One of the best things about being a Spanish teacher is connecting with other educators who share their favorite ways to help students succeed. Recently, I ran a poll with my teacher community and asked: What are your go-to, low-stakes Spanish speaking activities?
The responses were incredible. Teachers from middle school, high school, and even upper levels in higher education chimed in with activities that work in their Spanish classes year after year. What stood out the most was the personalized aspect: these activities are flexible, adaptable to different Spanish levels, and, most importantly, they aren’t graded like a final exam or unit assessment.
Instead, they give students numerous opportunities to practice in the target language with simple questions, sentence starters, and classic games that make speaking feel natural. Some are great for small groups and some for whole groups, but all are great options to get students talking more.
In this blog post, I’ve compiled the top 25 low-stakes speaking activities recommended by Spanish teachers. From information gap activities to fortune tellers, from weekend chats to running dictations, you’ll find ideas you can drop straight into your lesson plans and start using this school year.
Low-Stakes Speaking Activities for Spanish Learners
1. Paired Speaking
Students work in small groups or pairs to practice short conversation cards or role plays. This type of activity is a great option for lower proficiency levels since students only need to answer their partner’s questions.
2. Calendar Talk
The daily routine of looking at the calendar in the Spanish language is a great idea for everyday practice. The best part is that students hear repetition, answer simple questions, and gain cultural awareness of holidays in Spanish-speaking countries. Read more about calendar talk here.
3. Task Cards
Task cards are a classic, versatile activity for Spanish classes. They can be used for speaking practice—with students rotating partners to answer simple questions or prompts aloud—or for other skills like vocabulary, grammar, or even short writing. Some teachers even have students record their answers digitally. The best part is the flexibility: task cards can be used with small groups, whole groups, or independently, and they’re easy to adapt for lower proficiency levels or upper-level students.
4. Quiz Quiz Trade
This is a fast-paced, interactive speaking activity that gets every student moving and talking. Each student receives a card with a question on one side and the correct answer on the back. They find a partner, ask their question, and listen to the response. If needed, they provide support or check the answer, then trade cards and move on to a new partner. It’s a great game for reviewing vocabulary, grammar, or cultural topics, and works well with high school students who enjoy quick rotations and lots of interpersonal communication.
5. Weather & Calendar Presentations
During the school year, have students sign up for a day to present the calendar and weather. They get a flexible script, a different color marker for the bulletin board, and allotted time to rehearse. When it’s presentation day, the focus isn’t on correct answers—the best things are the cheering and support from their classmates.
6. Gallery Walk
Students move around the room answering partner’s questions posted on the walls. This information gap activity lets them share information, read, and speak at each station.
7. Yo tengo, ¿Quién tiene? I Have, Who Has
This popcorn-style Spanish game gets everyone involved. One student begins by asking: ¿Quién tiene ___? Another student responds: Yo tengo ___. That student then asks the next question, and the game continues around the room until the final starred/marked card is read, bringing it back to the beginning. It’s a great game for practicing vocabulary, basic information, or themes like school supplies and verbs. Read more about the game here.
8. Circling
Ask repetitive simple questions (yes/no, either/or, and open-ended). This is a great time for language learning at lower proficiency levels, and it reinforces input before output. Take a closer look at what circling can look like in your classroom and how it can help give students input need to feel more comfortable speaking more. Read blog post here : Circling in World Language Classes with Comprehensible Input.
9. Pecha Kucha Partner Talks
Students prepare short picture slides (easy to make in Google Slides) and do partner mini-presentations. The visual support makes this type of activity a great option for upper-level students who need to speak for a longer allotted time.
10. Question Jar
Fill a jar with different sets of questions written on slips of paper. Students pull and answer. Adding small incentives creates numerous opportunities for speaking practice and lowers anxiety.
11. Sí/No Questions (PQA)
Use Personalized Questions and Answers (PQA) for quick checks. For example: ¿Está Marta en la cafetería? This great way to practice allows for numerous opportunities with low stakes responses. Read more about Personalized Questions and Answers on this blog post!
12. Rejoinders
Encourage students to use fun rejoinders like ¡Qué divertido! or ¡En serio? throughout class. This adds a personalized aspect to world languages classes and keeps the target language alive in the room.
13. Chat Mats
A great option for students who need sentence stems or vocabulary cards to support conversation. Chat mats can be printed or in digital versions, giving students scaffolds for interpersonal communication.
