I’m slowly getting into the Christmas mood, and nothing says Christmas more than music. Although I love listening to festive music mostly when I’m wrapping presents, planning a holiday lesson isn’t that bad either.
So grab a cup of tea or mulled wine, enjoy the music and let the creative juices flow. Or try these ESL Christmas activities.
Secret Santa
You know how this works, don’t you? Every student will become a Secret Santa to a classmate whose name they draw. The catch- they will not give each other sweets or other small gifts. The gifts these Secret Santas will be giving are a personalized poem or a short story for the lucky recipient.
Baked Goods Party
If possible, have the students bake something at home and take pictures of the process. The next day, everyone will bring what they baked and the students will take turns describing what and how they baked it. Think of it as a show and tell Christmas Edition. Plus, there will be sharing and tasting.
Charity Auction
Let the students choose a charity they want to contribute to. The next day, they will bring stuff they don’t need or don’t use for the auction. Decide on the starting price and minimum bid. Each student will describe the product they are selling. The students love outbidding each other and the will learn about helping others.
Christmas Taboo
Taboo is a classic vocabulary activity. You can download the Christmas version below.
Each student chooses a country and will prepare a presentation about the Christmas traditions of the chosen country (or any major holiday if the country doesn’t celebrate Christmas)
ESL Christmas activities
Christmas Movie and Discussion
Why not watch a short Christmas movie? Or download our Advent Activity Calendar for even more activity ideas.
Find a couple of popular Christmas songs, copy the lyrics, erase some words and you’ll have a nice Christmas listening activity. And an earworm!
Christmas Charades
Prepare small slips of paper
Put the students into groups of three or four
Let them write vocabulary related to Christmas on the slips of paper(or use the Christmas taboo cards)
The groups exchange the vocabulary piles
In groups, they take turns and draw one paper slip at a time. They have to act out the word or expression for the group to guess
Bucket List
Depending on the age of your students, tell them to think about the things they would like to achieve by a certain age( 15,18,25,30). Have them write a list containing ten things they want to achieve, do, experience before that certain age. When they complete the list, put them into groups of three to discuss their choices.
Christmas Postcards
Cut drawing paper into postcard-sized pieces. Students first draw a Christmas postcard and then write a short holiday greeting to a member of their family or a friend. They’ve probably never written a postcard before. If you want, you can arrange for the postcards to be sent. It will be a nice Christmas surprise.
I hope you liked these ESL Christmas activities. Share your favorite ideas in the comments!
Another set of popular vocabulary game based on Taboo. This time, Christmas vocabulary. You know the drill, download, print, cut, and let your students have some fun while learning.
New class, new faces, new names – a mess. This back to school activity has saved me multiple times. You can learn 30 new names in minutes, kids have fun and they painlessly learn new adjectives. Start by explaining how difficult it is for teachers to learn students’ names and that you need their help. At the end of the activity let them test you- they will be thrilled. Students need to introduce themselves by an adjective that starts with the same letter as their first name. You start by giving an example: My name is Al, so I am Artistic Al. The first student has to repeat your name after you – You are Artistic Al, and add their own – I am Hilarious Hannah. The second student repeats the previous names and adds their own, and so on. At the end of the round, ask the first student(who had the easiest task) to say all the names backward. Finally, say all their names quickly(with or without the adjectives). Congrats, you’ve learned your new students’ names!
2) Oh, really?
Put the students in pairs and tell them they will have a conversation. The first student has to start with a short sentence, like this:
Student 1: I play tennis.
The other student responds: Oh, really?, and adds extra information( aword or a phrase).
So it should be like this: Oh, really? I play tennis every day.
Student 1 continues: Oh, really? I play tennis every day with SerenaWilliams.
Student 2 responds: Oh, really?I play tennis every day with Serena Williams in Monaco.
Student 1 responds: Oh, really?I play tennis every day with Serena Williams in Monacowhile feeding dolphins.
And so on. Can they keep up?
The student who will form the longest grammatically correct (and at least a little bit coherent) answer wins.
