Fun Activities For Esl Students

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Activities bring your classroom to life. They provide meaningful and fun use of language. Children learn through play and it is how adults learn, too. Acting, moving, having fun help learners effectively participate in the lesson, and retain what is being taught. The following are 5 activities with flashcards in the classroom: 1. Cups and cards (young kids): 2. Picture word match race: 3. Slam: 4. Four Corners: 5. Shopping: Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Trang M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Place the 3 cups in a row in front of your students. Tell your students to watch carefully...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When teaching young learners, it's important not to spend too much time on any one activity as they can soon lose interest. It is also a good idea to have activities that give younger learners the chance to move about and use the boundless energy they have at that age. Below we present a list of short activities suitable for young and very young learners of English. Listen to this blog post: What's the Time Mr. Wolf? Telephone Basketball Volleyball Bingo Can you …? I Spy Odd One Out Stand Up Please Mastermind Blindfold Obstacle Course Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This is a good activity for practicing time with small classes. Clear a space in the center of...  [Read more]

  Online ESL Activities: Are you an online English teacher? Do you want your students to enjoy and have fun? Then, this live stream is for you! Our TEFL/TESOL expert, Liza, will share five interactive activities that you will be able to use at your next class. Great news that these games will suit any age group and level. Don't miss! #TEFL#BestTEFL #TeachEnglishOnline 00:00-00:48 Mic was off 00:48-01:00 Intro Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Click here and get started today: https://bit.ly/37gs5vO What is TEFL Certification? Where is it valid: https://bit.ly/36ma2Fg Check out our wide range of TEFL Courses: https://bit.ly/3ltqt73 Teach English online from anywhere you want: https://bit.ly/3ltqEPL Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  Online ESL Activities: Are you an online English teacher? Do you want your students to enjoy and have fun? Then, this live stream is for you! Our TEFL/TESOL expert, Liza, will share five interactive activities that you will be able to use at your next class. Great news that these games will suit any age group and level. Don't miss! #TEFL#BestTEFL #TeachEnglishOnline 00:00-00:48 Mic was off 00:48-01:00 Intro Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Click here and get started today: bit.ly/37gs5vO What is TEFL Certification? Where is it valid: bit.ly/36ma2Fg Check out our wide range of TEFL Courses: bit.ly/3ltqt73 Teach English online from anywhere you want: bit.ly/3ltqEPL Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What outdoor activities can help to teach English? I would like to say that there are plenty of outdoor activities that are effective to teach English. However, many teachers prefer indoor activities rather than outdoor, as they think that it might distract the students. Nonetheless, outdoor activities can increase their motivation for learning. Also, it helps to decrease their stress level, as they do not have to stay in the classroom as usual. Freewriting time Flashcard game 'Stand up if you've ever' game Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarosh Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The teacher...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas You will find the web full of ideas for teaching vocabulary and, although most of them are undoubtedly good activities, some are only suited to a particular level. Here are some tried and tested activities that can be adapted to suit any level of student and a variety of class sizes. Listen to this blog post: 1. Hot seat 2. Beat the clock 3. Crosswords 4. Board games 5. Slow Pictionary 6. Vocabulary tennis 7. Pelmanism ("Concentration") Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This is a great activity that can be used as a warm-up at the beginning of a class, or as a game at the end of a lesson. It's suitable for any class size over 4 students and requires minimal...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas To keep the Activate Stage more fun and lively, offer your students one of these cool speaking activities. They will definitely enjoy the conversation and get creative with the tasks. Remember that any of these exercises can be easily used online. Listen to this blog post: 1. Teacher For a Day 2. Describe a Picture 3. Redo Your Talk 4. TripAdvisor 5. Communal Story Do you want to teach English abroad or online? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Students share their ideas on how to make class more interesting and engaging. Let them discuss an ideal day in your ESL class and then propose their ideas to you. Give each student an unusual photograph (use photostocks...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The following activities may be adapted for use as warmers, engage activities, structured practice or free practice style activities. They may also be adapted for level and age. Watch the video about this topic Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! The first one is really simple but can be one of the best activities to improve grammar. Some students even at the higher levels are lacking automatic habits, which are really important for grammatical skill. Basically this activity is a grammar drill and it is supposed to be used as a warmer or as an ice-breaker activity. The main objective is to help your students automate some grammatical...