Colourful Skulls
| Target: | Fluency | speed
speaking trade exercise |
| Age: | elementary school aged children and up | |
| Duration: | 2-3 minutes | |
| Class Size: | any (groups of 4 or more) | |
| Energy Level: | moderate to high | |
| Type: | trading activity | |
| Equipment: | Colourful Skull Cards, timer |
This is a quick set making activity. For each player one set of colourful skull cards is required. A set consists of six, seven or eight cards of different colours. With young children I use a set of six cards. With few players it is better to have larger sets. Whatever number of cards is chosen for a set any spare cards should be put away before play.
The game is played in a series of rounds. Each round should be very short, no more than 90 seconds. The more able the players the shorter the time limit. A dealer divides the cards amongst the players. On the command, "Go!" start the timer. Players try to make sets To complete a set a player must have exactly one card of each colour, no more, no less. Players may trade cards or give them away according to the phrase being practised. Possible phrases:
- "Do you want a [colour] skull?"
- "Do you need a [colour] skull?"
- "Do you have a spare [colour] skull?"
- I want a [colour] skull!"
- I need a [colour] skull!"
- "Swap one!"
- "Swap two" etc
It's best if players stand up while playing so that they can move about from partner to partner.
When the timer goes the group checks how many sets were made. The score can be noted down and a total calculated over a number of rounds. Players can try to better their scores from one game to the next.
Comments:
- When introducing the game it is useful to carefully demonstrate what makes a set. Show that if there are any duplicate colours there is no set !
- Players should refrain from showing each other their cards.
- Especially with small groups it is possible that a player may be dealt a set. One way to avoid this is to give players an uneven number of cards. For example, if six cards make a set some players could receive five cards and the others seven.
- Dealing cards individually can be time consuming. A fast way to deal is to count the cards into piles and then let the players each take a pile when all the cards are dealt. With large groups hand out cards roughly without counting or start the game by splitting the pack until all players have some cards. Splitting the pack entails each player with cards (one player at the start) cutting the deck and handing half to a player without any cards. This method works because players are not required to have an even number of cards.
Variation (untested!):
For large groups consider combining the game with another, for example, snakes and ladders. In this case use two or three more sets than there are players. Make the time limit between 4-6 minutes.One player becomes the game leader and looks after the snakes and ladders board. When a player makes a set they go to the board show the game leader their set. The player then rolls a dice and moves the marker on the snakes and ladders board. The game leader hands out some more cards to the player who goes off to try and make another set. How far can the group get up the snakes and ladders board before the timer sounds?
getfile: Colourful Skulls
PDF File A4, 2 pages (front and back), 2 sets per page, size: 85kb
