteer in Spanish to put on articles of clothing. For example, a peer might say, "Ponte el sombrero," and the volunteer will put on a sun hat. Choosing similar clothing in different colors requires students to name the color of the clothing as well. At the end of a student's turn, the student can strut down a little "catwalk", space permitting.

This game was originally introduced to me as a way to teach English to adult learners when I was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with Central Vermont Adult Basic Education in Barre, Vermont.  A few years later, when I was hired as a middle school Spanish teacher in Cambridge, MA, I thought it would be fun to try it out with my students, and it went over very well! Since then, I have used "Ponte" to teach names of clothing in Spanish to students ranging from third to eighth grade at the Museum School in San Diego. It could easily be adapted to teach any language.

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