This is a picture of what the Race Around the Spanish Speaking World game looks like. You can use this game to practice just about anything in Spanish and in other subjects as well. Here is what you do:
- Make 8 (or more) small cards with one country name per card and numbered – 1 México, 2 España (Spain), 3 Puerto Rico, 4 Cuba, 5 Panamá, 6 Colombia, 7 Chile, 8 Uruguay, etc.
- Tape the cards on a large map where each country is located so players can see them.
- Tape the large map on the wall so all the players can see it.
- Choose a game “leader”.
- Divide players into teams or allow players to play solo. Give each player or team one colored sticky note – a different color per team/solo player.
- To begin play, have the leader say a verb in Spanish, like “abro” (which means “I open”) to the first team/player.
- The team/player has to say it in English. If correct they can place their colored sticky note on the first country.
- Continue play going around and giving each team/player a verb to translate.
- Teams/Players get to move each time they get one correct.
- The first team/player to make it around to all 8 countries wins.
You can make your game longer by adding more Spanish speaking countries to the race, like Argentina, Nicaragua, Paraguay, La República Dominicana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and so on.
** Note: Brazil is not Spanish speaking. They speak Portuguese.
For more CHALLENGE: Give students the English and have them provide the Spanish.
You can also use this with vocabulary, translating sentences, and even more challenging, asking questions in Spanish that they have to answer in Spanish, either with a word, phrase, or full sentence. (If you are using Spanish for You!, you can use the many, many questions already provided throughout the book.)