Hobbies Board Game

Beginner (A1) 25 minutes
ESL hobbies game preview, beginner A1, sentence completion, controlled practice, group work

ESL Hobbies Board Game - Vocabulary: Sentence Completion, Controlled Practice - Group Work

In this fun hobbies board game, students review 12 hobbies and free-time activities by listening to sentences and completing them. In groups, students take turns picking up a card and reading the sentence...

ESL Hobbies Board Game - Vocabulary: Sentence Completion, Controlled Practice - Group Work In this fun hobbies board game, students review 12 hobbies and free-time activities by listening to sentences and completing them. In groups, students take turns picking up a card and reading the sentence on the card to the student on their right, saying the word 'blank' for the missing hobby or free-time activity, e.g. 'I BLANK books at home.' The student on the right listens to the sentence and chooses a hobby or free-time activity from the game board and repeats the sentence, adding in the missing word, e.g. 'I read books at home.' If the answer is correct as shown on the card, the student rolls the dice and moves their counter along the board. If the student gives an incorrect answer, they do not roll the dice. It's then the next student's turn to pick up a card, and so on. The first student to reach the finish wins the game. This resource can also be used with our 'Hobbies Flashcards and Worksheet' and 'Hobby Chain Game'.
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Hobby Chain Game

Beginner (A1) 15 minutes
ESL hobbies game preview, beginner A1, matching, controlled, group work

ESL Hobbies Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Controlled Practice - Group Work

In this engaging hobbies and free-time activities game, students practice 12 common hobbies and free-time activities by matching pictures in an 'I like to..., Who likes to...?' chain. In groups, one student starts by placing one of their cards face up...

ESL Hobbies Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Controlled Practice - Group Work In this engaging hobbies and free-time activities game, students practice 12 common hobbies and free-time activities by matching pictures in an 'I like to..., Who likes to...?' chain. In groups, one student starts by placing one of their cards face up on the desk. Each card has two halves. The left half is 'I like to...' plus a picture prompt, and the right half is 'Who likes to...?' plus a picture prompt. The student then says the pair of sentences shown on the card by reading the prompts and saying the hobbies or free-time activities in the pictures, e.g. 'I like to cook. Who likes to dance?' All the students then look for the matching 'I like to...' card that shows the correct picture. Whoever has that card places it next to the card on the desk, saying the next pair of sentences, e.g. 'I like to dance. Who likes to draw?' The process continues with the next card and so on. The group that matches all the cards correctly first wins. Groups can play several rounds to reinforce the vocabulary and give different players a chance to start. This resource can also be used with our 'Hobbies Flashcards and Worksheet' and 'Hobbies Board Game'.
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Hobbies: Flashcards and Worksheet

Beginner (A1) 30 minutes
ESL hobbies flashcards and worksheet preview, beginner A1, eliciting, drilling, matching, gap-fill

ESL Hobbies Flashcards and Worksheet - Flashcards: Eliciting, Drilling, Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill

In this introductory hobbies resource, students learn the names of 12 common hobbies and free-time activities and practice them with flashcards and a worksheet. To begin, hold up each...

ESL Flashcards and Worksheet - Flashcards: Eliciting, Drilling, Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill In this introductory hobbies resource, students learn the names of 12 common hobbies and free-time activities and practice them with flashcards and a worksheet. To begin, hold up each flashcard. Point to the picture and elicit the hobby or free-time activity. Then model and drill pronunciation chorally and individually. Next, write two frames on the board: 'What does he do in his free time?' 'He...' 'What do you do in your free time?' 'I...' Show the flashcards again and ask different students questions using the sentence frames on the board. Elicit suitable responses as you move around the class. Next, on the worksheet, students match the hobbies and free-time activities to pictures. After that, students complete sentences with the hobbies and free-time activities. As an extension, play a quick review game using the flashcards, e.g. sorting (active and relaxing activities), slap-the-card, what's missing? etc. This resource can also be used with our 'Hobby Chain Game' and 'Hobbies Board Game'.
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Can you remember?

