☕️ 9 Warm-Ups That Actually Work in Online ESL (No Props, No Panic)
Let’s face it — starting an online ESL lesson can be a bit… awkward.
Your student’s still half-asleep, eating noodles, or just staring at you like you’ve burst in through their screen uninvited.
You’ve got 60 seconds to turn that silent screen into a classroom. What do you do?
Warmers.
Not the heater kind.
I mean short, no-prep, brain-waking, smile-inducing activities that help your student actually feel like they’re in English class.
Here are 9 of my favourite warmers — no fancy tech, no downloads, just you, your student, and a bit of imagination.
1. 📱 How Do You Know Them?
Level: A2+ | Time: 5–10 mins
Needs: Just your phones
You and your student both open your phone’s contacts.
They pick a random letter from the alphabet.
Now find someone in your contact list with that letter — and explain how you know them!
"I know Lisa — she’s my sister’s best mate from secondary school. Long story…”
It gets your student talking about real people, using past tenses and personal vocab — without them even noticing it.
✅ Works every time. Super easy. Surprisingly deep.
2. 🧠 Story Chain
Level: B1+ | Time: 5–10 mins
Needs: Just your voice and theirs
You start a story:
“Once upon a time, I woke up and found a crocodile in my bathtub.”
Then they add the next sentence.
You keep bouncing it back and forth.
Silly stories = serious fluency building.
Throw in a time challenge to spice it up.
3. 🧺 I’m Going on a Picnic…
Level: Any | Time: 5–10 mins
Needs: Just memory and giggles
A classic.
You say: “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples.”
They say: “I’m bringing apples and sandwiches.”
You say: “I’m bringing apples, sandwiches, and cake…”
You get the idea. It’s a vocab and memory race.
You will forget something and they’ll love it.
4. 🤔 Odd One Out
Level: Any | Time: 5–10 mins
Needs: Just word groups you make up
Give them a group:
“Shirt, trousers, socks, car.”
Which one doesn’t belong?
Why? What could replace it?
Great for logical thinking, categorisation, and discussion skills — even with younger learners.
💡 Pro tip: tailor the words to your theme (clothes, animals, transport, whatever you're teaching that day).
5. 🧠 Tell Me 10 Things
Level: A2+ | Time: 5 mins
Needs: Categories ready (you can wing it)
You give a category: “Fruits.”
They name 10: “Apples, bananas, pears…”
Do it with a timer. Or competitively. Or both.
Easy to adapt for any level — just change the category or the number.
6. 🔄 Word Association Ping-Pong
Level: Any | Time: 5–7 mins
Needs: Your brain (and theirs)
You say a word: “Sun.”
They say the first thing that pops into their head: “Beach.”
You say: “Sand.”
They say: “Castle.”
Keep it going until someone repeats or freezes.
Perfect for fluency, vocab activation, and loosening up the brain.
7. 🎤 What Do You Know About…?
Level: B1+ | Time: 5 mins
Needs: Just your topics
You say: “Tell me what you know about pizza.”
They get 30 seconds to think, 45 seconds to speak nonstop.
It’s like mini IELTS without the stress.
Also a great way to tailor vocab to their interests (K-pop? Dinosaurs? Up to you).
8. ❓20 Questions
Level: Any | Time: 5–10 mins
Needs: None
Think of a word (animal, food, object…).
They ask yes/no questions to figure it out.
You: “Is it an animal?”
You: “Can it fly?”
You: “Is it dangerous?”
You’ll get so many questions — and so much language — out of this game, you might forget it’s a warmer.
9. 🔤 A-to-Z Dash
Level: Any | Time: 5 mins
Needs: Your alphabet-ready voice
You say: “Tell me when to stop.”
You go: “A…B…C…”
They say: “Stop!”
Letter is: “F”
Now they have 30 seconds to say or write as many “F” words as they can.
Fish. Flower. France. Frog.
Fun. Fast. Full of vocab.
☕️ Final Sips from the Virtual Mug
You don’t need breakout rooms or breakout headaches to warm up an ESL class.
You just need the right questions, the right energy, and a touch of fun.
Warmers are your secret weapon. They:
Build fluency before the lesson starts
Break down nerves and awkward silences
Make your student forget they're even in class
Use them daily, tweak them weekly, and your students will come back smiling.
See you (warm and ready) in class.
– Gary, ESL Traveling Teacher
PalFish coach, icebreaker addict, king of the picnic game 🧺
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