HAVE FUN While Learning English

One of the exercises I had to do while taking a voice class at Temple University was to stand up and secure one bent leg with one hand behind me while extending the other hand in front of me.  Why?  That's what I was wondering at the time too.  The point is not only to help you "center" and "direct" your voice, but to distract you while trying to do it.  And it helped!  Letting go of inhibitions can really help when it comes to anything to do with vocalizing whether it be learning to sing, or learning a new language.
I've always been told I'm a serious person.  Having integrity is important to me, but a sense of humor can be important too.  After establishing what a student's goals are, and targeting their problem areas, I like to help them "become distracted" and have fun while making improvements.
Using clips from sit-coms (comedy programs) for exercises is one way students can have fun while learning English.  A short vocabulary list is given for the student to learn before watching the brief video clip, and then some questions are provided for the student to answer.  So along with building vocabulary, the ability to utilize context for comprehension is also being developed.  Having a laugh about something funny we've read is also a great way to find ourselves distracted while making improvements during a lesson.

Lastly, alcohol is a natural muscle relaxer.  As the tongue is a muscular organ, why not have a glass of wine before practicing your English.  I'm not recommending making a habit of it, but once in a while might be ok!