teaching activities suggestions?
this is really 2 questions! 
I teach young Chinese kids how to speak English and I am running out of ideas for games/fun activities.
What are some fun things to do to help learn about verbs (other than charades)?
and
What are some fun games I can play in a classroom with 5-9 year olds? Games like “heads up 7 up,” “4 corners,” etc. . . .
Here are a few games [pertaining to both your Qs] you could improvise or play without any changes …
1. All’s well that ends well : say a word. the last letter of the word should be the first letter of any other word. You could limit it to chosen categories like animals, foods, etc. or you could leave it open depending on the vocabulary of the class.
2. Buzz : Kids, sitting in a circle, have to take turns in counting & every 5th number the person has to say ‘buzz’ instead of the multiple of 5. eg. 1,2,3,4, Buzz,6,7,8,9,Buzz…..
You could modify it to any action word or verb instead of saying ‘buzz’. And keep the numbers repetitive : eg. 1,2,3,4,Run,1,2,3,4,Eat,1,2,3,4,Sing,….. and so on.
3. Ghosts : Each kid can come to the board by turn & write/add a letter. But if challenged, they should be able to state what their intended word was.
eg. R(abbit) , RE(scue) , REP(lica) , REPE(at) , REPEA(t) , REPEAL.
You could modify it – Let the goal be to make a verb or to make a word of 4 or 5 letters only.
4. A was an Apple Pie : involves players thinking of a verb beginning with each letter of the alphabet to complete the statement.
eg. 1st kid says : “A was an apple pie, A ate it” ; 2nd kid repeats “A was an apple pie, B baked it”…, “C chose/cooked it”, “D dropped it”, and so on….
OR, you could use phrases like : “I went shopping and …..” [instead of verbs, use nouns]
OR, “I went on a trip and ……”
5. I Spy.
6. Telephone or Chinese Whisper
7. Treasure Hunt. But you’ll require a lot of preparation & clue-making.
8. Simon Says. Modify & play.
9. What’s the time Mr. Wolf ?
Mr Wolf [any one kid] stands with his back to the others, who advance one step at a time toward him from a reasonable distance. At each step, one member of the group shouts, “What’s the time Mr. Wolf?”
The time is given by him, & the group takes another step forward.
At a moment of his own choosing Mr. Wolf will, instead, shout the reply, “Dinner Time!” He then turns rapidly & chases the others. The player who gets caught becomes Mr. Wolf.
10. Musical Patterns : Divide class into teams of equal numbers. You will need some background music. When music starts, the kids dance, march, or do whatever, around the room.
The host calls out a shape or the letter of alphabet & stops the music, whereupon the players rush to find their teammates & form the shape.
1 point for best shape or quickest shape. Team with most number of points wins.
11. Musical Statues : similar to musical chairs. But when music stops, the players have to stop immediately & stand still as a statue.
You can improvise : when music stops, each kid has to pose in some sort of action. You can then randomly pick on any kid(s) & the rest try to guess his/her action word.
Hope these help
All the very best & have fun
Should Your Kids Be Learning Chinese? (WHAT! And Stop Playing Video Games 8 Hours A Day!)