Teach Idioms to Adult ESL Students with Fun Strategies

Young woman is surprised by a brain freeze. — brain freeze

Unlike a brain freeze, teaching idioms to adult ESL students will really make your day! ESL teachers know that idioms are a quirky, delightful, and sometimes baffling part of the English language. They can be the spice that makes language learning more flavorful. If you’re looking for some fun and effective ways to teach idioms to adult ESL students, then stick around for engaging strategies and tips, as well as a sneak peek at some themed idiom products that will make learning a breeze.

Article Contents

Why Teach Idioms to Adult ESL Students?

Boost Their Fluency and Confidence

Idioms add a splash of color to conversations. When you teach idioms to adult ESL students, you help them sound more natural and fluent, boosting their confidence to speak up in any situation. They’re fun, and they’re everywhere—in conversations, movies, books, and news. Understanding and using them makes navigating daily interactions much more effortless.

Even if your adult ESL students never use an idiom, they’re going to come across them in speech and writing. Wrapping their heads around idioms will help your students keep up with what’s being said (or written).

Give Them Cultural Insight

Idioms often carry cultural stories and historical references. When you teach idioms to adult ESL students, you give them a deeper understanding of the English-speaking world. Plus, students enjoy discovering similarities between idioms in English and those in their native languages, which enhances their cross-cultural understanding.

Make Learning Idioms Fun and Relevant with Themed Idioms

Teaching idioms within specific themes helps students connect new expressions to familiar contexts. This approach makes idioms easier to understand and remember. It also allows students to see how idioms can be applied in different situations, enhancing their ability to use them naturally in conversations. Themed idioms can make learning fun and relevant when you pair a theme with what’s currently applicable to your students. The following are a few examples, and the links will take you to those resources in my TpT store should you be interested.

Seasonal Relevance: Let’s say that summer is here. Adding new summer idioms to their repertoire is the perfect way to get them talking about their summer or their summer vacation. It’s not summer? Then introduce some idioms for the season you’re in or approaching.

Current Events: What if it’s an election year! What a perfect opportunity to introduce idioms for talking about politics. These are timely and great for understanding current news and debates. Your students will love feeling more connected to what’s happening around them.

Personal Connections: Using idioms to talk about our goals, friendships, or even how we learn is perfect for building rapport and motivating personal growth. These themes are universal, making them easy to relate to and use in everyday conversations.

Strategies to Teach Idioms to Adult ESL Students Effectively

Context is Key

Whenever possible, teach idioms to adult ESL students within a context.

Use realistic sentences with embedded context clues and personal response questions where the idiom would naturally fit. For example, instead of simply giving them the idiom “hit the nail on the head,” create a scenario: “During the team discussion, her suggestion solved the problem perfectly. She really hit the nail on the head.” Ask students follow-up questions like, “Can you think of a time when someone in your group hit the nail on the head with their idea?”

Another example would be sharing this scenario: “Finding a place to live in the city can cost an arm and a leg, especially in the downtown area.” Then, ask students follow-up questions like, “What are some things in your country that cost an arm and a leg?”

This helps students grasp the meaning and usage more intuitively. Contextual learning allows idioms to be more memorable and relevant, helping students to internalize and use them correctly.

Try Interactive Activities That Go Beyond a Worksheet

Turn learning into a game with role-playing using short dialogues or the classic “I have…Who has..?” game.

For example, create short skits where students must use idioms in their dialogue. Here are some prompts you could use:

You’re at a job interview, and you want to impress the interviewer. Use the idiom “go the extra mile” in your response to this: Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond in your previous job.
You and a friend are discussing a tough decision you had to make recently. Use the idiom “bite the bullet” in your explanation to this question, “How did you handle telling your team about the budget cuts?”
Your friend is nervous about giving a presentation. Use the idiom “break a leg” in your encouragement after your friend tells you, “I’m so anxious about presenting tomorrow.”

Alternatively, use the “I have…Who has..?” game where each card has an idiom and a definition. One student says, “I have the idiom a staycation.” Who has the idiom that means to pack only essential items for a trip?” The student with the card to travel light replies, “I do! It’s to travel light. Who has the idiom that refers to a place where you feel as comfortable as in your own home?”

These activities are fun and reinforce understanding through action and laughter. Engaging in interactive play helps to lower the affective filter, making it easier for students to absorb and recall idioms.

Visual Aids Are Easy on the Eyes

Flashcards, themed posters, or even digital presentations can be lifesavers. Visuals help students remember idioms better by associating them with images.

For instance, a flashcard with the idiom “kitchen table issues” might feature an illustration of a table piled high with symbols representing healthcare, inflation, childcare, etc. Themed posters hung around the classroom that are related to current idiom lessons, such as a vacation theme with idioms like “hit the road” or “soak up the sun” will grab their attention and help them remember the meanings. Digital presentations that include an image, the idiom, and a definition can be a very useful way to introduce a set of idioms. For example, take a look at this one in my TpT store: Halloween Idioms

Visual aids make abstract expressions almost tangible, aiding retention and understanding. They can also help students understand the meaning with fewer words or explanations.

Practice Makes Perfect

Incorporate idioms into daily challenges and classroom conversations. The more students use them, the more natural they will become. Consider starting each class with an “Idiom of the Day” and encourage students to deliberately use it in their sentences or during discussions. Set up daily challenges, such as having students use at least three idioms in their conversations throughout the day. Do your best to use the idioms as well to model their usage and let students hear them in a real-time, natural context.

Regular practice reinforces learning and builds confidence, making idioms a natural part of their vocabulary. This continual exposure helps idioms become second nature to students, enhancing their overall language proficiency.

Engaging Activities to Teach Idioms to Adult ESL Students

Idioms in the Wild

Encourage your students to find idioms in songs, movies, and news articles. This real-world hunt makes learning exciting and practical. Make this more accessible to them by providing the lyrics/song clips, movie clips, or news articles rather than having them looking for a needle in a haystack.

Story Time

Get creative! Have students spin a yarn, tell a tall tale, or create dialogues using a set of idioms. This will test their understanding and encourage them to think on their feet.

Idiomatic Expressions Journal

Ask students to keep a journal of new idioms and their meanings. Encourage them to write their own context-embedded sentences using the idioms for practice and for later review. They could also describe where/when they saw or read each idiom. Regularly reviewing these will help prevent the idioms from slipping their minds.

Tips for Reinforcing Idioms Outside the Classroom

Encourage Media Consumption: Keeping in mind your students’ interests, recommend TV shows, YouTube channels, podcasts, and more that are rich in idiomatic expressions. This exposure helps students see how idioms are used naturally.

Cultural Exploration: Challenge students to explore the cultural origins and variations of idioms. Later, discuss how idiomatic expressions reflect cultural values and beliefs for a deeper understanding and appreciation.

Social Media Engagement: Encourage students to follow social media accounts or join groups focused on English idioms. They can participate in discussions, quizzes, or challenges related to idiomatic expressions.

Reading and Writing: Assign readings that include idiomatic expressions and ask students to write summaries or reflections using these idioms. This helps reinforce comprehension and application.

As you can see, when you teach idioms to adult ESL students, you take them beyond vocabulary or even language. Idioms are about culture, connection, and creativity. When you teach idioms to adult ESL students, you transform your classroom into a lively, engaging space where learning is an adventure.

Don’t forget to check out my themed idiom activity packs to make your lessons even more fun and effective. All are available in my TpT store.