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL Hobbies Game, elementary A1-A2, matching, memorizing, table completion, group work

ESL Hobbies Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Memorizing, Table Completion - Group Work

In this useful free-time and hobbies game, students try to remember free-time activities, the places the activities are done and the objects used in each activity. First, students walk around the class, reading aloud the words on their activity card...

ESL Hobbies Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Memorizing, Table Completion - Group Work In this useful free-time and hobbies game, students try to remember free-time activities, the places the activities are done and the objects used in each activity. First, students walk around the class, reading aloud the words on their activity card to each other. The students' task is to form a group of three with students that have a matching free-time activity. Each group should consist of a student with a free-time activity card, a student with a card for the place where the activity is done, and a student with a card that has the object used in the free-time activity. When everyone is happy with the groups they have formed, the groups identify the free-time activity, place and objects used to the rest of the class. The other students listen and try to remember what each group says. Groups then complete a table with the information they remember about each activity. Groups score one point for each correct answer. The group with the most points wins.
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Free-Time Likes and Dislikes

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL Free-Time Likes and Dislikes Activity, elementary A1-A2, information gap, matching, pair work

ESL Free-Time Likes and Dislikes Activity - Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice, Matching - Pair Work

In this free-time likes and dislikes speaking activity, students ask and answer present simple yes/no questions with a partner to complete a chart, showing...

ESL Free-Time Likes and Dislikes Activity - Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice, Matching - Pair Work In this free-time likes and dislikes speaking activity, students ask and answer present simple yes/no questions with a partner to complete a chart, showing what people like and dislike doing in their free time. In pairs, each student has a worksheet containing a chart that shows hobbies and activities four people like and dislike doing in their free time. The students' task is to ask and answer present simple yes/no questions with their partner to complete the missing information in the chart with the people's likes and dislikes. When the students have finished, they answer four questions based on the completed chart.
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Free-Time Q & A

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL Free-Time and Hobbies Activity, elementary A1-A2, questions, sentence completion, pair work

ESL Free-Time and Hobbies Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

In this enoyable free-time and hobbies speaking activity, students practice asking and answering guided questions about hobbies and free-time...

ESL Free-Time and Hobbies Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Pair Work In this enoyable free-time and hobbies speaking activity, students practice asking and answering guided questions about hobbies and free-time activities. First, students complete questions and answers about hobbies and free-time activities on the worksheet. In pairs, students then take it in turns to ask and answer the questions with their partner. Afterwards, students report back to the class on their partner's answers.
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Go, Play and Do Questionnaire

Elementary (A1-A2) 40 minutes
ESL Go, Play and Do Collocations Activity, elementary A1-A2, gap-fill, sentence completion, pair work

ESL Go, Play and Do Collocations Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-fill, Sentence Completion, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work

In this free hobbies questionnaire activity, students complete go, play and do collocations in questions about hobbies and leisure activities and then...

ESL Go, Play and Do Collocations Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-fill, Sentence Completion, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work In this free hobbies questionnaire activity, students complete go, play and do collocations in questions about hobbies and leisure activities and then use them to interview a partner. Students begin by completing questions with the verbs: go, play and do. Next, students look at the verbs in the questions and think about what the hobbies and free-time activities have in common when each verb is used. Students then complete the rules for go, play and do collocations. Next, in pairs, students write one follow-up question using go, play, or do for each question on the worksheet. Students then pair up with a different partner and take it in turns to ask each other the questions from the worksheet and note down the answers. When their partner answers 'Yes, I do' to a question, the student puts a tick and asks their follow-up question. If their partner answers 'No, I don't', the student puts a cross and moves on to the next question. Finally, students return to their first partner and tell them what they found out about the student they interviewed.
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Hobby Talk Challenge

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Hobbies Board Game, elementary A1-A2, gap-fill, answering questions, group work

ESL Hobbies Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-fill, Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this engaging hobbies board game, students practice vocabulary related to hobbies and free-time activities and talk in response to topic-related questions. Players take turns rolling the dice...

