Fun and Engaging Icebreakers for English Lessons

Starting an English lesson with a short, interactive activity can help learners feel relaxed, motivated, and ready to participate. Whether you are teaching 1:1 online English lessons, 1:1 in-person tutoring, small groups, or a full classroom, icebreakers are an excellent way to encourage speaking, listening, and social interaction. These activities are suitable for students preparing for GCSE English Language, Functional Skills English, or for anyone looking to improve confidence and fluency in English. Using icebreakers at the start of a session helps learners engage immediately, practise vocabulary, and enjoy a more dynamic learning environment.

Below is a wide range of icebreaker ideas for different lesson formats, all designed to make your English lessons more interactive and effective.

1:1 Online Icebreakers

• ‘Two Truths and a Lie’ – learner shares three statements online, you guess the false one.

• ‘Virtual Show and Tell’ – learner shows an item from their room and talks about it.

• ‘Emoji Story’ – learner tells a short story using only emojis in chat, you guess the meaning.

• ‘Quick Poll’ – ‘Favourite book this month?’ or ‘Best film of the year?’ using online poll tools.

• ‘Mystery Background’ – learner sets a virtual background and you ask questions to guess the location or theme.

• ‘Online Pictionary’ – draw a word in an online whiteboard; learner guesses.

• ‘Question Chain’ – take turns answering questions about hobbies or favourite things.

• ‘Rapid Fire Vocabulary’ – learner names as many words as they can in a category within thirty seconds.

• ‘Guess the Sound’ – play a short sound clip and learner guesses what it is.

• ‘Story Cubes Online’ – roll digital dice with pictures and build a story from the images.

1:1 In-Person Icebreakers

• ‘Describe the Object’ – learner picks an item in the room and describes it without naming it.

• ‘Quick Questions’ – ‘If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?’

• ‘Alphabet Game’ – learner names something for each letter of the alphabet related to a topic.

• ‘Mind Map Starter’ – learner writes a word and you build a short word web together.

• ‘Picture Prompt’ – show a photo and ask the learner to tell a story about it.

• ‘Word Sneak’ – learner must naturally use a given word in a short conversation.

• ‘Sentence Builder’ – create a story one sentence at a time, alternating with the tutor.

• ‘Hot Seat’ – learner answers rapid questions while sitting in the ‘hot seat’.

• ‘Finish the Sentence’ – start a sentence, learner completes it in their own words.

• ‘Find the Synonym’ – tutor gives a word; learner responds with a synonym as quickly as possible.

Small Group Icebreakers

• ‘Pass the Story’ – each learner adds a sentence to a story in turn.

• ‘Find Someone Who’ – learners ask classmates questions to match criteria, e.g. ‘Find someone who likes chocolate’.

• ‘Word Association Chain’ – each learner says a word related to the previous one.

• ‘Opinion Poll’ – learners vote on questions like ‘Tea or coffee?’ and discuss why.

• ‘Collaborative Drawing’ – learners create a group drawing on a topic and explain it in English.

• ‘Role Swap’ – learners take on different characters and improvise short dialogues.

• ‘Picture Story’ – each learner describes a different part of a single image; combine into one story.

• ‘Who Am I?’ – learners guess the famous person or character taped on their back.

• ‘Quick Debate’ – divide into pairs to debate light-hearted topics, e.g. ‘Summer holidays or winter holidays?’

• ‘Memory Chain’ – each learner repeats the previous learner’s sentence and adds their own.

Classroom Icebreakers

• ‘Quick Debate’ – ‘Cats or dogs?’ or ‘Summer versus winter’ with teams.

• ‘Speed Introductions’ – learners introduce themselves to three or four classmates in one minute each.

• ‘Mystery Word’ – describe a word without saying it; classmates guess.

• ‘Human Bingo’ – learners walk around the room to find classmates matching a description.

• ‘Quiz Round’ – five-minute trivia related to current lessons or general knowledge.

• ‘Chain Story’ – class creates a story together, each learner adding one sentence.

• ‘Vocabulary Race’ – learners list as many words as possible in a category within a time limit.

• ‘Find a Partner’ – learners pair up based on common interests discovered through questions.

• ‘Silent Line-Up’ – learners organise themselves in a line according to birthday or height without speaking.

• ‘Would You Rather’ – class answers questions like ‘Would you rather be invisible or fly?’ and explains why.