Offering Encouragement and Support

What is this lesson about? This encouragement ESL lesson plan teaches A2–B1 learners how to offer praise, motivation, and supportive responses in everyday conversations. Students practise language for encouragement, checking feelings, and showing empathy, helping them build stronger communication skills.

What language will students learn? Learners explore five essential terms—progress, encourage, support, challenge, keep (something) up—and a range of useful phrases for encouragement, such as:

• That’s fantastic that you’ve kept it up.

• You’re doing great. Keep going—you’ve got this.

• It’s impressive how far you’ve come already.

• Whenever you need support, I’m happy to help.
  

How do students practise? The lesson develops both fluency and empathy through:

• Warm-up discussion questions about challenges and motivation.

• Vocabulary matching to clarify key terms.

• Dialogue activity highlighting natural encouragement phrases.

• Gap-fill practice to reinforce expressions in context.

• Role-play speaking tasks where students offer support to a partner.

• Personal reflection to connect encouragement to real-life experiences.
  

Why is this lesson useful? By the end, learners can:

• Use varied structures to encourage and support others.

• Build confidence in responding empathetically.

• Recognise and celebrate progress in conversations.

• Apply supportive language in personal, academic, and workplace contexts.
  

Who is it for? This lesson is designed for A2–B1 adult learners. It’s especially suitable for classes focused on wellbeing, personal development, and practical communication skills, either online or in person.