Are your students struggling with the present perfect tense? We know how tricky it can be to teach this complex grammar point. But what if we told you there’s a way to make it fun and effective?
We’ve put together 25 interactive activities that will have your students mastering the present perfect in no time. These hands-on exercises go beyond boring drills, offering a mix of games, role-plays, and creative tasks.
By the end of this post, you’ll have a toolkit of engaging methods to help your students grasp this challenging tense.
Ready to transform your grammar lessons? Let’s explore these exciting activities together!
25 Present Perfect Activities for Students
1. Have You Ever?
In this activity, students ask each other questions using “Have you ever…?” and respond with their experiences. It encourages communication and helps students practice the present perfect tense in real-life contexts.
How to make it fun?
- Encourage students to ask unusual or surprising questions to make the conversation more engaging.
- Offer small rewards for unique experiences shared.
2. Interview a Classmate
Students create questions using the present perfect tense (e.g., “Have you traveled to another country?”) and interview a classmate. This activity enhances listening and speaking skills while reinforcing the use of the present perfect.
How to make it fun?
- Turn the interviews into mini-journalist sessions where students take notes and report their findings to the class.
- Add a time limit to keep the energy high and the conversations flowing.
3. Experience Bingo
Create a bingo sheet with life experiences (e.g., “traveled abroad,” “tried sushi”). Students go around asking each other questions using the present perfect to check off boxes and complete their bingo cards.
How to make it fun?
- Offer a small prize for the first person to complete their bingo card.
- Make the experiences more adventurous to spark curiosity and conversations.
4. Life Timeline
Students draw a timeline of their lives and write about significant events using the present perfect (e.g., “I have lived in three countries”). This activity helps them reflect on their lives while they practice grammar.
How to make it fun?
- Have students present their timelines to the class and share interesting stories.
- Add a section for future hopes using “I have always wanted to…”
5. Present Perfect Scavenger Hunt
In this scavenger hunt, students go around the classroom finding classmates who have done various activities (e.g., “Has met a famous person”). They ask questions using the present perfect.
How to make it fun?
- Add a competitive element by timing the scavenger hunt.
- Offer a bonus for finding classmates with unique or rare experiences.
6. Find Someone Who…
Students receive a list of present perfect questions and go around asking classmates (e.g., “Find someone who has climbed a mountain”). This encourages interaction and practice.
How to make it fun?
- Set a challenge to see who can find the most classmates in a short time.
- Award extra points for finding someone with unusual experiences.
7. True or False Game
Students write three sentences about themselves using the present perfect (e.g., “I have eaten snails”). Their partner guesses which one is false. This helps students create sentences and learn about their classmates.
How to make it fun?
- Add a competitive aspect by awarding points for correct guesses.
- Have students give funny explanations for their true or false statements.
8. Class Survey
Students ask each other survey questions using the present perfect and create a report (e.g., “Most of the class has never ridden a horse”). This activity enhances both speaking and writing skills.
How to make it fun?
- Create visual charts to present the results of the survey.
- Make the survey topics creative and relevant to students’ interests.
9. Guess the Experience
Show students pictures of different places or activities, and they guess which experiences their classmates have had using the present perfect.
How to make it fun?
- Use a point system to reward accurate guesses.
- Incorporate interesting or exotic experiences to keep the class engaged.
10. What Have You Done Recently?
Students write or discuss things they’ve done over the past week/month using the present perfect. This activity encourages them to reflect on recent experiences.
How to make it fun?
- Turn it into a class discussion where students compare experiences.
- Add prompts that require students to share the most unusual or surprising thing they’ve done recently.
11. Sentence Completion
Give students sentence starters like “I have never…” or “I have already…” to complete in pairs or groups. This helps practice the structure of the present perfect.
How to make it fun?
- Turn it into a team competition where groups get points for completing the most creative sentences.
- Add extra challenges like using specific vocabulary in their completions.
12. Memory Chain
One student says a sentence with the present perfect (e.g., “I have eaten pizza”). The next student repeats the sentence and adds their own experience, forming a chain.
How to make it fun?
- See how long the chain can grow without mistakes.
