Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method of using physical gestures and actions to help students remember language. Using this method, a teacher will usually demonstrate a particular movement while reciting a piece of target language. Then, they’ll have the students perform these actions each time the target word is said, helping to bind the new piece of language to a physical action in the students’ minds.

While the actions will often be tied to the meanings of the target language, they don’t necessarily need to be. For example – pretending to drink from a cup when saying the word ‘tea’ would be suitable, just as tapping your elbow when saying ‘happy’ could also help students to remember.

This can sound a little unusual, but if used right it can have a great impact, especially with young learners.

Activities with TPR

Be Zen: A fun way to introduce certain vocabulary to your class can be through yoga-style exercises. Students can learn commands while relaxing themselves, which is a win-win for loosening up your class and producing language.

You can practice giving commands, learn body vocabulary, and new verbs with some simple phrases, for example:

“Reach your arms to the sky!”
“Touch your toes!”
“Wiggle your fingers!”

With a simple routine you can help your students, and depending on the tempo of the exercise it could be used as a fun warmer or calming cool down activity.

Sing a Song and Dance Along: Songs provide great opportunities for introducing a TPR aspect to learning. It can be easy to choose a few key lyrics and devise basic actions to accompany them. Just make sure the lyrics are relevant to your target language, and appropriate for your class.

If you are teaching younger learners you can’t go wrong with the essentials: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, The Wheels on the Bus, or Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. However, when choosing a song for older learners you can look for current pop songs or first ask what type of music they like to listen to.

When using TPR activities, make sure to involve the entire class. It can sometimes be a little embarrassing, but if you get the whole class involved, and enjoy it yourself, it can be a great tool.