Family lessons for adult learners
Adult students don't need a picture of a smiling cartoon family. They need words for in-laws, step-siblings and who does the dishes. These family ESL activities for adults start with the basics and move to real family life:
| Level | Lesson | Topic |
| A1-A2 | Family Roots | Grandparents, ancestry and the family tree |
| A2-B1 | Family Basics | Worksheet with the core words and phrases for talking about family |
| A2-B1 | Surviving Family Dinner | Handling nosy questions from relatives politely |
| A2-B1 | Childhood Stories | Funny stories from when students were small |
| A2-B1 | Family Heirlooms | Objects that keep family history alive |
| B1-B2 | Family Members and Their Roles | Worksheet on roles, responsibilities and support at home |
| B1-B2 | White Lies | The lies teenagers tell their parents, and why |
As a family tree ESL lesson plan, Family Roots works at A1-A2 because students talk about real people they know well. Family Basics and Family Members and Their Roles are the two worksheets to use when you need a family members ESL lesson plan with clear practice and answers.
Friendship and the people around us
What makes a good friend is one of the few questions every adult can answer at length. Getting Closer gives A1-A2 students the words for supporting the people they love, and Dinner with Friends is about cooking together. Party Hard, free to try, covers party preparation and seven party games, and Juicy Gossip asks why everyone gossips.
At higher levels, friendship gets harder. Toxic Friendship helps B2-C1 students recognize a friendship that does more harm than good, and the A2-B1 speaking club Galentine's Day celebrates friendship and self-love. For lessons about boundaries and feelings, see the emotions and mental health page, and for apologizing and saying no, see the communication page.
A short task works with every lesson in this group. Ask students to write down three things that make a good friend, then compare lists in pairs and agree on one. A what makes a good friend lesson like this needs no materials and shows you quickly which words students already have.
Love, dating and first impressions
The two most popular lessons on this page are about meeting new people. In First Impressions, A2-B1 students watch people judge strangers in seconds and test their own intuition. Red vs. Green Flags gets them talking about the signs of a good or bad relationship.
A love ESL lesson plan can go in many directions. Love Languages asks whether gifts or words matter more, Are You Two A Couple? follows a street interview with couples, and Are Soulmates Real?, free to try, asks what science says about the one. For a lighter class, Speed Dating is a speed dating ESL lesson plan that gets A1-A2 students chatting fast, and Worst Dates Ever collects dating disasters for B2-C1. Valentine's Day lessons are on the holidays page.
Dating topics are popular with adults, but not every student wants to talk about their own love life. These lessons are built around videos, stories and other people's experiences, so students can react to a situation without sharing their own. That makes them easy to use in mixed groups and in one-to-one classes alike.
Like the family ESL lesson plans for adults above, the dating lessons move from easy to hard. Start with Speed Dating or First Impressions, and keep Worst Dates Ever and Are Soulmates Real? for groups who are ready to argue.
Questions about family and relationships
These ESL relationships discussion questions work with any group, because every student can answer them without talking about a partner or children:
- Who in your family are you most similar to?
- What is a typical family meal like for you?
- Which family tradition would you keep forever?
- How did you meet your best friend?
- What makes a good friend?
- How important is a first impression?
- Is it OK to tell a friend a white lie?
- Are friendships easier or harder to keep as an adult?
Family and relationships lessons FAQ
What if students don't want to talk about their own family?
Let them talk about a family from a film or series, or about families in general. Most tasks work in the third person, and no student has to share more than they want.
Which level should I start with?
A1-A2 students can start with Family Roots, Getting Closer or Speed Dating. From A2-B1, First Impressions and Surviving Family Dinner are the most popular choices.
Are any of the lessons free?
Yes. Party Hard, Are Soulmates Real? and Valentine's Day Ideas are free to try. The rest of the library comes with a subscription.
Are there worksheets?
Yes. Family Basics and Family Members and Their Roles are worksheets with answers, and every lesson has a printable PDF.
All family ESL lesson plans for adults on this page come with a teacher subscription, together with the rest of the library.