25+ free and ready-to-use Spanish lesson activities for a fun ELE class

¡Hola, profes! ¿Listos para compartir con sus estudiantes increíbles actividades digitales gratuitas para clases de español o español como lengua extranjera?

Spanish teachers worldwide recognize the challenge of sparking student interest in class. But what if learning Spanish could be fun, interactive, and highly effective at the same time? With BookWidgets, that’s exactly what you can achieve.

In this post, you’ll find over 25 engaging and interactive activities for the Spanish class designed specifically for teaching Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE). These ready-to-use digital Spanish activities will boost student motivation, increase participation, and help learners retain vocabulary and grammar more effectively.

Whether you use the widgets as they are or customize them to fit your curriculum, they offer a flexible and creative starting point for your Spanish language lessons.

👉 Tip: Even if you’re not teaching Spanish, these language-teaching ideas are perfect for any modern language classroom. Make sure to also check this blog post with other ready-to-use digital activities for English, German, French, and other language lessons. The didactic strategies behind them are universally applicable and will inspire language teachers of all kinds.

All the digital Spanish lesson plans in this blog post are free to use and have been created with BookWidgets. You can find these ready-to-use lesson plans for the Spanish class in this group. You can create a free BookWidgets account (if you don’t have one already) and duplicate the widgets into it, allowing you to make some changes where necessary (like translating it) and receive your students’ answers in your account.

Make sure to check out this webinar and read this blog post with great ideas on how to use BookWidgets in your language class.

We’ve divided this post into different categories:

• Interactive Spanish Speaking Activities
• Interactive Spanish Listening Activities
• Interactive Spanish Reading Activities
• Interactive Spanish Writing Activities
• Interactive Spanish Vocabulary Activities
• Interactive Spanish Grammar Activities
• Interactive Activities on Spanish and Latin American Cultures

Interactive Spanish Speaking Activities

The following ELE speaking activities will encourage the development of your students’ Spanish-speaking skills. They will give students the opportunity to build confidence, improve pronunciation, and develop fluency through real-life communication. Explore the ideas below for interactive and creative Spanish speaking exercises that move beyond scripted dialogues and encourage meaningful, spontaneous conversation—bringing the Spanish language and its diverse cultures to life in your classroom.

1. Trabalenguas en español

Introducing trabalenguas (tongue twisters) is a playful way to practice pronunciation in the Spanish classroom!

In this digital Quiz for the Spanish speaking class, students listen to and read four Spanish tongue twisters. Afterward, they record their pronunciation and send the recording to you for feedback.

2. Dueto en español con TikTok

In this Spanish speaking activity, students interact with a TikTok video. The Split Worksheet displays a TikTok clip on one side, and students are asked to record a so-called “duet” in response. They watch the video, and then record their reaction, allowing you to check both their pronunciation and content.

3. Practicar dar un discurso en español

This Spanish speaking activity for intermediate students allows students to develop their speaking and presentation skills by delivering a mock acceptance speech.

They imagine themselves as the winner of a prestigious award—such as “Outstanding contribution to society”—and choose the category in which they’ve been recognized. Using the provided structure, they prepare and record their speech by using the audio recording question.

To conclude this Spanish lesson plan, students reflect on their performance and assess their speech using the rubric-based self-evaluation prompts.

4. Tomar una decisión en grupo en español

Introduce a captivating imaginary scenario to spark discussion and collaborative decision-making in Spanish.

Check out this example of a Spanish speaking activity, first featured in this blog post, originally for German students. Here, students are challenged to design a new, sustainable, and fair society. From a list of 12 candidates, they must select seven people to board a plane and establish a model civilization.

Created using a WebQuest widget, this activity guides students through different stages: they first read the profiles of all candidates, then fill out a table with the pros and cons of taking each candidate, which they don’t have to submit to you. Then, it’s time to discuss in groups and make a decision, wrapping up this activity by writing the names of the chosen candidates on the passenger list.

Click here to learn how to take the best out of a WebQuest widget.

Interactive Spanish Listening Activities

Well-designed Spanish listening activities help students sharpen their comprehension skills, improve pronunciation, and get used to the rhythm and diversity of real spoken Spanish. By incorporating authentic audio materials—such as podcasts, interviews, conversations, and regional accents—teachers can expose Spanish learners to the language as it’s used across the Spanish-speaking world. Explore the ideas below for interactive and effective Spanish listening comprehension exercises that go beyond the textbook and bring the sound—and soul—of the Spanish language into your classroom.

