Classroom Games for Direct & Indirect Objects

Grammar can be confusing business for kids. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and myriad other terms can seem like too much to understand and remember, but games can make the process entertaining and engaging, instead of tiresome and frustrating. You can teach direct and indirect objects using unique games and ones inspired by old favorites, giving kids a chance to think, learn and enjoy themselves.

Divide students into two teams, draw a line down the middle of the classroom chalkboard and write an equal number of sentences on each side containing various direct and indirect objects. Have a member of each team come up to engage in a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Give the winner a set amount of time to search the sentences on one side of the board for indirect or direct objects, as the loser combs his sentences for the opposite. If the players tie at "Rock, Paper, Scissors," they must circle both types of objects. When time is up, see who circled the most correct objects in his sentences, deducting points for mistakes before starting again with a new pair of opponents. After everyone has had a turn, add up each team's points to find the winner.

Set up a circle of chairs, with one fewer chair than the number of students playing the game. Prepare a portable stereo with music. On a chalkboard, write various sentences containing unmarked direct and indirect objects. Next, have the children begin the game of Musical Chairs, and when the music is stopped, have the student who remains standing find the direct and indirect objects in one of the sentences. After the task is complete, remove one chair from the circle and let the child who found the objects control the music for the next round.

To make learning about direct and indirect objects emtertaining, try a variation of the traditional game of "Doggy, Doggy." Choose one child to be "it" and sit in a chair, facing away from the class with her eyes closed. Place an eraser or other small object under the chair and allow one of the students to take it before having everyone chant "Doggy, doggy, where's your bone? Someone took it from your home." The child in the chair then has three chances to see who took the bone. For each failed guess, she must go up to a set of sentences written on the board and label the direct and indirect objects. If she guesses correctly, the child who took the bone must label the sentences before becoming "it."

Gather children together in a circle and choose one to go first in a game based on the classic "I Spy." The child who is "it" will begin with "I spy with my little eye ..." and describe an object in the room. The child who guesses the item must then go to the chalkboard and write a sentence using the item as a direct or indirect object, telling the class which one it is and what makes it so. Have the child who wrote the sentence start the game again and keep going until everyone has had a turn.