English Speaking Activities for Kids: 15 Games to Play at Home (Ages 5-13)

Many children understand English well but freeze when they have to say something in it. They answer in one word or wait for you to finish the sentence. Talking fixes it, not worksheets.

The easiest way to get a child talking is a game. Below are 15 English speaking activities for kids aged 5 to 13 that you can play at home in 5 to 10 minutes, with no printouts, apps or special materials. Each comes with a way to make it harder or easier. For a structured programme alongside them, our Confident English classes give every child speaking time in each live class.

Why speaking games work better than drills

Speaking is a skill schools take seriously. The national curriculum for England, which British-curriculum schools in the UAE build on, has spoken language statements for every year from Year 1 to Year 6. Children are taught to ask questions, give well-structured explanations, join conversations, role plays and debates, and speak audibly and fluently.

In India, the NIPUN Bharat guidelines list oral language development as a key part of early literacy and say that experiences in oral language are important for developing reading and writing. In other words, the talking your child does at home feeds straight into their school work.

Games take the pressure off. A child playing to win thinks about the game, not about every word, so they try longer sentences. Read more on how play-based learning improves English communication.

How to set up English speaking games at home

1. Keep it short. 5 to 10 minutes, once a day, beats a long session at the weekend. Stop while your child still wants to play.
2. Play in the gaps. Car rides, waiting at a restaurant, bath time and the walk to the bus stop all work.
3. Don't correct mid-sentence. If your child says "I goed to the park", reply naturally: "Oh, you went to the park? What did you do there?" This is called recasting. They hear the right form without feeling caught out.
4. Ask open questions and wait. "What was the funniest thing that happened?" gets a story; "Did you have fun?" gets one word. Give a few seconds of thinking time before helping.
5. Keep the home language too. The NIPUN Bharat guidelines note that children with a strong foundation in their home language can learn English more easily. Make games English time, not a ban.

English speaking activities for ages 5 to 7

The goal at this age is full sentences and the confidence to speak first.

1. I Spy, with describing words

Instead of "I spy something beginning with b", describe the object: "I spy something that is round, red and on the table." Your child guesses, then takes a turn describing.

1. What it builds: Adjectives (colours, shapes, sizes) and listening carefully.
2. Make it harder or easier: Ask for three describing words instead of one, or allow pointing for very young children.

2. Show and tell at dinner

Each person brings one thing to the table, such as a toy or a drawing, and says what it is and why they chose it.

1. What it builds: Speaking to a small audience and answering simple questions.
2. Make it harder or easier: Give a sentence starter ("This is my... I like it because...") or ask your child to answer two questions from the family.

3. Simon Says, swapped

Play the classic game, then let your child be Simon. They have to give clear instructions in English: "Simon says touch your nose and jump twice."

1. What it builds: Action words, giving instructions and speaking clearly enough to be followed.
2. Make it harder or easier: Add two-step or three-step instructions, or let younger children do one action at a time.

4. Picture talk

Open any picture book. Ask: "Who is in the picture? Where are they? What is happening? What will happen next?"

1. What it builds: Describing, guessing and using simple past and future tenses.
2. Make it harder or easier: Cover part of the picture and ask your child to imagine what's hidden.

5. Puppet conversations

Put a sock or soft toy on your hand and let it "talk" to your child. Shy children often speak more easily to a puppet. Then swap roles.

1. What it builds: Everyday conversation: greetings, questions and answers.
2. Make it harder or easier: Give the puppet a problem to solve, such as a lost shoe, so your child has to ask and explain.

English speaking games for ages 8 to 10

Children this age can handle rules, scores and a timer. The aim now is longer answers, giving reasons and asking good questions.

6. Twenty Questions

One person thinks of an animal, object or famous person. The others ask yes or no questions to guess it in 20 questions or fewer.

1. What it builds: Forming questions correctly ("Does it...?", "Is it...?", "Can it...?") and logical thinking.
2. Make it harder or easier: Narrow the category for younger players, or ban the most obvious questions for older ones.

