ESL Warmers That Work for Any Age Group And Level

A strong warmer sets the tone for an entire English lesson, shifting students into an active, communicative (English) mindset. Finding activities that engage Young Learners and business executives alike can be tough, but adaptable frameworks make it easy. Here are versatile ESL warmers guaranteed to break the ice and energise any age group.

If you’ve been teaching English for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced this familiar scene: your students walk into the classroom or join your online lesson after a long day at school or work. Some are chatting, some look sleepy, while others seem distracted by everything but English. You know you have a well-planned lesson but if you jump straight into grammar or a new set of vocabulary items, you may find yourself spending the first fifteen minutes just trying to get everyone’s attention. 

Good luck with that! 

Thankfully, we have warmers, and this is exactly why they matter. 

A good warmer does far more than simply fill the first few minutes of a lesson. A good warmer:

• gives your students time to settle, 
• gets them thinking and speaking in English, 
• creates a relaxed atmosphere, and 
• sets the context of your lesson. 

By the time the warmer is done, your students should feel ready to participate in the lesson. Plus, you’ll have a better assessment of their mood, energy and what they already know, before moving on to the next stage of your lesson. 

One of the questions I’m asked most often by new TEFL teachers is whether they need different warmers for children, teenagers and adults.

The answer is yes… and no.

Different age groups certainly have different interests, but the good news is that warmers can be adapted surprisingly easily. 

What are some good warmer activities for the EFL classroom?

The warmers below are flexible. With just a few minor adjustments to things like language level, instructions or degree of support, the same activity can work with complete Beginners right through to Advanced level, and more importantly from Young Learners to teens to adults. 

This is a list of my favourites – the ones I revisit from time to time because they consistently work, regardless of who’s sitting in front of me! 

Read more: 6 Differences Between Teaching Teens And Adults

Two Truths and a Lie

This one takes the top spot for a reason. It is a classic that never seems to lose its appeal. 

I also like that it can be easily modelled – ie the teacher does an example first, and the students follow in pairs or small groups. 

How it works: Each student thinks of three statements about themselves. Two are true and one is false (the lie). The partner, other members of the group, or even the entire class can now ask questions before deciding which statement is a lie. 

For Beginners, students can keep their sentences simple:

• I have two brothers.
• I like pizza.
• I can drive a helicopter.

For higher-level learners, prompt longer, more detailed statements or ask follow-up questions that naturally extend the conversation.

For example:

• I have been to China.
• I have worked abroad. 
• I have never seen the sea. 

If you’re teaching online, students can type their statements into the chat or simply say them aloud.

As mentioned before, the warmer should also help establish the context of a lesson. For example, if you are teaching the past simple, students could play Two Truths and a Lie by writing three things they usually do every evening such as “I go to the gym.”, “I cook dinner.” and “I run 50km”. This sets a context for the target language without using it or revealing it prematurely. During the presentation stage, the teacher can then refer back to these ideas and elicit what they would sound like if they happened last night- providing a smooth, contextualised transition into the target language. 

A real winner- and that’s no lie! 

Predict the Story

Sometimes a single picture can lead to twenty minutes of natural, unplanned conversation. 

How it works: Instead of starting a reading lesson by handing out the text immediately, or getting straight into pre-teaching the necessary vocabulary from the text, use an image to engage your students and set the context for the rest of the lesson. Use the image to get them to predict what they think the text is going to be about. This allows for that real-life process of making predictions before we read, and any task in class that mirrors real life is a winner. 

Choose pictures with plenty of detail or a little mystery.

For example:

• A crowded square
• Someone standing alone on a mountain
• A family preparing dinner together
• An unusual street or park scene
• A person looking surprised while on the phone

Then ask questions such as:

• What do you see?
• What is happening?
• Who are these people? 
• What do you think will happen next?
• What do you think happened just before?

A task like this, which is so simple in its set-up, is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does it give you insight into what their linguistic knowledge, but it creates curiosity about the lesson topic. 

If your reading is about travel, use a travel-related image. If you’re teaching the first conditional, use pictures of weekend activities and then show a weather forecast. 

If you are teaching comparatives, show two images and elicit their differences and similarities. If you are teaching speculative language, you could ask students why they think the people are smiling, laughing or arguing. Students naturally begin thinking about the context before they even see the target language. This strong visual context gives the students an idea of what sort of scenario commands this kind of language. 

Read more: Activities For Teaching The First Conditional

What’s Different?

This activity works particularly well for visual learners.

Display a picture for around thirty seconds before covering or removing it. Students then work together to remember as many details as possible.

Alternatively, display two similar pictures with several differences and ask students to find them. Depending on your lesson aims, you can adapt the language focus.

For Beginners:

• There is…
• There are…
• I can see…

For higher levels:

• comparative language
• speculation

The Mystery Object

This is one of my favourite low-preparation warmers.

How it works: Place an object inside a bag, behind a box or just out of view of the camera if you’re teaching online – a few platforms even have a tool where you can ‘hide’ part of the object from your students. Without showing students what it is, encourage them to ask yes/no questions until they think they know what the object is. Once someone guesses correctly (or everyone has had a chance to guess), reveal the object.

