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Categories Game: Vocabulary Review Fun

The Categories Game is a team-based vocabulary review game where players come up with words that fit into different categories and start with a chosen letter. It can be played in person or online. To play, the teacher chooses categories and a letter. Teams then race to fill in their answer sheets with words matching each category and letter. The first team to complete all categories shouts "stop" and teams' answers are scored for correctness. The team with the most points after several rounds wins. Suggested categories cover topics like animals, foods, jobs, and things found in various places.

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749 views3 pages

Categories Game: Vocabulary Review Fun

The Categories Game is a team-based vocabulary review game where players come up with words that fit into different categories and start with a chosen letter. It can be played in person or online. To play, the teacher chooses categories and a letter. Teams then race to fill in their answer sheets with words matching each category and letter. The first team to complete all categories shouts "stop" and teams' answers are scored for correctness. The team with the most points after several rounds wins. Suggested categories cover topics like animals, foods, jobs, and things found in various places.

Uploaded by

RRG Accounting Services
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • The Categories Game: A Fun Filler for Reviewing Vocabulary
  • Possible Categories
  • Categories for Kids

The Categories Game – A Fun Filler For

Reviewing Vocabulary
The Categories Game is one of those essential activities that you can pull out of your bag
(although no materials are needed) and will nicely fill up a 20-40 minute slot. I’ve played this
game with students of all ages and levels and it has always been a success.

This team game is based on the popular party game Scattergories and is perfect for reviewing
and reactivating vocabulary you have learnt.

Play Online
If you are teaching online, try this online version of Scattergories .

How to Play the Categories Game


Divide the board into six squares and at the top of each square write a category heading.

Categories – click to enlarge


Divide the class into two or three teams and have them think up team names. Give each team a
blank sheet of paper and ask them to create an answer sheet by copying the category layout on
the board.

Choose a letter of the alphabet. Write it next to your table so you don’t repeat yourself later.

As quickly as possible teams must try to think of a word that fits each category and which begins
with the given letter. They should write their answers under the appropriate category on their
answer sheet.
For example, if category headings include Animals and Drinks, and the letter you’ve chosen
is B, teams might write Bear and Beer in the appropriate categories. The game can be made more
difficult by choosing more challenging letters.
As soon as a team has a word for every category they should shout stop! The other team(s) must
immediately stop writing and put their pens down.

Take the answers from the first team to finish and give a point for each word that fits correctly,
then collect the answers from the other teams and award further points. If there are allegations of
cheating you can always check the teams’ answers on their answer sheets. The team with the
most points at the end of x rounds is the winner.

One way to score the game is to make marks inside the category square for each correct answer.
Either use a different colour for each team or use a different symbol, e.g. I,O,X.

Possible Categories
Here’s a list of categories which you could use when playing the category game.

 countries
 games and sports
 cities
 animals
 food and drink
 verbs
 adjectives
 jobs
 famous people
 things you find in the bathroom/kitchen
 things you take on holiday
 fruit and vegetables
 things that fly
 things that are yellow
 items you can buy in IKEA
 things you find in a refrigerator
 things that are cold
 things you find in an office
 things that are round
 things which are scary
 things to do with Christmas
 things with wheels
 things in the garden
 things you can turn off, etc.

Categories for Kids


Here are some possible categories if you’re playing with younger learners.

 things with wheels


 fruits and vegetables
 games that use a ball
 musical instruments
 types of sweets / candy
 types of weather
 hobbies
 pizza toppings
 things people are afraid of
 movies / movie characters
 tv shows
 drinks
 singers / bands
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(https://eslgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/categories-graphic.png)The Categories Game – A Fun Filler For Reviewing Vo
As soon as a team has a word for every category they should shout stop! The other team(s) must immediately stop writing and
 fruits and vegetables  games that use a ball  musical instruments  types of sweets / candy  types of weather  hobbies

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