Have the children sit in a circle. Show them a cookie jar or a picture of a cookie jar and say, "Yummy...cookies! I'm going to have a cookie!" Look inside the cookie jar and then say, "Oh no! No more cookies! Who took the cookie from the cookie jar? Pedro? Did you take the cookie? Rina? Did you take the cookie? Who took the cookie?" Even children with very little English ability will understand this conversation when demonstrated this way.
Next, have everyone make a beat by patting their laps then clapping their hands (pat, clap, pat, clap, pat, clap, pat, clap). Don't go too fast! Set a slow pace at first. As you pat and clap your hands, do the following chant (with the teacher demonstrating first):
All: Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Leader: Pedro (student's name) took the cookie from the cookie jar!
Pedro: Who, me?
All: Yes, you!
Pedro: Not me!
All: Then who?
Pedro: Rina!
All: Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Rina took the cookie from the cookie jar!
Rina: Who me?
All: Yes, you!
Rina: Not me!
All: Then who?
Rina: Isabella!
All: Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Isabella took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Isabella: Who me?
All: Yes you!
Isabella: Not me!
All: Then who?
(Repeat, naming all of the students in the class or in your group. If you are doing it at home, name all the members of the family.)
With older kids, you may want to introduce an element of competition. Try to keep the beat steady and if a child can't think of another student's name and stay on the beat, they are "out." For example:
All: Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Pedro took the cookie from the cookie jar.
Pedro: Who me?
All: Yes you!
Pedro: Not me!
All: Then who?
Pedro: Umm... Umm... Umm...
Leader: Time's up!
Make a rule that you can't repeat a name, so if you go through all of the names and nobody is left, the last student will be "out." To make it even more challenging and to speed up the game, speed up the beat!
You can also play this game with a pretend cookie (simply cut a circle out of a brown cardboard box and draw chocolate chips on it with a black marker). Have all of the children (seated in a circle) close their eyes. Walk around the circle and place a "cookie" under one of the children so that none of the other children can see it (tap that child on the shoulder so she knows she has the cookie). Tell all of the children to open their eyes. Everyone can look at each other to try and guess who has the cookie. Start the chant once more:
All: Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Leader: Pedro (student's name) took the cookie from the cookie jar!
Pedro: Who, me?
All: Yes, you!
Pedro: Not me!
All: Then who?
Pedro: Rina!
All: Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
Rina took the cookie from the cookie jar!
Rina: Who me?
All: Yes, you!
Rina: (Takes the cookie out from under her) Okay, okay...I took the cookie (or a simple "yes" will do).
You can sing the song from the CD before and/or after playing the game to help the kids remember the words and the rhythm. The names used in the song are Tanja, Troy, Knocky (the Knock Knock English mascot), and Devon. You can assign those names to some of the students in the class. Or you can play the CD as you play the game, and just substitute the names of students.
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Lyrics and Actions
(Make a rhythm with everyone patting their legs and clapping their hands to the beat. Pat, clap, pat, clap, pat, clap)
Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
[Tanja] took the cookie from the cookie jar.
Who me? (student points to herself)
Yes you! (students nod their heads "yes")
Not me! (student shakes her head "no")
Then who? (everyone shrugs their shoulders)
Troy! ([Tanja] points at [Troy])
(Make a rhythm with everyone patting their legs and clapping their hands to the beat. Pat, clap, pat, clap, pat, clap)
Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
[Troy] took the cookie from the cookie jar.
Who me? (student points to himself)
Yes you! (students nod their heads "yes")
Not me! (student shakes his head "no")
Then who? (everyone shrugs their shoulders)
Knocky! ([Troy] points at [Knocky])
(Make a rhythm with everyone patting their legs and clapping their hands to the beat. Pat, clap, pat, clap, pat, clap)
Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
[Knocky] took the cookie from the cookie jar.
Who me? (student points to herself)
Yes you! (students nod their heads "yes")
Not me! (student shakes her head "no")
Then who? (everyone shrugs their shoulders)
Devon! ([Knocky] points at [Devon])
(Make a rhythm with everyone patting their legs and clapping their hands to the beat. Pat, clap, pat, clap, pat, clap)
Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?
[Devon] took the cookie from the cookie jar.
Who me? (student points to himself)
Yes you! (students nod their heads "yes")
