February is a gift for a speaking class. Every student has an opinion about Valentine's Day, even the students who think it's silly, and opinions are what get adults talking. The trouble is prep: nobody wants to spend an evening cutting out hearts for a 60-minute lesson.
Here are seven low-prep Valentine's Day speaking activities for ESL adults, from a compliment chain for beginners to a debate for C1. Each one needs one printed page, and the free pack below has all seven.
The activities at a glance | # | Activity | Level | Skill | | 1 | Compliment chain | A1-B1 | Speaking | | 2 | Find a classmate who... | A2-B1 | Questions | | 3 | A February 14 out for €50 | A2-B1 | Speaking | | 4 | Love song bingo | A2-B2 | Listening | | 5 | How did they meet? | B1-B2 | Storytelling | | 6 | February 14 role-plays | B1-B2 | Speaking | | 7 | Valentine's Day debate | B2-C1 | Discussion |
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| Free · printable PDFValentine's Day Speaking PackOne page for each of the seven activities below, numbered like this post: compliment cards, a class survey, a €50 day-out menu, two song bingo cards, story cards, role cards and debate cards. Print the page you need and teach.7 activities8 pagesA1 to C1A4 and LetterDownload the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
Why Valentine's Day works with adult classes
- Nobody needs to be dating. The day touches friends, family, colleagues, shops and money, so every student has something to say.
- Opinions come fast. Some students love it and some think it's a holiday made by shops. That split is a ready-made discussion.
- The language is everyday English. Compliments, suggestions, polite refusals and complaints are things adults say all year, not only in February.
- It fits every level. Sentence starters at A1, present perfect questions at A2, narrative tenses at B1 and a structured debate at C1.
Keep it comfortable for every class
- None of the seven activities asks students about their own love life. The stories are about invented people, and the debate is about the day, not about anyone in the room.
- In activity 3, students choose who the day out is for: two friends, two colleagues, a relative, a couple or themselves.
- Compliments in activity 1 are about what classmates do, say and bring, never how they look. That makes it safe for colleagues and mixed ages.
- For a whole lesson of questions, the 50 Valentine's Day conversation questions for A2 to C1 come with their own free card deck.
7 low-prep Valentine's Day speaking activities
Activities 1 to 3 are warmers for any level from A1 up. Activities 4 and 5 suit intermediate classes. Activities 6 and 7 fill a whole lesson with B1 to C1 students.
1of 7A1-B110 minSpeakingFree printable · page 2 Compliment chain How it works- Put the 24 compliment cards face down in the middle of the class.
- The first student takes a card, finishes it for the student on their left and says it: You're really good at explaining grammar.
- That student thanks them with a phrase from the box, then takes the next card for the next student. Keep going until everyone has given and got a compliment.
| ExampleCardI learned ... from you.ComplimentI learned a great pasta recipe from you.ReplyThanks! That made my day. |
| Why it works A compliment is a tiny piece of real conversation, and the reply is the hard part. Many students answer No, it's not true, which sounds rude in English. Five set ways to say thank you fix that in ten minutes. |
| Free printable · page 224 compliment cards in three colors (what you do, what you say, what you bring) and five ways to say thank you.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
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2of 7A2-B115 minQuestionsFree printable · page 3 Find a classmate who... How it works- Each student gets the sheet with twelve lines, such as has sent a card by post this year.
- Students stand up, turn each line into a question and ask the class: Have you sent a card by post this year?
- When a classmate says yes, they write the name and ask one more question: Who did you send it to? At the end, each student tells the class two things they found out.
| ExampleLinehas a friend they've known for 20 yearsQuestionHave you got a friend you've known for 20 years? |
| Why it works Every line needs a different question form, so students practice the present perfect, can, would rather and the present simple in one activity. The follow-up question is where small talk begins, and The Art of Small Talk is an A2-B1 lesson on starting, keeping and ending that kind of conversation. |
| Free printable · page 3Twelve lines with columns for a name and a follow-up answer, and a model for reporting to the class.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
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3of 7A2-B120 minSpeakingFree printable · page 4 A February 14 out for €50 How it works- Pairs choose who the day is for: two friends, two colleagues, a relative, a couple or one person on their own.
- They pick from a menu of twelve plans with prices, from a €4 walk in the park to a €60 escape room.
- They fill in a plan for the morning, afternoon and evening and can't go over €50. Each pair sells its plan to the class in one minute.
| ExamplePlanPicnic €15, ice skating €20, cinema €18Total€53, too much! |
| Why it works A budget forces students to negotiate: How about going ice skating? That's too expensive. If we take the picnic, we'll have €20 left. For more ideas for the day itself, Valentine's Day Ideas is a free A1-A2 lesson on making the day special, even if romance isn't your thing. |
| Free printable · page 4A menu of twelve plans with prices and times, a planner with a total and phrases for agreeing.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
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4of 7A2-B220 minListeningFree printable · page 5 Love song bingo How it works- Cut the page in half so Student A and Student B have different bingo cards.
