Oral Language – Barrier Games: A Fun Way to Build Communication Skills

Looking for an engaging way to boost students’ speaking and listening skills? These Oral language – barrier games are a fantastic tool for developing clear communication, active listening, and vocabulary in a fun and interactive way. These games encourage students to give and follow directions, describe objects, and ask clarifying questions—all essential skills for effective oral communication.

How Barrier Games Support Oral Language Development

Providing visual scenes, characters and objects in this barrier game allows students to focus purely on the vocabulary needed to play this fantastic oral language game. Barrier games like this one support oral language development by:

• Encouraging precise descriptions and instructions.
• Following directions and responding appropriately.
• Using descriptive words and prepositions.
• Learning to ask for more details when needed.

How to Use Barrier Games in the Classroom

Developing oral language with barrier games is easy and effective! Here are some simple ways to incorporate them into lessons:

• One student describes a hidden picture or object while the other draws or arranges pieces based on the description.
• Students sit back-to-back and describe how to place objects in a scene so both end up with identical setups.
• One student gives step-by-step instructions while the other follows them to recreate a design, path, or picture.
• Use barrier games to act out real-world conversations, helping students develop confidence in spoken interactions.

Barrier games are a valuable oral language activity that supports communication, listening, and problem-solving skills in an engaging way. Perfect for small group work, intervention sessions, and speech development activities!

Download and Play Barrier Games Today!

Use the dropdown menu to download the resources needed to play barrier games today in your classroom. A Google Slide version is available for digital or editing purposes and the easy to print PDF is also available.

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher and a Teach Starter Collaborator.

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