ESL Hobbies Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-fill, Answering Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice - Group Work In this engaging hobbies board game, students practice vocabulary related to hobbies and free-time activities and talk in response to topic-related questions. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a player lands on a square, another student picks up a card and reads out the sentence using the word 'blank' for the hobby-related word in bold, e.g. 'In my free time, I enjoy playing BLANK, like football.' The player listens to the sentence, chooses a hobby-related word from the game board, and says it aloud to complete the sentence, e.g. sports. If the player says the correct word shown on the card in bold, they stay on the square. If not, they move their counter back two squares. If a player lands on a question square, they answer the hobby-related question by talking for 20 seconds without stopping. If a player can't think of anything to say or stops talking before the 20 seconds are up, they go back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game.
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Common Interests

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Free-Time Collocations Activity, pre-intermediate A2, asking and answering, writing, guessing, pair work

ESL Free-Time Collocations Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Writing Sentences, Guessing - Pair Work

In this productive free-time collocations speaking activity, students write and talk about free-time activities using 'play', 'go' and 'do' collocations together with adverbs and expressions of frequency...

ESL Free-Time Collocations Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Writing Sentences, Guessing - Pair Work In this productive free-time collocations speaking activity, students write and talk about free-time activities using 'play', 'go' and 'do' collocations together with adverbs and expressions of frequency. To begin, students ask and answer questions with a partner to find five free-time activities that they both do on a daily or weekly basis. Each student then writes five sentences about the free-time activities they have in common with their partner using frequency adverbs and expressions from a box, e.g. 'We play computer games three times a week'. Pairs then go around reading their sentences to other pairs, omitting the frequency adverbs and expressions, e.g. 'We play computer games'. Pairs listen and write down one sentence from each pair. When the students have finished, they guess how often each pair does their free-time activity by adding in a frequency adverb or expression to each sentence. Pairs then check their answers by asking present simple yes/no questions with 'Do you...?' e.g. 'Do you play computer games three times a week?' The pair with the most correct guesses is the winner.
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Connections

Pre-intermediate (A2) 60 minutes
ESL Hobby Games, pre-intermediate A2, categorising, pelmanism, matching, forming sentences, group work

ESL Hobby Games - Vocabulary: Categorising, Pelmanism, Matching, Forming Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work

In this fun set of hobby vocabulary games, students practice making connections between hobbies and free-time activities by playing four card games...

ESL Hobby Games - Vocabulary: Categorising, Pelmanism, Matching, Forming Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work In this fun set of hobby vocabulary games, students practice making connections between hobbies and free-time activities by playing four card games. To begin, students categorise hobbies and free-time activities on cards into five groups according to the verb that is used with each one: go, play, do, watch or no collocation. Next, students play a pelmanism game to practice the collocations. Students take it in turns to turn over two cards. If the two hobbies or free-time activities use the same verb, the student keeps the cards and has another turn. Students then move on to talk about similarities between the hobbies and free-time activities by playing another pelmanism game. This time, when two cards are turned over, the student makes a sentence about how the two hobbies or free-time activities are similar. If a suitable sentence is made, the student keeps the cards and has another turn. Afterwards, students use the cards to ask and answer questions and develop short conversations about hobbies and free-time activities.
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Free-Time Interviews

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL Hobbies Questionnaire, pre-intermediate A2, asking and answering questions, class survey

ESL Hobbies Questionnaire - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice

In this insightful hobbies questionnaire activity, students interview their classmates about their favourite hobbies and free-time activities. Students go around the class asking and answering questions...

ESL Hobbies Questionnaire - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice In this insightful hobbies questionnaire activity, students interview their classmates about their favourite hobbies and free-time activities. Students go around the class asking and answering questions on the worksheet and completing a table with classmates' answers. When the students have finished, there is a class feedback session to find out what hobbies and activities students like doing in their free time.
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Free-Time Mime

Pre-intermediate (A2) 35 minutes
ESL Free-Time and Hobbies Game, pre-intermediate A2, miming, guessing, true or false, group work

ESL Free-Time and Hobbies Game - Vocabulary: Miming, Guessing, True or False, Making Statements, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work

Here is an entertaining hobbies miming and true or false game to help students practice vocabulary related to hobbies and free-time activities. Students take it...

