Giving Advice ESL Games, Activities and Worksheets
Here is a productive giving advice speaking activity to introduce students to using should to ask for and give advice. In pairs, Student A begins by reading each statement and asking their partner for advice using the word should, e.g. 'I need to get some money. What should I do?' Student B listens and then gives advice with should using the places shown on their worksheet, e.g. 'You should go to the bank.' Student A then writes the place next to the statement. Afterwards, students swap roles and repeat the activity. Finally, go through the answers with the class by reading the statements and eliciting the advice.
In this useful giving advice game, students practice stating problems and giving advice. Students begin by writing sentences that state problems and give advice. Students then cut the sentences into problem cards (phrase + problem) and advice cards. Next, students play a game where they match the cards together to state problems and give related advice. One student begins by putting down a phrase card showing the first half of a problem. The next student then tries to complete the problem using one of their cards. The following student then puts down a card showing a matching piece of advice for the problem. If the student does this, they keep the three cards and put down a new phrase card. If a student cannot put down a suitable card at any time, they pick one up from the appropriate pile, and it's the next student's turn to put down a card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
Here is a comprehensive should and shouldn't worksheet to help students learn and practice giving advice with should and shouldn't. Students begin by reading sentences about giving advice and answering three questions. Students then match problems with the correct advice. Next, students circle should or shouldn't in sentences that give advice. After that, students complete advice with should or shouldn't and verbs from a box. Students then move on to read problems and write advice using should or shouldn't. Finally, students write down three problems of their own, ending with the question What should I do? Students then read their problems to their partner, who gives them advice using should or shouldn't.
In this fun giving advice board game, students read problems and give advice with should and shouldn't. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they read the problem and give advice, saying one thing the person should do and one thing they shouldn't do. The other students listen to the advice and judge the player's response. If it's grammatically correct and appropriate, the player stays on the square. If not, the player goes back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game. If you have a weak class, students play by giving one piece of advice with should or shouldn't. The game can also be played with other phrases for giving advice.
In this enjoyable giving advice with conditionals game, students play dominoes to practice the zero and first conditional for giving advice. The first player puts down one of their dominoes on either side of the domino on the table, making sure that the main and if clauses go together to make a zero or first conditional sentence for giving advice. The other players then take turns matching their dominoes in the same way by putting them down at either end of the domino chain and making a suitable conditional sentence for giving advice. The first player to get rid of all their dominoes wins the game.
In this engaging giving advice game, students use four phrases to write advice for everyday situations and then play a guessing game using the advice. First, students complete four phrases with advice for people visiting their country for the first time. Next, in pairs, students write four pieces of advice for everyday situations using a different phrase for giving advice each time. Each pair then joins with another pair. One pair chooses an everyday situation at random and reads one piece of advice to the other pair, who guesses which situation the advice is for. If the pair guesses correctly, they score four points. If not, the pair reads a second piece of advice for three points, and so on. When a pair correctly guesses a situation or four pieces of advice have been read out, the pairs swap roles. This continues until both pairs have given advice for all the situations. Pairs then play a second round where they take turns reading all four pieces of advice for each situation. If a pair has a piece of advice that is different from the other pair, they score a point. The pair with the most points at the end of the game wins.
In this free should for advice game, students give the best advice they can using the modal verb should. In groups, students take turns picking up a card, reading out the situation on the card and asking for advice. The other students then each give a different piece of advice for the situation using should. The student with the card listens and awards the card to the person who gives the best advice. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. Afterwards, students tell the class the best advice they were given for each situation.
In this imaginative giving advice speaking activity, students take on the role of an agony aunt called Abby and give advice. First, students read a message on a card asking Abby for advice about a particular problem and write a reply using the advice phrase from the question in the message. Next, in groups, students read and discuss all the advice given by other students for their assigned problem. Groups then choose the best advice and write a final response using the phrase. Finally, groups take turns reading their problem and advice to the class, who gives feedback, saying whether they agree with the advice or not.
Here is an insightful giving advice worksheet to help students practice phrases for asking and giving advice on everyday topics. First, students write a list of six things they would ask advice for, e.g. a low GPA, a broken heart, etc. Next, students write mini-dialogues, asking for and giving advice on their six topics. Students then role-play the dialogues with a partner. After that, students imagine that they run an online advice column, read three emails asking for advice and write replies, giving the best advice they can. Finally, students read their replies to the class, who say whether they agree with the advice or not.
