Fun Summer-Themed ESL Activities
Memory Challenge: What’s in the Suitcase?
Let your students observe this summer suitcase picture for one minute. Then hide it and ask them to list as many items as they can remember. It’s a fun vocabulary recall game — and the student with the most correct answers wins!
Creative Listening: Sound Stories
Play short audio clips (e.g., birdsong, waves, footsteps, wind). Students listen carefully and write short sentences or a story using the sounds. For example: “I hear waves... I must be near the beach.”
Team Project: Summer Camp Advert
Watch this short video about summer camps, then break students into small groups. Let them create their own camp advertisements and present them in class. Great for speaking and teamwork!
Imaginative Speaking: Campfire Stories
Each student receives a random summer-themed image. One begins the story: “Once upon a time…” and others continue, using their image to add new ideas. This builds creativity and fluency.
Instagram Writing: Summer Selfies
Ask students to take or draw a summer selfie and write a short post about it using this Instagram-style template. Encourage them to be creative and humorous — it’s a great writing task with a modern twist.
Grammar Fun: Summer Mad Libs
Download a set of Summer Mad Libs worksheets. Students take turns filling in the blanks with adjectives, nouns, and verbs — then read their silly summer stories out loud!
Visual Memory: I Have Forgotten Something!
Use this spot-the-difference activity to test attention and vocabulary. Show image A, then B — one item is gone. The first to notice says, “Oh no! I’ve forgotten my…” and names the missing object.
Speaking Game: Mr X’s Holiday
Play detective with this fun guessing game. Download Mr X’s Holiday and let your students work out where he went and what he packed by asking questions and using logic.