3) Questionnaire
Have your students write a questionnaire. Chose a subject(summer holiday, school, hobbies, general personality questions) or let them decide. After that, students circulate the classroom and ask their questions. They should talk to 4-5 people. When they finish, ask them to share any interesting answers, it usually leads to lively discussions.
Unfinished sentences ESL speaking activity is great for revising grammar, as a warm-up or a conversation starter.
It can be used with groups of various sizes as well as in one to one classes.
4) Unfinished sentences
Unfinished sentences ESL speaking activity is great for revising grammar, as a warm-up or a conversation starter. It’s a perfect back to school activity.
It can be used with groups of various sizes as well as in one to one classes.
Finish the sentence. Tell your story.
1. I was very surprised when__________________________________________________.
2. What I value most about my friends is_____________________________________.
3. I really regret_______________________________________________________________.
4. One of my favourite childhood memories is_______________________________.
5. I could never_______________________________________________________________
5) Find someone who
You can easily find tons of these worksheets online or just put together a couple of ideas.
Find somebody
-who doesn’t like chocolate. -who is vegan. -who has a tattoo. -who speaks more than 2 languages. -who’s never flown before. -who wants to be famous. -who has a special talent.
6) Vocabulary race
This is probably more suitable for younger kids. Put them into two teams, divide the board into two sections, give them a topic and let them run a relay with the marker to write as many words on the topic they know.
7) Get physical- Gordian knot
This activity doesn’t involve any language practice but it is great for kids who don’t know each other, to break the ice and create a positive atmosphere. It also shows you how the students communicate, who is a natural leader and how they deal with problems, so it’s quite useful.
You need an even number of students for this. The students stand in a tight circle. Tell them to close their eyes. Then they put their left hand in front of them and try to grab any free hand they can find. Eyes still closed. Repeat the same with the right hand. Eyes open. They should be intertwined – hence the Gordian knot. Without letting any hand go, they should untangle the knot and form a circle. Sometimes there are two or three smaller circles when they grabbed a hand right next to them. That’s ok, they will work it out after a couple of attempts.
8) Conversation questions
This speaking activity contains 50 ESL conversation questions for teenagers and adult learners. (16+, B1+). It is best for small groups or as a pair-work.
This is a very simple, no-prep activity. In pairs, students give each other a topic to talk about and they have to talk uninterrupted for a minute. It is more difficult than it sounds, especially with dry topics such as door, socks, or air. If your students lack imagination, you can use these ideas: One Minute Talk Cards.
10) What do they have in common?
This is mostly an activity you can use with new students, but it can be also used in larger classes where the students don’t know each other that well. Put students who don’t know (or don’t know well) each other into pairs and tell them to find out 3-5 things they have in common and 1-2 things they don’t have in common. Let them talk to more people. After that, discuss with the whole class what surprising or interesting things they’ve found out about their classmates.
These conversation questions are more suitable for more advanced students as the questions are hypothetical, so it requires a knowledge of conditionals and a certain level of creativity. These can be also used for online classes.
A timer, fifteen questions and a lot of fun. A classroom appropriate variation of speed dating. Arrange the desks so that two students sit at one desk facing each other. Give each a set of “speed dating” questions. You can download a set here. Set a timer for a couple of minutes, and when the time’s up one student moves and another sits in their place.
15) Mini presentations
ESL conversation topics for intermediate and upper intermediate students. You can use the slideshow and share your screen on Zoom or other app when teaching online. Just click on the full screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow.
Is your teaching style or personality similar to one of the famous teachers? Let’s find out!
Which famous teacher are you? Share your results with your friends!
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian educator and originator of the educational system that bears her name. The Montessori system is based on belief in the creative potential of children, their drive to learn, and the right of each child to be treated as an individual.
Anne Sullivan
Anne Sullivan was an American teacher of Helen Keller, widely recognized for her achievement in educating to a high level a person without sight, hearing, or normal speech.
