In this article we have 10 activities your students can do at home to practise English between classes. They don’t require any prep and your students can do them whenever they have some free time. They won’t need to take out any books or even sit at the desk for most of them.

 

#1 Narrate your life 

Every time you do something, talk (or think) about what you’re doing, in English. 

 

#2 How would I say it in English? 

When you’re in a situation that you have already practised in English during your classes, think about how you would say it in  English. For example, if you’re in a shop buying groceries - how would you talk to the shop assistant in English?

 

#3 Copy a native speaker 

When you’re watching or listening to something, pause the recording every few seconds and repeat what the person said. Try to copy the pronunciation, accent and intonation as well as you can. This will help you with your own pronunciation and intonation.

 

#4 Read aloud 

When you’re reading something in English, try reading it aloud. You can go a step further and try “too hard” with intonation and tone. If you’re reading a dialogue and one person is angry, really express the anger. 

 

#5 Talk to yourself in the mirror 

It’s good to talk to someone intelligent once in a while, right? So why not talk to yourself? What can you say to yourself? 

• Talk about what a wonderful person you are.
• Go over the plans for that day.
• Reflect on what already happened that day or the day before.
• Ask yourself some questions that you would ask a friend. 

 

#6 Watch something

Have you got a video to watch? Put English subtitles on. Pause the video three or four times at random times. Read the subtitles that are displayed and try to understand them. Use a dictionary to help you with difficult words. If it’s too easy, try another few seconds. Next, watch the video again without subtitles and see how much you understand.

 

#7 Listen to something

When you’re listening to a recording or a podcast, choose a short part of it and replay it over and over again until you really understand what they’re saying. Start with replaying just 10 seconds and then go longer and longer. When you finish, try listening to the recording again, this time without stopping and see how much easier it is.

 

#8 Read something

When you’re reading something in English, don’t focus on all the words you don’t understand. Choose a small part of the text, maybe two or three sentences and try to understand it as much as you can. Check any new words in a dictionary, but only for that short part of the text.

 

#9 In a queue

When you’re standing in a queue, instead of browsing Instagram again, look at what the person in front of you is buying and see how many items you can name in English. You can also do this when you’re in a bank or any other office. Instead of looking at the groceries, look at different posters or advertisements around the place and see if you can say it in English. Do it in your head, of course, otherwise people might think you’re a bit crazy…

 

#10 Keep a journal

At the end of each day write a few sentences about what happened that day. As if you were writing a journal, but in English.

 

We hope these activities will encourage your students to do a bit of English practice outside of the classroom. And of course, feel free to do them yourself as well!