There is an activity I use at the beginning of every school year to get students listening and speaking in Spanish in a fun way. It is called the ¿Cómo te llamas? Card Game.
Students quickly and easily learn how to ask, “What is your name?” and answer, “My name is_____.”
Here is what I do:
- Give or have students choose a Spanish name. You can find Spanish name lists on-line. You can use their English names if you prefer.
- Give each student 3 index cards, and have them write their (Spanish) name once on each card.
- Collect ALL the cards and mix them up.
- Teach students the question, ¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?) and how to answer, “Me llamo_____.” filling in the blank with their Spanish name.
- Pass out all the index cards, 3 to each student. Make sure each student has 3 different name cards and none of their own.
- Have students come to the center of the room.
- They then go to different students asking, ¿Cómo te llamas?, and students answer, “Me llamo_____.” with their name.
- If the name matches one of the index cards, the person returns that card to its owner.
- Once every student has found the owners of the 3 cards AND has received back all their cards, they sit down.
I remind students it is not a race, but some still like to see how fast they can do it! Very funny!
Collect the index cards to reuse at the beginning of your next class.
This activity is a REALLY GOOD ONE. I use it with all ages. I have students who never get tired of it. Try it. I think you will like it!!
Pronunciation Help:
¿Cómo te llamas? = koh-moh-teh-yah-mahs
Me llamo = meh yah-moh
Hope you have a great school year!
Debbie
PS – If you’re looking for a really easy to use, fun, affordable, & effective Spanish curriculum for your classes or homeschool, take a look at Spanish for You!