ESL Activities

ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans, Jobs & More

  • Warm-Up
  • Listen
  • Read
  • Speak
  • Write
  • Jobs
  • Podcast

in Listening· Reading· Speaking· Writing

Teaching Collocations: ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans & Worksheets

If you’re looking for some of the best tips and ideas for teaching collocations, then you’re certainly in the right place. We have the best ESL collocation activities and games, plus worksheets, lesson plans and other resources. Keep on reading for all the details that you need to know to make a killer lesson plan!

teaching-collocations-esl

How to teach collocations to English learners.

What is a Collocation?

A collocation is a group of words that occur together more frequently than just by random chance. For example, a cup of tea, do homework, make the bed.

ESL Collocations Games and Activities

Let’s get into the best collocations ESL activities and games to consider trying out with your students.

#1: Flyswat Game

If you want to create some fun and excitement in classes with kids or adults, then try out this flyswatter game. Think of a number of target collocations and then write down half of the phrases or words on the board.

For example, if your collocations are as follows: make the bed, cup of tea, play soccer, then write down the following on the board in a random fashion:

  • the bed
  • cup of
  • soccer

One student from each team comes up to the board and takes a flyswatter. Then, say the missing part of the collocation. For example, “tea.” The first student to slap, “cup of” gets a chance to say the correct phrase, “cup of tea.” If correct, they get one point for their team.

Erase that word and write a new one in its place. Try out this fun game today! Oh, and be sure to allow for other possibilities. Sometimes my students surprise me and come up with something that I didn’t even think of.

Flyswat Game.

#2: Concentration Collocation Game

A fun way for students to practice new collocations is this memory game. It’s essentially a matching game that is played in small groups and kids love it equally as adults! Try it out today:

Concentration ESL Memory Game.

#3: Password Game

Try out this fun TEFL game where students have to describe a secret word and the other students have to guess what it is. Of course, make sure the secret words are the target vocabulary for that day and then you have a really nice review activity. Find out more here:

ESL Password Game.

More English Collocations in Dialogue: Master Hundreds of Collocations in American English Quickly...
6 Reviews
More English Collocations in Dialogue: Master Hundreds of Collocations in American English Quickly...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 147 Pages - 02/24/2021 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

#4: Plan a Collocations ESL Speaking Lesson

It’s easier than you might think! Find out how here:

#5: Daily Routine ESL Activities

Talking about routines involves a ton of collocations. Here are just a few off the top of my head!

  • Make the bed
  • Get up
  • Go to sleep
  • Brush my teeth
  • Make dinner
  • Eat lunch

That’s why this topic is a nice choice for a lesson on collocations. Here are some of the best ideas:

ESL Daily Routine Activity Ideas.

#6: Is that Sentence Correct?

This is a quick review activity for the last couple of minutes of class. Write down a few sentences on the board containing the target vocabulary. Some have mistakes while others don’t. Students have to say which ones are incorrect and make the required changes.

It’s the ideal “filler” activity. Try it out today:

ESL Sentence Correction Activity.

collocations-esl

Collocations ESL activities

#7: Dictogloss Listening Activity

Try out this challenging listening activity with your more advanced level students. Find, or write a passage with lots of the target vocabulary.

Then, put students into pairs and read it out at a faster than usual pace for the level of students. Students can take notes and then compare with a partner to try to recreate what they just heard. Read it out again and students repeat the process. Finally, each pair can compare what they have with the original. Find out more:

ESL Dictogloss Activity.

#8: Dialogue Substitution

#9: ESL Surveys and Questionairres

Just ask my students and they’ll tell you that I love to use surveys in my classes, especially at the end of class as a kind of round-up activity. In this case, the survey questions can be related to the target vocabulary for the lesson.

With a bit of practice, it’s super easy to make your own TEFL surveys in just a few minutes. Find out why I like this engaging, 4-skills activity so much!

ESL Surveys.

#10: ESL Holiday Lessons

Holidays, out of all the other topics to consider for this kind of lesson, have a wealth of collocations. Here are just a few out of the thousands:

  • Easter egg hunt
  • Christmas tree
  • wrapping presents
  • turkey dinner
  • decorating eggs
  • giving thanks

Here are some ideas for games and activities for a holiday-themed lesson:

ESL Christmas Games

Thanksgiving ESL Activities

ESL Easter Lessons

#11: Dictation Practice

Dictation is kind of an old-school TEFL activity but it still has some value! I like to bring it into the mix every once in a while and I find that the more introverted students really seem to enjoy it. Plus, it’s some serious listening practice.

In this case, use a bunch of the target collocations in the sentences that you’re reading out. Once students are finished dictating the sentences and checking their answers, have them work together in a small group to decide which words could be considered collocations, that is occurring together more frequently than normal.

#12: Error Correction Relay Race

I love this activity because it takes what’s old (error correction) and makes it new again. It turns it from a solo activity into a game that requires a ton of teamwork.

It’s easy to focus this game on whatever you want, including collocations. I generally make some errors such as:

  • glass of tea (cup or mug)
  • do soccer (play)
  • drinking pizza (eating pizza)

The errors, of course, depend on the target vocabulary and the level of the students. Find out more about it:

Error Correction Relay Race.

#13: Collocations Vocabulary Auction

#14: Mixed up Sentences

This is a quick activity that makes a nice review exercise or homework option. Make up some sentences with the target words or phrases. Then, mix them up in terms of word order within the sentence. Students have to unscramble them. If done in class, I usually get students to work in pairs.

