ESL Kids

Everybody loves the Fruit Basket Game so let’s play!

by Bill Ralens
Intro: That right, I invented the Fruit Basket Game. Um… Ok, maybe I didn’t invent the game but I did write this page and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Nearly everyone (I think) knows the Fruit Basket Game. Well I’m including it here because, I reference it on this site, for completeness and for anyone who doesn’t know this game. This is a really fun game to use in your ESL class if you have a little bit of room for everyone to run around.
Skill Used: Listening, Repeating
Level: Easy
Ages: 5 and up (maybe younger)
Group Size: 10 or more people, the more the merrier. (1 person is the Game Master)
Setup: You will need some flash cards or classroom cards (preferably laminated). You will also need as many chairs or benches(we have benches) as you have students (teacher also plays) or as many as the number of students minus one (40 students, use 39 chairs).The benches or chairs need to be arranged into a large circle.
How to Play: With your classroom vocabulary cards on the chalk board, ask the students which card they like. I’ll use fruit for this example. Let the students pick three or four cards (maybe apple, orange, and banana). Now with the children sitting on the chairs assign teams. First student is on apple team, second student, orange team, third student, banana team, fourth student, apple team and so on.
To start out with, the teacher is the Game Master. The Game Master calls out, “What fruit do you like?” The students then chant back, “What fruit do you like?” The Game Master then calls back, “I like apples and oranges.” Everybody that’s on apple and orange team changes seats. If the Game Master yells out, “I like fruit baskets.” Everybody changes seats. The last person without a seat becomes the new Game Master.
End Notes: This game can be played with any vocabulary. I like to try and trip up the students by calling out all kinds of weird things for “Fruit Basket.” Fruit basketball, fruit bikinman (a cartoon character), Fruit bachan (grandma in Japanese) etc.