I’ve got a very easy but very useful activity for the smaller kids in the class. It’s all based on ‘How many ____ are there?’, but with a Christmas twist. All they have to do (after a bit of ‘How many _______ are there’ practice in class) is to answer the questions before they cut out and do the puzzle.
- Check the vocab, and practise ‘How many_____are there?’
- Ask the students the questions on the sheet. They have to write a number – in the circles – of how many animals/presents/decorations/etc. they think they can see.
- Make sure the photocopies aren’t too dark, or it’ll be too difficult. It might be better to use print colour photocopies, and put them in groups of 2-3 kids each, to compensate for the extra cost.
- Get them to cut out the pieces of the jigsaw as carefully as possible. (I often use this time to go from one student to another with a short speaking exercise while the rest are busy – it’s a great opportunity to get the quieter students to talk.)
- They assemble the jigsaw and check their answers. Then they stick it into their books or a piece of A4 paper.
- If you see they’re taking too long or finding it too difficult, show them the finished picture or leave it on another table so that they can shuttle to and fro.
- Go over the ‘How many ______ are there?’ part again, to see who got it right. Great fun!
Put some catchy Christmas songs in the background – subliminal learning! Download the pdf. below…
