A Fun Way to Learn Numbers in Spanish!

As a Spanish teacher, I have dreaded teaching numbers in Spanish. Numbers as a lesson topic certainly pales in comparison with topics such as animals or food. After years of using traditional learning methods such as counting together and simple repetition activities, I have finally found a fun and enjoyable approach all my students are excited for! 

While traveling in Mexico last year, I found a game called serpientes y escaleras(snakes and ladders) while shopping at a small market. Little did I know, this popular game would be a game changer(no pun intended) for my Spanish classes. When I brought it back home to play with my students, it was a huge hit! 

The rules to play serpientes y escaleras are simple and easy to follow. With small groups, each player can have their own game piece. With larger groups, I tend to have students all work together or in teams. Each placement on the board is marked with a number. Snakes and ladders are scattered around the board. On their turn, students roll dice and move their game piece to the appropriate spots on the board. In order to keep their placement, they must recite the number they landed on in Spanish. If students land at the bottom of a ladder, they are able to move to the top. If they land on the head of a snake, they have to go all the way down to the bottom of the snake’s tail. The winning game piece is the one to arrive at the largest number on the board first. 

Snakes and ladders makes the tedious task of reciting numbers in Spanish a bit more fun! Since adding this game to class times, my students have gained almost perfect retention of their numbers in Spanish. 

✨If you would like to play serpientes y escaleras, you can find small, medium, and large game board versions in the resources ✨