Below are quick activities to use as warmers and effective ways to quickly make exercises entertaining. Using the textbook is unavoidable but there is no reason not to spice things up with a few fun activities. Be sure to click on underlined words to link you to further material. Please keep checking back to this page for updates.
Song with key vocabulary
There are children songs all over youtube.com. If your school's internet is not too reliable, downloading the videos on to the computer with a media conversion application is the best solution. Clipconverter is pretty good.
Play the songs to introduce new vocabulary. Have young learners sing and dance along. Also they are great to use doing craft or worksheet time. Your young learners will be singing along in no time, and before you know it, some English is sticking. The key is repetition and entertainment.
Visit my youtube channel for a mix of great ESL songs for tweenies (really young learners) to songs highlighting grammar points: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_fLRCOhXCexrBTy_g6p0n5nMQLJIOO8Y
Visit my youtube channel for a mix of great ESL songs for tweenies (really young learners) to songs highlighting grammar points: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_fLRCOhXCexrBTy_g6p0n5nMQLJIOO8Y
Vocabulary drill
Drills should not just be speak and repeat. We don't want complete parakeets. Try connecting the content to the vocabulary. Doing a call and response can energize your students. Think of it as a pep squad. You shout a word or phrase and the student response with a word or phrase. Start simple then build with it. Make sure your energy is up as well. If you're not feeling it, your students won't either. Example: Hold up a flash card and say its name. After a few chorus drills, hold up same flash card and say "What is this?" Students then response. Repeat a couple of times to pump students up. Then switch cards. Stop when you feel the energy is starting to leave.
Story with key vocabulary
There are plenty of stories online that you can download for free to enhance your intermediate or Advanced classes. Some include discussion questions and vocabulary exercises.
For young learners, picture books help enhance the lesson with content. Some good stories are:
A great guide to using stories in your ESL classes is from Newfoundland Labardor Education
Crafts
A great way to fill the young learner classes is using hands on activities to show their parents and explain things in English. It's also a good practice in using vocabulary with everyday motor skills. Example: cut, put here, hold, share, paste, color, etc. (For younger learners, some steps might have to be ready before class starts. Remember little ones need help and it is almost impossible if you have to help each student in a lot of steps, especially in a class of 12).
Check each website. They have ideas for many different subjects.
Pinterest (1)
Exit Ticket
Getting to Know You Activities
2 truths and a lie: Students write two things that are true about them and one false statement. The class or partner has to guess the lie. For more advanced students, allow questions to be asked for a specific amount of time before making the final decision. Very similar to the British game show "Would I Lie to You?"
Just a Minute: Students have one minute to speak about themselves. Lower levels can repeat and use any topic, words or phrases as long as they only speak in English. Students vote for the best minute monologue.
Warmers
Learning about what type of learner you are. For upper intermediate to advanced classes.
Idiom Search
Idiom Practice
Game(s)
Memory- Here are some examples.
Teams: Put students into teams of 2-4 and let them compete for points as you go through exercises in the textbook.
Back to the Board: Students in two teams. One member sits with their back to the board and are not allowed to look backward. Their team uses words and phrases to help their team member guess the phrase or word that is written behind them. Teams cannot use any words that appear on the board. No hand gestures or acting things out. This is more competitive when team members from the opposite side do it at the same time. The first team to speak the correct word or phrase gets the point.
Vocabulary/Grammar Musical Chairs: A student stands in the middle of a circle of students. The other students sitting down in chairs or on the floor to form a circle. The student in the middle says a piece of clothing and/or color; a place they have been to; food they like; things they have done, or whatever vocabulary/grammar they're learning that day. Fellow students who share the same fact that was spoken must switch chairs. The goal is not to be the one standing in the middle.
I've never (present perfect game): A short speaking game. Put the students into two teams. Give each team 20 points, marked on the board. Students state something they have never done. Like, "I've never watched a 007 film" or "I've never been to California". The students who have done this must stand up. Do one or two rounds, making sure every students has had a turn to speak twice. If the speaker says a sentence incorrectly, the team loses 5 points. Give 5 bonus points for students who correct the sentence. The team with the most points at the end wins.
Vocabulary Volleyball: Age(s)= 3-8 (but can do with older ages); Need= A balloon, a timer, and a piece of string or yarn and something (desks or tape) to tie both ends to make a net . Goal= body parts (or to review vocabulary). Time= set for 5 minutes.
Divide the class into two teams. Students can use any body part to move the balloon. Each player can only hit the ball once at a time. No consecutive hitting. A player can only hit the balloon again once someone else has hit it. Teams get points in two ways: (1) the balloon hits the ground on the other side of the net and (2) if team members do not shout out a vocabulary word before or while hitting the balloon, a point goes to the opposing team. [Example: Player 1 shouts out "finger" (or whatever vocabulary word you are focusing on) as his finger taps the balloon over the net. Player 2 hits the balloon with her hand without saying a vocabulary word. Player 1's team wins a point. (For super young learners: If you are using body part vocabulary, it works best if players shout the body part they are using to hit the ball.) The team that pops the balloon loses automatically. The team with the most points at the end of 5 minutes wins.
Great ESL game reference books-
Divide the class into two teams. Students can use any body part to move the balloon. Each player can only hit the ball once at a time. No consecutive hitting. A player can only hit the balloon again once someone else has hit it. Teams get points in two ways: (1) the balloon hits the ground on the other side of the net and (2) if team members do not shout out a vocabulary word before or while hitting the balloon, a point goes to the opposing team. [Example: Player 1 shouts out "finger" (or whatever vocabulary word you are focusing on) as his finger taps the balloon over the net. Player 2 hits the balloon with her hand without saying a vocabulary word. Player 1's team wins a point. (For super young learners: If you are using body part vocabulary, it works best if players shout the body part they are using to hit the ball.) The team that pops the balloon loses automatically. The team with the most points at the end of 5 minutes wins.
Great ESL game reference books-
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