improv activities for beginners
Here are some simple and fun activities to introduce beginner EFL students to improv:
yes, and let's!
How to Play (Original Game)
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Setup:
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Students stand or sit in a circle.
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Explain the rules: One student begins by suggesting an action starting with “Let’s...” (e.g., “Let’s go to the park”). Alternatively, they can draw a random action.
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The next student enthusiastically responds with “Yes, let’s!” and adds a new action to build on the idea (e.g., “Yes, let’s go to the park and have a picnic!”).
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Gameplay:
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The first student starts with a suggestion: “Let’s go to the beach.”
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The next student agrees: “Yes, let’s go to the beach and build sandcastles!”
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Each student continues the chain by agreeing and adding to the idea. "
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The activity ends when everyone has contributed, or the chain reaches a natural conclusion.
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Goal:
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Encourage students to build on each other’s ideas to practice active listening
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language adaptations
To tailor the activity to your lesson goals, adjust the suggestions or themes:
Vocabulary Practice:Assign a theme, such as “vacation activities” or “things to do at school.” Students must create actions within that theme.
Example:“Let’s go hiking in the mountains.”
“Yes, let’s go hiking and take lots of pictures.”
Everyday Phrases:Practice conversational English by encouraging students to use natural expressions like “Sure!” or “Great idea!” instead of just “Yes, let’s!”
adaptations to make it harder
Thematic Rounds:Limit suggestions to a specific topic, such as "things to do in the city" or "plans for a weekend trip.
zip, zap, zop
This activity is an excellent icebreaker or a fun way to make repetitive drilling more engaging. It works well for practicing phonemes, vocabulary, or phrases in a playful and interactive manner.
How to Play (Original game)
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Setup:
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Students stand in a circle.
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Explain that each word ("Zip," "Zap," or "Zop") corresponds to passing energy or focus to another student in the circle.
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Example: “Zip” sends the focus to the student on your left, “Zap” to the student on your right, and “Zop” to someone across the circle.
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Gameplay:
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One student starts by saying "Zip" while making eye contact with another student and pointing or gesturing toward them.
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The recipient continues by saying "Zap" and directing focus to someone else.
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The next person says "Zop," and the sequence continues in random order.
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Goal:
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Keep the rhythm flowing without hesitation, errors, or breaking the pattern.
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Here’s a video showcasing how the game is traditionally performed in a theatrical context:
language adaptations:
To tailor the activity to language learning, substitute "Zip, Zap, Zop" with specific linguistic targets.
Examples include:
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Pronunciation/ Phonemes: Practice tricky sounds like /r/, /l/, and /v/. Replace the words "Zip, Zap, Zop" with "Rrr," "Lll," and "Vvv" or specific words that feature the sounds you're targeting.
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Vocabulary Words: Use related terms from a unit (e.g., "apple," "banana," "cherry" for a food lesson).
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Phrases: Choose useful phrases for real-life situations, such as "Thank you," "You're welcome," and "Excuse me."
Click the image below to see how a colleague adapted this activity to help Vietnamese learners practice numbers.
adaptations to make it harder:
Climbing Up and Down
To add a challenge, students can practice repeating the words in ascending and descending order rather than just saying each word once.
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How It Works:
Start with one word repeated three times, then move to the next word in the sequence, and finally return down the sequence.-
Example with original words:
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“Zip, Zip, Zip” → “Zap, Zap, Zap” → “Zop, Zop, Zop”
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Then reverse: “Zop, Zop, Zop” → “Zap, Zap, Zap” → “Zip, Zip, Zip”
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Example with Vocabulary Words:
Replace “Zip,” “Zap,” and “Zop” with vocabulary items. For instance, if practicing food vocabulary:-
“Apple, apple, apple” → “Banana, banana, banana” → “Cherry, cherry, cherry”
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Then reverse: “Cherry, cherry, cherry” → “Banana, banana, banana” → “Apple, apple, apple”
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