Are you looking for a fun and easy way to practice receptive and expressive language? This game is a big hit with students and gives them a lot of opportunities to practice requesting, adjectives and colors.
In the fall, we do this game with either die cut leaves or apples. The materials for the apple game are free in my TPT store. I laminate the apples and leaves so that I can use them year after year. The only other materials I use is tape- any kind or color will do. Both the leaves and the apples should be in different colors and sizes.
To begin, I spread the leaves or apples out on a table and tell the class or group that we are going to decorate a tree. I have a student volunteer to be the tree. Ideally, you want someone who can stand relatively still.
Next, I call a student up and give them a verbal direction with an adjective, color or number. You can make your direction as simple or as complicated as the student can understand. For exapmple, you could say “Find the yellow leaf.” to one student and “Get the small orange leaf.” to another student.
Once the student has the apple or leaf, give the student the direction where to put it. For example, “Put the leaf on his elbow.” You could also combine the directives by giving one longer directive to the student. For example, “Find the large red apple and put it on his (the tree) back.”
Don’t forget to ask the students who are waiting for a turn questions. For example, “Where did Joe put the apple?” “What did Jane put on the tree?”
When you are all done, have the tree shake and see if s/he can knock all of the apples and leaves off. My kiddos think this is hysterical!
