Extra Time at the End of the Lesson? ⏳ Play Games!

You reach the end of the lesson, but there is way too much time left! 😱 What do you do?

Many tutors may immediately go to free-conversation, and that’s fine. But what about playing some games to pass the time?

No matter if you have two or five minutes left, or if you’re teaching beginners or advanced learners, here are some games that your students will love!

Word Chain

This simple game is suitable for any level. The rules are easy: You say a word, and your student must say a word that starts with the final letter of the word you said.

(Because so many English words end in the letter “e,” you may decide that you are both allowed to use the consonant before “e” to start the next word, i.e., “lake” → “kangaroo.”)

You can also adjust the game so it fits the topic you’ve just covered in the lesson. For instance, if you were talking about cars, you could limit yourselves to only transportation-related words (“car” → “red light” → “truck”). This is a good way to review vocabulary covered in the lesson.

For an even greater level of challenge, you can also limit yourselves to words that appeared in the lesson.

Two Truths And A Lie

As the name suggests, this game involves you saying two things that are true and one that isn't. Your student must then figure out which statement is the lie. Make sure they provide reasons for the choice they made. 

Here is an example of a tutor playing with a beginner:

Next, it’s your student’s turn to tell two truths and a lie. For more advanced students, you can increase the challenge by saying three or even four truths rather than just two.

One benefit of this game is that it can lead to mini-conversations: “Oh, your favorite movie is Titanic? That’s also my favorite movie!" 

However, be careful not to share information that is too private, such as “I have never had a boyfriend/girlfriend” or “I am married with three kids.” We should discourage our students from doing the same. Oversharing can put either you or your student in an awkward situation, and we don’t want that to happen!

I Spy

For this game, all you need is a photo. You can use one from the lesson or find one in our Describing Pictures series.

Next, pick something or someone in the image and have your student guess what you’ve picked. However, they can only ask yes-no questions. For instance, let’s say you pick this image:

Let's assume you picked the grapes in the lower part of the image. You start the game by saying, "I spy with my little eye something green." Your student then must guess what you picked by asking questions like: 

• "Is it round?"
• "Is there more than one?"
• "Can you eat it?"

Players usually say, “I spy with my little eye,” but for beginners, it’s better to stick with just “I spy ~” or simply, “I see ~”

👋 That’s it for now!

The next time you've finished the lesson a bit early, consider one of these games to fill the remaining time. No matter which you choose, we hope these activities will make those last minutes of the lesson more enjoyable!

Also, be sure to read our article on online word games for even more fun and educational suggestions.