Adding more play to your life

Inna | Feb 04, 2026Feb 04, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• engage in talking about play from various perspectives;
• reflect on play and relaxation in adult life;
• listen to a podcast excerpt on the benefits of play for adults.

In this lesson, students reflect on the word ‘play’, share their experiences and opinions and talk about their activity preferences in different situations. They discuss ways to unwind, brainstorm reasons why play is important for adults and listen to part of a podcast (01:00 to 05:39) about it. Students debate relaxation and fun in adult life, agree and disagree with ideas and evaluate playful approaches for serious activities. They can also do an extra vocabulary task to review useful phrases for the discussion (e.g. indulge in, let one’s hair down, get a real kick out of).

WARM-UP AND DISCUSSION

This lesson starts with a warm-up. Students read the title of the lesson and say what the word ‘play’ might refer to. After that, they look at different types of games (e.g. physical activities, party games, board games) and discuss their experiences and thoughts. Next, students examine various situations (e.g. you have some free time but low energy) and possible ways to cope with them (e.g. doing a jigsaw puzzle, watching something familiar and comforting). They say which activity they are most and least likely to choose in each scenario. At this point in the lesson, students can do an extra vocabulary task. They choose the correct words and complete phrases for talking about play (e.g. kick back, loosen up, let off steam) in sentences. Moving on, students choose sentences (e.g. if I wanted to loosen up…), complete them with their ideas and give details.

PODCAST AND MORE DISCUSSION

In this part of the lesson, students brainstorm as many reasons as they can why play is important for adults. They then listen to part of a podcast about the topic and say whether they would recommend the podcast to anyone and why. Afterwards, students engage in talking about play, relaxation and fun in adult life. Following that, they decide whether they agree or disagree with statements about the role of play in adult life and work. Finally, students look at some ideas to add elements of play to serious activities (e.g. using role-play in conflict resolution). For each one, they explain why it could be a good idea and why it might not work.

WORKSHEETS

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