ESL Free-Time and Hobbies Game - Vocabulary: Miming, Guessing, True or False, Making Statements, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work Here is an entertaining hobbies miming and true or false game to help students practice vocabulary related to hobbies and free-time activities. Students take it in turns to pick up a card and mime the hobby or free-time activity on the card for the other students to guess. The first student to correctly guess the hobby or free-time activity wins and keeps the card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner. Afterwards, students play a true or false game using the cards. Students take it in turns to pick up a card and make a personal statement about the hobby or free-time activity on the card, e.g. 'I love listening to music in the car'. The other students in the group then ask the student questions to determine if he or she is lying or telling the truth. Students then each guess whether the statement is true or false and the answer is revealed. Students score one point for each correct guess. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.
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What are my hobbies?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL Hobbies Worksheet, pre-intermediate A2, matching, sentence completion, guessing, pair work

ESL Hobbies Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Sentence Completion - Speaking Activity: Discussion, Guessing - Pair Work

In this free hobbies worksheet, students learn to talk about things they like and dislike doing and how they correspond to hobbies and leisure activities. First...

ESL Hobbies Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Sentence Completion - Speaking Activity: Guided Discussion, Guessing - Pair Work In this free hobbies worksheet, students learn to talk about things they like and dislike doing and how they correspond to hobbies and leisure activities. First, students match pictures on the worksheet to hobbies. In pairs, students then read sentences about three people and discuss which hobbies from the first exercise they would enjoy doing. Working alone, students then choose two hobbies from Exercise A that they would enjoy doing the most and write them down, without showing anyone. Next, students use words and expressions in a box to complete sentences about their likes and dislikes and how they correspond to the two hobbies. Lastly, students go around the class reading the sentences to their classmates who guess which two hobbies they have chosen from the sentences.
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Free-Time Collocations Game

Intermediate (B1) 20 minutes
ESL Free-Time Collocations Game, intermediate B1, matching, forming sentences, pair work

ESL Free-Time Collocations Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Forming Sentences - Pair Work

In this rewarding free-time collocations game, students practice 'play', 'go', 'have', 'take' and 'do' collocations related to hobbies and free-time activities. In pairs, students take it in turns to turn over one verb...

ESL Free-Time Collocations Game - Vocabulary: Matching, Forming Sentences from Prompts - Pair Work In this rewarding free-time collocations game, students practice 'play', 'go', 'have', 'take' and 'do' collocations related to hobbies and free-time activities. In pairs, students take it in turns to turn over one verb card and one free-time activity card. If the two cards make a suitable verb-noun or verb-preposition collocation (e.g. play sport), the student keeps the cards and scores a point. The student then tries to make a sentence using the collocation for an extra point, e.g. 'I like to play sport at the weekend'. If a suitable sentence is made, the student has another turn. If not, play passes to the other student. The student with the highest score at the end of the game is the winner.
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Free-Time Fact Finder

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Hobbies and Free-Time Activity, intermediate B1, guessing, sentence completion, asking questions, class survey

ESL Hobbies and Free-Time Activity - Speaking: Guessing, Sentence Completion, Asking and Answering Questions

In this handy hobbies and free-time speaking activity, students make guesses about what hobbies and free-time activities their classmates like to do and then check whether their guesses are right or...

