ENGLISH GAMES/ICE BREAKER

What makes a good ESL icebreaker?

It’s fun!
A good ESL icebreaker is, first and foremost, fun, meaning that it
should appeal to your students. One of the main ideas behind
icebreakers is to get students out of their shells and make them
more comfortable with speaking in class, so you’ll need to use an
icebreaker that interests them.
Try these fun ESL speaking activities to get students talking.

It’s level-appropriate
Make sure that the icebreaker you choose is level-appropriate and
that while pushing students to share more, you don’t go overboard
and make them uncomfortable by asking them to share too much or
things that are too personal.

The rules are simple

Additionally, ESL icebreakers that only have a few rules are
typically easier to explain to English learners and ensure that you
spend less time going over instructions and more time actually
conducting the activity.

It’s easy to prepare

Finally, a really good icebreaker doesn’t require too much
preparation and additional materials but rather focuses on oral
participation and fun.
These low-prep ESL activities are great for teaching online.

ESL icebreakers for in-person teachers (with adaptations for online teachers)
Each of the following icebreakers requires little to no preparation, is
easy to explain, and can be adapted to all levels and ages. These
activities promote student talk time and encourage students to
become more comfortable with speaking up in class.

1. Would You Rather… ?

In this game, students think about two scenarios and choose the
one they would rather do. The “Would you rather… ?” questions (a
variety of which can be found online), can range from goofy to
serious, such as:
 Would you rather be poor and happy or rich and unhappy?
 Would you rather have a missing finger or an extra toe?
 Would you rather find your soulmate or find a billion dollars
(and never find your soulmate)?
 Would you rather eat your favorite meal for every meal for the
rest of your life or never be able to eat your favorite meal
again?
 Would you rather speak all languages fluently or be able to
speak to animals?
 Would you rather lose your wallet or lose your keys?
You can play this as a whole class or put students in groups and
give them a stack of cards with questions, and they take turns
asking each other. Either way, following up by asking “Why or why
not?” can lead to some fun discussions.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: You can
simply ask your student(s) the questions or you can have your
own stack of cards in front of you and draw a card for each
student, reading it aloud to the class. Alternatively, you can
have student(s) write down their own questions before class
and come prepared to ask you or their classmates.

2. Two Truths and a Lie

This can be a good ESL icebreaker for the very first class or as a
warm-up later on.
One student thinks of three statements about himself/herself that
they will share with the class. Two are true and one is a lie. For
example, the student may say something like, “I have five dogs, I’ve
lived in three countries, and I’m a ballet dancer.” Then, the other
students must guess which statement is a lie and if they can,
explain why they think so. At the end, the student will reveal
whether the others guessed correctly or incorrectly.
If used on the first day, the teacher can start by demonstrating the
game as a good getting-to-know-the-teacher activity!
  How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Teachers
can easily play this game in a virtual setting by having
everyone take turns making statements. Students can either
raise their hand when they want to guess which statement is
the lie or they can type their guess into the chat box.
Check out these ESL warm-ups for students of all ages.

3. Positive, Negative, Crazy

Write a discussion topic on the board (for example, food, pets,
social media, or dating) and then start passing a ball or “hot potato”
from student to student. As students pass the hot potato around,
they must stop when they hear you say the words positive,
negative, or crazy.
When you say, “positive,” the student holding the potato must stop
and make a positive statement about the topic. For example, If the
topic is food, their statement might be “My favorite restaurant is
Ichiban Sushi.”
If you say “negative,” they must make a negative statement about
the topic, e.g., “I’ve never eaten Chinese food!”
And, if you say, “crazy,” the sentence they create can be anything
they like, such as, “One time I ate a whole pizza myself!”
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Instead of
passing around a ball, you can assign each student a number
and then roll a die (either physical or virtual) to see who has to
make the next statement. I.e., if the die lands on six, then the
student assigned to the number six has to make the positive,
negative, or crazy statement.
Strike up a conversation with these TEFL/TESOL discussion
questions for adults.

