Write action verbs on sheets of colored construction paper -- one piece per student. Place the construction paper in a circle on the floor. Have each child stand directly behind a piece of paper. Play some music and have the students rotate around the cards as if they were playing musical chairs. When the music stops, each student must act out the verb written on the card directly in front of him. Reinforce the concept of a verb by reminding the students that they each performed an action.
Set up a Memory board by writing nouns and verbs on index cards. Place the index cards face down in a random manner. The first player picks any two cards and reads them to the class. If he draws a noun and a verb, such as "dogs sleep," he may keep the cards. If he draws two nouns or two verbs, he must place the cards back where he found them, and the next player may take her turn. This can become funny when a player picks a noun and verb that don't really go together, such as "cows read." The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.
This game can be played at recess or anytime during the school day. Randomly go up to students and ask them what they are doing. Allow them to answer (swinging, playing, writing, reading, etc.). Repeat the action verb, and remind them that the word is a verb.
Before class, write a number of random words on index cards. Make sure many of the words are verbs. Tape the index cards up all over the classroom. For the lesson, give each student a flyswatter. Give them a set amount of time to go around the classroom and swat only the verb "flies." Watch for students who swat cards that have other parts of speech on them and remind them that a verb is something you do. If you have a large class or one that is particularly rowdy, you can still play the game. Instead of having the students go around the room, allow them to stay in their seats. You say a list of words and have them swat their desk with their flyswatter when the word you say is a verb.
Charades is a very simple game and requires no planning or materials other than a list of verbs or verb flashcards. Show a student an action verb. She has to act it out until one of the other students guesses the verb. The student who guesses can be the next player, or you can simply work your way around the room. For an added challenge, once the action has been guessed, have the player that is acting out the verb give the different tenses for the verb, i.e. eat, eating, ate, have eaten.
This game works best if your classroom is well-decorated. Have the students take out paper and a pencil. Give them two minutes to look around the room and write down every action they see. For example, if you have a bulletin board with dancing bears, "dancing" could be one of the actions. The students also can write down any actions they see another student performing, such as scratching, writing, smiling or blinking. The student who comes up with the most verbs is the winner.
Mad Libs is an excellent game for teaching and reviewing parts of speech. Mad Libs are stories with various blanks to fill in based on a certain part of speech. The majority of Mad Libs review all parts of speech, but if you wanted to focus on verbs, there's no reason why you couldn't create your own Mad Libs story. Leave a blank for each verb. Call on students to give you verbs before reading the story or even telling them what it is about. Fill in the story with the verbs they give, and then read the story. It is sure to be a load of nonsense, but the extraordinary activity will be one the students will remember for years to come.