ESL Activities

ESL lesson planning made easy!

  • Warm-Up
  • Listen
  • Read
  • Speak
  • Write
  • Jobs & TEFL Cert

in Icebreakers + Warm-Ups· Reading· Speaking· Writing

Word Association Activity

Let's TEFL
word-association-activity

Word Association Activity

This word association activity is an ideal way to help students activate prior knowledge that they might have about a topic. Or, you can use it at the end of a unit to show students how much they have learned!

The key to having a happy ESL classroom is to mix things up in your classes. After all, nobody likes doing the same thing over and over again. Try out some new activities today…here’s a simple vocabulary one you can start with.

Table of Contents

  • Word Association ESL Vocabulary Activity
  • Word Association Game Examples
  • Word Associations Worksheets
  • Did you Like Word Associations?
  • Word Association ESL Vocabulary Activity
  • Games, Activities & ESL Teaching Tips

Word Association ESL Vocabulary Activity

Skills: Reading/writing/speaking

Age: 7+ (must be able to read + write)

Materials Required: Workbook or butcher paper and pens

Word Association is an ESL vocabulary activity that can be used to introduce a new topic, lesson, theme, etc. You have to write a single relevant word in the middle of the board or paper and have students take turns adding as many words or images related to that word as possible.

For example…the centre word could be “school.” Some of the other branches could be subjects (Math, English, History, Gym, etc) while another branch could be school supplies (pen, paper, ruler, etc.) Finally, you might have one about recess or break time (play games, tag, climb, jump, swing set). And keep going with more associations from there.

The subject or topic can be whatever you’re teaching that day. Another topic it works well for is body parts. Check out some more parts of the body activities here.

For large classes, have students work in groups with separate pieces of paper taped to the wall or the top of the table/ grouped desks. After a given amount of time (3-5 minutes, or when you see no one is adding anything new), discuss their answers.

It’s also a nice activity for teaching English online so give it a try today!

Teaching Tips for This ESL Vocabulary Activity

For large classes, butcher paper works best, so more students can write at one time. If that isn’t possible, have 5-6 board markers available.

If using butcher paper, prepare in advance, including taping to the wall, unless students will be working at their desks. Finally, if students will be working at their desks, write the word on each table’s page in advance, but don’t hand them out until you have given your instructions.

This activity is often quite a fun way to start off a holiday themed class. For even more ideas, check out: ESL Christmas Activities and Games.

English Teaching Emergency: No Textbook, No-Prep, No Materials ESL/EFL Activities and Games for Busy...
4 Reviews
English Teaching Emergency: No Textbook, No-Prep, No Materials ESL/EFL Activities and Games for Busy...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 65 Pages - 11/12/2019 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

Procedure for Word Association Game

1. Write a single word relevant to your new topic, lesson, or theme on the white board or butcher paper.

2. Have students take turns adding as many words or images related to that word as possible. My rule is that each student has to add at least one word, no matter how small.

3. After 3-5 minutes (or less, if no one is adding anything new), discuss their answers.

4. For larger classes, put students into groups of 4-6 and let them work together on this. You can choose the most well-organized one to show as an example to the rest of the class. And these papers can act as resources for the rest of the class.

word-association-activity

Word Associations Activity for ESL

Follow-Up to this Word Association Activity

You may wish to spend quite a bit of time teaching your students how to do mind-mapping, or brainstorming the first time they do it. This is because it can be a very useful skill that they can take with them to all of their classes. It’s often a great first step before doing almost any kind of writing task or project.

Remember to teach your students that they’re not to edit their ideas at this point. Just to write down anything that comes to mind. And that they should also be doing this very quickly.

Word Association Game Examples

If you want to see this fun vocabulary activity in action, check out this short video below:

Word Associations Worksheets

Do you want to give your students some extra practice with this kind of thing? The good news is that there are a ton of great word association exercises online that you can just print off and use in your classes. If that’s not some ESL teaching gold then I’m not sure what it! Here are some of the best options:

ISL Collective

ESL Printables

ESL Galaxy

Did you Like Word Associations?