4. Continue the Story

In this creative game, first think of several half-sentences and write
each one on the top of its own piece of paper. The half-sentences
should be written so that students can easily finish them to start a
story, such as:
 As soon as I woke up…
  Ana was walking to school when suddenly…
 The teacher came into class with a…
Alternatively, put these examples on the board and then have
students each think of a half-sentence and write it on a piece of
paper. Then, collect the papers and mix them up.
Students will then work in groups (or you can do this as a whole
class). A group is given a paper with a half-sentence at the top and
the first person in the group must read the half-sentence out loud,
then finish it with whatever they like to continue the story (they will
write it down and say it aloud). Next, the student passes the paper
to his or her right and writes another sentence to continue the
story.
When everyone has had a chance to contribute to the story, a
representative of each group can read the completed story to the
class. Not only can the stories be very funny, but this icebreaker
gets students used to being more spontaneous with English.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Skip the
paper and, instead, simply verbally tell the student(s) the half-
sentence they’ll be working with. Alternatively, have students
prepare a half-sentence before class and then assign the
prompts to one another. You could also have them email the
sentences to you prior to class, and you could assign them to
the other students in class.
Learn about the importance of storytelling in the ESL classroom for
young learners.

5. The Hot Seat

This ESL icebreaker is a fun vocabulary guessing game.
Put a chair at the front of the room with its back facing the board;
this is the hot seat, and a student volunteer must sit here. Then,
write a word on the board (for beginners, tell them the category or
theme of words, such as jobs or food – ideally vocabulary they are
already studying). Then, the other students try to prompt the hot-
seater into guessing what the word is by describing it without
saying the actual word (fun with famous people too!).
For example, if you’ve told your beginner class the category is fruit
and the word on the board is pineapple, the students can say things
like:
 It’s a big fruit.
 It grows in tropical places.
 It’s yellow inside.
 It has spines.
With guessing games like this one, students are really enthusiastic
about trying to get their peers to guess correctly and win the game.
The desire to guess takes over, and formerly reserved students
forget that they were ever afraid to speak up in English.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Choose a
student to be the guesser (in the “virtual” hot seat). Then,
have them close their eyes as you hold a whiteboard up to the
camera with the word written on it. Once the other students
have seen the word, hide the whiteboard and have students
take turns describing the word to the student who is guessing.
Alternatively, if your online software allows it, you could type
the word in and send it via chatbox to the students who aren’t
guessing.
Get more ESL vocabulary games for teaching online and in-person.

6. Open-Ended Questions
Have students each write down an open-ended question on a piece
of paper. The questions could be something like “What is your
favorite holiday?” or “What kind of movies do you like?”
Students then either fold their papers or crumple them up into balls
and drop them in a box as you pass it around. Then, go around the
room and have students take turns drawing a paper from the box
and answering the question. (Just be sure that students answer
questions from their classmates, returning their own papers if they
accidentally draw them.)
Ask follow-up questions if time allows.
You can easily tweak this activity for smaller classrooms with fewer
students by having them each write three questions that have to be
answered. You can also impose a speaking time limit, so students
know how long they need to talk.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Have
students come to class prepared with one or two open-ended
questions. They can take turns asking their classmates their
questions, or you could ask the students to submit their
questions to you ahead of class and you can ask the questions
yourself.

7. One Beep
This is a very simple ESL icebreaker that works well for any age and
is a great way to practice English numbers.
Traditionally, students alternate between saying a number and the
word “beep” as they go around the room counting. For example, the
first student would say, “one,” the second would say, “beep,” the
third would say, “three,” the fourth would say, “beep,” and so on.
However, you can make this game as complex as you want, such as
choosing to insert “beep” for odd or even numbers, on numbers
divisible by three, etc. You could also bring it to the next level by
creating other sounds or words they have to say for certain
numbers. For example, every number divisible by three must be
replaced by “beep,” and every odd number must be replaced by
“boop.” For numbers that fall into both categories, you must say
both (“beep boop”).
Be creative and establish the rules based on your students’ level.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: If playing
in the virtual classroom, this game is probably best done with
just one student since it’s supposed to be a fast-paced game
and it might lag online if there are multiple students. The
teacher and student can take turns saying the numbers and
sounds with one another.
Need more creative TEFL/TESOL activities? Here’s how to use pop
culture to teach English.