Want to find out more? Have a look:

ESL Mixed Up Sentence Activity.

#15: Ball Toss ESL Collocation Game

Try out this activity that’s ideal for kids or adults. It’s better suited to smaller classes to make it more student-centred, although you could have multiple balls and break the class up into smaller groups as well.

On the ball, write down words that lend themselves well to collocations. For example: tea, soccer, TV. Then, students toss the ball gently to each other and check where their right thumb is when they catch the call. If it’s on TV, they have to say a collocation using that word. For example: watch TV.

Find out more:

Ball Toss ESL Game.

#16: Collocations to Describe Appearance

There are a ton of collocations that are used to describe appearance. Just a few examples:

  • tall, dark, and handsome.
  • short, brown hair
  • blue eyes

Here are some of my recommendations for teaching this unit:

ESL Describing Appearance.

esl-collocation-

ESL collocation activities

#17: Fill in the Blank Worksheet

A nice way to test students on collocations is with a fill in the blank exercise. For example:

  • a bar of ____ (soap)
  • _____ and lightning (thunder)
  • zip up your _____ (pants/jacket)
  • burger and _____ (fries/beer)

Collocations ESL Worksheets

If you want to give students some more practice opportunities, here are some of the best worksheets to consider using. They’re ideal for in-class or for a homework assignment.

ISL Collective

ESL Flow

ESL Galaxy

Collocation ESL Lesson Plans

If you’re a teacher, then you already know how much time it can save to use a ready-made lesson. After all, why do all the hard work when another teacher has already done it? Here are some of our top picks:

https://www.esl-galaxy.com/collocation.htmlFree English Lesson Plans

British Council 

ESL Brains

One Stop English

Collocations Dialogues and Practice

English Collocations in Dialogue: Master Hundreds of Collocations in American English Quickly and...
37 Reviews
English Collocations in Dialogue: Master Hundreds of Collocations in American English Quickly and...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 70 Pages - 01/01/2021 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

A nice way to give students more practice with these words that occur commonly together is with this practice book that you can find on Amazon: English Collocations in Dialogue.

You’ll find dozens of dialogues that contain hundreds of collocations. There’s a vocabulary focus and then an opportunity for English learners to put it all into practice.

You can find the book in both digital and print formats. Check it out for yourself here:

check-price-on-amazon

Have your Say about Teaching Collocations

Do you have a go-to game or activity that you’d like to recommend? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think about it. We’d love to hear from you.

Also, be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy teachers, like yourself find this useful resource.

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 60 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at:
YouTube
Facebook
Pinterest
TikTok
LinkedIn
Instagram

« Top 10 American English Idioms | Speak English Fluently
Fill in the Blank Games and Activities for ESL | Fill-in-the-blanks »
Great Debates for ESL/EFL: 39 Important Debating Topics for English Learners
Great Debates for ESL/EFL: 39 Important Debating Topics for English Learners
Check Price on Amazon
103 Fun ESL Games & Activities for the Classroom : Interactive, Minimal Prep TEFL Ideas for All Ages
103 Fun ESL Games & Activities for the Classroom : Interactive, Minimal Prep TEFL Ideas for All Ages
Check Price on Amazon
67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
Check Price on Amazon
Sale 1001 English Expressions and Phrases: Common Sentences and Dialogues Used by Native English Speakers...
1001 English Expressions and Phrases: Common Sentences and Dialogues Used by Native English Speakers...
Check Price on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. What does this mean? I recommend products (only ones that I like) and if you purchase a product through that link, I earn some money.

Sale 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
Check Price on Amazon

Search this Site

Sale 39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
Check Price on Amazon
esl-food-and-drinks-games

ESL Food Games and Activities | Fun Food and Drink Games for ESL

all about me worksheets

All About Me ESL Worksheets, Lesson Plans, Activities & More

christmas classroom activities

ESL Christmas Activities + Games, Worksheets, Vocabulary, Lesson Plans

fill in the blank activities

Fill in the Blank Games and Activities for ESL | Fill-in-the-blanks

english idioms

Top 10 American English Idioms | Speak English Fluently

Sale 101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
Check Price on Amazon
  • About + Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Top Selling ESL Activity Book

39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults (Teaching ESL Conversation and...
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults (Teaching ESL Conversation and...
Check Price on Amazon

Search

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

More ESL Activities and Games

esl-review-games

ESL Review Games & Activities: Ideas for English Review in Class

list-of-topics-to-debate

Debate Topics: Funny, Silly, Controversial, Interesting and More!

one-on-one-activities-esl-tutoring

One on One Tutoring: ESL Activities for 1-1 | Ideas to Tutor ESL Students

reflexive-games

Reflexive Pronoun Activities, Games, Worksheets & Lesson Plans

About, Contact, Privacy Policy

Best-selling author and English teacher Jackie Bolen has been talking ESL activities and games since 2015. The goal is to bring you the best ideas, lesson plans, and activity recommendations for your TEFL classes.

Get in touch: About + Contact

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Email: [email protected]

Pinterest

Facebook

TikTok

YouTube

LinkedIn

Address: 2436 Kelly Ave, Port Coquitlam, Canada

Copyright © 2023 Jackie Bolen + ESL Activities. All rights reserved.