Would You Rather? | ESL Warm-Up Activity | ESL Icebreakers

Are you looking for a quick, no-prep ESL warm-up activity that’ll work for both kids as well as adults? Then you’re in the right place.

Keep on reading to learn more about Would you Rather icebreaker and how you can use it in your ESOL classes.

Would you Rather ESL Activity

This is a fun ESL warm-up activity. You can buy ready-made decks, but they aren’t ESL specific. I use self-made cards, which takes a bit of time buy then you can recycle them from class to class. Another options is to just make a list of questions. If you’re quick on your feet, you can do this without materials.

For example, “Would you rather have eyes like a fly’s, or eyes like a spider’s?” Students must choose one and explain why.

If you class is small, you can do this as a single group. Each student can answer the question, and you can too! If the class is a bit larger, I prefer to work in small groups of 3-4, giving each group part of the deck of cards. This helps make your class more student-centred and increases student talking time.

If you want to work in groups, but haven’t prepared questions in advance, state two choices and give each group 1-2 minutes to discuss amongst themselves.

Procedure for this Would You Rather Icebreaker

1. In advance, prepare cards with two choices, the odder, the better. For example, “Would you rather have eyes like a fly’s, or eyes like a spider’s?” If you want to do this without cards, simply give students two choices and 1-2 minutes to discuss.
2. Start off the activity with an example. Have one student choose a card and then ask you the question.
3. Divide students into groups of 3-4 and give each group an equal portion of the deck of question cards.
4. Have students take turns choosing a card to ask their group, or read aloud and give their own answer.
5. If you’ve done this activity in smaller groups because you have a bigger class, elicit some example answers from each group. Or, have each group choose their most interesting question to ask you.

Would You Rather for Kids, Teenagers and Adults?

A common question that teachers have is whether or not Would you Rather ESL works for kids and adults. In my experience, it works very well, but you just have to adapt the questions to suit the age and level of students.

Kids

For example, kids may enjoy talking about superheroes. For example, “Would you rather be Superman or Batman?” Here’s a list of some more questions for kids:

Questions for Kids.

Adults

Adults might find chores they want to avoid quite funny. For example, “Would you rather clean your floor, or wait in line at the bank for 30 minutes?” Need a list of adult questions? You can find that here:

Questions for Adults

Teens

Finally, teenagers may like talking about junk food. For example, “Would you rather eat your Mom’s cooking, or at McDonalds?” If you want some more teen questions, then you’ll want to check out this list:

Questions for Teens.

Would you Rather Card Game for Kids

If you’re looking for a ready-made version of this game that’ll work well for kids, we have some good news for you! You can find it over on Amazon.

In the box you can find the following:

• 77 dilemma cards
• 2 voting cards
• A would you rather card
• Instructions on how to play

The thing we love about this for ESL is that there are pictures on the cards, which makes it better for beginners who might be struggling with the English vocabulary involved in this game.

However be warned that many of the card options are kind of gross and they may not be suitable for children under the age of 10 or so. Use your discretion!

Do you want to check out this Kids Edition Game? You can find it easily on Amazon:

Would you Rather for Kids Online

If your students want to play this game online, you can refer them to the following resource:

Online Would you Rather for Kids

It’s fun, interactive and your students will probably like it! Or, I also recommend checking out this video online for some great questions for kids:

Would you Rather Adults Game

If you teach more advanced level students, or just love this game so much that you want to play with your friends, we have a recommendation for you! Pick your Poison is similar style game that can be easily found on Amazon.

With more than 300 poison cards, there are endless combinations of possibilities. However, be warned! This definitely could be very inappropriate to play in class!

Do you want to check out this adults game? You can find it on Amazon for the best prices:

Did you Like this ESL Warm-Up Activity?

If you liked this ESL warm-up activity, then you’ll need to check out this book on Amazon: 39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Teenagers and Adults. There are enough fun, engaging and interesting ESL warm-ups to start off every one of your classes in style.

Chances are your students haven’t spoken a word of English since your last class. If this is your situation, then you’ll need to do your best to ease students into it. I find that going directly into the lesson is less than ideal!

It’s best to start with something light and fun, but in English. Once everyone is warm, dive into your main lesson for the day. Your students will be ready to learn and what you really want to teach them will sink in a whole lot better. If you’ve never used warm-ups in your classes before, give them a try and see if you notice the difference (my guess is that you will!).

If this sounds awesome and you’re looking for fresh new ideas for ESL warm-ups, check out the book on Amazon. It’s available in both digital and print formats.

Keep a copy on the bookshelf at your office at work as a handy reference tool. Or, take a copy on your phone or tablet to your favourite coffee shop when you’re planning your lessons. Yes, it really is that easy to have better English lessons.

Pick up Your Copy of ESL Warmers Today

Buy 39 ESL Warm-Ups for Teenagers and Adults today. But, only if you want to get your classes started off on the right foot.

—>39 ESL Warm-Ups for Teenagers and Adults<—

Would you Rather for ESL Students

Learn more about this ESL activity in the short video below. It’s a nice ESL activity to get some energy and excitement back into your class! And, it’s also perfect for kids as well as adults.

Have your Say about Would you Rather

What are your thoughts about this ESL warm-up activity that you can try out in your classes? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

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Last update on 2020-04-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API