8. Interview and Introduce

This is an easy ESL icebreaker to incorporate on the first day of
class (or later on if you feel students could get to know one another
better). A benefit of this activity is that it removes the pressure of
students introducing themselves at the start of class, which can
sometimes cause stress for new students.
Simply break students into pairs and have them interview one
another. To help students get started, give them a list of things to
find out about their partner, such as where they’re from, how many
siblings they have, or what their summer plans are for the upcoming
year. Then, they will introduce their partners to the rest of the
class.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Instead of
breaking students up into groups, take turns interviewing
students yourself. If your classroom platform supports a public
discussion forum, you can also assign students a partner and
have them complete the interview for homework by using the
forum or simply emailing one another the interview questions.

9. Balderdash
This ESL activity, based on the game of the same name, works well
for older and more advanced students.
Introduce a strange word that you’re sure they’ve never heard
before (ask them to be sure that no one knows it, and make sure
nobody looks it up!). Have each student write down a definition that
they believe fits the word.
Collect all of the definitions and insert your own—the correct one—
into the mix. Read off the definitions and have students vote on
which they believe to be the correct one. Give points for students
who guess correctly.
For teaching young learners, you could use this same idea to teach
new, level-appropriate vocabulary or even to review past words that
you’ve taught them.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Have
students submit their definitions privately to you via chatbox
(i.e., don’t let the other students see who sent which
 definition). Then, read the definitions (adding in yours)
randomly. Have students vote on the one they think is correct.

10. Find Someone Who

This activity gets students up and moving around and asking their
classmates questions.
Create a list of traits, such as someone who has a birthday in July,
someone who owns a cat, someone who has traveled abroad, etc.
Then, have the students mingle with one another to find someone
who fits each category. They can write down the names of their
classmates next to each one to keep track of who fits which trait.
If you add the rule that they can only use someone’s name for one
category/trait, it will ensure that they get to speak with each of
their classmates instead of simply talking to the one person who
meets all the requirements.
 How to adapt this activity to the virtual classroom: Assign the
task as homework and have students use a public discussion
forum to ask each other questions and find out which of their
classmates fits each trait. They can share their findings in
class.
Learn how to engage your older ESL students by taking Bridge’s
Micro-credential course: Games and Activities for the Online
Classroom (Adults).

ESL icebreakers particularly well-suited to online teaching

11. Show and Tell

Ask your student(s) to bring a meaningful object to class and share
the story behind it with you and/or their classmates. If your student
is a beginner, you can have them describe their object instead. E.g.,
“It is purple. It is big.” If you only have one student, consider asking
them to bring in two or three objects total.
To get students comfortable with speaking and sharing,
demonstrate the activity with an object of your own first.
Get more ideas for using realia in your classroom.

12. Scavenger Hunt

This activity works in both the physical and virtual classrooms and
gets students up and moving, which is sometimes hard to achieve in
an online classroom!
Provide students with a short list (3-5 items) of types of objects they
need to find. E.g., something purple, something cold, something that
starts with the letter B, something that makes you happy,
something that was a gift, etc.
You can then see who can collect the objects from around their
house or the classroom the fastest. Have students take turns
sharing what items they found. If you’re teaching just one student,
set a timer for five minutes (or whatever time you choose) and see if
they can collect all of the required items before time runs out.
This activity is well suited to younger students and helps energize
everyone at the start of class (or awaken everyone if the class
starts to get a bit sleepy).
Looking for more ideas? Try these fun ESL games and activities for
kids and teens.

13. Roll the Die

This is a great icebreaker activity, but it can also be used
to practice pronunciation or review a group of vocabulary words.
Before class, you’ll need to create a special die for this icebreaker.
You can repurpose a large plush die from a craft store, use a small,
square-shaped cardboard box, or get creative here. Print off images
that represent a certain action you want students to take, such as
saying a word three times, saying it fast, saying it slowly, saying it
loudly, whispering it, saying it in a low voice, saying it angrily, etc.
For example, a picture of an angry emoji could represent saying the
word in an angry voice.
Cut the images out and glue or tape them to each side of your cube.
You now have your die!
In class, have your student(s) say a word or set of words that you
choose. Roll the die and direct them to follow the instructions
shown. This is a fun and silly way to get students out of their shells
while helping them practice their English-speaking skills.
ESL icebreakers: An all-around win for the TEFL/TESOL classroom
ESL icebreakers are a great way to boost students’ energy, get
them excited about the class, and build an atmosphere that makes
them feel comfortable. Many icebreakers are also adaptable and
can be used in both physical and online classes. While there are
tons of icebreakers out there, the best ones are fun and engaging,
promote speaking in English, and foster confidence.

