Growing up in Mexico, I had a lot of time to spend learning about tons different traditional Mexican games and playing them in school. I’ve come up with a list of some of the best (most fun) ones that you can use in your own classroom. Without further ado, these are some of my all time favorite Spanish Games for teaching Spanish and Mexican culture.
Lotería
You have most likely heard of and probably played this first Spanish Game. Lotería is a classic Mexican board game that’s essentially a version of bingo. This game is played at just about every celebration, or holiday.
I love this game as a classroom resource because it teaches lots of Spanish vocabulary in a really fun visual way! Students become familiar with the way the words sound, what each word means, and how it’s spelled just by playing the game. Read more about why I love it here.
To play, you need call cards, game boards, and small objects like beans or tokens for each player. I have different versions of this game available in my shop for different holidays!
For detailed instructions on how to play and what you need, check out this post.
Basta, Tutti Frutti, Stop
These are all different names I have heard for the exact same game. I grew up calling it Basta as we played in elementary school, and this one really makes you have to think on your toes!
You only need a pencil and paper to play, and one round takes less than a minute! Of course, you can play as many rounds as you have time for, but I promise that once you start, your students won’t ever want to stop playing!
The objective of the game is to be the first person to fill out a row of words corresponding to each category on your table. This game is good for helping recall new Spanish vocabulary, and it is seriously one of my favorite Spanish classroom games.
The great thing about this Spanish game is that you can play it using tons of different categories, even math! Practice times tables, addition, and more!
Check out some more detailed instructions here.
Juego de Memoria
This is just your classic memory game. Just shuffle the deck, lay out the cards face down, and find matches. It’s as simple as that, and I’m we have all played this game a million times before.
Playing a memory game is also a great way to repurpose Loteria call cards. Simply print out two sets of my Loteria call cards (from any set you want), and use them as a deck of cards. This game is great for learning new vocabulary words, work on spelling, and boost memory skills!
Serpientes y Escaleras
Serpientes y Escaleras is the Mexican version of Chutes and Ladders. This game doesn’t really teach Spanish, but it does give students a taste of Mexican culture.
It is played using a game board that you can buy, or if you have the time, you can draw it yourself. I definitely don’t have time for that, so I will definitely go with the buying route.
All you do is roll the dice and move the corresponding number of spaces forward. If you land on an “escalera,” you get to move up to the top of it. If you land on a “serpiente,” you have to slide down to the bottom of the snake. The winner is the first person to make it to the top of the game board.
Serpientes y Escaleras can be played with up to six players (depending on the version you have), so it’s best for small groups. If you want to paly with your whole class, you will probably need multiple game boards. That way, you can divide everyone up into groups.
Teléfono Descompuesto
I always loved playing Telephone growing up because I loved hearing how twisted the words and phrases could become once they reached the end of the line.
Everyone stands or sits in a line. The first person comes up with a word or phrase in Spanish, and whispers it to the next person in line. That person repeats (whispers) what they heard to the next person, and so on an so forth until the end. The last person in line then states the phrase that they heard out loud for everyone to hear.
I love this game as a way to practice Spanish because it helps students practice stringing together sentences, listening carefully to the words they are being told, and repeating those words out loud. It really covers all the bases.
The objective of this Spanish game is to reach the end of the line while keeping the original phrase in tact, or at least with the least amount of distortion possible. There are no winners in this game, and your whole class is sure to share a laugh or two as you play!
La Brinca Soga- Brincar la Cuerda
Who doesn’t love Jumping rope? This game is best played outside on the grass as it requires a lot of space, and we wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt if they happen to fall.
Once your students get really good at jumping rope, they can practice running in and out without the rope ever stopping.
I count this as a Spanish Game because when we played in elementary school, we would recite each letter of the alphabet in Spanish on each jump. If the person jumping tripped the rope on the letter F for example, they were gently teased about having to marry someone with F being the first letter of their name such as “Fabiola,” or “Fernando.”
However, if they made it through the entire alphabet, we recited a little chant that went like this:
“Chile, tomate, cebolla, frijoles de la olla, ¡mole!” Once you said mole, whoever was holding the jump rope started to spin it faster and faster until the person jumping tripped the line or had the confidence to run out.
Here is a video demonstration of the chant.
These rules can be changed based on however you want to play with your class, and you can also use whatever words to the chant that you want! This jump rope is extra long and perfect for jumping rope with a big group.
Gallinita Ciega
Gallinita Ciega is essentially blindfolded game of tag. The person who is “it,” or the “Gallinita ciega” stands in the center of a circle of the other players holding hands, singing the following three times, “Gallinita ciega, ¿qué se te ha perdido?”
After the third time, players let go of each others hands and try to get away from the “Gallinita ciega” as quickly as possible. The “Gallinita ciega” has to then catch someone to be “it” for the next round.
I love this game because it teaches a little bit of Spanish, and immerses you into this small portion of culture.
Any bandana or a handkerchief will work great as a blindfold for this game.
Jugaremos en el Bosque
This final Spanish game was one of my all time favorites to play in P.E. It is pretty similar to “Gallinita Ciega,” but no one is blindfolded. In this game, the person who is “it” is “El Lobo” or “The Wolf.” All other players walk in a circle around him holding hands, singing the following chant,
Jugaremos en el bosque
mientras el lobo no está.
Porque si aparece,
A todos nos comerá.
¿Lobo, estás allí? ¿Sí o no?
The wolf then has to either say sí or no. If he says sí, everyone disperses as the wolf tries to catch someone. Whoever is caught becomes the wolf for the next round. If however, the wolf say no, he has to give an excuse as to why, such as, “No, estoy bañando (no, I’m bathing),” or, “No, estoy en el Supermercado (no, I’m at the supermarket),” or something other of the sort.
You will love this game because of the suspense. You never know what the wolf is going to say each round, and you have to be ready to run! The wolf often comes up with some pretty creative and hilarious responses that will make absolutely everyone laugh!
I really hope you get the chance to play some of these traditional classroom Spanish games in your class! They are seriously so much fun to play, and your students are sure to have the time of their lives while practicing their Spanish skills.
