Making Invitations ESL Activities, Games and Worksheets

In this free making and declining invitations game, students are invited to do various things and try to decline each invitation with a unique excuse. In groups, students take turns picking up a card and using the prompt on the card to invite the student on their right to do something, e.g. 'Do you want to go to the park this afternoon?' The student on their right then tries to win the card by declining the invitation and giving an excuse, e.g. 'I'm sorry, but I have to study English this afternoon.' If the student does this successfully, the other student gives them the card. Students are not allowed to use the same excuse twice during the game. If they do or can't think of an excuse, the invitation passes to the next student on the right. This continues until a student comes up with a new excuse and wins the card. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

In this fun making invitations board game, students practice making invitations and responding by declining and giving an excuse or expressing a possibility to accept. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, the student to their right invites the player to do something using the prompt on the square, e.g. 'Would you like to go to the cinema with me tomorrow afternoon?' The player then picks up a response card and uses the prompt on the card to reply to the invitation. The response either requires the player to decline the invitation and make an excuse or express a possibility to accept. The other students listen and judge the player's response. If the player responds appropriately using the prompt on the card, they stay on the square. If not, the player goes back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game.

In this comprehensive making invitations worksheet, students practice language for making, accepting and declining spoken and written invitations. First, students read a conversation about a host inviting someone to their party and then answer reading comprehension questions about it. Next, students use their answers to complete a written invitation. After that, students categorize phrases for making, accepting and declining invitations. Students then complete three short conversations using the phrases. Finally, students create a party invitation and use it to practice inviting, accepting or declining with their classmates.

In this useful written invitations worksheet, students learn about the contents of written invitations and practice writing one. First, in pairs, students brainstorm and write down what details should be included in a written invitation to a birthday party. Working alone, students then read four invitations and match them to events. Next, students identify what details are included in each invitation. After that, students write an email invitation to a birthday party and read it to the class. Finally, as a class, students discuss which of the invitations from the worksheet are the most formal and the least formal, and why, and which event they would like to go to.

Here is an engaging making invitations worksheet to help students practice phrases for making, accepting, and declining informal invitations. First, students discuss three questions about invitations in pairs. Students then complete invitations with words from a box. Next, students indicate whether phrases are used to accept or decline invitations. After that, students take turns reading each invitation to their partner, who uses a phrase to accept or decline the invitation. Students then move on to underline the correct words and phrases to complete four conversations about accepting and declining invitations. Afterwards, students write similar conversations using prompts and the language from the worksheet. Finally, students role-play the mini-dialogues with their partner and present some of them to the class.