5. Escuchando orientaciones

This modern Spanish listening activity uses a Split Whiteboard widget to combine audio comprehension with a tracing task. On one side, students listen to an audio recording that describes the route a blue car must take to reach a red car. On the other side, they see a whiteboard with a background image where they trace the path, putting their listening skills to the test.

Want to explore more whiteboard ideas? Check out this blog post full of ready-to-use Whiteboard ideas—many of them perfect for language lessons.

6. Acentos hispanos

This engaging Spanish accents listening activity was created using a Video Quiz widget. Students watch a video that explores different Spanish accents from around the world—such as those from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba.

Throughout the video, comprehension questions pop up to test students’ understanding and encourage them to reflect on pronunciation, vocabulary, and regional differences in spoken Spanish. It’s a dynamic way to boost listening skills and raise awareness of the diversity within the Spanish-speaking world.

7. Podcasts en la clase de ELE

Implement engaging podcasts to boost your students’ Spanish listening skills like in this activity for the ELE class. In this Split Worksheet widget first featured in this blog post, students’ curiosity is sparked by bringing a known urban legend: The Chupacabras. Students listen to the podcast on one side and draw the Chupacabras according to the description they hear before they answer other questions to test their understanding of more detailed information.

8. El español en el mundo

In this video activity for the Spanish class, students learn interesting statistics about the Spanish language in the world. This video is presented by Arte TV and brings some surprising statistics about Spanish worldwide. Students watch the video on one side and answer the question on the other side of this Split Worksheet.

Interactive Spanish Reading Activities

Spanish reading activities help students expand their vocabulary, understand grammar in context, and engage with authentic materials in meaningful ways. From poems and short stories to news articles and recipes, there are countless creative ways to incorporate reading into your Spanish lessons.

9. Interpretar un poema visualmente

There’s a wealth of Spanish-speaking poets whose vivid and imaginative writing is perfect for language learning. In this creative Spanish reading activity, students read “Oda al Tomate” (Ode to Tomato) by Pablo Neruda.

Using a Split Whiteboard widget, students read this vibrant and sensory-rich poem on one side, while visually interpreting it by drawing their impressions on the other side. 

10. Leer una receta

Tortillas, empanadas, arepas, crema catalana, tacos… There are many delicious dishes from Spanish-speaking countries—many of them simple enough to turn into a fun and engaging reading comprehension activity for your Spanish students.

In this example for a Spanish reading lesson plan, we present a straightforward chicken taco recipe paired with visual and interactive comprehension exercises. This activity is designed to motivate students to read, understand, and enjoy learning Spanish. It becomes even more powerful if you can combine it with a cooking session in class or assign it as a group homework project. Students can record a video tutorial while preparing the recipe—adding a fun speaking component to the lesson! You can combine this activity with a TipTiles widget that you can read in the last section of this blog post.

11. Leer cuentos cortos en español

Finding Spanish reading texts for Spanish learners can be challenging. That’s why Fluent with Stories is such a valuable resource. This website offers short Spanish reading texts for levels A1 to B2, designed to support language learning in a fun and free way.

On the site, students can read and listen to each story, complete an online comprehension quiz created with BookWidgets, and practice vocabulary using free interactive flashcards based on each story’s glossary, also with our tool. This setup gives your students greater autonomy and makes reading practice more engaging and effective.

In this ready-to-use Spanish reading activity, with the website’s creator’s permission, we’ve adapted one of the short stories, creating a Split Worksheet with it. That way, you receive your students’ submissions directly, making it easy to track progress.

¡Gracias, Gabriel!

12. Dibujar basado en instrucciones escritas

In this Split Whiteboard activity students read instructions on what to draw and follow them to draw a monster on the whiteboard. You can adapt the topic of the instructions to something more suitable for your students, like designing an imaginary machine or product.

Interactive Spanish Writing Activities

Well-thought Spanish writing activities help learners develop their grammar, expand their vocabulary, and express themselves with confidence. By encouraging students to write in meaningful, real-world contexts, you turn writing practice into a powerful tool for language acquisition. Explore the ideas below for interactive Spanish writing exercises that go beyond traditional prompts and inspire your students to write in Spanish with purpose, creativity, and cultural awareness.

