Engage your students in a discussion about the importance of listening skills and effective communication. Place small objects, such as a rubber ball, a stuffed toy and a bag of marbles, into separate bags. One student will reach into a bag, and then describe what she feels to the other students. She cannot say what the item is, but rather has to use descriptive words to elicit an appropriate response from the remainder of the class.
Split the classroom into groups and assign each group a specific locale, such as Disney World, Amish country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania or Yellowstone National Park. The students have to collect pictures of tourist attractions in each of those regions. After the physical project is completed, each group will walk the rest of the class around the classroom to give them a complete tour of all the different sites to see in the locale.
Work with younger, preschool-age children on a class or individual scrapbook. Have pages entitled "Things that we eat," "Places that we go," "Things we use in school" and so forth. Have children say the word before they place it on the appropriate page. Take out silly pictures or pictures that do not belong and ask students if they fit in with the page. Ask them to explain why those pictures do not go on that page.
One way to incorporate following directions into the classroom is to play Simon Says. Another one is to ask a student to write a series of directions, such as "Take three steps left. Turn right at the bookcase. Do three jumping jacks. Sit in your seats." He has to say the directions to the class, and the rest of the class has to follow them. You could use this activity to lead to a small prize hidden in the classroom.