14. Interpersonal Interviews
Students complete partner interviews by asking a different set of questions on paper. They focus on basic information like names, favorites, or routines. The best part is that you can adapt this to upper levels by requiring follow-up questions.
15. Weekend Chat
One of the favorite ways to start the week! Students share about their weekend in Spanish. This can be scaffolded with sentence starters for lower proficiency levels or expanded into short role plays for upper-level students.
Check this resource out if you’re looking for a way to make your weekend chat run more smoothly.
16. Palabra Secreta
Hide a “secret word” that students must work into conversations. This low-stakes Spanish speaking activity is playful, engaging, and a great game to fill extra allotted time.
17. Turn and Talk
During language lessons, pause and give students a sentence stem or prompt. They turn to a partner, practice, and build confidence without standing at the front of the whole class.
18. Verbal Bellwork
Instead of written bellwork, try verbal warm-ups. Students answer a list of questions aloud about their daily routine, their weekend, or a different language.
19. Find Someone Who (Busca a una persona)
Students circulate around the room, asking simple questions in Spanish until they find classmates who fit each description on their paper. It’s a great time for whole groups to interact, move, and build language skills in a low-pressure setting. Each question box already includes sentence starters or prompts, so students are supported while asking and answering. For an extra layer, add an extension writing activity: students can write a few sentences or a short paragraph about the classmates they “found.” This makes the activity both a speaking practice and a writing bonus.
Check out the Spanish Find Someone Who activities I’ve created and try one in your class.
20. Round Table Q&A
Divide the class into two whole groups, have them sit in circles, and give them a different set of questions. Students take turns asking and answering. Over time, you can remove prompts to encourage more independence.
21. Fortune Tellers
Students fold paper fortune tellers and write simple questions or vocabulary inside. Partners use them to practice asking and answering questions in the target language. It’s a great option for younger learners or as a quick review activity.
Read more about fortune teller activities here.
- Fortune Teller Activities in Spanish Class
- 3 Tips for Fortune Teller Activities
- 4 Ways to Use Fortune Tellers in Spanish Class
22. Running Dictation
A great game for team members that blends movement and critical thinking. One student runs to read a text on the wall, memorizes it, and dictates to their partner. The best part is the teamwork and energy it brings to class.
Check to see if I have a running dictation that would go perfectly with your current unit!
23. Special Person Interviews
Spotlight one student at a time with personalized questions about their life, favorites, or routines. This activity builds community, reinforces basic information, and promotes cultural awareness while staying low-stakes.
Check them presentations I’ve created for Special Person Interviews here!
24. Information Gap Activities
These are a great way to get students talking because they must use the target language to complete the task. Each student (or set of group members) has part of the basic information—like a schedule, a map, or a dialogue—and they need to share information to fill in the missing pieces. It’s a great option for lower proficiency levels as well as upper-level students, since you can adapt the list of questions or prompts to match their Spanish level.
25. Board Games with Conversation Cards
Turn Spanish games into speaking practice by pairing board games with conversation cards. Each time students move, they answer a different set of questions, practice with sentence starters, or respond to role plays. You can even add a digital version using Google Slides or make a YouTube video demo to explain rules. The best part is how adaptable this type of activity is for middle school, high school students, and upper levels alike.
Low-stakes Spanish speaking activities are some of the best things you can add to your lesson planning toolbox. They give Spanish learners in middle school, high school students, and even upper levels numerous opportunities for language learning without the pressure of high stakes grading.
If you’re looking for digital options, many of these can be adapted into Google Slides, YouTube videos, or even Quizlet Live relay races. Add them into your school year lesson plans, rotate them as a different type of activity each week, and watch your students grow in confidence using the Spanish language.
💡 Your turn: Which of these is your favorite way to get students speaking in class? Do you have another great idea for a Spanish speaking activity? Share it in the comments below!
👉 Looking for ready-to-use resources? Check out my low-stakes speaking and Spanish games in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. They’re designed to save you prep time and give your students numerous opportunities to succeed in the target language.
If you liked this post…
If you liked this blog post, you may be interested in these:
- 10 CI-Friendly Activities for World Language Classes
- How to Use 90% Target Language in Comprehensible Spanish
- Transitioning to Teaching for Comprehensible Input: 5 Essential Tips for Nervous Teachers
