40+ Dynamic Activities for Teaching a Foreign Language

When teaching a Foreign Language, it is essential to keep students motivated and engaged. Using dynamic and entertaining activities makes learning more enjoyable and effective. Below, I share some of the best activities I have implemented with my students, focusing on the different language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and their sub-skills.

1. Fill in the Blank
This activity involves providing sentences or texts with blank spaces that students must fill with the correct word. It’s ideal for reviewing grammar topics like verb conjugation or the use of prepositions, and for reinforcing vocabulary. It can be adapted to different levels of difficulty depending on the needs of the group.
Skills worked on: Reading.
Sub-skills: Grammatical knowledge, lexical precision.

2. Multiple Choice
Students must select the correct answer from multiple options after reading a text or listening to an audio. This activity reinforces reading or listening comprehension and is useful for identifying common errors and reviewing key grammatical structures.
Skills worked on: Reading, listening.
Sub-skills: Identification of grammatical structures.

3. Crossword Puzzle
Crossword puzzles help reinforce vocabulary and spelling, as students must associate clues with words that fit into a limited number of spaces. You can adapt crosswords for specific topics like weather, food, or sports.
Skills worked on: Reading, writing.
Sub-skills: Word recognition, spelling, lexical precision.

4. Organize the Story
Students must arrange parts of a story to give it coherence. This exercise is ideal for developing sequencing skills and global comprehension, as it requires students to identify the logical order of events.
Skills worked on: Reading and listening comprehension.
Sub-skills: Sequencing of events, identification of main ideas, logical thinking.

5. Arrange Words to Form Sentences
This activity consists of organizing scrambled words to form coherent sentences. It helps students better understand Spanish sentence structure, with special attention to subject-verb-complement agreement.
Skills worked on: Writing.
Sub-skills: Sentence structure, grammatical agreement.

6. Vocabulary Race
This quick and exciting activity challenges students to recall words quickly. You can show images or keywords, and students must say the related vocabulary within a limited time.
Skills worked on: Speaking.
Sub-skills: Verbal fluency, lexical precision.

7. Memory
Students match words or images on cards. This helps them work on visual and auditory memory while reinforcing vocabulary. It’s an excellent game for pairs or small groups.
Skills worked on: Reading, listening.
Sub-skills: Lexical association, information retention.

8. Taboo
The student must describe a word without using certain prohibited terms while the rest of the class tries to guess it. This activity encourages creativity and verbal fluency, forcing students to find ways to describe concepts without using the most obvious words.
Skills worked on: Speaking.
Sub-skills: Description, verbal fluency, paraphrasing ability.

9. Interview a Classmate
Students interview each other on an assigned topic. It’s ideal for practicing questions and answers, as well as promoting social interaction and confidence in using the language in real-life situations.
Skills worked on: Speaking, listening, oral interaction.
Sub-skills: Question formulation, listening comprehension, interpersonal skills.

10. Gossip Sheet
In this activity, each student writes questions about personal life that they then ask their classmates, writing their answers in their notebooks. It’s a fun way to practice interrogative structures and work on oral interaction in a relaxed, social environment. It’s important to review the students' questions beforehand to prevent any inappropriate questions.
Skills worked on: Writing, speaking, oral interaction.
Sub-skills: Question formulation, socialization, conversational skills.

11. Picture Stories
Show a series of images, and students must create a story based on them. This activity works on fluency and coherence in narration, allowing them to use their creativity to build original stories.
Skills worked on: Speaking, writing, oral production.
Sub-skills: Sequencing of events, creative storytelling.

12. Sorting into Groups
Students must sort words or phrases into categories such as masculine/feminine, singular/plural, regular/irregular verbs. This helps students intuitively identify patterns and grammatical rules.
Sub-skills: Grammar, vocabulary, classification, recognition of grammatical categories.

13.  Hidden Image Pictures
Show a picture covered with colors. As students correctly answer questions, the image is gradually revealed, and they must guess what it is. This activity is ideal for visually reinforcing vocabulary.
Skills worked on: Speaking, listening.
Sub-skills: Vocabulary recognition, listening comprehension.

14. Tic-Tac-Toe
Create a tic-tac-toe board with grammar or vocabulary questions. Students must answer correctly to place their mark on the board. It’s a playful way to practice grammar structures and vocabulary.
Sub-skills: Grammatical accuracy, pronunciation, word recognition.

