Coined by Madeline Hunter, sponge activities are short, low-preparation exercises used to turn downtime into productive learning moments. These activities reinforce vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, etc., in small bursts, keep learners mentally active and focused even during unexpected pauses, and provide variety and fun, increasing motivation and classroom energy.
Short
Practice existing material
On‑their‑own or with peers
No new content introduced
Groups engaged
Elicit immediate responses
This resource is a collection of 80 short, ready-to-go classroom activities designed to fill those spare minutes—at the beginning, end, or during transitions—with meaningful practice. These “sponge” tasks include:
- Quick challenges like vocabulary scrambles, mini-dictations, word formation, or listing words by category.
- Games such as 20 Questions, flashcard races, or storytelling starters.
- Collaborative prompts—group questions, drawing tasks from oral descriptions, or quick debates—easy to launch and wrap up in a few minutes.
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