Future Tenses ESL Games, Activities and Worksheets
This insightful future tenses activity is useful for reviewing the three future forms: will, be going to and the present continuous. Put three chairs at the front of the class and label them with the three future forms. Students come up one by one, sit on one of the chairs, and make an appropriate sentence. Ask the student concept questions to make sure they are sitting in the correct chair. If the student's answers show they are sitting in the wrong place, they move to another chair and make a more suitable sentence.
In this free making decisions activity, students ask be going to questions to confirm plans for tomorrow and change their minds by making spontaneous decisions with will. Students hold their cards so that the side marked 'Plan' is facing them and the side marked 'Decision' is facing away. Students then go around asking questions to confirm a plan for tomorrow with each student using their cards as prompts, e.g. 'Are you going to go to the gym tomorrow?' When a student asks a question, their partner changes their mind about the plan and uses will to make a spontaneous decision by choosing from two prompts, e.g. 'No, I think I'll play tennis.' In the activity, students repeat the same question several times, but practice making different decisions each time they change partner. When the students have spoken to everyone, they exchange cards and repeat the activity.
In these productive two future expressions games, students practice making sentences about the future with would like to, want to, hope to and be going to. First, students play a pelmanism game where they take turns turning over two cards. If the two cards go together (e.g. would like to / go), the student makes a sentence about the future with the expression and verb on the cards, e.g. 'I would like to go shopping this weekend.' The other group members listen to the student's sentence and judge whether it's correct. If it is, the student keeps the two cards and has another turn. If the sentence is wrong or the two cards don't go together, the student turns the cards back over. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. Next, students play a game where they race to make a true sentence about the future. Students take turns turning over a future expression card and verb card from each pile. The other students then race to make a true sentence about the future using the words on the cards. The first student to do this wins and keeps the cards. The student with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.
This useful be going to or will worksheet helps to teach students how to use be going to for future plans and will for offers, promises, unplanned decisions and predictions. First, students decide what is happening in each sentence, i.e. a future plan, an unplanned decision, an offer, a promise or a prediction. Students then complete the sentences with will or be going to and the verbs in brackets. Afterwards, check the function of the future form in each sentence with the class.
Here is an engaging future tenses speaking activity to help students practice the future forms: will, be going to and the present continuous. Students begin by completing sentences with will, be going to or the present continuous and verbs in brackets. Students then go around the class asking the questions to their classmates in order to find people who the sentences are true for, e.g. 'Are you meeting a friend after class?' When a student finds someone who answers 'yes' to a question, the student writes down their name to complete the sentence and asks a follow-up question to gain more information, noting down the answer in the last column. When everyone has finished, students give feedback to the class on what they found out by reading their completed sentences and giving extra information.
This future tenses speaking activity is perfect for reviewing future forms and their functions. The activity covers will for predictions, be going to for future plans and intentions, the present continuous for definite arrangements as well as the future perfect, future continuous and would like. In the activity, students practice asking and answering questions using a variety of future forms. To start, students change the items on the worksheet into questions. Students then go around the class asking the questions to each other, e.g. 'Will you be having dinner at 6 p.m. this evening?' When a classmate replies 'yes' to a question, the student writes down their name and asks the follow-up questions from the worksheet, noting down the answers. Afterwards, elicit which future form was used in each question and why. Finally, students give feedback to the class on what they found out about their classmates.
In this enjoyable will and going to activity, students use the future form will to make decisions about a holiday itinerary and then present their planned itinerary to the class using be going to. In groups, students imagine they have invited some friends to spend a week in their country. Each group discusses and decides on a holiday itinerary for themselves and their visiting friends using will. Students then write their plans in the itinerary on their worksheet using be going to. Finally, groups present their planned itineraries to the class who votes for the best one.
In this challenging future tenses activity, students practice will, be going to and the present continuous by completing and ordering two dialogues. The students' task is to complete sentences with the appropriate future forms and put conversations in the correct order by reading the sentences to a partner and numbering them. Student A starts the first dialogue by looking at their sentences, completing the most suitable one in the future tense and reading it to their partner. The student then puts the number 1 next to the sentence. Student B listens, looks for a suitable reply, completes the sentence and then reads that reply to Student A, putting number 2 next to the sentence. This process continues until the conversation has been put in order. Students then move on to the second dialogue with Student B starting the conversation. Finally, review the two dialogues and future forms with the class.
