Never have I ever game

Never have I ever

This game is suitable for groups of around 15 students but if there are more students in the class they can be divided into groups. This is a ‘getting to know each other’ game, aimed at introducing or practising the present perfect as well. 

Procedure 

■ Sitting in a circle, students take turns to say things they have never done. The game begins with students raising one hand so that the others see five fingers (or both hands so as to show ten fingers if you have more time to spend on the activity). 

■ Then students take turns to say sentences containing things they have never done in their life. It could be something like ‘Never have I been to the seaside.’ If the other students have done that (i.e. been to the seaside), they have to drop one finger, now having four fingers up and one down. 

■ Students should be instructed that the sentences have to be true and they should think of things they haven’t done but the others might have done, because their aim is to make the other students drop their fingers while they keep theirs up so as to stay in the game as much as possible.

■ The game ends when all students have dropped all fingers and the winners are the last students to have any fingers showing. 

■ A possible follow-up would be asking students to write a short paragraph/story starting with the words: ‘Never have I ever’.