In this rewarding giving advice game, students give careers advice and their classmates try to guess the matching jobs. In teams of two, students complete each job card with career advice for someone who would want to do that job in the future. Next, teams take turns reading the career advice on a job card without saying what the job is. The other team listens and tries to guess which job they are giving career advice for. If the team correctly guesses the job, they win and keep the card. If not, the team reading out the advice keeps the card. The team with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
This versatile giving advice speaking activity helps students practice phrases for stating problems and giving advice. Half the students are problem people and the other half are advice givers. Write a phrase to state a problem and give advice that you want the students to practice on the board, e.g. 'I'm having a hard time...' and 'You ought to...' The problem people then think of a minor problem they have and state the problem using the phrase, e.g. 'I'm having a hard time getting to class on time. I'm always late for class.' The problem person then explains their problem to an advice giver, who offers a piece of advice using the target phrase, e.g. 'You ought to organize your time better.' The problem person notes down the advice and moves on to ask advice from another advice giver. This continues until the problem person has received five pieces of advice. Students then swap roles and repeat the activity using other phrases to state a problem and give advice, e.g. 'I'm having trouble..' and 'You had better...' Finally, students state their problem and tell the class the best and worst piece of advice they received.
In this interesting giving advice activity, students read a short story and then write and discuss advice for the people in the story. First, students read the short story together as a class. Students then think about what advice they would give each person in the story on what to do next. After that, students write two pieces of advice for each person using should, shouldn't, ought to or had better. Next, in groups, students take turns reading their advice for each person to the group, who discusses it and decides on the best piece of advice for each person, writing their answers down on the worksheet. Afterwards, groups discuss the dilemma in the story as a class and report back on the advice they came up with.
Here is a handy giving advice worksheet to help students learn and practice how to give advice using should, ought to, and had better. Students start by finding and correcting mistakes in advice. Next, students unscramble words to make advice and then match the advice with problems. Finally, students read problems, choose a suitable piece of advice for each one from a box and write an affirmative or negative sentence with it using should, ought to, or had better.
In this communicative stating problems and giving advice speaking activity, students ask for and give advice and then choose the best piece of advice they received. In pairs, students ask their partner for advice about the problem on their card and write down the advice they receive. Students then pair up with a new partner and repeat the process until they have spoken to eight people. Next, students choose the best piece of advice and write on their card why they think it's the best. Afterwards, students tell the class about their problem and the best advice they received.
In this creative giving travel advice game, students write travel advice for a place they know well and then use the advice in a guessing game. First, students think of a country, city or place they know well. Students then complete sentences with travel advice for first-time visitors to that place, giving advice on things like attractions, shopping, food and drink, climate, public transport, customs, crime, etc. Next, in groups of five or six, students take turns reading their travel advice to the group without saying the name of the place. The other students listen and then guess which country, city or place the student is giving advice for, scoring one point for each correct answer. The student with the most correct guesses in each group wins. As an extension, groups choose one student from their group to read their travel advice to the class for them to guess.
In this free giving advice game, students practice phrases for giving advice by racing to write down as many pieces of advice as they can for a given situation. Write an advice phrase and situation on the board, e.g. 'You should...' and 'I just had a car accident.' Teams then have three minutes to write down as many pieces of advice as they can for the situation using the phrase, e.g. 'You should call the police.' Each team then reads out their advice in turn, scoring one point for each appropriate sentence. Then, move on to the next round using a different advice phrase and situation each time. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
In this fast-paced giving advice game, students race to give advice for different problems using modals of advice and the second conditional. In groups, students take turns picking up an advice card and a problem card, reading the advice prompts and problem to the group, and placing the two cards face-up on the table. As soon as the cards are on the table, all the students race to come up with advice for the problem using the two prompts on the advice card. When a student thinks they can make two suitable sentences, they put their hand up and give their advice. If the other students agree that the two pieces of advice are grammatically correct and match the problem, the student wins and keeps the two cards. If the advice is grammatically incorrect or doesn't match the problem, or the student fails to put up their hand before speaking, they are out of the round, and the other students continue trying to come up with advice. The student with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game is the winner.
In this entertaining giving advice game, students give advice and their classmates try to guess what the problem is. In groups, students take turns picking up a card, reading the problem on the card and giving advice for it. The other students listen and guess the problem. The first student to state the problem wins and keeps the card. If no one manages to guess the problem after a lot of advice has been given, the student giving the advice keeps the card. The next student then picks up a card, and so on. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
In this amusing giving advice game, students try to give the best advice they can for a variety of problems. In groups, students take turns picking up a card, reading the problem on the card to the group and then asking, 'What should I do?' The other students listen and then each give some advice in turn. The student with the card listens and awards the card to the person, who they think gave the best advice. The next student then picks up a card, and so on. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. Finally, students report back to the class on the best advice they received.
In this productive giving advice game, students play Connect Four by giving advice for different scenarios using specific phrases. To begin, the first player chooses a square from the game board. The other player then picks up a problem card and reads out the scenario. The first player then uses the phrase from the square to give advice for the problem. If the other player agrees that the advice is grammatically correct and appropriate, the player marks the square with an 'O' or 'X'. It is then the other player's turn to choose a square. The first player to get four squares in a row wins the game. If nobody manages to do this, the player with the most squares wins. Afterwards, pairs play a second game using the remaining problem cards.