13. Escritura creativa en español

In this ELE creative Spanish writing activity, students spin the Randomness Tool and write a creative story based on the combination of emojis that appear. Students can also practice speaking Spanish by recording their stories in audio.

Check out this blog post for more ideas on how to use the Randomness widget in your classes.

14. Escritura reflexiva en español

Students tend to be more motivated when they know their writing will reach an audience beyond just the teacher. Online forums like Quora can serve as powerful inspiration, encouraging learners to write with intention and share their perspectives on thought-provoking topics.

In this interactive Spanish writing activity presented in this blog post, we use a Split Worksheet featuring a screenshot of a Quora forum feed. On the opposite side of the worksheet, students compose their own forum-style responses. They first submit their texts to the teacher for feedback and corrections and then share their finalized contributions within small groups.

15. Conversación de WhatsApp en español

This writing activity for Spanish classes first featured in this blog post for French teachers is very easily adaptable to any level or language.

In this Spanish writing activity, created with a Worksheet widget, students select two characters from a book they’ve read and create a WhatsApp-style conversation between them. It’s an engaging way to practice writing skills in Spanish while bringing a literary discussion to a creative close.

16. Comentário de YouTube en español

Show your students that writing in Spanish doesn’t have to be dull— for example, through short texts they might already write in their native language, like a comment under a YouTube video.

In this writing activity for ELE learners, students work with a split worksheet: one side features a short film on YouTube, and the other shows real comments from viewers. Their task is to watch the video, read the existing comments, and then write theirs.

Interactive Spanish Vocabulary Activities

Interactive vocabulary activities in Spanish are essential for helping ELE learners retain new words, recognize them in context, and use them confidently in speech and writing. Moving beyond rote memorization, these engaging tasks turn vocabulary practice into an active, enjoyable part of your lessons. From classic games like bingo and flashcards to tech-enhanced strategies like hotspot tasks and image annotation, there are countless ways to make vocabulary learning dynamic and meaningful. Take a look at our ready-to-use digital Spanish vocabulary activities below.

17. Imagen con zonas interactivas en español

The Hotspot Image widget allows students to explore and learn new vocabulary on their own. Teachers can place interactive hotspots on a background image to support vocabulary acquisition, such as text or audio.

In this digital Spanish vocabulary activity, students learn different fruits and vegetables in Spanish by clicking on the image. Each hotspot includes a short audio clip to help students learn the correct pronunciation of those Spanish words. In addition to audio, you can enrich hotspots with text, videos, audio, links, or pop-up web content.

Discover more about how the Hotspot Image widget can enhance your lessons in this blog post.

18. Tarjetas flash para aprender vocabulário de español

As we know, retaining new vocabulary requires repetition. Flashcards like these are ideal to encourage students to learn vocabulary in Spanish autonomously.

In this Spanish flashcards example to teach the names of different sports in Spanish, we created Flashcards with an image on one side and text on the other. Students can study the cards or practice them, by clicking on the incorrect or correct buttons below the cards.

Read this blog post to learn 20 ways to use flashcards in your classroom. Learn how to include audio, create sections, include hints, and much more!

19. Bingo de vocabulário de español

The Bingo widget is a fantastic tool for organizing games in the Spanish classroom, be it for groups or individual players.

In this Spanish bingo example, the teacher calls out animals at random while students try to complete a full line—or even the entire card—to win. You can increase the challenge and engagement by showing only images of the animals instead of words, or take it a step further: call out the words in English while students mark the corresponding Spanish translations on their bingo cards!

20.  Español con imagenes

Integrate visual aids to help your students memorize new vocabulary.  In this Spanish lesson example created with a Worksheet widget, students start by writing the different rooms of a house in the blanks, with an image of a house in the background. Then, they use the words to describe their house. Next, they draw a blueprint of their dream house and finally record in audio its description.

Interactive Spanish Grammar Activities

Rather than relying solely on rules and repetition, these creative grammar activities for the ELE class make grammar come alive—helping students internalize structures through use, not just memorization. Hands-on grammar tasks encourage students to experiment, reflect, and apply what they learn.  Explore the collection below for ready-to-use Spanish grammar activities that promote active learning, boost confidence, and make grammar instruction both meaningful and fun.

