- Time
- 5-8 min
- Level
- A1-A2
- Grouping
- Whole class, mingling
- Materials
- Question cards
Give each student one question card; they ask a classmate, then trade cards and find a new partner. It's a mingling warm-up that works for any grammar point you want to review — the target structure just gets written into the questions themselves.
What it practices
Question Swap is a delivery format, not a fixed grammar point — write questions in whatever structure you're reviewing:
- Question word order ("Where do you live?", "What time did you wake up?") — the core skill this game drills regardless of tense.
- Any target tense or structure just write questions in it — present simple facts, past simple memories, or comparative opinions.
How to run it
- Write 15-20 questions on index cards one per card, all using the grammar point you're reviewing that day.
- Hand one card to each student with no repeats visible, so nobody sees the same question twice in a row by accident.
- Have students stand and find a partner to ask their question aloud and answer their partner's.
- Trade cards after each exchange then find a new partner — this is what keeps the questions circulating.
- Set a time limit, not a swap count 60-90 seconds of continuous mingling works better than counting exact swaps.
- Collect 2-3 answers from the room at the end to check the target structure landed correctly.
Classroom management tip: laminate a reusable question-card set once and reuse it across classes with a fresh grammar point each time — same format, five minutes of prep the first time only.
Level variations
- A1Use question words in isolation (“What's your name?”, “How old are you?”) with predictable answers.
- A1-A2Add “How much / How many / How often” questions once basic wh-questions are solid.
- A2Write questions in past simple or comparative structures to review a specific lesson's grammar.
Free worksheets for follow-up practice
Build the question-formation skill this warm-up depends on:
- Question Words – Grammar Practice (A1) — who, what, where, when, why in controlled practice.
- Question Words: How, How Old, How Often, How Long, How Far (A2) — the harder “how” question family this game can drill.
- Ask Better Questions – Wh-Questions Speaking Practice (A1) — a speaking-focused companion activity.
Browse the full set of grammar worksheets or see the guide on how to sequence a lesson for a complete lesson plan.