Taboo

This is a vocabulary game where students try to use descriptions and speech to get other students to guess a word. The name comes from the more advanced variation where not only is there a target word, but there are also "taboo" words which a student may not say while trying to get their group to say the target word.

Required Materials

(ideally) Small slips of paper with current vocabulary words
(for advanced students) Small slips of paper or small cards with the target word, and "taboo" words written on them

Instructions

1. Divide students into groups - you can divide the class in half or into smaller groups.
2. One student in each group is given a vocabulary word card, and required to use sentences, descriptions, etc, to get the other students to guess the target word. 
3. If playing a more advanced version and the speaker uses the "taboo" word, then their turn is over (or alternately, they lose a point for each taboo word they use).

Variations

• This game can be played for points between two teams, in which case a time limit should be set. During the time limit, only students from the same group can try to guess the word. If the student exceeds the time, students from the other group may guess the word. Whichever group guesses the word correctly receives a point.
• The game can be played as a race between two groups. Each group is given the same number of vocab cards. Each person in the group is required to draw a vocab word. When the group guesses the word correctly, the next person in the group has to draw. The first group to guess all of the vocabulary words wins.
• In order to make the game more communicative, one can ask students to use a correctly guessed word in a sentence for an extra point or a piece of candy.