Past/Present Simple Practice Charades Activity 

 
Topic: ​Using past and/or present simple verbally 
 
Materials: 
● Create a list/ cards with actions in the past simple that students can act out 
○ Or simply verbally say them into the ear of the student whose turn it is 
to act it out 
○ Prepare a list of things students can act out beforehand  
■ Ex: brush your teeth, watch tv, walk to school, make a sandwich, 
etc 
 
Lesson Plan Breakdown: 
1. Introduce/ refresh student memory on how to transform the present simple 
to the past simple & on in which scenarios each are used 
a. Present simple = “Everyday I …” (used for routines) 
b. Past simple = “Yesterday I …” (used for something that happened in the 
past) 
2. Ask for a show of hands of who has played charades before / knows how to 
play so you can get an idea of who already understands the way the game 
works  
3. Then explain how charades is played 
a. Tell them that in charades, someone acts something out using 
motions, gestures, but no words - and the others must guess what it is 
that they are acting out  
b. Then explain this specific version of charades: tell them that one 
student will come and be given something to act out to the class - the 
student will then act it out and the class must try to guess what they 
are acting out & say a sentence of what they were acting out in [teacher 
choose whether in past or present simple or both] 
 
Ideas for Things to Have Students Act Out: 
● Brush your hair 
● Brush your teeth  
● Walk to school 
● Make a sandwich  
● Kick a football 
● Paint a picture  
● Walk my dog 
 ● Play basketball 
● Look outside the window 
● Laugh at a joke 
● Wash the dishes 
● Mail a letter 
● Lift a heavy 
● Talk to friends 
● Cook food 
● Call on the phone 
● Wash my hands 
● Jump on the floor 
 
 ------------------------

-----------------------------------
---------------------------------
play
watch TV for
basketball
ten hours
with friends
------------------------
kick a football
walk to school
into the goal
------------------------
paint a
brush my hair picture of a
flower
------------------------
smile at my walk on the
teacher beach
------------------------
play video want to go to
games all day the store
 ------------------------

-----------------------------------
---------------------------------
finish all my dance with
homework my brother
------------------------
invite my
look outside
friends to my
the window
house
------------------------
fix my broken work on a
bike project
------------------------
score a goal
watch the
playing
football game
football
------------------------
I laugh at a travel to
funny joke another city
 ------------------------

-----------------------------------
---------------------------------
help my mom
talk with my
wash the
grandma
dishes
------------------------
miss the mail a letter
metro to my friend
------------------------
learn new
twist my leg things in
english
------------------------
visit my
lift a heavy
grandma's
box
house
------------------------
promise to do
start a new
the dishes
TV show
today
 ------------------------

-----------------------------------
---------------------------------
kiss my dad cough all day
on the cheek long
------------------------
change my walk my dog
clothes at the park
------------------------
listen to plant a flower
music  in the garden
------------------------
cook dinner act in a play
with my dad
------------------------
empty the clean piles of
trash mud