Teaching past tenses can often feel like a daunting task, but with the right activities, it can become an engaging and rewarding experience for both teachers and students. The following activities are designed to help students practise past tenses in a meaningful and interactive way.

 

#1 Calendar

Students draw a simple calendar for last week and fill it in with activities they did each day. They should include specific times and time frames, e.g., from 6 to 8 pm (to practise the Past Continuous). You can provide them with photos or a list of verbs for inspiration. Once completed, they share their week with a partner or the teacher. 

For example:

On Wednesday, I didn’t go to work because I was sick.

On Friday, I was watching a film between 6 and 8 pm.

 

#2 Correct me if I’m wrong

This activity is perfect for practising negative forms in past tenses. Before the class, prepare a list of statements using past tenses, starting with “You…”. For example:

You bought two oranges yesterday.

You liked school when you were younger.

Students work in pairs. One student reads the statement, and the other corrects it by first negating the original statement and then providing the correct version. For example:

I didn’t buy two oranges yesterday. I bought three.

I didn’t like school when I was younger. I hated it.

Optional Extension:

For higher-level students, they can extend the activity by asking follow-up questions or engaging in a short conversation.

 

#3 Ask & explain

This activity is excellent for practising questions in past tenses. Before the lesson, prepare a list of statements starting with “In the end…” or “Finally…”. 

For example:

In the end, I had to sell my flat.

Finally, I decided to quit my job.

Students work in pairs or with the teacher. Student A begins by reading a statement, and Student B asks a question about it. Student A responds, and Student B continues asking questions until they run out of ideas or time. For example:

A: In the end, I had to sell my flat.

B: Why did you have to sell your flat?

A: I sold it because it was too expensive.

B: Why was it too expensive?

A: Because I lost my job.

B: Where did you work?

You can set a time limit (e.g., 2 minutes) or a question limit (e.g., a minimum of 5 questions).

Optional Extension:

Once finished, students can retell the story. If they are familiar with the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous, they can incorporate these tenses into their retelling.

 

#4 Find out

In this activity, students practise asking and answering questions using past tenses. Write a general topic on the board, such as Last Weekend, Books, or Home. Students work in pairs to find out as much as they can about their partner’s experiences related to the topic. They do this by asking and answering questions using past tenses.

 

You can set a time limit (e.g., 1 minute) or a question limit (e.g., a minimum of 5 questions).

 

#5 Storytelling

Give students two sentences and a list of extra verbs. They use one sentence as the beginning of a story and the other as the ending, with the verbs serving as inspiration for the middle. 

For example:

Beginning: It was a dark and stormy night.

Ending: They never spoke about it again.

Verbs: run, shout, fall, laugh, decide.

Students can either write or tell their story, using past tenses creatively.

 

For more ready-to-use materials to help your students master past tenses, check out this collection!