ESL Hobbies and Free-Time Activity - Speaking: Guessing, Sentence Completion, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts In this handy hobbies and free-time speaking activity, students make guesses about what hobbies and free-time activities their classmates like to do and then check whether their guesses are right or wrong by asking yes/no questions. First, students make guesses about what hobbies and free-time activities their classmates like to do by completing each sentence on the worksheet with the name of a classmate and a hobby or free-time activity, e.g. 'I think Patty likes to go hiking in her free time'. Next, students change their sentences into yes/no questions, e.g. 'Do you like to go hiking in your free time?' Students then go around the class asking the questions to the corresponding students. If a classmate answers 'yes', the student puts a tick. If the answer is 'no', the student puts a cross. Students then find out more information by asking follow-up questions and writing the answers down. Finally, there is a class feedback session to find out who made the most correct guesses and to have students report back on the things they found out about their classmates.
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Hobbies Taboo

Intermediate (B1) 35 minutes
ESL Describing Hobbies Game, intermediate B1, describing, guessing, group work

ESL Describing Hobbies Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Describing, Guessing - Group Work

In this creative describing hobbies game, students describe and guess hobbies and free-time activities. A player from Team A comes to the front of the class and is given a taboo card. The player then...

ESL Describing Hobbies Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Describing, Guessing - Group Work In this creative describing hobbies game, students describe and guess hobbies and free-time activities. A player from Team A comes to the front of the class and is given a taboo card. The player then describes the hobby or free-time activity in bold on the card to his or her team, without saying the hobby or using the other words on the card. The player is also not allowed to say variations of the words on the card. If Team A successfully guesses the hobby or free-time activity within a specified time (e.g. one minute), they score a point. If not, Team B has one chance to guess the hobby and steal the point. Then, a player from Team B comes to the front and so on. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
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Phrasal Verbs about Hobbies

Intermediate (B1) 35 minutes
ESL Hobby Phrasal Verbs Worksheet, intermediate B1, identifying, matching, writing sentences, group work

ESL Hobby Phrasal Verbs Worksheet - Reading and Vocabulary Exercises: Matching, Writing Sentences - Speaking Activity: Discussion - Group Work

In this free hobbies worksheet, students practice ten phrasal verbs related to hobbies. Students begin by reading a text about someone's hobbies and...

ESL Hobby Phrasal Verbs Worksheet - Reading and Vocabulary Exercises: Identifying, Matching, Writing Sentences - Speaking Activity: Guided Discussion - Group Work In this free hobbies worksheet, students practice ten phrasal verbs related to hobbies. Students begin by reading a text about someone's hobbies and underlining ten phrasal verbs. Next, students write down the ten phrasal verbs from the text in the present tense and then match each one with a suitable meaning. As a class, students then brainstorm and write down a list of ten hobbies. After that, students use the hobbies to write answers to discussion questions that use the phrasal verbs. Lastly, students discuss the questions and answers in small groups.
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What did I do at the weekend?

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Hobbies and Free-Time Game, intermediate B1, asking and answering questions, past simple, guessing, group work

ESL Hobbies and Free-Time Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this engaging hobbies and free-time game, students ask past simple yes/no questions to find out what leisure activity a classmate did at the weekend. In groups...

ESL Hobbies and Free-Time Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Free Practice - Group Work In this engaging hobbies and free-time game, students ask past simple yes/no questions to find out what leisure activity a classmate did at the weekend. In groups, students take it in turns to pick up a card and say 'What did I do at the weekend?' The other students then ask past simple yes/no questions to find out the free-time activity on the card, e.g. 'Did you go outside?' 'Did you do the activity with someone else?' etc. The first student to correctly guess the activity wins and keeps the card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
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Which free-time activity?

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Hobbies Game, intermediate B1, writing questions, asking and answering, guessing, pair work

ESL Hobbies Game - Speaking: Writing Questions from Prompts, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice, Guessing - Pair Work

In this interesting hobbies game, students ask yes/no questions in order to find out which hobby or free-time activity is on a card. In pairs, students prepare...

