Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Looking for a speaking activity your ESL teens will actually enjoy? A charades game for ESL high school students is perfect. Let me tell you about the time I pulled out a set of charades cards during summer school—and my students went from sleepy to shouting (in English!) within minutes.
Why I Tried Charades with My ESL Class
If you’ve taught ESL teens for more than a day, you know that getting them to speak—especially in front of peers—can feel like pulling teeth. I’ve used all kinds of activities to encourage oral language, but during this past summer school, I wanted something extra engaging. Something silly. Something that would make them forget they were “doing school.”
So I tried charades.
And honestly? It was a hit.
How I Set Up the Game (With Beginner-Friendly Tweaks)
I kept things super simple—but with some important scaffolds for English learners.
First, I gave each acting student a card written in English and let them quietly figure out what it meant before acting it out. Some asked for help or checked with a friend. I didn’t rush this part—it was actually a great chance for language exposure and support.
Then, once they felt ready, the timer started. Their team had three minutes to guess the correct answer—in English. I told students I would accept close approximations like “She’s cleaning!” for a card that said “Clean the floor.” They didn’t have to say the exact words on the card—communicating the idea in English was what mattered most.
Of course, there were plenty of moments when students would excitedly shout out the right answer—but in Spanish. That’s when I would gently interject and ask, “How do you say that in English?” They had only each other and a Spanish-English dictionary to work with, so those moments became natural mini-lessons and memory builders. The room was full of teamwork, laughter, and learning.
Why Charades Works with ESL Teens
Here’s what I noticed:
- It lowers the affective filter. (They’re too busy having fun to stress about grammar.)
- It encourages teamwork and peer support.
- It reinforces verbs, everyday vocabulary, and sentence patterns without direct instruction.
- It works across proficiency levels with just a few tweaks.
That last point is key—so I designed four sets of Charade Cards just for this purpose.
What’s Inside the ESL Charade Card Sets (A1 to B2)
After summer school, I realized this activity deserved a permanent spot in my ESL toolkit. So I created print-and-go charades cards, leveled from A1 to B2, with real teen learners in mind.
Here’s how the levels break down:
A1 Beginner
Basic everyday actions and commands like “Brush your hair,” “Open a book,” or “Feel tired.” Many of these include visual support to help students recognize the action quickly. Perfect for newcomers or teens just starting to build confidence.
A2 High-Beginner
Includes common routines, school actions, and simple descriptive phrases—like “Take a test” or “Walk to school.” Still scaffolded, but with slightly longer or more specific phrases.
B1 Intermediate
Now we’re adding in more detail: “Scroll on your phone,” “Be embarrassed,” or “Sleep in on the weekend.” These cards often spark conversation after the round, which is great for follow-up speaking tasks.
B2 Upper-Intermediate
Here’s where it gets fun: “Hit snooze on your alarm,” “Run out of time,” or “Jump for joy.” These cards push creativity and use more natural, teen-relevant language. Great for advanced ESL classes or mixed-level groups.
Each set includes:
- 12 cards with visuals
- 12 cards with text only
- 12 editable cards (PowerPoint + Google Slides formats)
- All visuals also come in black and white for ink-saving options
That’s 48 cards per level—plenty to keep things fresh without any prep stress.
Tips for Using Charades in Class
- Pre-teach key verbs or phrases before gameplay—especially for A1 or A2 students.
- Use visuals for newcomers, but consider switching to text-only cards as students progress.
- Let students choose their card or draw at random, depending on confidence levels.
- Set the tone: it’s okay to laugh, it’s okay to act silly, and it’s okay to make mistakes. That’s how we learn!
Try It Free First
Want to see if your students love it as much as mine did?
You can grab the free sample with one card from each level (A1 to B2) in both visual and no-visual formats. It’s a quick and easy way to try out a charades game for ESL high school students in your own classroom before grabbing the full bundle.
If you’re looking for a fun and effective charades game for ESL high school students, this leveled bundle makes it easy to reinforce vocabulary, speaking, and collaboration in a way teens genuinely enjoy.
Download the Free Sample here →
Or explore the full bundle here:
Just click the image below or the link in the caption to explore the full set.
Charades became my go-to ESL speaking game this summer, and now I’ll be using it all year long.
It’s low-prep, high-impact, and makes language come alive—literally.
Charades is an easy win for speaking fluency, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. If you also want a way to track pronunciation growth without killing student confidence, I share my full system in this post.
Let me know how it goes with your class!
– Sunshine Castro, M.Ed.
