If you’re looking for some ESL activities and games for private tutoring, then you’re certainly in the right place. Keep on reading for all the fun and engaging 1-1 English teaching activities you need to conduct your classes in style!
Private English teaching ideas
1-1 English Tutoring Ideas
So we all know that in most cases, private English tutoring is illegal for foreigners here in Korea. It’s kind of ridiculous, but whatever! I get enough overtime at my university that I don’t need to cruise ’round the city, burning the midnight oil to make a few extra bones.
However, I’m sure if you’re reading this, you’re a very law-abiding citizen and would never do this. Maybe you know a friend though. In that case, be sure to pass these activities along to them to help them out with their lesson planning.
Private English Tutoring: Difficult, Sometimes
Planning lessons for private English tutoring is a bit difficult sometimes because most of your go-to activities and games that you’d use for big classes don’t necessarily work when you only have 1 student. The other issue is boredom. When it’s just one student and you for say 2-5 hours a week, it can get pretty old pretty fast. Not just for you but the student as well.
However, by planning a wide variety of interesting, engaging and fun activities, you can keep things awesome for way longer. Here are my top ESL activities for private English tutoring to get you started.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Bolen, Jackie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 164 Pages - 11/01/2021 (Publication Date)
Private English Tutoring Activities for Adults
Here are some of the top ESL tutoring activities to consider trying out with your students.
#1: Story Timeline Review
If you assign reading for homework to your student, be sure to do some follow-up activities in class. The story timeline review is a good one for lower-level students to make sure they got the key concepts from what they read. Check it out here:
#2: Cosmo Quiz ESL Tutoring Activity
If you’re a lady teaching a lady around the same age as you, try using some Cosmo Quizzes in your classes. They are really fun and can generate some interesting discussions. It works best for intermediate and advanced level students, or you can rewrite the quiz for lower levels. Check it out:
#3: Odd One Out
#4: Is that Sentence Correct?
This private English tutoring activity makes a good choice for reviewing some basic English grammar with lower-level students, particularly in writing classes. Have a look here:
#5: Brochure Scanning
This is an interesting private English tutoring reading activity. It’s better than the standard stuff in ESL textbooks and is also helps students with an important reading sub-skill. You can use a variety of brochures-just find out what your student is interested in: travel, eating out, etc. Find out more:
Brochure Scanning ESL Activity
#6: English Central Videos
Videos are an excellent language teaching tool, but if you teach lower-level students, it can be kind of difficult to find good ones on YouTube. This is where English Central comes in. Lots of awesome vids that are graded by level and there are some cool features you can check out as well.
#7: Consider Using the Test-Teach-Test Approach
I love to target my lessons to what students don’t already know. Seems obvious, right? The tricky thing is knowing what students know and what they don’t. That’s where something like this test-teach-test approach comes in. Find out more about it here:
#8: Fun Debate Topics
All it takes to get the conversation going is a good question, right? Have a look here at some of my favourite discussion and debate topics. You’re sure to find something that’ll work for your student:
#9: TEFL Holiday Lessons for Private English Lessons
A fun tutoring activity for English learners is to build a lesson around whatever holiday is coming up. It’s often the case that students (and teachers?) don’t know the history and all of the vocabulary about it. Plus, it’s a nice change of pace if you’d normally use a textbook with that student. Here are some ideas:
#10: Use an English Listening Lesson Plan Template
I love to plan some listening lessons for my 1-1 students. It’s a nice change of pace, particularly if the student is a little bit shy and might find it difficult to talk for an entire hour, or however long your lesson is. Here are the steps to follow:
#11: Odd One Out
Try out this simple warm-up game to review new vocabulary from previous lessons. Have a look here for all the details:
#12: Two Truths and a Lie in an ESL Tutoring Lesson Plan
This is a fun icebreaker activity to help you get to know the student and for them to get to know you. I have a twist to it—each person gets a few minutes to grill the other one to see if they can tell which one is the lie. Check it out:
#13: Board Games
Have some fun with your 1-1 ESL student by bringing in a board game. They have their own vocabulary set and can be a way to build some rapport and have a fun class.
#14: Dictation
It can sometimes be a little bit difficult for shy students to have a private ESL tutoring session for an hour. It can be hard on the teacher too! That’s why I like to do some writing activities. Here’s a good one to try out:
#15: Extensive Reading for Private English Tutoring
When my students ask me how to improve their English skills, one of the first things that I mention is extensive reading. It’s a great way to improve vocabulary skills, as well as fluency. Have a look here for all the details:
ESL tutoring activities
ESL Private Tutoring Lesson Plans
I know that teachers like to save time whenever possible. That’s where these English tutoring lesson plans come in. Here are some of my go-to sources:
FAQs
There are a number of common questions that people have about English tutoring lessons. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.
How can I teach English privately?
To teach English privately, you’ll first have to find students. You can do this with a company or find your own (online or in-person). Then, find out what the needs of the student are and plan a lesson accordingly. Monitor progress and adjust the plan as needed.
How much for private English lessons?
How much it costs for private English lessons really depends on the country and who is teaching them. However, $10 USD per hour would be the minimum and it can go up to $50-100 USD per hour for highly-qualified tutors doing things like IELTS or SAT prep.
How can I find private students to tutor?
To find private students to tutor, you’ll have to do some networking. Let your friends and family members know that you’re looking for students, advertise on Facebook groups or other social media networks and attend things like Meetup groups.
How can I be a successful private tutor?
To be a successful private tutor, here are a few key things to keep in mind.
- It’s more than just chatting. Plan a proper lesson.
- Be flexible but firm when it comes to scheduling, payment, etc.
- Find out the needs of the student and what they expect.
- Don’t charge too little! Your time is worth something.
- Be a good listener and remember that the student should be working hard most of the time, not you!
Like these ESL Activities for Private English Tutoring?
If you like these activities, you’ll LOVE this book, 39 Awesome 1-1 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults. It’ll make your lesson planning easy and keep your student happy! There is enough material to keep things fresh and interesting for an entire year of weekly lessons.
You can get the book on Amazon in both digital and print formats. The digital one is available to download to any device by getting the free Kindle reading app. Are you ready to get yourself some ESL awesome today?
Check out the book and get ready for even better English classes. You’ll find a ton of great ESL tutoring activities and games to have interesting classes for the rest of your life! Pick up a copy for yourself right here:
—>Buy 39 Awesome 1-1 ESL Activities Today<—
What do You Think about these Private Teaching Activities?
What are your thoughts about these 1-1 English teaching activities? Leave a comment below and let us know. Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Last update on 2022-06-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
