Fun ESL speaking activities for teens and adults.
Speaking is one of the most important (and difficult) skills to master when learning a new language. Many students, no matter their age, have a fear of speaking the language in front of other people. Speaking activities encourage students to speak openly and with confidence. These activities can be used to help student practice speaking English.
Interview pop.
This is a fun activity that gives students the opportunity to use certain verbs. Students can be divided into pairs, or you can even play this game during one-on-one lessons. The student must choose a person to conduct a fictitious interview. Provide the student with a list of verbs that should be used during the ‘interview’. This is also a great activity to practice question formatting.
Control of the bowl.
In this activity students are split into groups and work together to describe a word that is chosen from the bowl within a certain time-limit. It is much like the classic game - 30 seconds! Students will not only practice speaking skills while playing the game, but also work as a team to guess what the word is. Just a disclaimer, prepare for lots of laughter in the classroom!
Would you rather?
This activity lets students choose between two options and describe why they chose a certain option. You can create your own ‘Would you rather…’ cards that students should read out to the classroom, choose an option and explain why they chose that specific one. Try to make the cards interesting, funny and exciting. You can also link this to lesson plans. For example, for a lesson around sports, a relevant question would be: “Would you rather be a famous hockey player or football player?”
“How to” presentation
The best part about this activity is that your students can choose a topic that they are interested in and are passionate about. Students could present to the classroom how you can perform a certain activity. This can be anything, from how to prepare their favourite meal to how to make that beautiful braid. Pay attention to any grammar or pronunciation mistakes that the students make whilst giving their presentations.
Timed discussion
In this activity you give your students a topic card that they should speak about. The topics you can choose are endless. Try something like “Your favourite place”, “Your cute pet” or “Your favourite band”. Students get a certain amount of time to prepare and then they go ahead and talk about the topic on the card.
Video talk
In this activity you give your students a topic card that they should speak about. The topics you can choose are endless. Try something like “Your favourite place”, “Your cute pet” or “Your favourite band”. Students get a certain amount of time to prepare and then they go ahead and talk about the topic on the card.
Speaking in class doesn’t have to feel like a scary situation for students. With the right ESL speaking activities, you can motivate your students to practice talking by being creative and open-minded.