21. Tiempos verbales del español

The Randomness widget is perfect for getting students to think on their feet while practicing Spanish verb tenses. 

In this Spanish grammar lesson plan example, students spin the wheel on this activity to receive a combination (e.g., presente + yo + objeto o adverbio) and then create a complete sentence based on the outcome. It’s a fun, interactive way to reinforce grammar while encouraging spontaneous use of the language.

22. Cronología de los tiempos verbales del español

The Timeline widget is a great tool for giving learners a clear, visual overview of verb tenses in the language you’re teaching.  In this Spanish verb tenses timeline activity, students write sentences using two different verbs, placing each sentence into the appropriate tile on the timeline—one for each verb tense.

23. Juego de memoria de gramática del español

This Spanish grammar game is perfect for helping students strengthen their vocabulary by matching words not only visually, but also through listening. In this Spanish memory game, one card shows the written word, and its match plays an audio recording of a synonymous term. Students must rely on both their reading and listening skills to find the correct pairs, reinforcing meaning, pronunciation, and word recognition all at once.

24. El Pretérito Perfecto

Reinforce your students’ understanding of the pretérito perfecto or other Spanish verb tenses with an interactive quiz.

This ELE activity created with a Quiz widget challenges learners to fill in the blanks with the rules for the pretérito perfecto and arrange shuffled words or phrases into grammatically correct sentences using the present perfect tense in Spanish. By focusing on the correct placement of auxiliary verbs (haber), past participles, and time expressions like ya, todavía no, or alguna vez, students sharpen both their grammar and comprehension skills.

Interactive Activities on Spanish and Latin American Cultures

Culture-based activities expose students to the diversity, traditions, and everyday life of Spanish-speaking countries, helping them connect language to lived experiences. From celebrating holidays like Día de los Muertos or La Tomatina to exploring music and cuisine, these activities foster curiosity, cultural awareness, and meaningful communication. Dive into the ideas below to make culture a vibrant and integral part of your Spanish lessons.

25. Festivales en el mundo hispanoablante

Carnaval de Barranquilla, La Tomatina, Día de Los Muertos, etc. The Spanish-speaking world is full of diverse popular festivals.

Students sit in groups, click on the hotspots on the world map in this interactive activity, and watch videos in Spanish to learn about different festivals around the Spanish-speaking world. They then discuss similarities and differences between the festivals and share which festival they would like to go to, and why.

26. Collage Virtual de Comida Típica

In the reading section of this blog post, we’ve seen a recipe reading activity in Spanish which you can present to your students individually. Alternatively, you can combine it with this one for an even more interesting Spanish lesson plan on foods from Spanish-speaking countries.

In this TapTiles widget, students learn about six different popular foods from different Spanish-speaking countries. In each tile, students see a picture, a short description of the dish, and a YouTube video with the recipe in Spanish.

27. Música típica de latinoamerica

Latin American rhythms like reggaeton and salsa are hugely popular around the world — but what about other musical styles from the region?

In this Video Quiz, students put their cultural knowledge to the test as they listen to short audio clips and answer multiple-choice questions about the origin of each song. To support them, the video displays national flags, making the activity both engaging and visually informative.

28. Día de los Muertos

Día de los Muertos is one of the most iconic and meaningful celebrations in the Spanish-speaking world—so special, in fact, that we’ve created a dedicated WebQuest for your Spanish class, first featured in this blog post.

Through this Spanish WebQuest, students explore key vocabulary, customs, and traditions associated with the Day of the Dead.  They’ll also watch an engaging video that brings the celebration to life. By the end of the activity, students will gain a deeper cultural understanding and a new perspective on how different cultures honor the memory of their ancestors.

Wrap-up

Good digital tools open up a world of possibilities for fun, engaging Spanish lesson plans. Besides all the interactive activities for the ELE class shown here, you can create your own, choosing from 40 different widgets and over 35 question types.

As mentioned before, all the featured Spanish lesson plans were designed with BookWidgets. You can duplicate the lesson plans from this group, adapt or translate them, and share them with your students. 

Want to learn more about creating engaging lesson activities with BookWidgets? ✔️ Follow BookWidgets on Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and join our teacher community on Facebook!

Connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook and share your fun ideas for the Spanish/ELE class with me!