1. SYNONYMS

Associating a vocabulary word with its synonyms is a great way to form lasting
connections between the word and its definition. Here’s an exercise you can try with
your students:

 Break the class into 2 groups.

 Assign each group half of the vocabulary words.
 Have students use a dictionary, thesaurus, or the Internet to discover
synonyms for each vocabulary word.
 Then, have the groups take turns reading the list of synonyms to the other
group.
 See if the groups can figure out what the word is based on its synonyms.

2. CHECKERS
Recycle this familiar board game into a memorization exercise:

 Group students into pairs.

 Give each set of students a copy of this printable checkerboard:

 Students should write a vocabulary word in white space available in each

square.
 As students play through a game of checkers, ask them to provide the correct
definition of the word in the square they want to move their piece to.
 Another option could also be having the student use the vocabulary word in a
sentence.
 If the student correctly defines the word or uses is in context, they get to claim
that square.

3. VOCABULARY BINGO

A similar idea to the checkers game, you can have students create their own Bingo
card, with a vocabulary word in each space:

 Once the cards are assembled, read the definition of each word.
 Students should be able to determine what word you defined and put a
counter on that square.
 Have students say “Bingo” when they get 5 words in a row.
  As an extra incentive, provide a prize for winners. It could be a free homework
pass, candy, or small toy!

4. PICTIONARY

A great way to get the whole class involved is by playing Pictionary:

 Split the class into 2 teams.

 Have one student from each team come to the board.
 Assign them one vocabulary word to draw.
 The students’ teams should try to guess what vocabulary word is being
drawn, within a certain time limit—whichever team guesses correctly first gets
a point.
 Repeat with different members of each team coming to board until all the
vocabulary words have been drawn, then tally the points, and declare a
winning team!

5. CHARADES

Charades is set up similarly to Pictionary. However, instead of drawing, students act

out the vocabulary word. If you have timid students, consider assigning 2 people to
act out the words at a time, or breaking the class into smaller groups.

6. CIRCLE ROTATIONS

To get everyone up and moving, try a circle rotation exercise:

 Split the class in half, and have them form two concentric circles in the room,
facing each other.
 Hand out flashcards to each student with a vocabulary word on one side and
its definition on the other.
 Students in the inner circle can test the students in the outside circle and vice
versa.
  Have the students in the outside circle rotate one person to their left each time
until everyone has seen each word.

7. TRASHCAN BASKETBALL

Another physically engaging group activity is trashcan basketball:

 Divide the class into 2 or 4 teams.

 Have each team take turns answering a vocabulary question.
 If they can answer correctly, the team gets 1 point.
 Then, give that team a ball (a crumpled up piece of paper will do).
 If the team can make a basket into the trashcan, reward the team an extra
point.
 Repeat until all vocabulary words have been tested!

8. NEWSPAPER SEARCH

For a quieter activity for individuals or smaller groups, try having students look for
pictures or articles in newspapers or magazines that relate to each vocabulary word.
Give your students a set amount of time to complete the assignment then have them
present their findings in groups or to the class.

9. FLYSWATTER GAME

 Write each vocabulary word on the board.

 Divide the class into 2 teams.
 Have one student from each team come to the board holding a flyswatter.
 Read the definition of a vocabulary word.
 Students should race to see who can locate the correct word on the board the
fastest.
 When they find it, they should hit the word on the board with the flyswatter.
 Play until everyone in the class has had at least one turn!

Classroom vocabulary games are some of the many fun teaching games out
there and a great way to motivate students to study the words. It also helps them
review the definitions. Most of these games don’t require a lot of preparation to
play, so you can play them whenever you have extra time that you need to fill or
just need a fun activity!