Draw what you see! Say what you draw! Using Hirameki with Language Learners.

What is Hirameki?

The Japanese art form, Hirameki, is basically looking at splodges of paint and drawing what you see.

It translates as ‘inspiration that comes to you in a flash’. It’s a great activity to use in class to get students thinking, incorporate life skills and have a bit of fun with art – without any pressure to create any Van Gogh-esque masterpieces.

As an alternative to paint splodges, you could have students create their own scribbles and adapt those.

The Benefits of Hirameki for Life Skills & Creativity

I often find that one of the life skills that students struggle with most is creativity. Exercises like ‘What happened next?’ can lead to awkward silence, but not with Hirameki. Once they get the concept, they’ll be on a roll with their critical thinking, self-expression, communication and peer feedback skills.

Language Learning Activities with Hirameki

Hirameki is great for teaching language like Wh- questions (e.g. What is it?), phrases like ‘looks like’ (e.g. It looks like a dog.) and modals of deduction (it could be…, it might be… it must be…).

I love using it with any level of class as it’s great for drawing (pun intended) out all sorts of weird and wonderful language.

The Perfect Activity for All Levels of English Language Learners

The best bit is that is suitable for all levels! I have used it with my ESOL Literacy learners and found that it boosted their confidence, allowed them to practise their pen control skills and gave them the opportunity to support each other in finding the right words. They talked excitedly about stingrays, seals, eagles and hot air balloons! Most definitely not pre-A1 words but a refreshing break from survival English.

50 Ways to Teach Life Skills: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers

I’d love you to try this in class so you can use the images in this blog or create your own.

You can find lesson notes for this Hirameki lesson and many more activities and teaching tips in my 50 Ways to Teach Life Skills book which is available from just £1.99.

Front cover of Emily Bryson ELT's book: 50 Ways to Teach Life Skills. THe image has a teacher smiling and holding a laptop. The book includes 50 teaching ideas to develop skills such as critical thinking, creativity, digital skills and learner autonomy.

If you use this, please share your creations on social tagging me (@EmilyBrysonELT).

Loved this? Want to learn more Visual Thinking techniques for your classroom? Join my Online Courses, download my resource packs or grab yourself a freebie!

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