M & Ms

Most language teachers find that there is a bit of dead time during class. This may occur at the beginning of class, as the students are arriving; at the end of class, as they are thinking about leaving; and right in the middle of class, when transitioning from one lesson to another. During this dead time, the best option is to spend five or ten minutes on a short, interesting activity, like M & Ms.


Set up

Pass around a bowl of M & Ms, Skittles, or similar and tell students to take a few, but not to eat any.


Activity

Each student count the number of M & Ms and then has to tell something about him/herself for each one.


Useful for

• Getting to know each other (e.g., first day)
• General information and interests
  • family
  • hobbies
  • professions

What kind of warm-up activities work best in your language classes? Let us know!

More warm-up activities