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here are four fun Easter activities for ESL students.   Grab this printable ESL worksheet with four Easter-themed activities for your ESL students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The purpose of flashcards is rather simple and mundane; we use flashcards to introduce and review vocabulary or concepts. My first language teacher said, "The only way to learn a foreign language is repetition, repetition, repetition." Can't argue with that. Unfortunately, it can be really… repetitious and boring. But, if you watch children playing, they'll show you how to make it fun. Images Double-sided or single-sided cards? Multiple Sets 3 Types of Flash Card Activities Matching Ordering and Sorting Guessing Other Ideas I call these activities, as opposed to games, as they don't involve dice or rules of play. More Games Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards can be great tools for eliciting vocabulary, but teachers should not overlook the numerous other uses for these great tools. Flashcard games can add excitement to young learners' classes. The following activities are aimed to drill the vocabulary in the second study phase of the lesson, after the elicitation of vocabulary. 1. Game for liars 2. Get on the other side of the bridge 3. Memory challenge 4. Keyword race 5. More for listening skills Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kiyomi Ann H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The liar game is a flashcard activity that can be used to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Raijmond W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. 1. Game for liars 2. Get on the other side of the bridge 3. Memory challenge 4. Keyword race 5. More for listening skills Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: The liar game is a flashcard activity that can be used to drill vocabulary. This activity is ideal for vocabulary that a teacher is introducing as the activity involves repeating after the teacher. For this activity, the teacher should clap twice, point to a flashcard and say the vocabulary word. If the word and the flashcard match, students should clap twice and repeat the word. If the word does...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards are an integral part of teaching English as a second language, and the variety of uses of cards is innumerable. Flashcard-based activities help teachers to make lessons fun, engaging, and therefore more effective. According to numerous studies conducted in different countries, and by various linguists, there are several types of students with varying abilities of memory and types of mind. And usually many of these types are represented within any one class, which leads us to the conclusion that the teacher should address each of them during the lesson. Reasons to Use Additional Resources Examples of Games Name the Card Match up Couples Sort and Name Funny steps Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Throughout this course, my favorite units have been the ones that teach us how to lead an effective lesson and have a fun classroom environment. I love all the suggestions and teaching ideas they give, and it excites me to think about using those for my future lessons. For that reason, I chose the topic of five activities with flashcards. This essay will be a perfect opportunity for me to delve further into my favorite part of this class and plan some fun things to do. When I move abroad I plan on teaching young children, mainly kindergarten-aged, so my five activities will be geared towards young learners. They need way more energy, fun, and excitement in their lessons than teenage or adult learners because their attention spans are so short, so I tried to...  [Read more]

Enhance your English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching skills with engaging classroom activities that will keep your students motivated and eager to learn. From interactive games to creative projects, incorporating a variety of activities into your lessons can make the learning process enjoyable and effective. Discover a range of classroom activities designed to improve language skills, build confidence, and foster a positive learning environment for ESL students. 1. Introduction 2. Vocabulary Building Activities 3. Speaking and Listening Exercises 4. Writing and Reading Tasks One of the key components of language learning is vocabulary acquisition. Engage your ESL students with fun and interactive vocabulary building activities such as word matching games, flashcards, and word...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Many students struggle with paying attention during class. It could be the material lacks interest, is too challenging, or it could be the students themselves are tired or overworked. By incorporating a peaceful environment, adding creativity and variety, incorporating movement and managing time, you can help students with short attention spans to be successful in the classroom. Classroom Environment Surprise! Movement Flexibility Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Corby K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The environment plays an important part in how we learn. Is the classroom a clean and...  [Read more]

