Making A Lasting Impact With TEFL Activities Requiring Little Preparation

10th March 2023

Investing in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) qualification is a great way to open up new opportunities to live and work abroad. But once you have your qualification, what comes next?

When it comes to TEFL, there are many things to consider. How do you keep your students motivated? How do you make sure they are engaged? How do you make sure they are learning?

One of the biggest challenges for new TEFL teachers is finding engaging and effective low prep ESL activities that don’t require hours of preparation. To answer these questions have a collection of no-prep TEFL activities that you can rely on. Whether you are a first-time teacher or an experienced educator, the below-mentioned activities will help you keep your students engaged and learning.

Keep reading further to know some of the exciting TEFL activities and no-prep games that require little preparation. These activities are perfect for teachers who are just starting out, or for those who are looking for new ideas to freshen up their classes.

In addition, if you want to learn these kinds of exciting ESL teaching activities then we do recommend our Masters of Arts in Education with TESOL, which will definitely help you to achieve it.
 

What are TEFL Activities?

TEFL activities are activities designed to enhance the learning experience for non-native English speaker students. They can range from language-focused such as grammar, conversation, and discussion activities to game-like activities such as Hangman, or activities that incorporate arts and crafts.

No-prep games or low prep ESL activities are particularly useful when you don’t have the time or resources to prepare a lesson from scratch.

Let’s get to know some of the best no-prep TEFL activities that will keep your students engaged and learning!

1) Grammar Scavenger Hunt

When it comes to no-prep games, Grammar Scavenger Hunt is an old-fashioned favorite that your students will love. In this activity, divide your class into two teams and give them a list of grammar topics to research. Then each team has to search online or in the classroom to find the answers. This activity is great for engaging students in grammar usage and encourages them to think more critically about language. Additionally, it also helps them practice their research skills.

2) Word Association

Word association is a fun activity that can be used in any language classroom to revamp and test the student’s knowledge. To play, you ask your student to come up with a word related to a given set of words. To make it easier and more fun, you can add in some prompts such as “think of a word that rhymes with…” or “think of a word that is related to…” Not only is this activity a great way to practice vocabulary, but it is also a great way to help students practice their creative thinking skills.

3) Hangman

Hangman is one of the classic no-prep games that can be used to practice vocabulary in any language. To play, you challenge the students to guess a randomly selected word or phrase by going through the letters in the alphabet. With each wrong guess, a man is drawn slowly at the top of the board.

Hangman is a great way to practice vocabulary in a fun and easy-to-understand way. You can also make this word into a team activity by forming two teams and having them guess words or phrases to earn points for their teams.

4) Word Ladder

A word ladder is a great activity for helping students improves their writing and speaking skills. To play, you write two words on the board and challenge the students to make a chain connecting them, one word at a time. For example, you can start with the word “house” and challenge the students to get to the word “cat” using only one-step.

A word ladder is a great tool for helping your students practices their language skills in an interactive and engaging way. It also helps them think critically and come up with creative ways to make the connection between words.

5) Quiz Show

Quiz shows are an interactive and fun way to practice language and help students gain confidence in the language they are learning. To play, split your class into two or more teams and give each team a list of questions.

The team that answers the most questions correctly wins. Quiz shows are great for activating students’ knowledge in a fun and interactive way. It also encourages students to cooperate with each other and practice their listening and speaking skills.

6) Jigsaw

If you’re looking for engaging and fun low prep ESL activities to help your students practice their language skills, then Jigsaw Puzzle is a great choice. To make a jigsaw puzzle, you split your class into small groups and give each group a piece of a puzzle. Then each team has to work together to make the puzzle.

The Jigsaw Puzzle is a great tool for getting your students to practice their speaking and problem-solving skills in a collaborative way. It also encourages them to think critically and come up with creative solutions.

7) Dictation

Dictation is a great way to practice spelling, reading, and listening skills in any language. To play, start by giving your student a list of words to spell and then have them write out the words as you dictate them. Dictation is a great way to practice listening and spelling in a fun and engaging way. As your student masters the words, you can work up to sentences that are more challenging and paragraphs.

8) Consequences:

Consequences is one of the fun no-prep games that can help your students practice their comprehension and creative writing skills. To play, start by writing a sentence on the board, and then have your students take turns adding to it.

The “Consequences” game is a great way for encouraging your students to pay attention to grammar and be creative with their writing. It also helps them understand the context and meaning of the sentence better.

9) Pyramid of Words:

The Pyramid of Words is a fun way to practice vocabulary and is suitable for all levels. To play, you give the student a base word and then the student has to think of related words that fit into the structure of a pyramid. Pyramid of words is a great opportunity to help students practice their vocabulary in a fun and interactive way. It also encourages them to make connections and use their imagination.

10) One-Word Stories:

One-word stories are a great way to help your students practice their story-telling skills and vocabulary. To play, start with a one-word prompt and have your students take turns telling a story or providing a description for that word. This activity encourages students to think creatively and use their imagination. It also helps them practice their narrative skills, grammar, and vocabulary.

11) Mystery Person

This two-part activity can get your TEFL students to quickly review and practice vocabulary from a past lesson. For the first part of the activity, prepare a series of adjectives for one of your students or for an imaginary person. Then give the other students the task of trying to guess who the person is by asking questions about this person.

For the second part of the activity, reverse the roles and ask one student to become the mystery person. The other students must guess the identity of the person by asking questions. This game allows you to practice different grammar structures and review new vocabulary.

Wrapping Up

As a TEFL teacher, it is important to ensure that your students are engaged and have fun in class. However, this doesn’t have to mean spending hours and hours in preparation every week. By introducing activities that require little preparation and demanding few resources, you will be able to engage your students without sacrificing your own time and effort.

These effective low-prep ESL activities take minimal preparation but will get the students involved and actively using English in the classroom. Try incorporating some of these activities into your classes and you will be sure to see a difference in your teaching.

In case, if you’re an aspirant or experienced ESL teacher who wants to upgrade your teaching skill then we do recommend our Masters of Arts in Education with TESOL course, which will definitely help you to achieve your teaching goal.