Heads down, thumbs up

During our last 2015 lesson, 2A students asked me if they could play Thumbs up!, a game that had just been shown to them by my Scotish colleague, John.

It's quite a simple and funny game, and it proved to be a really effective way to relax during an exciting day. Besides, in relation to my Music curriculum, it's a great opportunity to develop listening skills.

That's how it works:
- A number of students, five in our case, stand up in front of the class,
- The rest of the students (and the teacher) put their heads down on their desks and, with the eyes closed, they raise their thumbs up,
- The standing students move throughout the classroom and select five students to press down on their thumbs; then, they return to the front of the room,
- Everyone is told to open their eyes; students whose thumbs were turned down stand up and try to guess who touched their thumbs,
- If they get it right, they swap places; if not, they sit again and have another go.

How to play the game: A visual explanation on Wikihow