Have You Ever Mingle

A musical-chairs variant with speaking at its core. One student in the middle asks Have you ever...? followed by an activity. Anyone who has done it must stand up and switch seats with someone else. The middle student races to grab a seat, leaving a new student in the middle.

Procedure

1. Arrange chairs in a circle, one chair fewer than students. Everyone sits except one student in the middle.
2. The middle student asks: Have you ever been to Japan? (or any Have you ever...? question).
3. Everyone who has must stand and move to a different chair (not immediately adjacent).
4. While everyone scrambles, the middle student races for any open seat.
5. One student ends up in the middle — their turn to ask a new question.
6. Continue for 10–15 minutes.

Why It Works

• Present perfect practice in context: the whole game is built around the target structure.
• Active listening required: you must parse the question quickly to decide whether you move.
• Physical + linguistic: movement keeps energy up; language demand is constant.
• Low-risk production: the middle student only needs one sentence at a time.

Good Question Prompts

Give stuck middle students a prompt bank:

• Have you ever ridden a horse / a motorbike / a camel?
• Have you ever eaten... (frog legs / sushi / durian)?
• Have you ever been to... (another country / a concert / a museum)?
• Have you ever broken... (a bone / a phone / a promise)?
• Have you ever forgotten... (a birthday / your keys / a password)?
• Have you ever been late for... (school / a date / a flight)?

Variations

• Adverb upgrade: Have you ever done X before breakfast? — add time markers.
• Since or for: Have you done yoga for more than a year? — expand present-perfect use.
• Other structures: Do you like X? (simple present) / Did you X yesterday? (past simple) — match to grammar focus.
• Confession round: Have you ever told a lie? Cheated on a test? — playful, keep it light.
• Cultural version: Have you ever celebrated Tết / been to Hội An? — local cultural content.

Tips

• The question must be answerable yes/no and produce movement. Abstract questions kill the game.
• If few students stand up, the scramble doesn't work. Choose experience-common questions in a new class.
• Cap at 15 minutes — the novelty fades.
• Good before or after a present-perfect grammar lesson.

Source

TEFL.net 15 Variations on Find Someone Who and Mingling Games. Classroom mingle tradition adapted to grammar focus.