7. Just a Minute

Pick a topic, such as "my favourite food" or "a day at the beach". Your child talks for one minute without long pauses. Start with 30 seconds if a minute feels too long.

1. What it builds: Fluency and keeping going even when stuck.
2. Make it harder or easier: Add a rule against repeating the same word, or let your child choose the topic.

8. Describe and draw

Your child looks at a simple drawing (a house, a robot, a few shapes) and describes it while you draw it without looking.

1. What it builds: Precise words for position and size: above, below, next to, in the corner, twice as big.
2. Make it harder or easier: Use a more detailed picture, or let your child use hand gestures at first.

9. Role play: shop, restaurant or reception desk

Set up a pretend shop with things from the kitchen. Your child is the shopkeeper; you are a customer with lots of questions.

1. What it builds: Polite phrases, everyday vocabulary and thinking on their feet.
2. Make it harder or easier: Swap roles, or add a problem: the item is out of stock, or the order is wrong.

10. Would you rather?

Ask fun questions: "Would you rather fly or be invisible?" The rule is that every answer needs "because" and at least one reason.

1. What it builds: Giving opinions with reasons, which school speaking tasks often ask for.
2. Make it harder or easier: Ask for two reasons, or ask your child to argue for the option they didn't choose.

English conversation activities for ages 11 to 13

Older children want activities that feel grown-up. Focus on structure, explaining ideas and speaking to a listener. For ready-made prompts, see our list of public speaking topics for kids, by age.

11. Kitchen-table debate

Pick a light topic, such as "Pets are better than video games." Each side gets two minutes to argue and one minute to reply.

1. What it builds: Organising an argument, listening to the other side and responding.
2. Make it harder or easier: Make your child argue the side they disagree with, or let them make notes first.

12. News reporter

Your child picks one news story or school event and reports it in 60 seconds, like a TV reporter: what happened, where, who was involved and why it matters.

1. What it builds: Summarising and speaking in a clear order.
2. Make it harder or easier: Add a follow-up question from the "studio", or allow two minutes with notes.

13. Teach me something

Ask your child to teach you a topic from school, such as the water cycle or a maths method, as if you know nothing. Ask a few genuine questions.

1. What it builds: Explaining step by step, which also shows how well they understand the topic.
2. Make it harder or easier: Ask them to use one example and one comparison, or let them draw while they explain.

14. Interview a family member

Your child prepares five questions and interviews a grandparent or cousin about their childhood or a memorable trip. A phone call works too.

1. What it builds: Open questions, follow-up questions and active listening.
2. Make it harder or easier: Ask for at least two follow-up questions based on the answers, or share question starters ("What was it like...?", "How did you...?").

15. Don't say it

One player describes a word, such as "umbrella" or "library", without saying the word itself. The others guess. Add a timer to make it competitive.

1. What it builds: Vocabulary, explaining in other words and speaking fast under gentle pressure.
2. Make it harder or easier: Ban two related words as well (for umbrella: "rain" and "wet"), or let younger players use gestures.

A simple weekly plan using these games

Pick two or three games and rotate them. An example week for an 8-year-old:

1. Monday: Would you rather? at dinner (5 minutes)
2. Tuesday: Twenty Questions in the car
3. Wednesday: Just a Minute, then the family votes on the best talk
4. Thursday: Describe and draw
5. Friday: Role play: restaurant night
6. Weekend: Show and tell with grandparents on a video call

Save the longer games, like the interview or debate, for holidays. For more ideas, read our daily English speaking practice tips.

When to ask for extra help

Shy children usually warm up over a few weeks of games. If your child is hard to understand for their age, struggles to follow simple instructions in any language, or you have concerns about their speech or hearing, talk to your paediatrician, who may suggest a speech and language therapist. Read more about the role of communication skills in raising confident children.

Give your child a place to speak every week

Games build the habit. A live class adds a teacher who listens closely and gives your child a turn to speak in front of others. Younglabs Confident English classes cover speaking, reading, listening, writing and grammar together for ages 5 to 13. Book a free Confident English class to see where your child stands.

English speaking activities for kids: FAQs