Looking for a fun, low-prep Speaking Club idea that sparks engagement, creativity, and plenty of speaking opportunities? Here's one to save in your teaching toolkit — all you need is paper, scissors, and a bit of imagination!
🧠 What’s the idea?
This activity combines drawing, cutting, and vocabulary practice. Students create their own paper fruits (or vegetables, animals, sea creatures — you name it!), practicing vocabulary and speaking in a relaxed, playful setting.
🎯 Why it works:
No prep required — just bring paper and scissors.
Visual and tactile — great for younger learners and kinesthetic learners.
Naturally communicative — students speak while creating.
Boosts confidence — the task is simple but engaging.
Highly adaptable — works with many topics and levels.
📝 How it works:
Start with a theme
Choose a simple category, like fruits.Share visuals
Use Zoom’s screen sharing option to show real images of the items. For example, display a lemon, say the word clearly, and ask students to repeat. Let them guess what’s next or name fruits they already know.Time to draw!
Ask students to pick a fruit and draw it on a piece of paper.Cut & show
Once they've drawn it, let them cut out their fruit and show it to the group. You can ask:What’s this?
What color is it?
Do you like this fruit?
Is it sweet or sour?
Language extension
For higher levels, you can go beyond basic vocab:“My fruit is yellow. It’s round. It’s sour.”
“I like strawberries because they’re sweet and juicy.”
⏰ Important note on timing!
Students love drawing, and if you let them, they’ll spend the entire lesson perfecting their masterpieces! To avoid running out of time, set a clear limit for each stage of the activity.
🍓 Other great themes:
Vegetables – carrots, broccoli, tomatoes
Animals – draw and cut jungle or farm animals
Sea creatures – fish, jellyfish, sharks
Flowers – explore colors and nature
Insects – butterflies, bees, ladybugs
Weather elements – sun, clouds, snowflakes
Toys – teddy bears, dolls, balls
1. Fruits & Vegetables 🍎
Good for: Basic vocabulary, adjectives, likes/dislikes.
Sample Questions:
What fruit is this?
What color is it?
Do you like it? Why?
Is it sweet, sour, or bitter?
Where does it grow?
Mini Activity: Play a guessing game: “It’s red, round, and sweet. What is it?”
2. Animals 🐯
Good for: Descriptions, habitats, storytelling.
Sample Questions:
What animal is it?
Where does it live?
What does it eat?
Can it fly/run/swim?
Is it big or small?
Mini Activity: Invent an animal” — mix two animals and describe it!
3. Sea Creatures 🐠
Good for: Fun facts, using verbs (swim, dive, hide).
Sample Questions:
What sea creature did you draw?
Is it dangerous?
Have you seen it before?
What color is it?
4. Flowers & Nature 🌸
Good for: Colors, shapes, emotions, seasons.
Sample Questions:
What’s the name of your flower?
What colors did you use?
Where can we find this flower?
Does it have a smell?
5. Weather & Seasons 🌦️
Good for: Daily routines, feelings, comparisons.
Sample Questions:
What’s the weather today?
Do you like rainy days?
What season is your favorite?
What do you wear in this weather?
Mini Activity:
Make a weather report: “Today it’s sunny and warm. I will wear…”
Draw a weather scene and describe it to others.
6. Insects 🐞
Good for: Vocabulary expansion, comparisons, stories.
Sample Questions:
What insect is this?
Is it scary or cute?
How many legs does it have?
Can it fly?
7. Toys 🧸
Good for: Personal connection, storytelling, describing possessions.
Sample Questions:
What toy is this?
What can it do?
Is it soft/hard/loud?
Do you have this toy at home?
Mini Activity: Make a short story: “This is the best toy because…”
8. Transport & Vehicles 🚗🚐🚎
Good for: Descriptions, comparisons, storytelling, and categorizing.
Sample Questions:
What type of transport is this?
Is it big or small?
What color is it?
How fast does it go?
Which do you prefer, a car or a bus? Why?
Mini Activity: Design your own vehicle! What type is it (van, truck, motorcycle)? Describe it — what color, shape, and features does it have
💡Here are some additional themes you can use in your lessons:
Looking for more ideas? We’ve got you covered — our Teacher’s Library has ready-made printables you can use right away! No need to search for images before the lesson — just screen share the printable during class and dive straight into the activity.
9. Disney Princesses 👸
You can find the ready printables for Disney Princesses in this folder.
10. My Little Pony 🦄
You can find the ready printables for My Little Pony in this folder.
11. Roblox 🕹️
You can find the ready printables for Roblox in this folder.
12. Minecraft ⛏️
You can find the ready printables for Minecraft in this folder.
13. LEGO 🧱
You can find the ready printables for LEGO in this folder.
14. Charlie and His Friends 🐶
15. Holiday Themes 🎉
Use these themes for seasonal fun:
New Year 🎄
Halloween 🎃
Valentine’s Day 💘
You’ll find themed printables for each holiday — perfect for festive Speaking Clubs!
These printables are designed to make your lessons fun and easy to implement, with minimal prep time! Browse our full Teacher’s Library for even more inspiration.
📝 Note for Teachers:
Please always keep the student’s level of English in mind. Don’t ask questions that are too difficult or abstract if the student isn’t ready for them. It's totally okay to simplify or adapt the topic — the goal is to help them feel confident and enjoy speaking! 😊
💡 Tips to Maximize Talk Time:
Always model first: Show a photo, talk about it together, then set the task (e.g. “Draw a lemon! What colours will you use?”).
Use visuals: Real photos spark more curiosity than clip art.
Encourage full sentences: “It’s a yellow banana. I like it because it’s sweet.”
Praise effort, not perfection: Celebrate every attempt to speak!
🧑🏫 Quick Teaching Flow (Example with Fruits)
Show a photo (e.g., lemon) via screen share.
Ask: “What is this?” “What colour is it?”Prep to draw
Ask: “What colours will you use?” “Show your pencils!”Draw (3 min)
Say: “Let’s draw it – you have 3 minutes!”Show & cut
Ask students to show their drawing, then cut it out.Discuss together
Ask: “What did you draw?” “What colour is it?” “Do you like it?”
🎉 In short…
This kind of Speaking Club shows that meaningful, engaging lessons don’t have to be complicated. With just a few pieces of paper and a screen share, you can unlock students’ creativity, build vocabulary, and increase confidence in speaking — all while having fun!
Give it a try — and let us know how it goes!
Happy teaching 💜
All Right Team