When teaching English, daily routine conversations are essential for beginners and post-beginners. These conversations help students gain confidence in speaking about familiar topics. Check out this post with some super fun questions to use, plus grab a free download scene 'picture prompt' below.
For tips on how to encourage ESL learners to speak more confidently in class, check out this helpful guide on How to Get ESL Learners to Speak. It offers actionable strategies to improve speaking skills.
Here are 20 practical questions to boost their routine vocabulary and sentence structure:
- What time do you wake up every day?
- Do you have breakfast in the morning? What do you usually eat?
- How do you get to work or school?
- What time does your school/work start?
- What do you do in the evening after school/work?
- Do you watch TV every day? What shows do you like to watch?
- When do you go to bed?
- How long do you work or study each day?
- Do you exercise regularly? When and where?
- Do you cook dinner? What do you cook?
- How often do you do laundry?
- What time do you usually have lunch?
- Do you take breaks during your work or study time?
- How do you relax after a busy day?
- Do you go to the gym or participate in any activities in the evening?
- What’s your weekend routine like?
- How do you prepare for your day in the morning?
- What do you do in your free time after school/work?
- How often do you clean your house?
- Do you listen to music during your daily routine?
These questions can help ESL learners engage in practical conversations, asking about everyday activities and routines in English.
Teaching Daily Routine English Sentences
Once students understand the questions, it's important to guide them on how to respond using basic English routine sentences. Focus on simple present tense as it's most commonly used to describe daily actions and routines. Here's how to structure these sentences:
Subject + Verb + Object
Example: I wake up at 7 AM.
Students should practice with various verbs like: wake up, eat, go, leave, return, sleep, and more.Yes/No Questions
Example: Do you have breakfast in the morning?
Response: Yes, I do. I usually eat toast.Time Expressions
Encourage using common time expressions like:- In the morning, At night, On weekdays, In the evening, Every day.
Make sure to emphasize subject-verb agreement, especially when using third-person singular verbs (e.g., he eats, she goes).
Teaching daily tasks like operating a washer and dryer can be made easier with listening and conversation practice. Check out this Listening/Conversation Activity on Operating Washer and Dryer to add variety to your lessons.
If you're looking for a fun and interactive way to get your students practicing parts of speech, the Pair-Work Speaking Game on Parts of Speech is a great classroom activity for ESL learners.
How to Use This Scene Picture Prompt
One fun and interactive way to practice English routine conversation is through scene picture prompts. You can create an engaging classroom activity by printing a scene picture on poster paper and using it as a prompt for discussion.
For a fun way to engage your students with simple conversation, use these Printable Would You Rather Questions that are perfect for practicing decision-making vocabulary and speaking skills.
Steps for Using the Scene Picture Prompt:
- Print on Large Poster Paper: Choose a vibrant, detailed image that showcases people engaged in different activities (e.g., students getting ready for school, people commuting, or a family having dinner).
- Divide Students into Small Groups: Break your class into groups of 3 students for more focused conversation.
- Provide Questions: Place 5-10 conversation questions related to the scene around the picture. For example:
- What time do the people in the picture wake up?
- How do they get to work or school?
- What do they do in the evening?
- Answer and Discuss: Students should discuss the questions with their group members and practice making sentences. Encourage them to use proper sentence structure and correct verb forms.
- Rotate Groups: After a few minutes, rotate groups to ensure that students get to work with different classmates and hear various answers.
This approach encourages student interaction, helping them practice English in a practical, conversational setting.
Learn how to incorporate real-world scenarios into your lessons with the Text at the Restaurant activity. This will help your students practice everyday conversation topics in a restaurant setting.Grab your free download by signing into the site below to unlock the picture:
Extension Activities for the English Routine Conversation Practice
Once your students are comfortable with basic English routine conversations, there are several extension activities to make the learning process even more engaging and effective.
Help your students explore fall-themed vocabulary and reading comprehension with Reading Text ESL Pumpkins. It's a fun way to incorporate seasonal learning while improving reading skills.
1. Create Personal Daily Routines
- Have each student create their own daily routine chart with time-specific activities, such as when they wake up, when they eat, and when they go to bed.
- Let them present their routines to the class using complete sentences.
2. Pairwork and Role-Playing
- Pair students together to practice asking and answering routine questions. Each student can take turns being the interviewer and the interviewee.
- Encourage role-playing scenarios, such as one student pretending to be a busy parent, while the other asks about their daily routine.
3. Flashcard Activities
- Use flashcards with pictures depicting various daily routine activities (e.g., brushing teeth, eating breakfast).
- Ask students to form sentences based on the pictures, such as: She brushes her teeth at 8 AM.
4. Group Discussion on Weekend Routines
- Have students discuss what they do on the weekend versus their weekday routine. This activity can lead to lively discussions, which help students practice comparative language.
5. Video/Audio Clips of Daily Routines
- Show a short video or play an audio clip of a person describing their daily routine.
- Ask students to listen and then answer questions or summarize the routine in their own words.