When using role play to teach teenagers EFL/ESL, the choice of scenario is crucial. If it’s too silly, they’ll lose interest because it’s “babyish”, but if you make it overly serious they’ll get bored and refuse to engage.
That’s not to mention the fact teenagers have wildly different interests and preferences. What might seem exciting to one teen could be the lamest idea imaginable for someone of their same age and level.
Knowing your students helps you avoid bad role plays. That and approaching the role play activity in the right way from the beginning.
To learn more about how to teach students aged 13+ with role play, read my guide, Teaching EFL/ESL to Teenagers & Adults With Role Play.
With that in mind, this article has 5 awesome role-play scenarios. Not all of them will be appropriate for your class, so pick and choose the best ones. Each role play is designed for 2 students, with an optional supplementary third role if you need to make groups of 3.
Once you’ve started your teens off with role play, one of the main challenges is coming up with fun new scenarios that they actually care about. Fortunately I’ve got you covered on that! Beyond the five in this article, I have a free eBook of 15 that you can use straight away and I send newsletter subscribers more every month.
Enchanted ESL Role-Play Scenarios
- 15 unique scenarios
- 3 themed scenarios every month
- Access to all scenarios from previous months
- Guidance on how to use role play
1. Hurricane
A fun one when practicing advanced weather and problem solving in dangerous situations.
For all students: A hurricane has hit your town!
| STUDENT | ROLE |
|---|---|
| A | You have to get across town to your aunt’s house, where it’s safe from the hurricane. You don’t have a car or any other transport. You are with your friend, student B. |
| B | You don’t have anywhere safe to stay in town, but you know your car is parked by the supermarket. You are with your friend, student A. |
| C (optional) | You’re alone in the hurricane with nowhere to go. You find two people (students A and B) and ask them for help. |
TIPS
- Play hurricane and storm sounds to create an atmosphere. Here’s a good video you can use – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mJ48TG9Leo.
- Part way through the role play, have the students find a cat or dog that they have to rescue.
- Encourage them to improvise – does a detached shop sign come flying at them down the street? Does the hurricane calm down for a minute or two? When they get to the car or the house, is it already destroyed?
2. Olympic interview
A great role play for asking and answering questions as well as talking about sports.
| STUDENT | ROLE |
|---|---|
| A | You just won an Olympic gold medal. Now you have to talk to the media about your success. |
| B | You are a journalist. You want to ask lots of questions to the new Olympic gold medallist to get content for your website. |
| C (optional) | You are a journalist. You want to ask the best questions to the new Olympic gold medallist for your high quality newspaper. |
TIPS
- Let students choose which sport they were gold medallist in. Alternatively, change it to the football World Cup, the Super Bowl, or any other sporting competition they’re interested in.
- If you think your students won’t be confident asking questions, brainstorm some good ones beforehand and have them written down for reference.
3. Turn down the volume!
Almost every teenager goes through this at some point. This is a good role play for learning phrases related to arguments and conflict resolution.
| STUDENT | ROLE |
|---|---|
| A | You’re having a small party in your house, playing your favourite music loud enough so everyone can hear it and dance to it. |
| B | You live in the house next door to student A, and you’re trying to go to sleep, but their music is too loud. You want them to turn it down. |
| C (optional) | You can be a friend at the party. You can also be a parent or police officer if they are introduced into the situation. |
TIPS
- Play some dance music in the background to set the scene (but not too loud so the students can’t hear each other!)
- Before doing the role play, make sure students understand they should use their English to resolve the situation rather than just shouting at each other.
4. Lost cat
It’s never nice to lose a pet, so this role play is aimed at people rallying together to solve a problem.
| STUDENT | ROLE |
|---|---|
| A | Your pet cat has gone missing. You need help from others to try to find where it has gone. |
| B | You are lots of different roles. You play the people who student A asks to help look for the cat (e.g. police officer, neighbour, vet, etc.) – maybe you have some information or tools to help find it. |
| C (optional) | You are student A’s friend and want to help them find the cat. |
TIPS
- Let the students know they shouldn’t be able to find the cat too easily. Make sure they try three or four different things before finally discovering it together.
- Help Student B if necessary. Adapting to different roles depending on the situation can be fun, but it’s a bit of a challenge, too.
5. Brand new t-shirt
Teenagers always want to buy new things, and getting their parents to pay for extravagant clothes is always a struggle. This scenario focuses on convincing and compromise.
| STUDENT | ROLE |
|---|---|
| A | You have found an amazing t-shirt in the clothes shop and you really want your mum/dad (student B) to buy it for you. You don’t like any of the other t-shirts. |
| B | You are student A’s mum/dad. Student A wants to buy a t-shirt, but it’s very expensive (£50!) and you don’t want to spend so much money on one item of clothing. |
| C (optional) | You are the shop assistant who can answer questions about the t-shirt, or suggest alternatives. |
TIPS
- Change the item of clothing to a more advanced word (hoodie, scarf, etc.) if you want to practice some clothes vocab.
- Encourage students to negotiate and compromise instead of just shouting at each other.
If you’d like more great role-play scenarios, you can get my free eBook of 15 for free right now, and as a newsletter you’ll get more every month. You’ll never run out!
Enchanted ESL Role-Play Scenarios
- 15 unique scenarios
- 3 themed scenarios every month
- Access to all scenarios from previous months
- Guidance on how to use role play
Tailor your role plays to your students’ needs
If you know your students well, you can probably imagine them enjoying some of these scenarios.
Choose the ones you think will fit best and feel free to adjust them. I’ve created them based on role plays I do with my classes, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be perfect for yours.
Let your students make them their own. None of the scenarios has an end goal, so watch your students create their own unique stories and enjoy the process together.
For more information and guidance on role play in the EFL/ESL classroom, check out all my articles on the subject:
Why All EFL/ESL Teachers Should Use Role Play Activities
Dramatization vs Simulation vs Role Play: Guide for EFL/ESL
5 Problems to Avoid With Role Play in EFL/ESL + Solutions
How to Teach Children EFL/ESL With Role Play: Best tips
Teaching EFL/ESL to Teenagers & Adults With Role Play
5 Awesome EFL/ESL Role-play Scenarios for Teens (+ tips)
5 Exciting EFL/ESL Role Play Scenarios for Kids (+ tips)
5 Engaging EFL/ESL Role Play Activities for Adults (+ tips)