Here is a free future tenses board game to get your students talking about the future using the present continuous, be going to, will, won't and would like to. Students take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a student lands on a square, they talk about the topic on the square for 30 seconds using the correct future form. If a student can’t think of anything to say, makes a grammar mistake, or stops talking before the 30 seconds are up, they go back two spaces. The first student to reach the finish wins the game.
In this intriguing future tenses game, students practice future forms by anonymously completing a questionnaire and then guessing who completed other questionnaires from their answers. First, students anonymously complete a questionnaire by writing their answers in sentence form in the spaces provided. Students then put an assigned number at the top of the questionnaire and hand it in. Next, students take turns coming to the front of the class and reading the answers on another student's questionnaire to the class along with the student's number. Each student listens and guesses which classmate wrote the answers, writing the name and number of the person on a piece of paper. When all the questionnaires have been read out, students reveal their numbers. Students score one point for each correct guess. The student with the most points wins.
This fun future tenses board game is ideal for reviewing future forms. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they answer the question using an appropriate future form. Players must give detailed answers and form sentences. If a player lands on a square containing a question mark, the player asks the other students in the group a question about the future which they each answer in turn. The other students in the group judge whether the player's answer or question is grammatically correct. If it is, the player stays on the square. If a player makes a mistake or cannot think of an answer or question, they go back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game.
This comprehensive will or be going to worksheet helps students practice or review the differences between these two future forms. First, students complete statements, questions and responses with the correct form of will or be going to and then match them together. Next, students rewrite will and be going to sentences in their negative form. After that, students choose the correct future form to complete each sentence. Lastly, students rewrite sentences, correcting will or be going to mistakes.
In this imaginative future tenses game, students ask and answer questions about the future using will, be going to and the present continuous. In groups, students take turns picking up a question prompt card and deciding which future form would be the most suitable match for the question on the card, e.g. a prediction, a decision, an arrangement, etc. The student then uses the future form and prompt to ask a question to the other students. If the student forms the question correctly, they score a point. The other students then reply using the appropriate future form. For each suitable response, students also score a point. The question card is then placed next to the future form card. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.
In this handy future tenses game, students complete sentences referencing the future and the future in the past and then place bets on their answers. First, students complete sentences with verbs from a box in their correct future forms. Students then bet between one and five points, depending on how sure they are about each answer, five being very sure and one not at all sure. Afterwards, go through the correct answers by eliciting the sentences from the class. For each correct answer, students put a tick and write the number they bet in the points column. For incorrect answers, students put a cross and write the number with a minus sign in front of it in the points column. Afterwards, students add up their points to get a grand total. The student with the most points wins the game.
In this future expressions with be game, students complete sentences with due to, about to, just about to, and to. The aim of the game is for players to get four squares in a row whilst trying to prevent their opponent from doing the same. Players take turns choosing a square and completing the sentence using one of the verbs provided along with due to, about to, just about to, or to, e.g. 'Hurry up! The class is about to start.' The student adjudicating then checks the answer sheet. If the sentence is correct, the player marks their square with an 'O' or 'X' accordingly. It's then the other player's turn to choose a square. The first player to get four squares in a row is the winner. If no one manages to do this, the player with the most squares wins. When the students have finished, they swap roles and play game 2, giving the student who acted as adjudicator a chance to play.
In this creative New Year's resolutions worksheet, students practice future forms to express intentions with varying degrees of certainty and use them to make, discuss and plan New Year's resolutions. First, students read five ways to express a New Year's resolution and categorise them, according to their varying degrees of certainty. Next, students write one New Year's resolution for each aspect of their life, indicating the certainty of the resolution with an appropriate phrase. In groups, students then take turns sharing one of their less certain New Year's resolutions. The other group members listen and try to give advice to the student to help them achieve their goal. Finally, based on the advice given by their classmates, students write a plan to help them keep their New Year's resolution and share it with the class.
In this rewarding future expressions game, students discuss various questions using the future expressions: about to, due to, be on the verge of, bound to, is to, on the point of, destined to, going to and hoping to. In pairs, one student picks up a question card, reads it aloud and places it face-up on the desk, e.g. 'What exciting changes do you see in your career or personal life in the next five years?' The two students then have a conversation about the question for two minutes. As the students talk, they try to naturally work a sentence into the conversation that uses a future expression on a card. For example, if a student had a future expression card that read about to, the student might say 'I'm about to graduate from school, so I think in the next five years I'll get a job.' When a student successfully uses their future expression in the conversation, they score a point and take another future expression card, trying to use the next phrase in the conversation. After two minutes, the conversation ends, and the students place all the future expression cards back in the pile. The game continues until all the question cards have been used. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.