ESL Hobbies Game - Speaking: Writing Questions from Prompts, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice, Guessing - Pair Work In this interesting hobbies game, students ask yes/no questions in order to find out which hobby or free-time activity is on a card. In pairs, students prepare yes/no questions for the game using prompts on the worksheet. Each pair then joins up with another pair and takes it in turn to pick up a free-time activity card. The other pair asks up to ten yes/no questions to try to find out the free-time activity on the card. The pair is allowed one guess after each question. If the pair manages to correctly guess the free-time activity, they score a point. The pair with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
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Activity Antics

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
ESL Hobbies Board Game, upper-intermediate B2, impromptu speech, multiple-choice, communicative practice, group work

ESL Hobbies Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Impromptu Speech, Multiple-Choice Questions, Communicative Practice

This fun hobbies board game helps students practice talking about hobbies and free time activities and using related vocabulary. In groups, players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter...

ESL Hobbies Board Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Impromptu Speech, Multiple-choice Questions, Communicative Practice This fun hobbies board game helps students practice talking about hobbies and free time activities and using related vocabulary. In groups, players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. If a player lands on a 'Talk about' square, they talk about the hobby-related topic on the square for 20 seconds without stopping. If a player can't think of anything to say or stops talking before the 20 seconds are up, they go back two squares. If a player lands on an 'Answer a question' square, another student picks up a card and reads out the hobby-related question along with three possible multiple-choice answers. If the player chooses the correct answer, they stay on the square. If not, they move their counter back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game.
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Free Time Fun

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
ESL Hobbies Activity, upper-intermediate B2, gap-fill, table completion, guessing, group work

ESL Hobbies Activity - Vocabulary: Gap-fill, Table Completion, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Controlled Practice - Group and Pair Work

Here is a memorable hobbies activity to help students practice vocabulary related to hobbies and free-time activities. In two groups, students begin...

ESL Hobbies Activity - Vocabulary: Gap-fill, Table Completion, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Controlled Practice - Group and Pair Work Here is a memorable hobbies activity to help students practice vocabulary related to hobbies and free-time activities. In two groups, students begin by completing sentences with hobbies and free-time activities vocabulary. Students then pair up with someone from the other group and take turns asking their partner what each person at the bottom of their worksheet is doing to find out their hobby, e.g. 'What is Lia doing?' Their partner then reads the related sentence from their table. After hearing the sentence, the student tries to guess the person's hobby from their actions. When the student guesses correctly, they write the hobby under the person's name. The activity continues until each person's hobby has been guessed. Afterwards, review the vocabulary and hobbies with the class.
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Fun with Hobbies

Upper-intermediate (B2) 30 minutes
ESL Hobbies Worksheet, upper-intermediate B2, word search, matching, gap-fill, discussion, pair work

ESL Hobbies Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Word Search, Matching, Binary Choice, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity: Discussion, Freer Practice - Pair Work

This comprehensive hobbies worksheet helps students practice the names of hobbies and their related vocabulary. First, students take turns asking and answering...

ESL Hobbies Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Word Search, Matching, Binary Choice, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity: Discussion, Freer Practice - Pair Work This comprehensive hobbies worksheet helps students practice the names of hobbies and their related vocabulary. First, students take turns asking and answering hobby-related questions with a partner. Students then find the names of 16 hobbies in a word search. Next, students match each hobby from the word search to its description. After that, students complete each sentence with a word from a box and underline the correct hobby in each one. Lastly, in pairs, students discuss and decide which hobby would be most suitable for each person.
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Hobbies Uncovered

Upper-intermediate (B2) 40 minutes
ESL Hobbies Activity, upper-intermediate B2, crossword, giving clues, guessing, pair and group work

ESL Hobbies Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Writing and Giving Clues, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and Pair Work

Here is a useful hobbies crossword and speaking activity to help students review the names of hobbies and practice asking and answering hobby-related...

ESL Hobbies Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Writing and Giving Clues, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work Here is a useful hobbies crossword and speaking activity to help students review the names of hobbies and practice asking and answering hobby-related questions. First, in two groups, students invent and write down clues for the hobbies written on their crossword. When the students have finished, they pair up with someone from the other group and take turns asking their partner for a clue to one of their missing words. Their partner reads out the clue for that hobby and the other student tries to guess what it is. If the student guesses the hobby successfully, they write it on their crossword. If not, their partner continues to give more clues until the student is able to guess the word. Afterwards, students take it in turns to pick up a conversation question card and discuss the question related to the hobbies in the crossword with their partner. Finally, students share their answers to the questions with the class.
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Using Hobbies and Free-Time Vocabulary

Hobbies and free-time vocabulary covers activities people choose to do outside work, study and other responsibilities. Learning phrases such as 'go swimming', 'play chess' and 'enjoy reading' helps students describe interests and find things they have in common.

