TEFL Classroom Activity: Giving Directions

Here’s a unique and fun way to practice language for giving directions, especially if you have younger learners or adult students who are especially fun-loving or competitive.

Google up some mazes, print them out, and edit out any silly pictures if you have adult students. The task is for one person to take a pen and close his eyes – his partner (“team member”) sits next to him (not across – that’s too confusing!) and gives directions for how to complete the maze – using the vocabulary you’ve learned in class (go straight, keep going, turn left, turn right, go back, stop). It can be challenging and turn into a competition. Bring a few different mazes and let the partners switch and try a different one when they finish the first.

Learners practice speaking, listening, and the useful vocabulary for giving and following directions.

If you think your students will find this too childish or object for some other reason…trust your instinct and don’t use it! I use my good judgment as to when this will fly or not, and plenty of people are okay with it and actually like it. I first used it with a Pre-Intermediate group and can imagine it working for an Elementary group as well.