Birthdays, love them or hate them, we all have one each year. They can be great fun and are usually a time spent with close friends and family. These birthday conversation questions are perfect for teenagers and older students. If you are teaching an ESL class it is also a good opportunity to practice the months of the year and ordinal numbers.
For reference, the most challenging terms on this discussion worksheet are – look forward, traditions, celebrate, forgotten, birthdate, strange, gift, and present.
The birthday conversation questions are –
When is your birthday? Are you looking forward to your birthday? Why or why not?
Do you or your family have any special birthday traditions? What are they?
What are some important ages that are celebrated in your country?
How do you prefer to celebrate your birthday, with a lot of people or just a few?
What is the earliest birthday you can remember? What happened on that day?
Have you ever forgotten someone’s birthday? What did you do about it later?
What are the best and worst birthday presents you have ever been given?
Can you remember the birthdates of all your family members? When are they?
How did you celebrate your last birthday? Where did you go and who with?
What kinds of food and drinks do you usually have on your birthday?
Do you know of any strange ways that people celebrate birthdays in other countries?
What are some fun games and activities that people enjoy at birthday parties?
Is it normal for people to give flowers as birthday presents in your culture?
What is the biggest birthday party you have been to? How many people were there?
Do you think it is unusual for people to celebrate a pet’s birthday? Why or why not?
If you could be anywhere in the world for your next birthday, where would it be?
Are you hoping for any special gift for your next birthday? What is it that you want?
In your home country, who pays the bill if you go out to a restaurant on your birthday?
Do you think that one day you will be too old to care about your birthday?
Have you ever not gone to work or school on your birthday? Did you get in trouble?
What’s the last birthday present you bought for someone else? How much did it cost?
How do your parents and grandparents usually celebrate their birthdays?
What is the most interesting birthday cake that you have ever seen?
If you had to spend your birthday alone, where would you go and what would you do?
