The game of 20 questions has gained widespread popularity around the globe and is sure to become a classroom favorite. Your children will rapidly improve their ability to describe and ask questions in English as they engage in conversations about everything from classroom objects to well-known figures. This game requires little prep time and is relatively easy to play. The only prep that’s required is creating thought-provoking questions and responses to ask and answer! Here’s a list of 20 different ideas to bring into your classroom.
Topics for 20 Questions
Coming up with topics for the questions game can be challenging. It’s important to not only use this game for vocabulary-related lessons. It’s also important to provide students with both fun and generic ideas so they can play independently. Here are 5 topics for 20 questions. Remember, this isn’t ONLY for the ESL classroom. There are various places to play!
1. Animals
Playing this game with animals is a great way to get students not only to brainstorm about different animal vocabulary but also to be able to describe animals through questions. Make sure to prepare students with a question structure for this questions game. Allow students to choose their favorite animal or even an animal from their favorite book.
- Cheetah
- Cat
- Dog
- Polar bear
- Starfish
- Leopard
- Coyote
- Komodo dragon
- Mountain Lion
2. People
This is a great one because students love to talk about people in their lives or people they’ve been influenced by. If you’re doing a lesson on different figures of history, use some of those people as potential answers. If not, let students use their favorites (my students are obsessed with K-pop).
- Nelson Mandela
- Picasso
- Billie Eilish
- Elvis Presley
- Genghis Khan
- Leonardo Da Vinci
- Mark Twain
- Thomas Edison
- Albert Einstien
- Martin Luther King
3. Places
Places can literally be anywhere! This is one of those fun ideas that students can really take anywhere. Using basic vocabulary like “fire station” or more complex vocabulary like The Great Barrier Reef.
- The North Pole
- Disney World
- Continents
- Taj Mahal
- The Great Barrier Reef
- Spongebob’s Pineapple
- Macchu Picchu
- Countries
- Amazon Rainforest
- Mt. Everest
4. Nature Objects
Objects found in nature are another great idea for students who are learning some basic vocabulary. This is an activity that can easily be taken outside. Let students run wild and brainstorm some objects they’d like to play with.
- Leaf
- Tree
- Dirt
- Cactus
- Banana tree
- Mangrove tree
- Coral
- Grass
- Bush
- Sky / Clouds
5. Mystery Objects
Mystery objects are always fun. I call them mystery objects because they can literally be anything from household objects to classroom objects.
- Calendar
- Computer
- Chair
- Tissues
- Hand sanitizer
- Mitten or gloves
- Chopsticks
- Stamps
- Christmas tree
- Window
Yes or No Questions
Now that you have a pretty good basis of different ideas for fun question games, it’s important to have a list of yes or no questions ready to go. Of course, students will get stuck at some points. This is why it’s important to provide a few sample questions for them to ask. This can be done in the first lesson by brainstorming questions. As students become more confident with the game rules, it’s important to provide them with some scaffolds for different questions. Here is a list of 20 yes or no questions that are perfect for any category players choose.
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