Short warm-up exercises are helpful because they help students make the mind shift from other languages to English. As the instructor, you can write a word or a topic on a blackboard or piece of paper and have students repeat the word and give its meaning, or you can show a picture from a book and ask students to describe what they see. Another icebreaker is to have each student bring an item from home and talk about it to the class.
A valuable skill is learning basic, everyday words. These include words to describe weather, time, animals, body parts, furniture, food items, etc. Use flashcards, pictures in books or images online and have the students repeat each word several times. Another meaningful oral activity is to have students introduce themselves using full sentences, such as: "Hello, my name is John. What's your name?" Encourage students to expand on this dialogue, such as asking people where they live and what they do for a living.
Writing in English helps cement knowledge the students have learned through oral activity. Have the students practice writing information they'll need to know to complete forms, such as name, address and phone number. Also, pick an object or show a picture and have the students write as much as they can about that object in five minutes. You can also practice time-telling skills by showing a clock and having students write the corresponding time. Keeping a journal helps to keep skills sharp, so give the students several minutes to make a journal entry. Both written and oral tests are available online through the Frankfurt International School.
Fast and fun games include teaching the lyrics to a simple song and singing it together. Using free take-out menus, have the students take turns ordering aloud what they'd like to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's also the old party game of writing the name of famous people, perhaps well-known Hollywood celebrities, on pieces of paper and taping them to the students' backs. The students must figure out whose names are on their backs by asking other students questions about that person. Remind them to speak in English only.