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison was an American writer, trailblazer and teacher noted for her examination of Black experience (particularly Black female experience) within the Black community. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis was an Irish-born scholar, novelist and teacher. His works of greatest lasting fame may be The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven children’s books that have become classics of fantasy literature.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist who, before he got famous, struggled to find a job as a teacher. In 1908, he was hired as a lecturer at the University of Bern. A year after he got the position of a lecturer at the University of Bern, he was appointed to the position of associate professor of physics at the University of Zurich. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.
Here are a couple of ideas for online teaching ESL activities and games that can be assigned to students so they can work independently as well as used during your video meeting.
1. Artist in your own home
Students have to take 10 photos of anything they consider beautiful. You can even assign a topic, e.g. envirnment, nature, fashion, architecture, food. They can edit it in any program if they want, create a collage, anything. Ideally they create a PDF booklet with the 10 photos and a description of each photo. You can share the best photos/booklets on school website/social media.
2. Scavenger hunt
It’s a shame I haven’t know Flippity until recently, but never mind, better late than never. Flippity is a site which allows you to change Goggle Spreadsheets in to funny little games, including Scavenger Hunt. It’s really easy, you download/make a copy of a chosen template, change the information into whatever you want, save, publish a share the link to your students.
3. Research&Survey
Assign the students a topic which they will have to research online using reliable sources.They will also have to create a survey and collect data on the topic (they could conduct online interviews with classmates, friends, share the survey on social media, etc). After that they will report their findings in the medium of their choice( an article, a report, a presentation, an infographic, a poster, a video, etc.)
4. Create a Kahoot quiz
Why should you do all the hard work? Have your students create their own Kahoot quizzes. Whatever grammar or vocabulary they are learning at the moment can be reviewed painlessly. The best thing is, they will learn twice. First time, when they create their quiz, and second time when they play their classmates’ quizzes. You can choose one or two quizzes to be played online for the whole group via Zoom or any other software you are using. Assign the rest of the quizzes to be played as a challenge.
5. Quizlet
Quizlet needs no introduction, but besides using it for independent student work, you could also use it for your Zoom classes. I use it to create discussion questions or speaking prompts so I can easily share it on my screen. Students always see only one question/prompt, so they focus more. It’s super easy to prepare and when you are pressed for time, you can use a couple of my discussion sets on different topics.
I put together a list of free digital and online teaching resources, or resources that now offer premium features for free, that might be useful now when many teachers are overwhelmed by the sudden shift to online teaching, for which many of us aren’t prepared due to the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Zoom is video-conferencing tool. The users can collaborate on projects, record sessions and share screens. The Basic plan is free and it offers unlimited number of meetings, however it limits the time of the meetings with three or more participants to 40 minutes.
Classdojo is a free communication app and website for building school community. You can share photos, videos, files, use portfolios, messaging and more.
This free service by Google simplifies creating, distributing and grading assignments. It helps teachers get classes organized, and communicate efficiently with students.
Padlet has a free version and a premium version for schools. It is a virtual board similar to Pinterest, but it offers a better way how to organize your notes, or whatever you want.
This website is great for practicing writing! Students register for free and submit their word and get instant feedback and tips on how to improve their writing. There are many writing assignments, W&I workbooks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and extra category “Just for fun.”
There is also a test zone for IELTS Academic, General training and B2 First Certificate.
This is great for assigning homework. There are lessons based on the videos, students just need to register for free. I then assign videos, they watch it at home, do the Dig deeper and Discuss sections. You can also customize the lessons.
This lovely website is great when students have to study at home. They can practice grammar and vocabulary and I particularly like the Skills section that has online exercises so students get instant feedback.
Free courses. Who needs more? But seriously, this is a great resource for older students. There are plenty of free courses on different subjects(Science, History, Languages, Nature, etc.)
The Smithsonian offer a lot of online activities not only for the younger kids. On their website you will find the Learning Lab with thousands of resources and Science Game Center with fun games and apps.
