Hedbanz in the Classroom Game!

April 18, 2022

Hedbanz in the Classroom Game!

Have you ever played the game Hedbanz during a family game night? It always is sure to get my family laughing and having fun in the moment. Hedbanz is great in the classroom too! One of my favorite ways to use Hedbanz in the classroom with my English Learners is for vocabulary practice.

Materials:

- Hedbanz for students to wear

(This could be an elastic or even paper stapled together)

-Vocabulary cards

(I like making mine on index cards. To save you some time, you could always have one of your student helpers write the words on the index cards for you during free time or lunch. This also creates buy-in because students feel involved in making the game, which makes them even more invested in their learning.)

-Timer

(https://www.online-stopwatch.com/ is always a quick and easy choice!)

Directions:

1.) Place students in groups of 4-6. (TIP: Using Hedbanz as a center activity is an excellent way to incorporate this game in your classroom!)

2.) Provide students with the vocabulary words individually written out on index cards. If you are early on in a unit, only give them the words you have introduced. Add more vocabulary cards to this center as you teach them during your unit. Ensure that the vocabulary cards are face down so students are unable to see.

3.) One student in the group wears the Hedbanz and chooses an index card and places it securely in their Hedbanz. Make sure the word is facing the small group so the other players are able to read it.

4.) The group members try to help the player wearing the Hedbanz guess the word by acting it out. (No speaking and no using props!) Ex. If the word is "sunlight," the group members might start making a circle with their arms doing a sunrise/sunset.

**NOTE- A fun variation to dig even deeper into the meanings of the vocabulary words is to have the player wearing the headband look at the card and "know" the word before placing it in their headband. The other players in the group take turns acting out and doing a movement to describe the word. The player wearing the headband has to guess the descriptive word. Ex. Again, if the word is "sunlight," the players might start acting out the words hot, bright, warm etc.

5.) The person wearing the vocabulary word inside their Hedbanz must try and guess the word within 1 minute. If they guess the word correctly, they get to keep the card. If not, it goes back into the pile of cards. The players with the most cards as the end wins!

My students have always gone crazy over this game because it is fun and makes them laugh!! They all want to win, which makes them motivated to master their vocabulary words and engage them in learning.