Sep 11 (edited) • 🤹 Fun Activities
Game: Conversation Dice
Skill focus: turn-taking, asking follow-up questions, active listening
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: one die (foam or regular), prompt list, optional timer (20–30 seconds per turn)
Goal
Practice short, friendly conversations that include a clear opener, one follow-up question, and a polite closer. Build confidence staying on topic and listening for details.
Quick Setup
- Norms: one person talks at a time; listeners face the speaker with “listening body” (or preferred focus alternative); turns are short (20–30 seconds).
- Stem to teach: “Ask, then follow up.” Example: “What did you do this weekend?” → “What was your favorite part?”
- Seat kids in a circle or pairs. Give the die to the starter.
Dice Map (use or adapt)
1 = Name
2 = Weekend
3 = Book/Movie/Game
4 = Food
5 = Would You Rather
6 = Follow-Up (ask a follow-up about what someone just shared)
Sample Prompts for Each Number1 Name
- “What name do you like to be called?”
- “Is your name after anyone?” (older kids)
- “What’s a nickname you like?” (younger kids)
2 Weekend
- “What did you do last weekend?”
- “What are you hoping to do next weekend?”
- Follow-up stems: “Who was with you?” “What made that fun?”
3 Book/Movie/Game
- “What’s a book, movie, or game you enjoyed lately?”
- “Who is your favorite character and why?”
- “Would you recommend it? To who?”
4 Food
- “What’s your favorite snack or meal?”
- “What food would you like to try?”
- “Do you like sweet, salty, or spicy best?”
5 Would You Rather (quick choices)
- “Would you rather fly or be invisible?”
- “Beach or mountains?”
- “Pizza or tacos?”
- “Read a book or watch a movie?”
- “Play inside or outside?”
6 Follow-Up
- “What made you choose that?”
- “How did you feel when that happened?”
- “Where did it take place?”
- “When did you start liking that?”
- “Who do you usually do that with?”
- “Tell me more about the best part.”
How to Play (5 steps)
- Model: Adult rolls a 2 and asks a student, “What did you do last weekend?” Student answers; adult rolls a 6 and asks a follow-up, “Who went with you?”
- Roll and respond: First student rolls, uses the matching prompt, and listens to the answer.
- Follow-up: If anyone rolls a 6, they must ask a follow-up about the most recent speaker’s answer.
- Paraphrase before passing: The asker says one detail back (“You went biking with your dad”) and passes the die.
- Close politely every few turns: “Nice talking with you,” or “Thanks for sharing.”
Quality Rules (kid-friendly)
- Ask one question, then one follow-up.
- Paraphrase one detail before you pass the die.
- Keep answers to 1–2 sentences so everyone gets a turn.
Conversation Stems (post these)
- Openers: “What do you think about…?” “What’s your favorite…?” “Have you ever…?”
- Follow-ups: “What made you…?” “How did that feel?” “When/where/who…?” “Tell me more about…”
- Paraphrase: “I heard you say…” “So you…”
- Closers: “Thanks for telling me.” “Nice talking with you.”
Inclusion and Support
- Eye-contact alternatives: look at forehead/shoulder or a shared object; “listening body” counts.
- Visuals: prompt cards with icons (name, calendar, book, apple, arrows).
- Sentence frames for ELLs: “My favorite ___ is ___ because ___.” “I did ___ with ___ at ___.”
- AAC/low-verbal options: choice cards for answers, yes/no follow-ups, pointing to pictures.
- Shy/anxious students: allow whisper to adult who repeats; or start with yes/no choices and expand.
Debrief (60–90 seconds)
- “Which follow-up got the most interesting answer?”
- “What made a question feel friendly?”
- “Where could you use this skill next—arrival, recess, small groups?”
Troubleshooting
- One-word answers: Offer a forced-choice or add “because.” Example: “Pizza or tacos? Why?”
- Over-talking: Use a visible 20–30 second timer or a “two-sentence rule.”
- Off-topic: Teach a bridge-back phrase: “That reminds me of __, but I want to hear more about [topic].”
- Forgetting to follow up: Point to the Follow-Up box or hold up a “+” card as a reminder.
Light Assessment (quick)
- Tally per student in one session: Openers (O), Follow-ups (F), Paraphrases (P). Aim for at least 1 F and 1 P each.
- Self-check: “Show fingers—Did you ask a follow-up? 0 = not yet, 1 = yes.”
- Peer praise: “I heard you say ___ back to your partner. That showed listening.”
Age Tweaks
- Ages 4–6: Use picture die, reduce to 2–3 prompts (Name, Food, Would You Rather). Adult models follow-ups.
- Ages 7–9: Require one follow-up and one paraphrase per turn.
- Ages 10–12: Add challenge cards (ask an open question; disagree kindly; connect to your own experience in one sentence).
Home or Small Group Version
- Family dinner die: everyone answers; one person must ask a follow-up each round.
- Car line: roll before school; answer in 1–2 sentences and one follow-up.
Optional Printable Prompt List (use for cards or a poster)
- Ask one question → Ask one follow-up → Paraphrase one detail → Close politely
- Follow-up starters: What made you…? How did you feel…? When/where/who…? Tell me more about…
- Closers: Thanks for sharing. Nice talking with you.
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Game: Conversation Dice
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