- Play any love song, old or new. Students cross out each word they hear: heart, forever, tonight, crazy.
- The first full line wins. After each song, pairs choose a mood word and answer the talk questions: How does the singer feel? Which words tell you?
| Why it works Students listen for words, not meaning, so even A2 students can follow a song at full speed. Play two or three songs and the class compares them. For a full lesson on the topic, Love Songs is an A2-B1 lesson that brings emotions into the classroom through music. |
| Free printable · page 5Two different bingo cards of 16 love song words, eight mood words and five questions to talk about each song.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
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5of 7B1-B220 minStorytellingFree printable · page 6 How did they meet? How it works- Make four piles of cards: where, something, a problem and the ending.
- Groups take one card from each pile and tell how two invented people met. They can be best friends, business partners or a couple.
- Each student adds one sentence at a time. The class votes for the best story.
| ExampleCardsat a cooking class + the wrong coffee order + the lights went out + they started a business together |
| Why it works Every story needs the past continuous for the background (Mia was waiting for the night bus) and the past simple for what happened (a dog ran around her legs). Random cards make the stories funny, and nobody has to share a real one. If your class wants love idioms, our 25 Valentine's Day idioms post has a free activity pack of its own. |
| Free printable · page 6Sixteen story cards in four colored columns, with a box on the past continuous and the past simple.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
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A lesson on how love stories sound Speak Like Love Story is a B1-B2 lesson built on a scene from a romantic film. Students practice natural dialogue, which is a good next step after telling their own invented stories. Speak Like Love StoryB1B2ProSee the Pro lesson → |
6of 7B1-B220 minSpeakingFree printable · page 7 February 14 role-plays How it works- Pairs take a card and fold it down the middle, so each student reads only their own role.
- They take one minute to plan, then act out the situation for three minutes with the phrases at the bottom of the card.
- Then they swap roles or take a new card. Six situations: a full restaurant, a gift that doesn't fit, an invitation to say no to, hearts at the office, the price of roses and a forgotten birthday.
| ExampleStudent ABook a table for four friends at 8 pm.Student BWe're full from 7 to 10. Could you do 5:30? |
| Why it works Each situation has a small conflict, so students have to complain, refuse, offer and agree, not just chat. The card on saying no is the one adults need most at work, and Saying No is a B1-B2 lesson on saying no politely and persuasively. |
| Free printable · page 7Six role cards with a Student A and a Student B side and useful phrases on each card.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
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7of 7B2-C130 minDiscussionFree printable · page 8 Valentine's Day debate How it works- Teams take a statement card, such as Companies should not celebrate Valentine's Day at work. One team agrees, the other disagrees, whatever they really think.
- Teams plan for five minutes and then debate in four steps: open, give reasons, answer back, close.
- The rest of the class scores each team for the best reason, the best example and the best answer back.
| ExampleStatementValentine's Day is more fun when you're single.Answer backYou said it's cheaper, but what about...? |
| Why it works Arguing for a side you didn't choose is hard and very useful: students must find reasons fast and use should, could and might to make them. The scoring keeps the audience listening. |
| Free printable · page 8Eight statement cards, phrases for the four steps of the debate and a score sheet.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF |
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Valentine's Day Speaking PackAll seven activities in one free PDF, one page each, in the order of this post.Download the free PDF |
Mistakes your students will make
Teacher's reference Slips to listen for during these activities | Students say | Better | | Thanks, but it's not true. | Thank you, that's really kind. | | In English, a simple thank you is the polite answer to a compliment. | | Have you bought chocolate yesterday? | Did you buy chocolate yesterday? | | A finished time like yesterday needs the past simple. | | How about go to the cinema? | How about going to the cinema? | | After how about, use the -ing form. | | It costs 12 euro for person. | It costs 12 euros per person. | | Euros takes an s, and prices go per person. | | They were meeting at a wedding. | They met at a wedding. | | The main event takes the past simple. The past continuous is for the background. | | I am agree with you. | I agree with you. | | Agree is a verb, so no am. | | Valentine's Day should to be a holiday. | Valentine's Day should be a holiday. | | No to after should, could or might. |
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Lessons for Valentine's Day speaking classes
Need a full lesson instead of an activity? Our Valentine's Day lessons roundup covers every level. These are the ones that go best with the activities above.