15. What’s Missing?
Show a series of objects or images related to the vocabulary being learned, then remove one. Students must identify which one is missing, promoting memory and visual attention.
Sub-skills: Vocabulary retention, attention to detail.

16. Simon Says
This classic game allows practice of imperatives in Spanish. Students must follow instructions only when the teacher says “Simon says,” making it a fun, dynamic way to work on grammar physically.
Skills worked on: Listening comprehension, oral production.
Sub-skills: Grammar, following instructions.

17. Charades
Students act out words or phrases without speaking, while their classmates try to guess what they are representing. This is an excellent way to practice vocabulary in a fun and physical way.
Skills worked on: Speaking.
Sub-skills: Description, vocabulary, non-verbal communication.

18. Word Search
Word searches are an excellent way to reinforce specific vocabulary. You can create them with words from themes students are learning, such as foods, countries, or animals.
Skills worked on: Reading.
Sub-skills: Word recognition, spelling.

19. Stop
This game challenges students to write words that start with a specific letter in various categories (animals, names, cities, etc.). It works on both vocabulary and quick thinking.
Skills worked on: Writing.
Sub-skills: Spelling, quick thinking.

20. The Price is Right
In this activity, students must guess the price of various objects, working on numbers and the ability to express quantities correctly in Spanish.
Skills worked on: Speaking.
Sub-skills: Use of large numbers (vocabulary), verbal fluency.

21. Debate
Students debate on an assigned topic, developing their ability to argue and defend their ideas in Spanish. It’s an excellent way to practice speaking in a formal context.
Skills Practiced: Speaking, listening.
Subskills: Argumentation, expressing opinions, listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary.

22. Complete the Grammar Chart
Students complete a chart of verb conjugations or identify the correct forms based on grammatical tense or mood. It’s an excellent activity to reinforce grammar.
Subskills: Grammar, writing, logic.

23. Dictation
The teacher reads a text aloud, and students must write it down exactly as they hear it. It’s a great activity to improve writing accuracy, listening skills, and spelling. The speed and complexity of the dictation can be adjusted based on the level.
Skills Practiced: Listening, writing.
Subskills: Listening comprehension, spelling accuracy, correct use of punctuation.

24. Draw and Guess
Similar to charades, but in this activity, students draw a word or phrase instead of acting it out, while others try to guess what it is. It’s ideal for practicing vocabulary visually and creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Skills Practiced: Speaking, vocabulary.
Subskills: Description, non-verbal communication, visual association.

25. Personal Journal
Students keep a journal where they write about their daily life, thoughts, or reflections. It’s a great activity to improve writing and practice verb tenses in a personal and reflective context.
Skills Practiced: Writing.
Subskills: Personal expression, use of verb tenses, coherence, and cohesion in writing.

26. Bingo
Students have bingo cards with different verbs in various conjugated forms. As the teacher calls out infinitives or phrases, students identify the correct conjugation on their cards and mark it. The first to complete a line or the whole card wins. You can also use Bingo to practice vocabulary and listening.
Skills Practiced: Listening.
Subskills: Grammar, vocabulary.

27. Guess Who
A student thinks of a character (famous, historical, or fictional), and the others ask yes-or-no questions to guess who it is. This activity helps practice question formulation and oral interaction.
Skills Practiced: Speaking, listening.
Subskills: Question formulation, listening comprehension, logical thinking.

28. Who Am I?
Similar to "Guess Who," but with a personal twist. Each student writes a brief description of themselves (or another character) on a paper. Then, the papers are mixed, and each student takes one to read aloud and try to guess who wrote it.
Skills Practiced: Reading, listening, oral interaction.
Subskills: Grammar, vocabulary.

29. I Spy with my little eye
This classic game can easily be adapted for the Spanish classroom. A student chooses an object they can see in the classroom or in an image without revealing it to others. Instead, they offer clues to their classmates using the structure "I spy... something that starts with the letter…/ is [color]/ big, small, etc." Other students then ask questions to guess the object.
Skills Practiced: Listening, oral interaction.
Subskills: Vocabulary (colors, shapes, sizes, etc.).

