Language focus: English rhythm and intonation.

Classroom benefits: Eeney Meeney Miney Moe is a another classic choosing rhyme you can use for splitting a class into groups, or as just a simple game in itself.


Lyrics and actions:

(Stand in a circle. Go around the circle and point to students as you sing the song. Whichever student you are pointing to when you sing the last "moe" in a the verse must sit down. The last students standing are the winners!)

(singing)
Eeney meeney miney moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If he hollers let him go
Eeney meeney miney moe
Eeney meeney miney moe

(chanting)
Eeney meeney miney moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If he hollers let him go
Eeney meeney miney moe
Eeney meeney miney moe

Activity ideas:

A couple of tips…young children really enjoy elimination games like this as long as being “out” is done with a sense of fun. Generally, when I play this game with my students, I include myself in the game and make sure that I am the first, or one of the first, people to be out. And when I am out, I make a point of saying, “oh no!”, but in a laughing, joking, good-time manner, so that being out seems like as much fun as winning. You get to say, “Oh no!” and make a silly face. It’s really a great opportunity to learn about being a good sport.

Also, you can have the person who is out be the one who continues the counting, so they stay involved. So each time someone is out, that person continues the chant, beginning the count on the next person.

You can also use this game for choosing anything. At the beginning of each of our classes, we give each child a sticker in his/her classroom passport. After I have collected all of the passports, I will often use this chant to select which passport I’ll choose first.


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