Collection of games

Hide and search

Level: intermediate

Age: children

Group size: whole class

Use: to practise conditional clauses (factual or open condition) and the ‘may’ of possibility

A small object, such as a button or coin, is hidden somewhere while the searcher waits outside. Converse with the rest of the class in this way: What will Jim/Jane find/see if he/she looks in your desk/in Sally’s bag/in the cupboard/under that papers/behind the stove? etc. He’ll/She’ll find four books and a ruler/some sandwiches/six piles of books and three bottles of ink, etc.

Preliminary conversation might also involve the may of possibility. What may she/he open/move/look behind? Where may she/he look? At a more advanced stage should and were might be practised in the same situation: If he should look in your desk, what would he find? If he were to move those books, what would he discover/see there? etc.

The search may be for several objects, and there may be a number of searchers. The teacher need not know where the objects are – members of the class can place them.

So Jim or Jane come back and search. As they search, teacher and class have a little conversation. Where has Jim looked (so far)? Where is he going to look now? Has Jane looked under the table (yet)? Is she going to open the cupboard? And so on. Have you looked in my bag (yet), Jim? But do not bother the searchers too much.