Kids love guessing, which makes the mystery box, an exciting tool for the teacher. The mystery box (sometimes known as a ‘feelie bag’), has a multitude of different uses in the EFL Kindergarten classroom.
You can:
- Use it to introduce new vocabulary, including with realia
- Put realia inside, and have children guess what they’re touching as a form of review
- Put letters, numbers, or shapes in the box and children try to work out what they’ve chosen
- Have the other children in the group confirm ‘Yes, it is.’ or ‘No, it isn’t.’
- And much more…
One of my colleagues used it to put treats in the Mystery Box for his graduating students to take a ‘lucky dip’ from.
Something I’ve noticed, is that if you have a good activity or tool, often the kids forget they’re learning or using English. Sometimes, even some of the shy kids will join in, and not be self-conscious, because of the tool you’ve chosen.
The mystery box pictured above was lovingly made by some of my colleagues at the International School I was working for.
