Why Do You Have a Monkey in Your Bag?

Students take turns asking a classmate why they have an unexpected imaginary object in their bag; the classmate must invent a convincing or creative reason.

Procedure

1. Empty a bag (yours or a student's). Go up to a student, give them the bag and ask: Why do you have a monkey in your bag?
2. The student thinks of a convincing or original reason. After explaining and answering class questions, they take the bag to another student with the same question but a different object: Why do you have an axe in your bag?
3. If a student can't think of an object, suggest one: a coffee cup, a flower, a stone, a kitten, a hammer, a bar of soap, a carrot, a doll, a bell, a trumpet.

Tips

• Good for lighthearted relaxation — after exams, at end of term, or as an energiser.
• If the student being asked can't think of a reason, allow other students to suggest reasons.
• Can revise a recently taught lexical set: fruit and vegetables, clothing, kitchen gadgets, or profession-specific objects.
• Can be extended into a role play: "At Customs."
• Highly adaptable and always generates laughs.