This game is played in pairs and is great for developing speaking and listening skills including clarifying, and awareness of audience.
The idea is that the ‘speaker’ can see what is supposed to be made, but can’t touch the materials. The ‘maker’ can touch the materials, but can’t see what they are supposed to be making. So the speaker needs to explain to the maker what to do.
For example, use a model made of Lego or Multilink cubes. Show it in a way that only the speakers can see.
A speaker might say:
First pick up a red cube. Now join it to a blue one. Now add another blue one next to the first blue one. Yes, that’s right. Now take a yellow cube, and fix that to the first blue one so it sticks out…
…and so on!
Encourage the maker to ask questions to clarify.
Barrier games
‘Barrier’ or ‘back-to-back’ games are so good for developing oracy skills. You can find lots more examples online by searching for "back-to-back communication".
