Looking for a way to make grammar and vocabulary revision more exciting? I bought a pack of jelly beans and that gave me the idea to turn them into a revision game for my students. Of course not eating or playing with jelly beans themselves :) The result was the Twister challenge revision game – a mix of knowledge, luck, and a little bit of fun competition that turned a routine review lesson into one of the most engaging classes of the semester.
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Why This Game Works
Revision lessons often risk becoming repetitive. Students practise the same grammar structures, phrasal verbs, or idioms, but without much energy. By adding a game element and a touch of surprise, the Twister Challenge makes revision interactive and memorable.
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Revision in disguise – Students spin the arrow, choose a category, and answer a task. They’re revising phrasal verbs, idioms, or word formation – but because it feels like a game, the pressure is off and participation goes up.
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Points = motivation – Instead of just being “right or wrong,” students earn (or lose!) points through fun prompts: “Double your score!”, “Lose 3 points!”, or “Swap with the other team!”. The randomness keeps everyone on edge.
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Collaboration – Teams work together to solve language tasks, explain grammar rules, or invent examples. This strengthens not just their language skills, but also their teamwork.
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Relationships & atmosphere – The silly “penalties” (like starting from zero or losing points to the other team) often lead to laughter, which builds a positive group dynamic and lowers the fear of making mistakes.
What Students Practise
The game can easily be adapted to any level, but at B2 it’s especially effective for:
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Phrasal verbs – e.g. come up with, break down, set off
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Grammar structures – conditionals, passive voice, cleft sentences, inversion
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Vocabulary – collocations, topic-based words, tricky synonyms
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Idioms & expressions – the last straw, cost an arm and a leg, bite the bullet
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Word formation – exam-style transformations (base word → correct form)
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Functions / communication – polite requests, giving advice, agreeing/disagreeing
Takeaway
Games like this remind us that learning is social. When students laugh, compete, and collaborate, they remember language better. The Jelly Bean Challenge transforms a simple revision class into a shared experience – one that students actually talk about afterwards.
So next time you need to revise grammar or vocabulary, try mixing it with a spinner, some point prompts, and (optional) jelly beans. You might find it’s the sweetest way to learn.
Game Instructions
Teams compete to earn the most points by answering English questions correctly. Points are won or lost through the combination of categories, tasks, and jelly bean point prompts.
What You Need
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A spinner (to choose the category). Or you can use th eonline one.
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A set of task cards for each category.
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A set of point prompt cards (rewards & penalties).
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A scoreboard (whiteboard, paper, or digital).
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Optional: Mr Twister jelly beans for the “fun twist.”
Categories (6 total)
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Phrasal Verbs
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Grammar Structures
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Vocabulary
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Idioms & Expressions
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Word Formation
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Functions / Communication
How to Play
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Spin the Arrow
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A team spins the arrow to choose their category.
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Pick a Task
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The teacher (or another team) draws one task card from that category.
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The team has 30–60 seconds to answer or as the promts says.
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Check the Answer
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If the answer is correct → the team earns the chance to draw a Point Prompt card.
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If the answer is wrong → the other team may try to “steal” by answering.
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Draw a Point Prompt
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Good flavors = rewards (e.g. “+5 points,” “double your score”).
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Weird flavors = penalties (e.g. “lose 3 points,” “start from zero”).
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Record Points
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Keep track of points on the scoreboard.
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Continue Play
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Teams take turns spinning, answering, and drawing prompts.
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Winning the Game
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The game continues until:
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all categories are played through, OR
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a set time limit is reached (e.g. 30 minutes).
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The team with the highest number of points wins.
Extra Variations
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Double Trouble: A team can risk answering a harder question for double prompts (two draws instead of one).
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Steal Mode: If the first team fails, the second team gets both the task AND the point prompt if correct.
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Speed Round: In the last 5 minutes, all tasks are worth double points.
This way, the game mixes knowledge (tasks) with luck (prompts) — keeping it fair, fun, and full of surprises.
I have created a ready-to-use set for B2 level students. It contains:
- 2 pdf files of a category cirlce (BW and colour)
- 20 tasks for each category = 120 tasks alltogether
- 20 rewards/penalties prompts
It can be yours for 30PLN
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