Teaching Grammar Without Boring Your Students: Fun TEFL Activities That Work

📚 Introduction:

Let’s be honest: grammar can feel dry, both for students and teachers. But it doesn’t have to be. TEFL instructors can make grammar interactive, fun, and relevant by using activities that go beyond worksheets. Here are classroom-tested ideas that make grammar stick.

🧠 Grammar Activities Your Students Will Actually Enjoy

1. Grammar Auction

Write sentences (some correct, some incorrect) on slips of paper. Students “bid” on the ones they think are correct — a competitive and hilarious way to review.

2. Board Race – Grammar Challenge

Divide the class into teams. Give a grammar prompt (e.g., "past tense sentence") and have one student from each team race to write a correct example on the board.

3. Sentence Scramble

Jumble a grammatically correct sentence. Students race to rearrange the words into the correct order — great for syntax and structure.

4. Role Play with Grammar Targets

Use scenarios like “ordering at a restaurant” or “planning a trip” and assign grammar forms to be used, such as modal verbs or future tense.

5. Grammar Detective

Give students a paragraph with hidden grammar mistakes. They work in teams to find and correct them, building editing and recognition skills.

The key to successful grammar teaching is turning it into a problem-solving activity — one where students interact with rules in a hands-on, personal way. When grammar feels like a game, it becomes something students look forward to.