Bonus
Future Learn is another platform that offers free courses. There is one that might be particularly interesting for some teachers, it’s called Teaching English Online. Why not give it a go if you have the time. And let us know what you think!
Balderdash is a word bluffing game in which you write definitions for weird words. The definitions may or may not be correct.
The ESL variation of the game is played very similarly. The PDF which you can download below, contains words that are balderdash, or nonsense. At least they seem to be. They are actually real words that sound silly. Each word has a real definition, the students will have to come up with two more definitions and the bluffing will begin.
If you like the game and would like to play the original, there are plenty of the game versions on Amazon. This one is the originalGame. Or you can try this One.
How I played the game with my students:
Put the students in groups of three or four.
Give them the words that you cut into cards.
Each student draws a card.
They will read the true definition of the word and make up two more definitions which are not true.
They read three definitions of the word and the other students guess which definition is correct.
The student who guesses the correct definition gets a point.
ESL
Game: Balderdash
Argle-bargle
— (adj) copious but meaningless talk or writing
Bibble
— (v) to drink often; to eat and/or drink noisily
Yarborough
— (n) hand of cards containing no card above a nine
Ratoon
— (n) a small shoot growing from the root of a plant
Ulotrichous
— (adj) having wooly or crispy hair
Bumfuzzle
— (adj) confused, perplexed
Cabotage
— (n) coastal navigation; the exclusive right of a country to
control the air traffic within its borders
Widdershins
— (adj) a left-handed or contrary direction; counterclockwise
Poppycock
— (n) nonsense
Discombobulate
— (v) to disconcert of confuse
Salopettes
— (n) high-waisted skiing pants with shoulder straps
Blatherskite
— (n) a person who talks at great length without making much
sense
This is a very simple improvisation ESL activity that promotes speaking and helps develop improvisation skills and creativity.
Print the worksheet and cut the cards. There are two types of cards: unfinished sentences/questions, and crazy/funny/unusual objects.
Put the cards into two separate piles.
Put the students into pairs or groups and give each pair/group both piles.
Students take turns and draw a card first from the sentence pile and then from the object pile. They create a statement, question or a speaking prompt.
Set a time limit( from one to five minutes, depending on the level of the group)
When the student successfully speaks for the set amount of time, they keep their cards.
The student with the highest number of cards is the winner.
Download the Improvisation Cards ESL Speaking Activity below. PDF for easy printing.
What
is your opinion on_____________?
What
would happen if_________________ hit your house at night?
I
really like____________ because……….
Have
you ever heard of______. No? So, listen…
I
will tell you something about________________.
I
can’t imagine my life without_________________.
What
do I think about________________? Well,…
The
only thing I’ve ever wanted was ____________because….
I’m
really afraid of_____________because…..
I
love____________________.
I
hate____________________.
Our
planet will be destroyed by___________.
The only thing that can save our planet is_____________.
Have you seen that movie about__________? No? It was………….
_______________is my favourite music group.
I’m
an expert on____________________.
Once
I stole____________.
I woke up in the middle of the night and saw____________.
This is a fun ESL/EFL reported speech speaking activity which I like to throw in when the students start to feel tired and bored by the theory and dull practice exercises.
It is a great activity to energize them while practising reported speech in the most natural way – gossiping. Not prep and a lot of fun.
Let’s gossip!
Ask students if they like to gossip. Most of them do.
Ask them to tell you some of the latest gossips they’ve heard. They’ll get excited, so keep it short.
Explain that they are going to play a game of gossip. Tell them to prepare a gossip (it’s best not to use real gossip as someone might get offended). It can be about celebrities, friends, classmates, teachers(that’s one of the favourites).
Give each student a copy of the worksheet and explain that they will talk to each other and gossip. Every time they hear a new gossip they write down the name of the person who told them and the gossip itself.
Allow them to gossip for 10-15 minutes, depending on the class size.
When they get back to their seats, tell them to report the gossips they’ve heard into the reported gossipcolumn.
When they are ready, ask them to report the gossips they’ve heard.
