Looking for a way to make learning French fun and engaging? Dice are a great way to gamify the foreign language classroom. Not only are they inexpensive, but they can be used to play a variety of no-prep educational games that are sure to capture your students’ attention. Here are three fun no-prep dice games for French that you can use with core French or French immersion.
Easy dice games for French vocabulary practice
We all know how important it is to find different ways to practice French vocabulary. Dice can be used as a really fun way to review old vocabulary so students don’t forget all that they’ve learned!
Here’s one really quick and easy way we like to review:
- Give each student two six-sided dice.
- Assign a vocabulary category (for example: les animaux, les vêtements, la nourriture)
- Ask each student to roll the dice and then write down the number of vocabulary word(s) based on the the roll. For example, if a student rolls a 4, they need to write four words from the assigned category.
- Once everyone has finished writing their words down, ask them all to stand up and have them find someone else who has written different words than they have. Have the students add these new words to their lists. This encourages collaboration among students while also providing extra practice with speaking in French!
Dice Games for French for writing longer sentences
Do you have students who struggle to write with detail? Using dice is a great way to practice adding more detail to sentences. I use this dice game along with this no-prep French writing activity to help students add details.
- Give each student three dice (or more if you want!)
- Assign each number on the die a specific detail to include (for example, 1=where, 2=when, 3=why)
- Ask each student to roll their dice and then construct sentences based on what was rolled. For example, if a student rolls a 1, 2, and 3, they’ll create a sentence providing each detail.
- Have students switch papers with another student once everyone has finished constructing their sentences and then ask them all to read out loud what was written by their new partner.
Here’s an example of what it would look like:
Ma mère est allée au marché ce matin pour acheter des pommes de terre.
Dice games for French verb practice
I use dice to practice French verb conjugation all the time! Here is one of my favorite dice games for French that will let you practice with any set of verbs you want. You can play with any tense, so it’s super-adaptable!
- Write the subjects and verbs up on your board like shown below. You can use any variation of pronouns, names, etc, but just cover all the different conjugations possible. Pick 6 verbs to work on – any tense you want! My kiddo was doing the futur simple at school and I picked the stems that he was having trouble with.
- Roll the dice and conjugate! You can assign the dice as die 1 & die 2 or do like I do and just make different colored columns. Depending on your goal, you can have them say or write the verb.
Learn more about my favorite French verb activities here.
Using dice games for French is an easy and inexpensive way to bring fun into your language classroom! From vocabulary practice to verb drills, there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating no-prep dice games for French—all it takes is a bit of imagination! I hope these ideas help inject some excitement into your French lessons—bonne chance et amusez-vous bien!
Amina Kane says
Je ne manquerai certainement pas de profiter de ces remarquables ressources l’année prochaine. Merci infiniment