Teaching a large EFL class can feel overwhelming, but with the right activities, you can engage every single student even with 30, 40 or more learners in the room. Here are the best EFL activities specifically designed for large classes.
## 1. Kahoot Quizzes
Kahoot was practically made for large classes. Every student joins on their own device and competes simultaneously — the bigger the class the more exciting it gets.
How to use it:
- Create vocabulary or grammar quizzes
- Use it as a warm-up or review activity
- Students love the competitive element
- Completely free to use
## 2. Mingle Activities
Mingle activities get students out of their seats and talking to multiple classmates. Perfect for large classes because everyone is active simultaneously.
How to do it:
- Give each student a card with a question or information gap
- Students walk around and find partners to exchange information with
- Works brilliantly for speaking practice and getting to know you activities
- Requires minimal preparation
## 3. Snowball Activity
A fun writing and speaking activity that works brilliantly with large groups.
How to do it:
- Each student writes a sentence or answer on a piece of paper
- They screw it into a ball and throw it across the room
- Students pick up a random “snowball” and read it aloud or respond to it
- Great for grammar practice and creative writing
## 4. Think-Pair-Share
A simple but incredibly effective structure for large classes. Instead of one student answering while 39 others watch, everyone participates simultaneously.
How to do it:
- Pose a question or topic
- Students think individually for 1-2 minutes
- They discuss with a partner for 2-3 minutes
- Selected pairs share with the whole class
Best for: Discussion questions, grammar practice, reading comprehension
## 5. Running Dictation
An energetic activity that combines reading, speaking, listening and writing — perfect for keeping large classes engaged.
How to do it:
- Stick texts around the walls of the classroom
- One student runs to read the text, memorizes part of it, runs back and dictates it to their partner
- Partners write what they hear
- First team to finish correctly wins
## 6. Jigsaw Reading
Divide a large class into expert groups — each group reads a different text, then reforms into mixed groups to share information.
How to do it:
- Divide class into groups of 4-5
- Each group reads a different section of a topic
- Regroup so each new group has one expert from each original group
- Students teach each other what they learned
Best for: Reading comprehension and speaking practice
## 7. Back to the Board
A classic game that works brilliantly with large classes — and students absolutely love it.
How to do it:
- One student sits with their back to the board
- You write a word on the board
- The rest of the class gives definitions and clues (no direct translation)
- The student guesses the word
Best for: Vocabulary review
## 8. Dictogloss
A structured listening activity that works perfectly with any class size.
How to do it:
- Read a short text at natural speed
- Students listen without writing
- Read again — students note key words only
- In groups they reconstruct the text from memory
- Compare with original
Best for: Listening, grammar and writing practice
## 9. Gallery Walk
Turn your classroom into a gallery of student work or discussion prompts.
How to do it:
- Post discussion questions, images or student work around the walls
- Students walk around with sticky notes and respond
- Works brilliantly for generating discussion without whole-class pressure
- Every student participates at their own pace
## 10. Collaborative Storytelling
A whole-class activity that requires zero preparation and keeps everyone engaged.
How to do it:
- Start a story with one sentence
- Each student adds one sentence continuing the story
- Goes around the whole class
- Works for any grammar point — just tell students which tense to use
## Tips for Managing Large EFL Classes
- Use pair and group work constantly — never have one student answering while everyone else watches
- Give clear instructions before grouping — always explain the task before students move
- Use a timer — keeps activities on track and adds energy
- Have a signal for silence — clapping pattern, raising hand, or countdown works better than shouting
## Final Thoughts
Large classes don’t have to mean chaos or passive students. With the right activities every student can be active, speaking and learning simultaneously. Try one new activity from this list each week and watch your large class transform.
What’s your favorite activity for large EFL classes? Share in the comments!