Best Game Ever in Spanish Class: Dominoes

Monday, October 26, 2020 - Leave a Comment

I love a good, engaging review game.

Dominoes is for sure one of those games.

I have a (growing) series of Best Game Ever posts, including charades and win lose or draw.

Did you know you can modify this game for Spanish vocabulary?

Well, you can and I'm here to show you how!

A quick review of how to play (traditional) Dominoes:

This is a game for 2-4 players.

Players decide who goes first but all choosing 1 domino from a face-down pile. The person with the highest number goes first.

Each person then chooses 7 dominoes from a face-down pile. The remaining dominoes are left face down. This is the "bone yard".

The first person can play any domino from his/her hand.

Subsequent players have to play a domino with the same number as one on the board, and they lay end to end.

If a player doesn't have a tile to play, they have to choose from the "bone yard".

The winner is the first person to run out of tiles.

How to play Spanish (vocabulary) Dominoes:

Again, 2-4 students per group play this game. Every student draws 7 "tiles".

This time the tiles are card stock. Each tile includes one Spanish phrase and one English phrase. Players have to play a tile with a phrase that matches one already on the board.

For example, if a tile is on the board with "I help", then they can play a tile with "Yo ayudo".

If a player doesn't have a tile they can play, they draw another.

The first player to run out of tiles wins!

Some tips:

This is a review game for vocabulary or verbs that students are already familiar with.

I make about 40 tiles for students, with each Spanish and English phrases mixed and matched at least twice.

I print the dominoes on card stock and laminate it before I cut them out, so that the tiles last for years. Card stock is thick enough that students can't see through the paper.

If you print the dominoes on colored card stock and use a couple different colors, it is easier to figure out which set a tile came from when the game is all cleaned up and one tile randomly shows up on the floor.

I have Dominoes games in my TpT store for just about every verb tense and some vocab. You just have to print, laminate, and cut out the games!