This page has 23 resources across A1, A1-A2, A2, B1 and B2, including games, worksheets and speaking activities, with three free downloads.

The table shows useful patterns for naming activities and explaining preferences.

PatternUseExample
go + activity ending in -ing Common combinations for activities such as swimming and hiking 'We go hiking at the weekend.'
play + game or sport Name a game or sport such as chess or tennis 'I play chess with my brother.'
do + activity Use established combinations such as do yoga and do puzzles 'She does yoga after work.'
enjoy + -ing Say what gives you pleasure 'I enjoy drawing animals.'
be interested in + noun or -ing Describe an interest 'He is interested in photography.'
take up + hobby Start a new hobby 'I want to take up gardening.'

How to Use Hobbies and Free-Time Vocabulary

Add detail to an interest: Explain what you do, where or with whom. 'I take photos of birds in the park' gives a partner more to respond to than simply saying 'photography'.

Distinguish preferences from routines: Enjoying an activity does not tell the listener how often you do it. 'I love swimming, but I only go once a month' communicates both preference and frequency.

Keep a conversation going: Follow an answer with a related question such as 'How did you get started?' or 'Who do you usually play with?' Use what the speaker has said to choose the next question.

3-Step Framework for Teaching Hobbies and Free-Time Vocabulary

This sequence suits beginner classes, progressing from picture-supported vocabulary to spoken sentences and listening practice.

1. Establish Meaning and Pronunciation: Show hobby pictures, elicit the words and model pronunciation. Students then match activities to pictures and complete sentences on a worksheet. This connects spoken and written forms before students use the words in exchanges.

2. Link Listening with a Response: Students build a picture-card chain using 'I like to...' and 'Who likes to...?' prompts. Each student listens for the activity matching their card before continuing the chain. The repeated structure supports sentence production while giving everyone a reason to listen.

3. Complete Sentences from Spoken Clues: Students listen to a sentence with a missing hobby word, choose an answer from a game board and repeat the complete sentence. A correct answer allows a dice roll and a move towards the finish. This checks whether students can select vocabulary from sentence context rather than only name a picture.

Common Mistakes with Hobbies and Free-Time Vocabulary

Using an infinitive after enjoy: When another verb follows 'enjoy', use its -ing form. Incorrect: 'I enjoy to swim.' Correct: 'I enjoy swimming.'

Using interested on instead of interested in: Follow 'interested' with 'in' when naming a hobby or activity. Incorrect: 'She is interested on photography.' Correct: 'She is interested in photography.'

Common Questions About Teaching Hobbies and Free-Time Vocabulary

What is a fun game for practicing hobbies vocabulary?

The game Free-Time Mime links hobby vocabulary with actions students can recognise. Players mime activities for classmates to guess, with correct guesses earning cards. They then use the cards to make personal statements, which classmates question before deciding whether they are true, extending word recall into spoken exchanges.

What worksheet helps with teaching hobbies and free-time vocabulary?

The free worksheet What are my hobbies? connects hobby names with likes and dislikes. Students match pictures to hobbies, discuss suitable activities for different people and complete sentences about their own preferences. Classmates then guess their chosen hobbies from these sentences, giving the vocabulary work a clear communicative purpose.

How can students practice using go, play and do to talk about hobbies?

The free activity Go, Play and Do Questionnaire combines collocation practice with interviews. Students complete questions and rules for 'go', 'play' and 'do', then prepare follow-up questions. They interview a new partner and report back, using the phrases to discover more about someone's interests rather than only completing isolated sentences.

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