39 ESL Warm-Ups: For English Teachers of Kids (7+) Who Want to Get their TEFL Classes Started Off...
1 Reviews
39 ESL Warm-Ups: For English Teachers of Kids (7+) Who Want to Get their TEFL Classes Started Off...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 74 Pages - 09/11/2015 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

Do you love this English vocabulary Activity? Then you’re going to love this book over on Amazon: 39 ESL Warm-Ups for Kids. There are almost 40 top-quality ESL warm-ups and icebreakers to help you get your classes started off in style. Help ease your students into using English and get them ready for the main part of the lesson ahead.

English warm-up activities and games are the perfect way to review ESL Vocabulary from previous classes. Do it the tricky way—without students even realizing what you’re doing!

The authors of the book have decades of experience teaching kids, teenagers, university students and adults. Learn from their experience about how to help your students actually learn English.

39 ESL Warm-Ups is available in both print and digital formats. The (cheaper!) digital copy can be ready on any device by downloading the free Kindle reading app. It’s super easy to have fun, engaging ESL warm-ups at your fingertips anywhere you might plan your lessons.

You can check out the book for yourself over on Amazon:

—>39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Kids (7+)<—

Learn more about Student-Centered Language Teaching

Word association activities usually draw on student’s prior knowledge, making this an excellent example of student-centred language teaching. Check out this short video for even more details about this style of language teaching:

Word Association ESL Vocabulary Activity

Do you like this activity, or do you have some other favourite word association games? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you.

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

word-association-game

Word association game

 

Last update on 2021-01-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Related posts:

word-category-gamesWord Categories Games & Activities for English Learners English-grammar-activityIs that Sentence Correct? | Sentence Correction Activity for ESL/EFL esl-thanksgiving-activitiesThanksgiving ESL Activities, Games, Worksheets, Lesson Plans freeze-writing-activity-eslFreeze Group Writing Activity for English Learners esl-clothing-activitiesESL Clothing Activities and Games: Top 20
Let's TEFL

Games, Activities & ESL Teaching Tips

* indicates required

More Resources

101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
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
Advanced English Conversation Dialogues: Speak English Like a Native Speaker with Common Idioms and...
Advanced English Conversation Dialogues: Speak English Like a Native Speaker with Common Idioms and...
Check Price on Amazon
« Mystery Box Game For Kids | Guess What’s in the Box Activity
Dictogloss ESL Listening Game »

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.

101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
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
Advanced English Conversation Dialogues: Speak English Like a Native Speaker with Common Idioms and...
Advanced English Conversation Dialogues: Speak English Like a Native Speaker with Common Idioms and...
Check Price on Amazon
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
Check Price on Amazon
English Collocations in Dialogue: Master Hundreds of Collocations in American English Quickly and...
English Collocations in Dialogue: Master Hundreds of Collocations in American English Quickly and...
Check Price on Amazon
101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online: Practical Ideas, Games, Activities & Tips...
101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online: Practical Ideas, Games, Activities & Tips...
Check Price on Amazon
101 ESL Activities: For Teachers of Kids (6-13) Who Want to Have Fun, Engaging and Interactive...
101 ESL Activities: For Teachers of Kids (6-13) Who Want to Have Fun, Engaging and Interactive...
Check Price on Amazon
Business English Vocabulary Builder: Idioms, Phrases, and Expressions in American English (Tips for...
Business English Vocabulary Builder: Idioms, Phrases, and Expressions in American English (Tips for...
Check Price on Amazon

Search this Site

Let's-TEFL

Recent Articles

  • Debate Topics: Funny, Silly, Controversial, Interesting and More!
  • ESL Writing Activities, Games, Worksheets & Lesson Plans
  • ESL Activities for Kindergarten: Top 25 ESL Kindergarten Activities

Disclosure Statement

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • 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

More ESL Activities and Games

ESL Number Games and Activities | Teaching English Numbers & Maths

Ultimate Essay Writing Guide

ESL Brochure Scanning Activity | ESL Brochures

Teach Past Tense: ESL Activities, Games, Lesson Plans & More

Search

About, Contact, Privacy Policy

We’ve been talking ESL since 2015 and our goal is to bring you the best, unbiased recommendations.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Get in touch: About + Contact

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Email: [email protected]

ESL Activities on Pinterest

ESL Activities on Facebook

Copyright © 2021 Jackie Bolen + ESL Activities. All rights reserved.