Simon Says exemplifies the total physical response method better than any activity for the language classroom I can think of. The game is versatile and allows us to teach a wide range of grammatical/lexical items. I used it recently to teach a few uses of the verb look which had been confusing my learners:

Simon says:

• Look up/down/left/right
  
• Look out the window
• Look behind you
  
• Look at [student’s name]

• Look serious
• Look happy
• Look angry
• Look confused

• Look like you’ve just seen a ghost
• Look like you’ve just won the lottery
• Look like you’ve just woken up
• Look like you’ve just been dumped by your girlfriend or boyfriend

The rules of the game are simple: Players must do what Simon says. If the person giving the instructions says, “Simon says jump,” then everyone must jump. But if Simon doesn’t say jump (i.e. if the person giving the instructions simply says, “jump”), then anyone who jumps loses a point. This formula can be changed: An alternative way to catch your students out is to give instructions for one action but demonstrate another (e.g. Say “Simon says look up” but look down while you do so).

Once you are confident that your students are able to recognise the actions and language that you are teaching through the activity, give individuals the opportunity to give the instructions. One way of handing over the responsibility is by physically handing over a picture of a famous Simon to a student. That student can then pass the picture on after a few instructions have been called. This may sound a bit wacky but it works quite well.

Paul Simon says …

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A historical note

Although this activity is usually associated with children, this wasn’t always the case. In the swinging sixties, Simon Says was all the rage. If you went to a fashionable London party, the chances are you would find yourself involved in this energetic and addictive game. Interestingly, my own parents confess to meeting at a Simon Says soiree. The spirit of the era was encapsulated in 1967 when 1910 Fruitgum Company released a single that rocketed to the top of the charts: