ESL Games for Teenagers | Fun TEFL Interactive Activities Teens

Teaching English to teenagers can be quite difficult because they are notorious for not really wanting to participate in class. They are often shy, tired, and haven’t chosen to take your English class. That’s where interactive games for teenagers comes in. Try out some of these fun ESL games for teenagers to make your TEFL classes even better.

However, help is here with these ESL games for teenagers that are guaranteed to get your teenage students participating in class, speaking English, and having fun despite themselves. Try out just a few of these ESL games for teenagers and you’ll notice that students like your class, like you, and will begin to like English more and more each day.

Best ESL Games for Teens

Let’s get to the best ESL games and activities for teenagers.

#1: Concentration ESL Memory Game

Concentration is one of the best vocabulary ESL games for teenagers. It takes a bit of time to make the cards, but if you laminate them, you can use them again for different classes in the future, so it’s well worth it to have a few sets of these handy. Students find the game really challenging, but fun and it brings out their competitive natures.

This ESL memory game also works extremely well for little children. You can adapt the cards to make them easier, or harder depending on the level and age of your students. For example, older students may have to match synonyms or antonyms. Younger students may just have to match a picture and a single word.

You can check out all the details about how to play the concentration ESL memory game with your students today:

Check out Concentration Here

#2: Apples to Apples ESL Vocabulary Activity

Apples to Apples is a game that can be used for a “game” or “activity” class and it also makes an excellent vocabulary review game. You can buy the cards on Amazon, make your own with the specific vocabulary that you’ve been teaching, or have the students help you make them as well. It really is up to you and how much time you have.

Here’s how to set up Apples to Apples for your ESL classes:

Apples to Apples ESL Vocab Game

#3: Running Dictation: A 4-Skills ESL Activity

Running Dictation is one of the best ESL games for teenagers I’ve ever used in class. It’s fun, challenging, covers all 4-skills, and can really energize even the quietest, most apathetic of classes. It also makes an excellent review activity if there is a specific grammar point or vocabulary word that you want the students to see one more time.

If you want to do this engaging 4-skills ESL activity with your classes, here are more details about how to set it up:

Running Dictation Set-Up and Instructions

#4: Board Games for ESL Students

I love a good ESL board game, especially for teenagers because they harness the power of competition in a challenging way. Make sure you design them well, however, so that there is an element of random to them. Also, design the questions so that students must speak English in order to complete the task.

Check out this video where I explain how I use board games in my classes, and a link to an example board game that I made for my students here:

ESL Board Game Set-Up

#5: Charades: A Fun ESL Party Game

Charades is an oldie, but a goodie, and it makes an excellent way to review vocabulary. It’s also great for a “party” day where you just want to have some fun with your students.

Fun with a bit of review thrown in there? Love it! It’s ideal for something like Halloween where there are lots of interesting vocabulary options.

Here’s how I set-up the Charades ESL activity for my students. It’s one of the best classroom games for teenagers:

ESL Charades Set-Up and Instructions

#6: Making Predictions

Who doesn’t like making some predictions about the future, right? Besides being fun, it’s an excellent way to introduce or review the future verb tenses with your teenagers.

The good news is that there are a ton of fun, engaging games, and activities that can go along with this topic. Check out these classroom games for teenagers here:

ESL Making Prediction Activities.

#7: Giving Directions

ESL teens and directions are a natural fit! That’s because there are a ton of fun and interactive games and activities you can do with this, including information gap, communicative ones. Do you want to know more? Then you’ll want to take a look at these ideas here:

Giving Directions Activities for ESL.

#8: Presentations 

I love to do some presentations in my English classes for a number of reasons. They can:

• Build student confidence
• Help improve speaking skills
• Be very motivating if you give students a choice of topics
• Be fun if you allow for groups
• Increase student listening skills
• Be a nice change of pace from the teacher being at the front of the class talking

Of course, there are plenty of reasons why teachers might consider doing some presentations in their classes. What I’ve found over the years is that they’re an excellent ESL teens activity. If you want to know more about details about how to incorporate them into your classes, check this out:

ESL Presentation Project Ideas and Tips.

#9: Task-Based Activities

If you want to increase student motivation and participation in your classes, then consider using some task-based activities. Teenagers love working with their friends in groups too so they’re a natural fit.

Find out how to incorporate task-based teaching into your English classes here: Task-Based Learning Introduction.

#10: Speaking Fluency Activity

#11: Health Activities

Health is a very relevant topic for teenagers! I love talking about things like smoking, drinking, junk food, and exercising with them because it always leads to some very interesting and fun discussions.

There are a number of things you can do related to this topic. Find out some of the best classroom games for teenagers here: ESL Health Games and Activities.

#12: Jigsaw/Information Gap Activities

#13: Chain Spelling ESL Activity

If you want to review new vocabulary words, then consider playing the chain spelling game. The way it works is that all the students have to stand up and take turns spelling out words, letter by letter. If someone misses a letter, they are “out” and the game continues until one person is left standing.

Sounds like something you want to try out with your teens? You can see all the details here: Chain spelling ESL Game.

#14: Twenty Questions

#15: What are you Cooking?

4-skills ESL activities and games are like the holy grail of English teaching. What are you cooking is exactly that, plus it has the added bonus of requiring no materials or prep time, and the students like it too. It’s so ideal to have an activity like this in your back pocket to pull out in case of an English teaching emergency when you get a last-minute class on your schedule.

Want to know more? Find out here: What are you Cooking?

#16: Telephone Speaking Game for Teens

A fun way to review just about any grammar point or vocabulary set is to play telephone which is also known as Chinese Whispers. The way it works is that you give a sentence to the first students who must pass it down the line until the and. At that point, the sentence they have is compared to the original.

The results? Usually hilarious! Sounds like something you want to try out in your classes? Find out all the details you need to know here:

ESL Telephone Activity for Teens.

#17: More ESL Games for Teens

#18: Social Issues English Conversation Lesson

I love to talk about social problems with my students. This topic is super relevant and most students have some interesting opinions related to this.

The good news is that you can use this complete lesson plan for intermediate or advanced level teenage learners for a 1-2 hour class. Yes really. Just print it off and go! Check it out:

Social Issues English Conversation Lesson Plan.

Like what you see? It’s from this book:

#19: Sentence Building Activities and Games

Time spent in class on making better sentences will certainly never be wasted time! Sentences are the foundation of the English language and it’s really worthwhile to help students improve this skill. Have a look at some of the top ideas:

ESL Sentence Structure Activities.

#20: Time-Fillers for Teenage Language Learners

#21: Role Plays 

Many students want to do “free-talking” in conversation classes but if their level isn’t high enough, it can be a little bit difficult to achieve this. A way to get started with it is to use some role plays. It’s kind of like conversation but it has a whole lot more structure and can be a good initial step towards freer conversations. Find out more:

ESL Role Play Ideas and Tips.

#22: Story Timeline

Reading is a key skill to master and it’s often considered to be the foundation of the other ones. Keeping this in mind, I like to dedicate some time to reading focused activities. One of the best post-reading activities for teenagers who are learning English is story timeline.

It’s challenging and helps students think more deeply about what they just read. Learn how to get started with it:

ESL Story Timeline Activity.

#23: More Ideas for Making ESL Classrooms More Student-Centred

#24: Choose your Own Adventure Group Writing Activity

Group writing activities for English learners are hard to come by since writing is generally a more solitary activity. However, this choose your own adventure one makes the perfect choice for teens if you want to have them do some writing in your class. It’s fun, interactive and students love making up their own adventure stories.

Interested in trying it out? Have a look at the details here:

Choose your Own Adventure Activity.

#25: The Alphabet Game

#26: Technology ESL Conversation Lesson 

If you teach more advanced teens, then consider using this ready-made lesson plan that’ll save you a ton of time. With bigger classes, consider putting students into pairs or small groups and let them get to work. The lesson is super easy to follow, even without a lot of teacher assistance. For smaller classes, it’s possible to work through this lesson together.

Whatever the case, technology is something that almost all teens are interested in! Check it out here:

Technology ESL Conversation Lesson Plan.

Or, maybe you’re a teacher who wants to increase their use of technology in the classroom? You’ll definitely want to check this out: Technology in the ESL Classroom.

#27: First Lesson Ideas for Classes with Teenagers

#28: Hot Potato Interactive Game for Teens

A fun game for kids, teens, or adults is hot potato. You may have played this when you were a kid but you can also use it in your TEFL classes with a twist. Students pass around an object and when the music stops, they have to do a task.

To make it more interactive and fun, I usually require that the student holding the potato has to choose another student to ask a question to. Of course for teenagers, it’s worth pointing out that they should not ask any questions which might embarrass someone of they’ll be out of the game. Find out all the options here:

Hot Potato Game.

#29: Five Senses ESL Vocabulary Activity

Try out this versatile ESL activity with your teens! It’s best for intermediate or advanced level students that have a good range of vocabulary.

Bring in a common object such as a carrot or chocolate bar. Then, students have to think of some descriptive words for that object that fall under the five senses. It can be done through either speaking or writing and in a group or individually. Learn more about it:

Five Senses Activity.

#30: Conditional Activities

I love to teach conditionals because they often lead to some very interesting discussions. They can be used to talk about future possibilities or what might have happened in the past if something were different. Here are some of my top picks:

Conditionals Games.

#31: Typhoon

If you want to have a seriously fun English class with teens, then you’ll need to check out this game, Typhoon. It’s an ideal review activity for the class before a midterm or final exam and students love it. Whenever I use it in class, they keep asking me to play it again. Find out more here:

ESL Typhoon Game.

#32: Basketball ESL Classroom Activity for Teenagers

If you’re looking for one of the best interactive games for teens, look no further than ESL basketball. It’s ideal for reviewing just about sort of vocabulary or simple grammatical structures. The only real requirement is that you have a big enough space to play it in. Want to give this school game for teenagers a try? Have a look here:

Basketball TEFL Game.

#33: Dictogloss

#34: ESL Movie Lessons

ESL for teenagers and movies or TV shows are a natural fit! They certainly make one of the best classroom activities for teens and there are a ton of things that you can do with them. Here are some of my favourite options:

ESL Movies Lesson Plan Ideas.

#35: Don’t Forget to Use an ESL Warm-Up

#36: ESL Debate

Teenagers have all kinds of opinions about everything so why not take advantage of this and encourage a debate? The key is choosing a silly, fun or controversial topic that they’ll want to talk about. Have a look at this list here for some ideas:

TEFL Debate Topics.

#37: Passive Voice Games

The passive voice is one of those things that intermediate and advanced students should certainly know about. It’s not commonly used in the English language, but there are certainly some very specific instances when it should be used. For example, legal and scientific writing as well as talking about crimes when the criminal is unknown. Have a look here at some of the top ideas:

Passive Voice Games.

#38: Odd One Out

#39: Academic English 

If you’re teaching teens who are planning to go to English-speaking colleges or universities, it’s certainly worth it to spend some time on academic English. The vocabulary is quite specific and chances are that many of your students wouldn’t have just run across it before. Check out one of my favourite resources:

Academic English for Situations Inside and Outside the Classroom.

#40: I’m Going on a Picnic Game

Try out this simple game as a nice way to fill the time or as a warmer.

How to Play I’m Going on a Picnic. 

#41: Prepositions Quiz

Try out this simple game with your teens!

How to Teach ESL to Teenagers FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about teaching ESL to teens. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

How can I teach ESL to teenagers?

When teaching ESL to teenagers, here are a few tips:

• Keep it simple and have only one objective per lesson.
• Include lots of practice time.
• Switch groups and partners frequently.
• Use lots of group work.
• Offer lots of opportunities for teens to practise using English.
• Don’t forget to set the context.
• Review frequently.
• Consider using multi-media.

How can I motivate teenagers to learn English?

It’s sometimes necessary to motivate teenagers to learn English as a second or foreign language if they’re reluctant to do so. The best way to do this is to have clear rules and expectations from the start of the class, create a friendly and welcoming classroom environment, understand students’ needs, and use a variety of interactive and engaging ESL activities.

How do you teach teenagers vocabulary?

If you want to help your English learners expand their vocabulary, here are a few ideas:

• Include some extensive reading time into your lessons.
• Encourage extensive listening (podcast, TV, etc.) outside of class.
• Have students keep a vocabulary notebook.
• Review frequently.
• Have weekly vocabulary tests in class.

How do you engage teenage students?

To engage teenage students, use some of the following tips:

• Show a genuine interest in the lives of your students.
• Ask students what topics they’d like to discuss in your class.
• Bring things from pop culture into class.
• Use a variety of mediums, including videos.
• Assign interesting homework assignments like interviewing someone or making YouTube videos.
• Challenge them to do something slightly higher than their level.
• Get active and have students move around the classroom like in running dictation, or a survey activity.

Tips for Teaching ESL To Teens

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to teens can be both rewarding and challenging. Teenagers have unique learning needs and interests. Here are some tips to effectively teach ESL to teens:

Relate to Their Interests

Connect the content of your lessons to topics that interest teenagers, such as music, movies, technology, fashion, and social issues. This makes the learning more relevant and engaging.

Use Authentic Materials

Incorporate real-world materials like news articles, YouTube videos, song lyrics, and social media posts. This exposes teens to authentic language use and contemporary culture.

Interactive Activities

Teenagers are more likely to engage when lessons involve interactive activities like group discussions, debates, role plays, and projects. These activities promote speaking and critical thinking.

Incorporate Technology

Utilize technology and online resources that teenagers are familiar with. Online quizzes, language-learning apps, and multimedia presentations can enhance learning.

Encourage Creativity

Provide opportunities for creative expression through writing stories, making videos, designing posters, or creating digital presentations. This boosts confidence and language skills.

Peer Collaboration

Incorporate group activities that encourage teamwork and collaboration. Teens often learn from each other, and working together fosters communication skills.

Cultural Sensitivity

Respect and acknowledge the cultural diversity in your classroom. Encourage discussions about cultural differences and similarities, promoting understanding and tolerance.

Choice and Autonomy

Allow teens to have some control over their learning. Offer choices in assignments or project topics, empowering them to take ownership of their education.

Real-Life Language Use

Teach practical language skills they can use in real-life situations, such as ordering food, making plans, or asking for directions. This helps them see the immediate relevance of what they’re learning.

Balanced Approach

Address all language skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Mix activities that cater to different learning styles to maintain engagement.

Clear Objectives

Clearly outline lesson objectives and outcomes so that teens understand what they are working towards. This can enhance motivation and focus.

Current Events

Discuss current events and global issues to spark meaningful conversations and develop their ability to express opinions and arguments.

Teen-Centered Content

Select materials that feature teenage protagonists or situations, as this makes the content more relatable and engaging.

Build Relationships

Form positive relationships with your teenage students. Show genuine interest in their lives and experiences, creating a comfortable and supportive learning environment.

Celebrate Achievements

Acknowledge and celebrate their progress and achievements, whether big or small. Positive reinforcement encourages continuous effort.

Flexible Approach

Be open to adjusting your teaching methods based on the evolving needs and preferences of your teenage students.

Have your say about these Games and Activities for Teenagers

What are your thoughts about our top picks for ESL games and activities for teenagers? Have you tried out any of them from this list, or do you have another that you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy English teachers, like yourself, find this useful resource.

Last update on 2025-04-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API