30 New Year's Resolutions Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes (A2 to C1)
October 25, 2026
Table of Contents
- Before you start
- 1. Why People Make Them
- 2. Learning Something New
- 3. Time and Sleep
- 4. Money
- 5. Phones and Screens
- 6. Keeping It
- Mistakes to listen for
- Lessons for January
- New Year's Resolutions Questions FAQ
- What if my students don't want to share their resolutions?
- Which future form should students use for New Year's resolutions?
- Do these questions work for students who celebrate Lunar New Year?
These 30 New Year's resolutions ESL conversation questions follow one resolution through its year: why people make it, learning something new, time and sleep, money, phones, and whether it lasts. There are six sets of five, from A2 to C1. Each set has a rule that stops one-word answers, the grammar it naturally pulls out, and a full lesson behind it.
New Year is the one holiday almost every student marks, which makes it the easiest topic of the winter for a mixed class. Nobody has to share a real goal, because every set works about people in general or about a friend too. All 30 questions are also in the free New Year Resolution Cards below, with a short grammar task for each set.
Six sets, one resolution's year
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| Free · printable PDFNew Year Resolution CardsAll 30 questions below as cut-out cards, one page per set and numbered like this post. Each set has a green rule card for the middle of the table and a short task under the cards that practices the grammar the questions pull out.30 question cards6 rule cards6 tasksA2 to C1Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDFSeven pages, one set on eachPage 2Set 1 · Why People Make ThemMost Popular Where I LivePage 3Set 2 · Learning Something NewWould You RatherPage 4Set 3 · Time and SleepWhen and HowPage 5Set 4 · MoneyIf... I'll...Page 6Set 5 · Phones and ScreensBefore and NowPage 7Set 6 · Keeping ItA Yes Needs the Story |
Before you start
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1. Why People Make Them
New Year conversation questions for ESL classes usually start here: why people make resolutions at all.
- Why do so many people make resolutions in January and not in June?
- What are the most popular resolutions where you live?
- What do people get from a resolution, even if they don't keep it?
- Which resolution do you hear about every year from people who never start it?
- What would be a better day than January 1 to start something new, and why?
1of 6A2-B1Pairs10 minpresent simple for opinionsFree printable · page 2 The rule: People first Answer about people in general first. Then add yourself, only if you want to. That makes this the safest set to open with, because no student has to announce a plan in front of the class.
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The free lesson New Year's Resolutions (A1-A2) is the lower-level version of this set. Students watch a street interview where people share their resolutions, then brainstorm their own.
The lesson for this set |
2. Learning Something New
Learning resolutions, asked as would-you-rather questions, so every student has something to choose.
- Would you rather learn one skill well this year or try five new ones?
- Would you rather learn from a teacher or teach yourself from videos?
- Would you rather speak English fast with mistakes or slowly and perfectly?
- Would you rather learn something useful or something just for fun?
- Would you rather study for ten minutes every day or for two hours every Sunday?
2of 6A2-B1Pairs10 minwould ratherFree printable · page 3 The rule: Pick one, give two reasons Pick one and give two reasons. Both isn't an answer. Question 8 always starts an argument in an English class, and that is why it's there.
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Study Smarter (A2-B1) gives this set its vocabulary. Students read how good learners study and pick up phrases like build a habit, stick to a routine and track your progress, which are the words of every learning resolution.
The lesson for this set |
3. Time and Sleep
Plans for mornings, evenings and sleep, the most common resolutions of all.
- What is one thing you're going to do with your mornings this year?
- Which is harder to change, the time you go to bed or the time you get up?
- How are you going to make time for something you enjoy?
- What are you going to do less of in the evenings?
- How are you going to remember your plan on a busy day in March?
3of 6B1-B2Pairs15 minbe going to for plansFree printable · page 4 The rule: A when and a how Every plan needs a when and a how. I'm going to read more isn't finished until it becomes I'm going to read for 20 minutes on the train. Students who would rather not share can talk about a plan a friend has made.
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Morning Person (B1-B2) is built on one of the most popular resolutions of all, getting up early. Students discuss sleeping habits and read an article on how to become a morning person. For an A2-B1 class, Miracle Morning has students read about the morning rituals of famous people and describe their own in the present simple.
The lessons for this set |
4. Money
Money habits and plans. Groups of three this time, so every if sentence gets an answer.
- What is the most popular money resolution where you live?
- If you save a little every week, what will you do with it at the end of the year?
- What do people buy in January that they regret in February?
- If you plan your spending, will you enjoy the year more or less? Why?
- Which is easier to keep, a resolution to save more or a resolution to buy less?
