Food Trucks ESL Resource for Elementary Students

 This resource is included in the Transportation unit for Elementary ESL at this link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Transportation-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-4049752

Bring meaningful language practice into your classroom with this engaging Food Trucks ESL resource designed for young English learners. Through hands-on activities, games, puzzles, and role-play, students explore food vocabulary while naturally practicing essential grammar structures in a fun and interactive way.

These flashcards introduce the different food trucks and the foods they sell in a clear way. They can be used to present new vocabulary, and review previously learned words.

Activity 1. Put flashcards on the walls. Students pretend to “drive” to a food truck.

Teacher says: “Drive to the ice cream truck!”

Students move and stand next to the correct flashcard.

Teacher: What does the food truck sell?

Students: ice cream!

Variation: Student leaders give directions.

Activity 2. Food Truck miming- kinesthetic learning- Say a food truck and students pretend to eat that food, real or imaginary next to that flashcard.

Ice cream truck → pretend to lick ice cream, Pizza truck → pretend to eat pizza, Taco truck → pretend to hold taco, Fast food truck → pretend to eat hamburger

Activity 3. Food Truck Driver and Customer Role Play. Skills practiced: speaking, real-life language, transportation awareness

Place the flashcards around the classroom as different “food trucks.”  One student is the food truck owner: Hi, this is my pizza truck.

Another student is the customer: “Hello! I want pizza, please.”

Truck owner responds: “Here you are.” / “Thank you.” (using the cutouts available)

Activity 4. Food Truck Route prepositions Game (Map integration). Make a simple road on board. Students move trucks flashcards and say: The donuts truck is between the ice cream food truck and the fast food truck.

Activity 5. Class Food Truck Festival.  Several students sit with flashcards in hand.

Other students walk around asking: “What do you sell?”

Student answers: “I sell donuts.”

Activity 6. People work at the food trucks. Place the food truck flashcards on the board. Give students the worker flashcards. Students come to the board and place each worker next to the correct food truck. Then, they say a sentence, for example: “The baker works in the bakery food truck.” or “The chef works in the pizza food truck.”

This activity helps students make connections between jobs and places.

The small cards provide a hands-on way for students to practice food truck vocabulary through interactive activities.

Activity 1. WRITE Food Truck Sells. Student chooses a flashcard and writes what it sells: This food truck sells ramen.

Activity 2. My Favorite Food Truck Writing to make personal writing connection. Students choose one small card and write:   My favorite food truck is the ice cream food truck.
I like ice cream.

Activity 3. Speaking Circle Game. Students sit in circle of 8 with cards. Student says: I have the taco food truck.

Next student: I have the ramen food truck.

Continue around circle.

Activity 4. Description Writing Challenge.

Students write: The pizza food truck sells pizza. It is red and yellow.

Activity 5. Food Truck Parking Lot (Prepositions integration)

Students use the small food truck cards with an opened paper clip attached to the back so each card can stand up on the table like a real food truck in a plaza. Place the cards around the table to create a “food truck plaza.” Students take turns pointing to a truck and saying sentences using prepositions, such as: “The pizza food truck is next to the taco food truck,”.

These worksheets help develop reading, writing, and grammar skills while supporting independent learning and building confidence in using English.

Worksheet 1. Color and write the food trucks word. Color each food truck according to the teacher’s instructions. Then, write the correct name under each food truck. Finally, show your worksheet and say sentences, for example: “This is the pizza food truck.”

Worksheet 2. My food truck. Create your own food truck. Color and decorate it. Then, write sentences about your food truck.

Example: My food truck is a smoothie truck. It sells fruit smoothies. It is purple and pink. I like smoothies.

After creating and coloring their own food truck, students design a menu for their truck. They write the names of the foods they sell and decorate the menu with colors and drawings. Students can present their food truck and read their menu to the class.

Worksheet 3.  Practice important question and answer structures related to food trucks. Students read each question carefully and write complete answers using correct grammar. They practice Yes/No questions, questions with does, and can questions.

Worksheet set 4. First, students carefully read the instructions and color each food truck according to the correct color. After completing the coloring worksheet, students use it to answer questions about the food trucks.

Worksheet 5. Cut, Paste, and Write Activity. In this activity, students cut out the worker flashcards and paste each worker next to the correct food truck. After matching the workers and food trucks, students write sentences that describe each worker and their food truck.

Worksheet 6. Questionnaire Worksheet: Food Truck Survey. Students conduct a class survey by asking their classmates: “What is your favorite food truck?”

Students walk around the classroom and ask different classmates the question. They listen carefully and write one answer on each line.

Follow-Up Activity: Class Graph of Results

After completing the survey, I guide the class in creating a graph on the board using the collected results. Each student reports their answers, and together we count how many students chose each food truck.

Students help place marks, stickers, or draw bars on the graph to represent the results. Then we read and discuss the graph using complete sentences, such as: Five students like the pizza food truck.

Worksheet 7.  Food Truck Menu Writing Activity. Students observe each food truck and write the foods and drinks that it sells.

After completing the worksheet, students can share their ideas with the class using sentences such as:  The taco food truck sells burritos.

These games promote interaction, build confidence, and help reinforce learning through play.

Game 1. Food Truck Order Game (Role-Play Cards)

Students practice real-life communication by role-playing as food truck workers and customers using the printable role-play cards. One student wears the worker badge and stands behind the matching food truck card, while another student uses a customer card to order food.

