Steps

Elements of the game

• Set of cards depicting various animals
• Set of cards depicting people in various professions

Aims of the game:

Intellectual

The game develops memory and analytical thought, while broadening children's horizons. Through play they will also learn more about animals: their diets, habits, specializations, and characters.

Likewise with the professions, children will learn about items of equipment that people need to perform their line of work, and the nature of their jobs.

Educational

This game focuses on building sentences that use the verbs 'can''have' and 'to be' in conjunction with pronouns, e.g. "It is a fish." / "It has a tail." / "It can swim." or "He is a cook." / "He has a hat." / "He can cook meals."

The game also enlarges the players' vocabulary of nouns, action verbs and adjectives related to professions, animals, food and clothing.

Results/Teaching outcome

Psychological/cultural

Children learn about various professions and what they involve, as well as animal activities. The underlying message is that no living creature is lazy; each has its place and function in the world. Hence, children can start to think about what they might do later on in professional life, along with the relevant character traits and knowledge. They begin to appreciate the world from multiple angles and with greater subtlety.

Children will also gain a clearer picture of the animal world and various species' role in nature. So next time they visit the zoo, they will already know for example to keep their distance from a meat-eating bear. They will develop understanding for domestic animals, too: for example, not putting a finger in a cat's mouth or pulling its tail, because it will bite and scratch.