Warm Up &
Boredom Busters
Learner Level: Low intermediate - Intermediate
Theme: summer, activities
Skills: brainstorming, making suggestions,  could Quick Reference: &
Time: 20 minutes Students take turns being a bored child
during the  dog days of summer . The class
Materials: None
offers boredom busters using  could .
Grouping: Whole class (or large group 5+)
Preparation: None (Give examples of could + base verb if
students are not familiar with this construction.)
Teacher Instructions: '
1. Teach the phrases  dog days of summer and  boredom busters .
2. Arrange students in a circle or line. One student introduces himself as the bored child. He should give his age, name,
and location (fictional). Then he should say,  I'm bored! (Encourage student to use a whiney voice.)
3. The other students will take turns offering boredom busters using  could .
For Example: '
Student 1: My name is Juan. I'm ten years old. I live in Mexico. I'm bored!
Student 2: You could go to the beach.
Student 3: You could make a picnic.
Student 4: You could go for a bicycle ride.
Student 5: You could call a friend.
Continue until all students have had a turn to offer a suggestion...
Teacher: Well, what are you going to do Juan?
Student 1: I guess I'll go for a bike ride.
4. Choose another student to be Student #1. Repeat the game for a second round. Students are not allowed to offer a
boredom buster that has already been given in a previous round. Play until all of the students have had a chance to be
bored!
5. If you have extra time, have a class discussion about  the dog days of summer . What did you do to prevent boredom
as a child?
Teacher 2 Teacher: &
If your students are having trouble thinking of things, try brainstorming boredom busters as a class. Don't write
the whole sentence on the board. Write the base form of the verb, such as  read  write  play  go or nouns
such as  movies ,  badminton ,  library .
Related Topics from the ESL-Library.com: &
Flash Cards: Weather and Seasons
Grammar Stories: Perfect Modals
Living in English: Recreation
1
Copyright 2010. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [e-mail] for complete details.