One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about teaching in Thailand is trying different classroom activities and seeing what students respond to best. Every class is different, so there’s never one activity that’s guaranteed to work every single time. Over the last few months, I’ve found that the key is keeping lessons varied and not relying on the same type of activity every week.

Some students love speaking activities, others prefer writing, and some really enjoy a bit of friendly competition. The more you get to know your classes, the easier it becomes to figure out what works best for them.

Kahoot and Blooket are probably two of the most popular classroom games, and for good reason.

They’re brilliant for revising vocabulary, checking understanding and bringing a bit of energy into the classroom. Students enjoy the competitive side of them, especially when they can see the leaderboard as they play.

That being said, I don’t think they’re something you should rely on every lesson.

It’s very easy to fall into the habit of using online quizzes because they’re quick to prepare and students generally enjoy them. However, I’ve found that if you use them too often, some students start losing interest. Occasionally, you’ll even find students getting distracted and going onto other apps instead.

For me, they’re a great tool, but they work best when they’re just one part of your lesson rather than the whole lesson.

One of my favourite classroom activities is probably the simplest one.

I bring a small foam or plastic ball into class and ask questions based on the topic we’re learning that week.

For example, if we’re learning about animals, I might ask:

• What’s your favourite animal?
• Can you name three farm animals?
• Which animal lives in the sea?

Whoever catches the ball answers the question before choosing another classmate to throw it to.

It’s a really relaxed way of getting students speaking, and because they don’t know who’s going to receive the ball next, everyone stays engaged. I also find students are much more willing to speak when the activity feels like a game rather than being asked individually by the teacher.

Pictionary is another activity that always seems to go down well.

I’ll invite one student to the board to draw one of the vocabulary words while the rest of the class guesses what it is.

One thing I’ve found works really well is letting the student at the board choose who goes next instead of me.

It sounds like a small detail, but I’ve noticed students are much more relaxed when their friends choose them. It creates a really nice classroom atmosphere and means everyone usually gets a turn without anyone feeling embarrassed or singled out.

Another activity I use quite a lot is an online wheel generator.

I’ll add all of my students’ names, spin the wheel and whoever it lands on answers the next question or practises the next conversation.

It’s such a simple idea, but students genuinely love it.

Because it’s completely random, everyone pays attention and it avoids the teacher always choosing the same students to answer questions.

One thing that surprised me was how much students actually enjoy worksheets.

Sometimes there’s a misconception that every lesson has to be full of games and speaking activities, but that’s not always the case.

I’ve found that some classes really enjoy having a quieter lesson where they can complete activities at their own pace.

Things like word searches, crosswords, matching exercises, bingo and gap-fill activities based on that week’s vocabulary all work really well.

Worksheets are also a great opportunity for students to practise their writing, which is really important as they’ll need these skills when it comes to their school exams.

Having a balance between speaking, listening, reading and writing activities has worked much better than trying to make every lesson a game.

One of the best teaching tips I’ve picked up is simply asking students what they enjoy.

At the beginning of the school year, I asked my classes what kinds of games and activities they liked doing in English lessons.

Not only did it give me plenty of new ideas, but I think the students appreciated having their opinions listened to.

Sometimes they’ll suggest games you’ve never heard of before, while other times they’ll tell you exactly which activities they enjoy most.

It’s a really simple thing to do, but it helps create lessons that students actually look forward to.

You definitely don’t need to come up with every activity yourself.

Whenever I’m looking for inspiration, I’ll usually check websites like the British Council and ESL.com. You can simply search for the topic you’re teaching, and there are hundreds of worksheets, speaking activities and classroom resources available for free.

I also get loads of ideas from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. There are so many TEFL and ESL teachers who share activities they’ve used successfully in their own classrooms. Even if you don’t copy an activity exactly, it can often give you inspiration that you can adapt to suit your own students.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is to keep trying new ideas. Some activities will work brilliantly, while others might not and that’s completely normal. Every class is different, so don’t be afraid to experiment, ask your students for feedback and find what works best for your classroom.