Pass the Ball Game | Super Fun Classroom Activity For Kids

This Pass the Ball game is an incredibly fun classroom game that can be used with any lesson and any target language. Kids especially love this pass-the-ball activity. All you need is a soft ball and some fun music.

If you’re not familiar with the pass-the-ball game, it is a really simple classroom game. While the music plays, students pass the ball around the class. When the music stops, the student with the ball has to do something, such as answer a question from the teacher.

Below you can find our pass-the-ball game video, which you can use in class. The video includes simple pass the ball game instructions, and the fun music automatically starts and stops.

Pass The Ball Game

This pass-the-ball game is absolutely FREE. Simply play this game from this page or from our YouTube Channel.

What You Need:

All you need to play this game is a ball that is small enough for young students to hold and soft enough so no one gets hurt.

Pass the Ball Game Instructions:

Simply play the video in class. While the music is playing, students should pass the ball around the class. When the music stops, the student with the ball must answer the question from the teacher.

TIP: To include all students, make the whole class ask the question, and the student holding the ball should answer. For example, if your lesson topic is about likes/dislikes, the whole class can ask, “Do you like (chicken)?”, and the student with the ball can answer, “Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.“

Before Starting The Game

To ensure the activity runs smoothly, before starting the activity, explain the game rules. For example, tell students that they must pass the ball and NOT throw the ball. Also, show students the direction in which they should pass the ball. This is especially important with large class sizes.

Make It More Fun

Once you have played the activity a few times, to make it even more fun, you can introduce some new rules. For example, you can tell students that they can pass in any direction they want. Or, when the music stops, the students on either side of the student with the ball must have a dialogue in English using the target language.

Pass The Ball Game Free Resources

A simple way to incorporate this game into any of your lessons is to use flashcards. When the music stops, show the flashcards to the student with the ball and ask them to make a sentence using the target language. Visit our Flashcard Page to download and print many free flashcards on many topics.

If you’re students are a bit more advanced, you can use these icebreaker questions as fun pass-the-ball game questions.

Thanks for reading! Before you go, be sure to check out our other free resources for teaching English, including ESL games, quizzes, PPT games, worksheets, and much more.