Shirin Sophy Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Today's pedagogical approaches put considerable emphasis upon the importance of providing students with the opportunity to have a joyful educational experience through adding enough and well-located variety to the lessons. One practical way to do so is designing and adding aimful games to your plan in order to inject positive energy into your lessons, improve the mood of your class and make your lessons stick in students' long-term memory. Pizza game Hot seat Hot potato Spelling games Whisper chain Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Since not only young learners but also grownups enjoy playing fun games while taking English lessons,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Storytelling can be useful to enhance students' imaginations as well as improve a wide variety of skills such as listening, comprehension, order, memory, and vocabulary. It is targeted for all ages, but best to start earliest possible to allow students to develop a liking towards reading. Storytelling can come with different forms of follow-up activities to further increase teaching efficiency as well as to check understanding of the students through elicitation. This essay will be focused on mainly storytelling activities for young learners in schools. Activities Experience Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jin K. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When the aroma of gingerbread and eggnog is in the air, you know it's time to translate your love for the most beautiful season of the year into your TEFL classroom with winter ESL activities! Listen to this blog post: 1. What makes the perfect winter day? 2. Write an article for a local newspaper 3. Make paper snowflakes 4. Read something about winter 5. Play a game of Taboo 6. Holiday Extravaganza! 7. If everything else fails: These worksheets do the trick! Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! While this is the perfect time to embrace winter in TEFL destinations with changing seasons, it's also ideal to educate your students living in places with tropical temperatures...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas We all know what it's like to teach a class with reluctant students who don't want to talk. It's like pulling teeth. However, with these 7 awesome ESL conversation activities, you can really get your students talking! Listen to this blog post: 1. Ice Breaker Jenga 2. Get To Know You Bingo 3. Mystery Party Guest 4. 20 Questions 5. Create a Game 6. Apples to Apples 7. Choose Your Victim Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! For this activity, you simply use a tumbling block game such as Jenga and write 1 simple ice breaker question on each block. Before a student places a block on the stack, they must first answer the question on the block. This activity is especially...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas In a previous post, we looked at various teaching ideas for future simple and here we're going to describe some fun ideas for teaching three other future tenses. There are a wide variety of usages for future tenses and it's always important to make sure your activities focus on the usages that you've taught in your lesson. For example, future continuous can be used to talk about an ongoing action at a point in the future, a fixed future event, polite enquiries or to predict the future or the present. Predicting the present is one that students often have trouble conceptualizing, so we might as well start from there. Listen to this blog post: Predicting the present Ongoing action at a point in the future Expected achievements at a point in the future...  [Read more]

1. Engaging English Teaching Activities 2. Benefits of Using Engaging Activities in English Teaching 3. Types of Engaging English Activities 4. How ITTT Can Help Enhance English Teaching through Engaging Activities In the realm of language education, engaging students is key to successful learning outcomes. The use of interactive and stimulating activities can significantly enhance the English language acquisition process. By incorporating engaging activities into lessons, educators can create a dynamic and immersive learning environment that captivates students' attention and fosters active participation. This results in improved comprehension, retention, and overall language proficiency development. The benefits of incorporating engaging activities into English teaching are manifold....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas People say that language is a tree and the vocabulary is the leaf of that tree. Therefore teaching vocabulary items are indeed an essential part of any English learners' growth. Especially for younger students, who are motivated to learn the basic words, they need to get by in the language. There are many different ways to teach vocabulary. Using flashcards is one of the most suitable media in teaching vocabulary. Because learners can easily memorize and understand the meaning of vocabulary through flashcards. I am going to share with you my 5 favorite and effective activities with flashcards: 1. Spin the Bottle: 2. Rope Jump: 3. Roll the Dice: 4. Picture word match race: 5. Over-under: Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related...  [Read more]