- Add a timer to see how quickly students can complete a round.
13. Present Perfect Debate
Students engage in a debate, forming arguments using the present perfect (e.g., “I have always believed that…”). This encourages deeper thinking and better sentence formation.
How to make it fun?
- Give students provocative debate topics that spark interest.
- Offer awards for the most convincing or well-constructed arguments.
14. Write a Letter
Students write letters to a pen pal using the present perfect to describe their life experiences. This helps develop writing skills while practicing the target tense.
How to make it fun?
- Have students exchange letters and write back to each other.
- Incorporate fun, fictional details about their experiences.
15. Classmate Survey
Students ask their classmates about their experiences and then write sentences using the present perfect (e.g., “Maria has traveled to five countries”). This combines speaking and writing practice.
How to make it fun?
- Turn the survey results into a trivia quiz for the class.
- Make the survey questions creative and interesting.
16. What’s Changed?
Show students pictures of a place/person at different points in time. They describe what has changed using the present perfect tense.
How to make it fun?
- Use fun, historical images or pop culture references to keep students engaged.
- Have students guess how long the changes have been happening.
17. Describe a Celebrity’s Life
Students describe the life of a famous person using the present perfect (e.g., “She has won five awards”). This activity encourages creativity while practicing grammar.
How to make it fun?
- Use celebrities the students are interested in or follow.
- Let students add fictional details to make the descriptions more entertaining.
18. Role Play
Students role-play as travel agents and tourists, using the present perfect to discuss trips and experiences. This encourages practical use of language in conversational settings.
How to make it fun?
- Set up different “travel agency” stations with brochures or pictures of destinations.
- Reward the most enthusiastic and realistic role-playing.
19. Never Have I Ever
Play the classic “Never Have I Ever” game to practice forming questions and answers in the present perfect. Students raise their hands if they have done the action.
How to make it fun?
- Add humorous or outlandish experiences to make the game more engaging.
- Offer small rewards for students who have done the most unusual things.
20. Picture Prompts
Show students different action pictures, and they write sentences about the actions people in the pictures have done using the present perfect tense.
How to make it fun?
- Use funny or unusual pictures to prompt creative responses.
- Turn it into a storytelling activity where students connect the images.
21. Bucket List
Students create a “bucket list” and write what they have already done and what they haven’t done yet using the present perfect.
How to make it fun?
- Have students share their bucket lists and vote on the most adventurous or unique.
- Encourage students to add fictional or dream-like experiences.
22. Movie Talk
Discuss a popular movie using the present perfect (e.g., “Have you seen the latest action movie?”). This activity makes grammar practice relevant to students’ interests.
How to make it fun?
- Let students talk about their favorite movie experiences or reviews.
- Create a trivia game based on the movies discussed.
23. Have You Met…?
Students introduce each other to fictional people, stating something that person has done using the present perfect (e.g., “This is Sarah, she has lived in Brazil”).
How to make it fun?
- Encourage students to be creative with their fictional characters.
- Reward the most entertaining or detailed introductions.
24. Present Perfect Poem
Students write a short poem about themselves using the present perfect to talk about their life experiences. This activity combines creativity with grammar practice.
How to make it fun?
- Encourage students to use rhymes or follow a specific structure.
- Hold a poetry reading where students share their poems.
25. Music Lyrics
Find songs with present perfect tense and have students listen, fill in the blanks, or create their own lyrics. This helps reinforce the grammar through listening and writing.
How to make it fun?
- Let students choose their favorite songs to work with.
- Turn it into a karaoke session where students sing their newly written lyrics.
Conclusion
We’ve explored various engaging ways to teach the present perfect tense. These activities aim to make grammar lessons more enjoyable and effective for your students.
Using games, role-plays, and creative tasks, you can help your class easily grasp this tricky tense. Remember, the key is to keep things interactive and fun.
As you apply these ideas in your classroom, you might find that your students’ understanding of the present perfect improves quickly. You may even notice their overall enthusiasm for grammar lessons increasing.
Why not try these activities in your next class? Your students might surprise you with how quickly they pick up this challenging aspect of English grammar.
Happy teaching!