30. Collective Storytelling: The Worst Day of My Life
In this activity, students build a story together, with each student adding a part to the narrative. The theme can vary according to the group’s level, but in this case, the theme will be "The Worst Day of My Life." Each student contributes a sentence or short paragraph that connects with the previous student’s contribution.
Skills Practiced: Speaking, listening, writing.
Subskills: Storytelling, organizing ideas, oral interaction, creativity.

31. Zoom In
This visual activity challenges students to guess what object or image they’re seeing as it’s shown in an enlarged view that gradually zooms out. It starts with a close-up view of a part of the image, making identification difficult. As the "zoom" reduces, the full image is slowly revealed, allowing students to make increasingly accurate guesses.
Skills Practiced: Speaking.
Subskills: Hypothesis formulation, vocabulary, observation.

32. Arrange the Letters to Form Words
Students must order letters to form words.
Skills Practiced: Reading, writing.
Subskills: Word formation, recognition of phonetic patterns, visual memory, spelling, phonological awareness.

33. Hangman
The classic hangman game can be used to practice vocabulary. Students guess the word letter by letter.
Subskills: Vocabulary, spelling, letter recognition.

34. Spot the Errors
Provide students with a text containing grammatical or vocabulary errors. They must identify and correct them, helping them develop self-editing skills and grammatical precision.
Skills Practiced: Reading.
Subskills: Identifying grammatical errors, and text revision.

35. Role Play
Students simulate everyday situations, like going to a store or a restaurant, practicing vocabulary and grammar in a realistic and controlled environment.
Skills Practiced: Speaking, oral interaction.
Subskills: Verbal fluency, use of vocabulary in context.

36. Listen and Draw
The teacher describes a scene or object, and students must draw what they hear. This activity helps reinforce listening comprehension while stimulating creativity. It can be used to review vocabulary and assess how well students understand oral instructions.
Skills Practiced: Listening.
Subskills: Vocabulary, following instructions.

37. Word Association
The teacher says a word, and students must respond with a related word (for example, the teacher says "dog," and students could respond with "bone"). This activity helps students improve vocabulary, quick thinking, and fluency.
Skills Practiced: Speaking.
Subskills: Vocabulary, quick thinking.

38. Put Yourself in My Shoes
Students are shown a photo or illustration of someone’s shoes, and they must imagine the person's life story: What’s their name? How old are they? Where do they live? What do they like, etc.?
Skills Practiced: Oral production.
Subskills: Vocabulary, grammar, creativity.

39. True or False
Students listen to a story or read a passage, then decide if related statements are true or false. This is an excellent activity for checking comprehension and attention to detail.
Skills Practiced: Reading, listening comprehension.
Subskills: Understanding main ideas, critical thinking, attention to detail.

40. Summarize the Story
After reading or listening to a story, students should summarize it in their own words. This helps them focus on key information and improves both their reading/listening comprehension and their ability to express ideas clearly.
Skills practiced: Reading, writing, speaking.
Subskills: Summarizing, paraphrasing, coherence.

41. Odd One Out
Provide students with a list of words, and they must identify which one doesn’t belong. For example, in the list "cat, dog, bird, car," the odd one out is "car." This is a fun way to review vocabulary and develop critical thinking skills.
Subskills: Vocabulary, categorization, critical thinking.

42. Speed Dating Conversations
Students participate in short, timed conversations with each other on various topics. Each round, they change partners to ensure everyone practices speaking with different people. It’s ideal for improving fluency and conversation skills.
Skills practiced: Speaking, listening, oral interaction.
Subskills: Fluency, conversation strategies, social interaction.

43. Flashcard Challenge
Using cards, students must quickly say the word or phrase that corresponds to the image or prompt. It can be turned into a competition by timing students or awarding points for correct answers.
Skills practiced: Speaking.
Subskills: Vocabulary, quick recall, verbal fluency.

45. Find Someone Who
Students are given a list of characteristics or experiences (for example, "Find someone who has been to Spain"). They should walk around the classroom, asking questions of their classmates until they find someone who matches the description. This is a great activity to practice question formation and social interaction.
Skills practiced: Speaking, listening, oral interaction.
Subskills: Question formation, listening comprehension, social interaction.

Incorporating these activities into your classes not only makes the learning process more dynamic and fun but also helps students to fully develop their language skills. Each activity can be adjusted to the level and specific needs of the group, ensuring that students actively work on all areas of the language.