Objects could include:

• an old key
• a souvenir
• a strange kitchen gadget
• an unusual toy
• a vintage photograph

The activity sparks curiosity and then gives way to question forms and speculative language. What I love about this task is that it can extend into the freer practice stage, where students can either invent something or bring in something of their own to practise and recycle the target language. It’s often less about the object itself and more about the anticipation! 

One-Minute Chat

Sometimes students have things to say…so let them! 

How it works: Write one simple question on the board. 

Examples include:

• What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten? 
• If you could visit anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? 
• What’s your favourite season?
• What made you smile this week?

Students discuss the question in pairs for one minute before changing partners and answering a new question. Because the conversations are short, students don’t have time to overthink their answers and again, they are part of building a context that they will use going forward. This also gives everyone multiple speaking opportunities within just a few minutes. Again, super low-prep. 

Read more: EFL Discussion Questions For Conversation In The Classroom

Finish the Sentence

Sentence stems are absolute gold. They are brilliant conversation starters, and take next to nothing to set up. 

How it works: Write unfinished sentences, such as:

• The best advice I’ve ever received is…
• I can’t start my day without…
• If I had an extra hour every day…
• One thing I’d like to learn is…
• My happiest childhood memory is…

Students complete the sentences before discussing their answers in pairs or small groups.

The activity works equally well with teenagers and adults because you can easily adjust the complexity of the prompts. It also gives them a degree of independence where they get to respond with their own ideas. 

Would You Rather?

Few activities create discussion quite as quickly as a good Would you rather? question.

How it works: Write one or two scenarios on the board or screen. Then, in pairs or small groups, they respond with their opinions. 

For example:

• Would you rather live by the sea or in the mountains?
• Would you rather travel back in time or into the future?
• Would you rather never use the internet again or never watch television again?

The aim isn’t to answer the question – it’s to explain why! That justification produces extended responses, follow-up questions and even a bit of healthy disagreement. 

Word Associations

This task shows you and your students how much they already know. You’ve all won before the game even kicks off! 

How it works: Choose one word connected to your lesson context. For example, holiday. Students immediately say a word related to the topic. 

This game can be played around the class at speed or even in small groups. You can later build on this by developing what they’ve produced into vocabulary maps. It’s particularly useful before introducing a reading or listening activity because it activates the vocabulary your students have in their passive knowledge.

What I appreciate about this task is how it boosts morale. When they see the accumulation of items on the board that they’ve contributed, the buzz of accomplishment spreading throughout the class is infectious. 

Picture Gallery

In a face-to-face class, place several pictures around the classroom. Students then move around (like they’re at a gallery or exhibition) and discuss what they see. 

If you’re online, send them the pictures, or display them and let them get into breakout rooms to discuss the imagery.  Note: the pictures should relate to your lesson wherever possible. For example, if you’re teaching food vocabulary, the imagery could show different meals from around the world. If your lesson is based on careers, then use images of people at work. This way students begin engaging with the context before the formal instruction even starts. 

Students begin using the target topic naturally before formal instruction even starts.

Find Someone Who…

Another favourite!

Here’s how it works: Give students prompts (and I recommend a worksheet for this) such as:

Find someone who…

• enjoys cooking
• travels often
• likes getting up early
• plays a musical instrument
• watched a film recently

Students then move around the room asking classmates questions until they find a person who matches each statement. Think about the follow-up questions this would encourage! 

It’s a great way to increase student talking time while giving them the opportunity to get to know each other. For online lessons, students can ask questions in breakout rooms before returning to share what they discovered.

How to link it to a context? Easy! Steer your questions in a particular direction. For example, if you are teaching the first conditional, students could find classmates who play sport outdoors, walk to school, or have picnics at weekends. The warmer establishes everyday activities that need sunny weather. Then during the presentation stage, the teacher can introduce different weather situations and elicit what would happen in those, naturally leading into the target language without having used it during the warmer. 

The key is that the prompts themselves should only contain language the learners already know, while creating a context that makes the new target form necessary in the next stage of the lesson. 

A few final thoughts on warmers and why we love them

Although all of these warmers can work across age groups, choosing the right one depends on more than just age. Consider factors like energy levels, interests, and external factors like culture and current events. A lively class may enjoy moving around, while a more chilled group may enjoy sitting in clusters and engaging in a more comfortable setting. 

Also consider your lesson aims. The best warmers feel connected to the lesson content, relevant to your students and kick off a learning experience made just for them. 

After many years of teaching both face-to-face and online, I’ve realised that warmers aren’t about entertaining students. They’re about preparing them.

A well-chosen warmer helps students leave behind whatever happened before they walked into your classroom and begin thinking, listening and communicating in English – and isn’t that the whole point? 

Read more: TEFL Classroom Games That Solve Real Classroom Problems

Author Bio

Written by

Luan Dreyden

Edited by Kirsten Colquhoun

Luan is a Language Practitioner and certified ESL instructor. Her love for the English language led her into the classroom. After gaining experience at the top language schools in Cape Town, she went on to become the Head Teacher of a well-known English institution. This is where she discovered and practised her passion for teacher training. She now runs the TEFL courses for The TEFL Academy in Cape Town and continues to teach second language learners – both in the classroom and online. Read Luan Dreyden's story →