Education Tips #25 - Creating Fun English Club Activities to Learn English

(Download MP3, Mirror) Last week, we talked about how to start and organize your English Club. This week, we share ideas for effective and fun activities to do with your English Club.

The age and language level of your English club members will make a difference in what activities you should choose. For clubs with younger participants, more organized activities might work better. But for clubs with older members, informal meetings that encourage discussion are effective. It is important to know your club members and the kinds of interests they have.

Warm-up

Warm-up activities are good ways to start any club meeting. They help people relax and prepare them to start speaking English. Here are a few warm-up activities that can be used with any age or skill level.

• Two truths and a lie

The first is called Two Truths and a Lie. This activity can be done in pairs, small groups, or the whole English club. One person comes up with three facts about themselves. Two of the facts are true, and one is a lie. They tell the group the three facts, and the group must decide which one is the lie. Each participant takes a turn with this activity.

• Salad bowl

Another warm-up activity is Salad Bowl. For this activity, tell everyone to think of a person, place or thing and write it down on a piece of paper. Collect the pieces of paper and mix them around in a big bowl. Then, divide the club into two teams. Each team then takes turns having one person go to the front of the room to take a piece of paper. The person must then describe the word to other team members. As soon as a team member correctly guesses the word, the person then selects another word from the bowl. Each team has 30 seconds to guess as many words as possible.

• Discussion questions

Finally, for groups that do not like activities, you can simply start a club meeting with a warm-up discussion question, or by sharing a word or quote of the day.

Primary Meeting Activities

After a warm-up activity, it is time to begin the main meeting activities. These may be organized activities or less formal ones.

• Debates and discussion

Club debates or discussions are the most popular type of English club activity. They let people use English in a more natural way than in a classroom.
It helps to have a new discussion topic for each meeting. This helps keep conversations from being too repetitive. It also encourages club members to learn new vocabulary words.
Debates are good ways to keep participants interested. They create excitement, and make the speaker practice using new words. If your club has many members, it is a good idea to divide the group into several smaller groups. If possible, each of the small groups should be given a different discussion or debate subject.
Every 15 to 30 minutes, people can move on to the next subject.
You can encourage club members to come up with debate subjects for future meetings.

• Guest speakers and presentations

You can also invite people to give presentations in English. They may be politicians, non-profit workers, teachers, police, and so on. Participants can ask the presenter questions. Your participants can also take turns giving presentations on subjects that are important to them, as well.

• English-language songs and readings

Another fun club activity is to listen to popular songs in English. To make this more effective, you can provide the words of the song to the club members. Participants can then use the song’s message as a discussion topic. You can also select a section from an English-language book to read and discuss as a group.

• Skits

Or, if your participants enjoy acting, creating short skits or plays in English are fun language exercises.

Special Activities

While having interesting club meetings is important for keeping participants motivated, you should avoid too much repetition. Doing special activities with your club from time to time gives participants something to look forward to, builds friendships, and provides new ways to learn.

• Group trips

You can organize a short trip. Your club can see an English-language movie together at a theater, go on a hike, or attend a concert to watch an English-language band. Another idea is to visit a museum with an English-speaking guide.

• Newsletter

If club members enjoy writing, collect English-language essays, stories, or poetry that they write. You can publish their work together in a newsletter.

• Competition

Another idea is to create friendly competitions with your club’s participants or between other English clubs. Poetry, speech, or debate competitions are especially effective.

• Scavenger Hunts

For a scavenger hunt, you can create a list of items that club members must find or photograph around their city or neighborhood. But instead of directly saying what the items are, give them hints about what they are.

• Film Viewings

Another idea is to host English-language film viewings during a club meeting or at other locations.

• Club Party

Finally, have a party to celebrate a holiday or just for fun. This is a way to help create a friendly, informal environment for club members. Remember to encourage English-only conversations at such events, however.

There are hundreds of possibilities for English club activities. This list provides you with a good start. The important thing to remember is to keep things fun and keep your club members motivated.

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Words in This Story

hint – n. a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer or do something more easily

informal - adj. having a friendly and relaxed quality

motivate – v. to give (someone) a reason for doing something

relax – v. to become or to cause (something) to become less tense, tight, or stiff

skit – n. a short, funny story or performance