4of 6B1-B2Groups of 315 minfirst conditionalFree printable · page 5 The rule: Every answer has an if Every answer includes an if: If I save ten dollars a week, I'll... The set is about money habits and plans, so nobody has to say what they earn or spend.
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Budgeting for 2024 (B1-B2) practices the same grammar with the resolution many adults care about most. Students read an article on fixing their money and building a budget, and work on the first conditional.
The lesson for this set |
5. Phones and Screens
Phones and screen time, the resolution that is still going on while students talk about it.
- What are you doing differently with your phone this year, if anything?
- Which app are you trying to use less, and what is replacing it?
- Why is it so hard to cut down on screen time when everybody says they want to?
- Is anybody you know taking a break from social media? How is it going?
- Should apps be made less addictive, or is screen time our own responsibility?
5of 6B2-C1Pairs15 minpresent continuous for changes in progressFree printable · page 6 The rule: Before and now Compare now with before: I used to check my phone in bed. Now I'm leaving it in the kitchen. The present continuous is the tense of a change that is still happening, which is exactly what a resolution in progress is.
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Life Without Smartphones (B2-C1) is the full lesson at this level. Students take a quiz on how hooked they are on social media and read an interview with people who gave up their smartphones. For lower levels, Breaking the Habit (A2-B1) starts with ranking everyday habits, checking your phone too often among them, and teaches used to, be used to and get used to through stories of change.
The lessons for this set |
6. Keeping It
Keeping a resolution, breaking one, and trying again. Fitness apps call the middle of January Quitter's Day, because so many users stop around then, which makes this a good set for the second or third week of term.
- Have you ever kept a resolution for a whole year? What helped?
- Have you ever given up a resolution in the first two weeks? What happened?
- Have you ever started the same resolution more than once? Why did you try again?
- Have you ever made a resolution together with a friend? How did it go?
- What is one promise you'll make for next year, and how will you keep it?
6of 6B2-C1Groups of 315 minhave you ever, then will for a promiseFree printable · page 7 The rule: A yes needs the story A yes needs the story: when it happened, what went wrong, what you learned. A friend's story counts too. The last question closes with a promise in will.
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Year in Review (B2-C1) turns this set into a full lesson on looking back. It opens with a Wheel of Life, where students rate parts of their year from 1 to 10, and ends with each student writing a year-in-review post. If the switch from have you ever to the past simple keeps breaking, the free Past Simple vs Present Perfect worksheet (B1-B2) fixes exactly that, with finished and unfinished time side by side.
The lessons for this set |
New Year Resolution CardsThe 30 cards, six rule cards and six grammar tasks, in the order of this post. A direct download, no sign-up.Download the free PDF |
Mistakes to listen for
Teacher's reference Slips that come up in New Year's resolutions conversations
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Lessons for January
Every set of New Year's resolutions conversation questions above has a lesson behind it. The free ones first, then by level:
| Level | Lesson | What students do |
| A1-A2 | New Year's Resolutions (free) | Watch a street interview about resolutions, then brainstorm their own |
| A2-B1 | Life In 2030 (free) | Make predictions about the future with will and won't |
| B1-B2 | Past Simple vs Present Perfect (free) | Worksheet: finished and unfinished time, from life experiences to for and since |
| A2-B1 | Study Smarter | Read how good learners study and talk about learning habits |
| A2-B1 | Miracle Morning | Morning rituals of famous people, in the present simple |
| A2-B1 | Breaking the Habit | Stories of changed habits with used to and get used to |
| B1-B2 | Morning Person | Sleeping habits and an article on becoming a morning person |
| B1-B2 | Budgeting for 2024 | Build a budget and practice the first conditional |
| B2-C1 | Life Without Smartphones | A social media quiz and an interview with people who gave up smartphones |
| B2-C1 | Year in Review | A Wheel of Life, then a year-in-review post of their own |
| B2-C1 | New Year's Traditions | New Year celebrations around the world and where they come from |
| B2-C1 | Chinese New Year | Lunar New Year traditions through a video and discussion |
For students who mark the new year on another date, Chinese New Year fits the first week of February: Lunar New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6. For New Year's Eve itself, see set 6 of our Christmas conversation questions.
New Year's Resolutions Questions FAQ
What if my students don't want to share their resolutions?
Start with set 1, which is about people in general, and let students answer sets 3, 5 and 6 about a friend. Nobody needs to share a real goal.
Which future form should students use for New Year's resolutions?
Be going to for plans they have already made, the present continuous for arrangements and changes in progress, and will for promises and decisions made on the spot. Set 3 practices the first, set 5 the second, and the promise card in set 6 the third.
Do these questions work for students who celebrate Lunar New Year?
Yes. The questions are about a fresh start, not a date, so they work in February too.