 The customer reads their card using target sentences such as “I want a hamburger.” or “Can I have ice cream, please?” The worker listens and responds with functional language like “Here you are.” or “Yes, of course” , using the cutouts available in the resource. Students then switch roles to practice both speaking and listening.

 

Game 2. Where is the Food Truck? (Prepositions Game)

Students build their own interactive food truck plaza using the foldable food truck markers and the printable plaza board.

Each student places their food truck on the plaza. One student reads a movement card aloud, for example: “Place your truck next to the ice cream truck”

The student with that truck listens, understands the instruction, and moves their marker to the correct position.

 
Game 3. Board game. Food Truck Board Game Activity

In this interactive board game, students place their foldable food truck markers on one of the two paths shown on the board. Each path is followed by the arrows.

Students take turns rolling the dice and moving their markers along the path. When a student lands on a colored token, they pick up the corresponding question card.

Game 4. Puzzles

Students work together to build food truck puzzles by matching the food truck, the food, the worker, and the label. As they assemble each puzzle, students read the words and identify what each food truck sells.

Find practical strategies to make teaching easier and more effective. You’ll love visiting my other blog for younger learners.

https://eflpreschoolteachers.blogspot.com/

Circus Ringmaster and Platform Prepositions Activities | ESL

 This resource is also included here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Circus-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-3759017

Step right into the circus and make learning prepositions fun and meaningful! This Circus Prepositions resource uses the Ringmaster and colorful platforms to help students understand and practice key prepositions such as in, on, under, behind, next to, between, and in front of through engaging, hands-on activities.

It can be used as a stand-alone resource to teach or review prepositions or as a complement to your Circus Unit, helping students strengthen reading, speaking, and sentence-building skills in a fun and visual way.

Use the flashcards to introduce or review the prepositions with your students.

True or False Show. Show flashcard and say sentence: The ringmaster is under the platform.

Students show: 👍 Correct or 👎 Incorrect.

Circus Director Game. One student becomes the "Circus Director or Ringmaster". Print the hat template, add a strip of paper and create the hat for the student or yourself.

They say: "The ringmaster is under the platform."

Other student points to that flashcard, which should be placed on the board.

Match the Sentence to the Flashcard. In this activity, students read the sentence strips and place them under the correct circus flashcards on the board. Each sentence describes the position of the ringmaster in relation to the platform.

The sentence strips are included in this resource and are designed to match the flashcards.

Act It Out: The Ringmaster and the Stool. In this interactive activity, one student wears the ringmaster hat and uses any stool and glues the stool prop, that you have previously prepared using the printable in the resource. Another student gives directions, suing the flashcards as a guide, the position using a complete sentence, such as: “The ringmaster is on the stool.”

The student acting as the ringmaster listens and places himself in the correct position.

Listen and Draw Activity. The teacher secretly chooses a flashcard and describes it without showing the picture. For example: “The ringmaster is behind the platform.”

Students listen carefully and draw what they hear. Afterward, the teacher shows the flashcard so students can compare their drawings. This activity develops listening comprehension.

The small cards are included to provide more opportunities for practice.

Read and Match to the Picture. Students receive the printable small picture cards and the sentence strips. Students read and match.

Write the Sentence. Students pick a small card and write the sentence.

Why Small Cards Are Powerful for Literacy

They help students:

read independently
 manipulate language
build sentences
practice writing meaningfully
develop confidence

Cutouts are included so students can physically place the Ringmaster in different positions relative to the platform, helping them practice prepositions through hands-on learning.

Listen and Place the Ringmaster. Print and cut the  platform + ringmaster cutout. It comes in colored and b/w version.
Teacher says: "The ringmaster is under the platform."

Students place the ringmaster correctly.

Worksheets are included to help students practice prepositions through reading, writing, matching, drawing, and coloring activities.

Students roll the printable dice and color the matching picture on their worksheet. Each time the dice lands, students identify the preposition and find the correct image to color. This activity reinforces preposition vocabulary.

Students complete the worksheet by reading each sentence and writing the correct preposition to describe the position of the ringmaster.

Students read each sentence and trace the line to match it with the correct picture.

Have the learners write the correct preposition to describe the position of the ringmaster.

This worksheet is for drawing and coloring the platforms in the correct position around the ringmaster. Students carefully follow the instructions.

Games are included to help students practice prepositions in a fun, interactive, and engaging way.

Feed Me Circus Ring activity

Students take turns choosing a small circus card and feeding it into the Feed Me Circus Ring Box that you have ready. As they feed the card, students say a complete sentence

Matching Mat Activity

Students take turns rolling the preposition dice. They say the preposition they rolled, for example, “behind.” Then they find the correct Ringmaster picture card and place it on the matching word on the mat. Finally, they say a full sentence: “The Ringmaster is behind the platform.”This adds movement and speaking practice

Puzzle “Build and Read”
After completing the puzzle, students read the full sentence aloud to a partner. Then, they use a small card or flashcard to recreate the same position of the Ringmaster and say the sentence again. This reinforces reading, speaking, and comprehension of prepositions.

Spinner Activity

Students spin the spinner and look at the picture where the pointer lands. They say a complete sentence to describe the Ringmaster’s position using the correct preposition. This activity helps students practice speaking.

 Flap Book Activity Text:

Students create a flap book to practice circus prepositions. Under each flap, they write and complete a sentence to describe the Ringmaster’s position.

 

 Find creative ideas and engaging resources for teaching young learners, visit my blog for preschool teachers here: EFL Preschool Teachers Blog. You'll find practical activities, tips, and resources designed to make learning fun and effective for little ones!