Cookie Monster only wakes up when the whole class shout together into the bag. Each student has to shout 'Wake up Cookie Monster!' into the bag. I always use Cookie Monster at the beginning of my young classes. You'll probably find that some prefer talking to the puppet than to you! Fun puppet characters (such as Sesame Street's Cookie Monster) that talk to students can produce unexpected results. Hand puppets really liven up a classroom, especially for young learners who are shy when talking to the teacher. It's really hard to be the last person in the circle! (Submitted by Danielle)

For example 'My name is Jo and I like the color purple.' The next person says 'This is Jo and he likes the color purple and my name is Rose and I am 8 years old.' The next person says 'That is Jo he likes purple, this is Rose and she is 8 and I am Jeremy and I like the color blue.' It's a chain and the kids have to repeat what the last people have said about themselves.

Start by saying 'my name is.' and then answer a question about yourself. This will really test if they were listening! The student that catches the ball has to say the name of the student who threw it.

After going around the circle a few times get each student to throw a ball to another student. You can use a ball to pass around the circle as each student says his/her name. Then students say their names around the circle. Point to yourself and say your name 'I'm Jason'. Having your develop their own knocking styles makes this even more fun. The student replies yes or no - if no, the teacher continues guessing. When the student knocks the teacher must guess who it is 'Is that (Koji)?'. The student replies 'It's (Koji)' and then the teacher says 'Come in (Koji)'. When the student knocks, teacher says 'Who's there?'. There are 2 variations for the next step: 1. Teach the students to knock on the door before entering the classroom. This can be used at the beginning of each class.

Great new spinning warm up songs