Pair exercise
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What’s on your list?
Read more: What’s on your list?How do you explain what something is without naming it? This taboo word game pitches pairs of students who have to end up with the same shopping lists. They each have a list with different items missing, and they need to fill up the spaces. But here’s the catch: they have to give all the…
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I love food
Read more: I love foodEveryone has something to say about food. This flexible discussion exercise turns that universal enthusiasm into speaking practice for almost any level. The questions begin with the simplest, most concrete ones, what you eat, what you like, and slowly climb towards the abstract: how our tastes change, what food says about a culture, and whether…
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Eagle eye
Read more: Eagle eyeCan your learners solve the mystery… just by asking the right questions? In this interactive speaking activity, learners work in pairs or small groups to sharpen their observation, questioning, and communication skills. A fun challenge that develops speaking fluency, listening comprehension, vocabulary, and logical thinking – all through collaboration and curiosity. Because language learning becomes…
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More than small talk
Read more: More than small talk“How’s the weather?” “Did you have a good weekend?” “Not bad, thanks.” We’ve all had that conversation. A hundred times. In every language. But what happens when you ask something different? Something that actually requires you to stop, think, and share a piece of yourself? That’s the idea behind More Than Small Talk — our…
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Let’s take a photo!
Read more: Let’s take a photo!A photo is worth a thousand words. But the conversation before you take it? That’s where the real learning happens. In Let’s Take a Photo!, pairs receive a list of titles and go out to capture them. Before every single photo, learners must discuss: What does this title mean to us? What will be in…
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Whatever the Weather!
Read more: Whatever the Weather!You draw a card. It’s a thunderstorm. You draw another. It’s… a beach picnic. Now what? That’s the question at the heart of Whatever the Weather! — our new exercise where learners draw a random weather card and a random situation card, and have to talk their way out of the chaos. Would you cancel…
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How do you travel
Read more: How do you travelBus, bike or car? In this speaking activity, students learn basic transport vocabulary and talk about how they travel in everyday life. Simple questions, clear structure, and real-life topics make it easy to practise full sentences and build confidence. Plus: a first step into sustainability — which ways of travelling are green? Practical language. Real…
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Who’s who in the family?
Read more: Who’s who in the family?This OPTIMO activity turns family vocabulary into a fun, interactive speaking challenge! Learners start by reading a short story about the Rossi family — a lively, multigenerational family full of connections. Then, in pairs, they draw the family tree and bring the relationships to life through a guessing game: “This person is 12 years old……
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Country and nationality bingo
Read more: Country and nationality bingoThis fun and simple activity allows beginner learners to go back to school by associating flags, countries and capitals that refer to geography while learning the language of the host country in a practical way! The bonus point ‘Culinary Specialty’ adds a little extra cultural flavour to this activity. It’s true that setting up the…
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Describe the features
Read more: Describe the featuresHow do I look? Let’s describe each other! In this fun partner activity, students will practice vocabulary for describing a person’s appearance like eyes, hair, mouth, and ears. One student describes the faces using words — no pointing allowed! Can the other guess which person is being described? A great way to build speaking confidence,…