10 Interactive Games for Teaching Mandarin in Key Stage 2

Teaching Mandarin doesn't have to mean endless vocabulary lists and repetitive character drills. These 10 interactive games will get your Key Stage 2 pupils speaking, listening, and having fun whilst learning Chinese.

1. Four Corners (四个角落)

What you need: Four corner labels with different Chinese words or characters

How to play: Label each corner of your classroom with a different word in Chinese (colours, numbers, foods, animals). Call out a word in Mandarin. Children run to the correct corner. The last person there is out, or everyone in the wrong corner sits down.

Why it works: Gets children moving and reinforces vocabulary through repetition. Perfect for visual and kinaesthetic learners.

Top tip: Speed it up as children get more confident. You can also call out descriptions like "the colour of the sky" (天空的颜色) instead of just "blue" (蓝色).

2. Chinese Simon Says (老师说)

What you need: Just yourself and the children

How to play: The classic game, but entirely in Mandarin. Give instructions like "touch your nose" (摸你的鼻子), "jump three times" (跳三次), or "sit down" (坐下). Children only follow if you say "老师说" (teacher says) first.

Why it works: Children learn action verbs and body parts without realising they're studying. It's brilliant for total physical response learning and gets them used to listening to Mandarin.

Top tip: Let confident children take turns being the leader. Peer teaching reinforces their own learning and pronunciation.

3. Vocabulary Relay Race

What you need: Whiteboard, markers, vocabulary lists

How to play: Split the class into teams. One child from each team runs to the board, writes a Chinese character or word from the topic you're studying, then runs back to tag the next teammate. First team to write 10 correct words wins.

Why it works: Combines physical activity with character recognition and writing practice. The competitive element motivates reluctant learners.

Top tip: For younger Year 3s or beginners, let them write pinyin instead of characters, or match pictures to Chinese words.

4. Telepathy

What you need: A list of vocabulary words

How to play: Think of a word from your current topic (e.g., an animal like 熊猫 - panda). Children take turns guessing in Mandarin. You respond with "对" (correct) or "不对" (incorrect). The child who guesses correctly thinks of the next word.

Why it works: Encourages children to practise pronunciation in a low-pressure setting. Everyone gets multiple chances to speak.

Top tip: Give clues after five wrong guesses to keep the pace moving.

5. Back-to-Back Drawing

What you need: Paper, pencils, vocabulary lists

How to play: Children work in pairs sitting back-to-back. One child has a simple picture (a house, a face, a scene). They describe it in Mandarin whilst their partner draws it without looking. Compare the results at the end.

Why it works: Develops speaking and listening skills simultaneously. Children must use descriptive language, colours, and position words accurately.

Top tip: Provide sentence starters like "有..." (there is...) or "在左边..." (on the left...) to support less confident speakers. This is great for practising measure words too.

6. Splat!

What you need: Flashcards or Chinese characters stuck to the board, two fly swatters

How to play: Two children stand at the board with fly swatters. You call out a word in English (or show a picture). The first child to "splat" the correct Chinese character or word wins a point for their team.

Why it works: Fast-paced and exciting. Children are desperate for their turn, which means they're mentally practising character recognition whilst watching.

Top tip: Reverse it sometimes - show the Chinese character and children splat the English meaning or picture. This builds two-way recognition.

7. Tone Practice with Ball Toss

What you need: A soft ball, vocabulary list

How to play: Stand in a circle. Toss the ball to a child whilst saying a word in Mandarin. They must repeat it with the correct tone, then toss the ball to someone else with a new word. If someone gets the tone wrong, start again.

Why it works: Tones are tricky for English speakers. This game makes tone practice fun and less intimidating. The physical element helps children remember the different tones.

Top tip: Use tone marks on flashcards held up as visual support. You can also use hand gestures - flat hand for first tone, rising hand for second tone, etc.

8. Chinese Character Bingo

What you need: Bingo cards with Chinese characters, counters

How to play: Give each child a bingo card with 9 or 16 Chinese characters from your current topic. Call out the pinyin or English meaning. Children cover the matching character. First to get a line or full house wins.

Why it works: Reinforces character recognition in a low-pressure way. Children can work at their own pace.

Top tip: Let children create their own bingo cards by choosing characters from a list. This adds an extra layer of engagement and revision.

9. Memory Pairs (对对碰)

What you need: Pairs of cards - one with Chinese character, one with English meaning or picture

How to play: Lay all cards face down. Children take turns flipping two cards, trying to find matching pairs. If they match and the child can read the Chinese word aloud correctly, they keep the pair.

Why it works: Classic memory game format is familiar to children. Adding the speaking element ensures they're practising pronunciation, not just visual memory.

Top tip: Start with 6-8 pairs for Year 3s, increase to 12-15 pairs for Year 6s. You can also do character/pinyin pairs instead.

10. Hot Seat

What you need: A chair at the front, vocabulary lists

How to play: One child sits in the "hot seat" facing away from the board. Write a Chinese word on the board behind them. The rest of the class gives clues in Mandarin (or English for beginners) without saying the word. The child in the hot seat guesses.

Why it works: Gets the whole class involved in speaking. The child guessing practises listening comprehension under gentle pressure.

Top tip: Time each round (30-60 seconds) to keep energy high. Award points for quick guesses to add competition between teams.

Making Games Work in Your Classroom

Keep it short: 5-10 minutes per game is ideal. Use games as lesson starters, breaks between activities, or plenaries.

Mix abilities: Pair confident speakers with less confident ones in team games. Everyone learns from each other.

Repeat favourites: Children learn more from games they know well. Don't feel you need a new game every lesson.

Link to learning: Always connect games to your current topic. Random vocabulary games are fun but don't build systematic language skills.

Celebrate mistakes: Make it clear that getting things wrong is part of learning. A supportive atmosphere means children will take risks and speak more.

These games work brilliantly for Mandarin because they tackle the unique challenges - character recognition, tone practice, and building confidence in such a different language. Try one next lesson and watch your pupils' engagement soar!