Guess the Dates from the Hints

Guess the Dates from the Hints
Circle a date on this year’s calendar and/ or choose one of the date cards below. Give a
hint about that day using a sentence like one of those below. If your partner is wrong, give
them one hint about how much before or after the real date is, then give them another hint.

Responding to your partner’s guess
 It’s much/ quite a lot/ a little/ a tiny bit + earlier (than that)./ It’s much/ quite a lot/ a

little/ a tiny bit + before (that).

 It’s much/ quite a lot/ a little/ a tiny bit + later (than that)./ It’s much/ quite a lot/ a little/

a tiny bit + after (that).

Hints on dates
 It’s my birthday./ It’s…’s birthday.
 It’s in spring/ summer/ autumn/ winter.
 It’s raining/ sunny/ windy/ snowing/ cloudy/ foggy/ cold/ hot.
 I’m wearing a coat/ boots/ a sweater/ a jacket/ a swimsuit/ a T-shirt/ a long-sleeved T-

shirt/ a (summer/ wooly) hat/ sandals/ flip flops/ shorts/ gloves/ a (winter) scarf/
sunglasses/ suntan lotion/ a tie.

 I can see cherry blossom/ red leaves on the trees/
 I can hear crickets/ cicadas/ birds/ fireworks/ mosquitoes/ lambs.
 I’m sunbathing/ surfing/ swimming/ skiing/ snorkelling/ picking flowers/ making a

snowman/ throwing snowballs/ picking flowers/ camping/ ice skating/ snowboarding/
having a picnic/ opening a present/ praying/ walking…/ carrying…./ watching…

 I’m eating tangerines/ chestnuts/ turkey/ ice cream/ chocolates/ salad/ stew/ soup/

chocolate/ chocolate eggs/ Pocky.

 I’m drinking water/ hot tea/ champagne/ lemonade/ hot red wine.
 It’s in January/ February/ March/ April/ May/ June/ July/ August/ September/ October/

November/ December

 It’s in the… holiday.
 It’s a holiday.
 It’s… Day.
 It’s before…
 It’s after…
 It’s between… and…
 It’s Sunday/ Monday/ Tuesday/ Wednesday/ Thursday/ Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday (this

year).

 It’s on a mountain/ in a park/ on the beach.
Dates presentation and practice
If you played the game with cut up cards, put them into order from the beginning to the
end of the year.

Check your answers with an un-cut-up list of dates, then write all the dates as just
numbers.

Look at the numbers that you wrote and say those dates.

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2018

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Possible dates to guess

New Year’s Day

January first

The first day of Japanese spring

February fifth

First day of the Winter Olympics

February seventh

Valentine’s Day

February fourteenth

Last day of the Winter Olympics

February twenty third

Pi Day

March fourteenth

Japanese White Day

March fourteenth

The first day of English spring

March twenty first

The first day of Brazilian autumn

March twenty first

April Fool’s Day

April first

World Book Day

April twenty third

May Day

May first

Cinco de Mayo in Mexico

May fifth

The first day of Japanese summer

May seventh

Red Cross Day

May eighth

Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

June second

The first day of Tokyo rainy season

June eighth

Blood Donor Day

June fourteenth

The first day of Brazilian winter

June twenty first

American Independence Day

July fourth

The last day of Tokyo rainy season

July twentieth

The first day of Japanese autumn

August ninth

Talk like a Pirate Day

September nineteenth

The first day of English autumn

September twenty first

World Teacher’s Day

October fifth

English Fireworks Night

November fifth

The first day of Japanese winter

November eighth

English Poppy Day

November eleventh

Korean Peppero Day

November eleventh

The first day of English winter

December twenty first

Christmas Eve

December twenty fourth

Christmas Day

December twenty fifth

Boxing Day

December twenty sixth

New Year’s Eve

December thirty first

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2018

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