Laura Payne Teaching Ideas Much of language learning comes through language experimentation; steering away from examples and formulas and attempting to arrange your own ideas into words. No matter what a student's goal may be in learning English, they will eventually have to do this by leaving the classroom and using English on their own. Activities like creative writing are one method to encourage the practice of experimentation and expression in ESL students. In this post, we're going to look at five different activities students can use to put their thoughts into writing. Listen to this blog post: 1. (New Year's) Resolutions 2. Letters to the Future 3. Cultural Ambassadors 4. Travel Itinerary 5. Reactions Take a TEFL course and start teaching English around the world! Related...  [Read more]

Francesca Marchi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas From my experience, when you deal with older ESL learners, you have to take into account the fact that they do not want to look bad while practicing their English skills. Actually, activities and exercises should make them feel at ease and confident in their learning, as well as satisfied with the goals achieved so far. It goes without saying that the teaching techniques that include a direct confrontation between an adult student and the teacher or a classmate as a judge of their performance should be avoided so as not to make them feel uncomfortable. Here are a few ideas for you to try. 1) Personal Questions and Answers 2) Dictation with Self-Correction 3) Find the Mistakes 4) Listening at a Slower Pace 5) Asking for...  [Read more]

  The Importance of Play in Teaching Engaging Students Through Games Benefits of Incorporating Play Implementing Play in ESL Lessons Creating a Playful Learning Environment Using Technology for Interactive Play Adapting Games for Language Learning Encouraging Collaboration Through Play Assessing Learning Through Play Conclusion: Play as a Powerful Teaching Tool Integrating play into teaching English as a foreign language can significantly enhance students' learning experiences. Play allows students to engage with the language in a fun and interactive way, making the learning process more enjoyable and effective. By incorporating play into lessons, teachers can create a dynamic and stimulating learning environment that motivates students to actively participate and practice their...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching new tenses to students of a foreign language is often not as easy as you might anticipate, especially when the tense you are trying to teach them does not exist in their native language. The following 7 activities for teaching the present perfect for the ESL classroom will help your students pick up the tense in no time! Listen to this blog post: 1. Great Accomplishments 2. Have You Ever? 3. How Many Times Since? 4. Great Ambitions 5. Most Deprived 6. Bucket Lists 7. Since or For? Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This is a great warm-up activity to make your students understand what the present perfect is all about. After teaching the structure of the...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas ESL teachers often encounter difficulties when teaching grammar patterns to students abroad. The following 7 activities for teaching the simple present for the ESL classroom will help your students pick up the tense in an easy and efficient way. Listen to this blog post: 1. Daily Routine 2. Cultural Norms 3. Classmate Interviews 4. ESP (Extraordinary Sensory Perceptions) 5. Where am I? 6. Present Simple BINGO Mingle 7. Weekend Party Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This is a very good activity for when you start discussing the simple present and how it's used for routines and regularities. You can place the students into groups or pairs and have them discuss their...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas The simple past is one of the most important tenses in the English language. As it describes past actions, it's quite an easy tense to teach using a variety of fun and interactive activities. Here are 7 activities for teaching the simple past for the ESL classroom. 1. Preparations 2. Good Days and Bad Days 3. Charades Series 4. Dear Diary 5. Get Out and About 6. Accurate Endings 7. Double Duty Review Listen to this blog post Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: For more activities check out: 10 Exciting Activities for the Past Simple For this activity, the students think of significant accomplishments in their lives. After sharing with the class what they have accomplished, the students should describe what they did in order to achieve...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching grammar patterns often involves a lot of classtime and the more activities you have up your sleeve as a teacher the better. The following 7 activities for teaching the past progressive for the ESL classroom will help your students pick up the tense in no time! 1. Memory Challenge 2. People Watching 3. The Luck of The Draw 4. What You Didn't Do 5. So Much in Common 6. Strange Explanations 7. My Alibi Listen to this blog post Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Pull up an image with a lot of actions going on, for example, people engaging in different activities at a park or another public place. You can either hand out printed images or show it to your students on an overhead projector or TV. After having your students analyze...  [Read more]