Routine Verbs Small Cards for ESL/EFL learners

 This resource (Routine Verbs Small Cards for ESL/EFL – Printable Everyday Verbs Activity Pack)  is included here, ready to download: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Routine-Verbs-for-Elementary-ELL-3088833

 

Help young ESL/ELL learners practise daily routine verbs with printable small cards — matching, games, writing and vocabulary practice included.

Mastering everyday routine verbs is a foundational skill for elementary ESL/ELL learners — and can be challenging without visual support and repetition. This printable Routine Verbs Small Cards Pack makes verb practice interactive and fun. Through matching games, cut-and-paste activities, and sentence writing, students will build confident understanding of verbs like eat, sleep, brush, go while engaging in active learning.

Play Slap with the small picture cards to review verbs quickly . Spread out the cards on the floor or a table face up. One student can be the caller, give him /her the slap caller badge and the other players will be the slappers, who will slap the correct card. The one that does it first keeps the slapped card. Continue until all the cards have been called. The winner is the one with most cards.

For the game I made these slap caller necklace. I cut and glued them onto fun foam, punched a hole and thread yarn into the hoop. I use them to have the group respect the caller and be more organized at playing the game. You can play with any set of word and use the necklace but change the caller every time. You can even write on the back of the necklace the caller´s name so you choose a different child every time.

Cut-and-Paste Routine Verbs small cards Activity. This activity includes two matching sets: One set with routine action words cards with the word on it, another set with pictures of each action.  Students cut out the pictures and paste them on top of the correct verb word.  Use it to recognize and read routine vocabulary.

Picture + Word Matching Activity. This version flips the challenge. Each everyday verb card shows a picture of a routine action, and there’s correct verb word to match. This activity helps English language learners to focus on visual comprehension first. Have students write sentences on their notebooks using simple present tense: She brushes her hair.

Spelling Verb Bingo Game. Place all the verb small cards on the board. Have the children select only 6 and write them down on their paper. Call out a word and place a tick on the flashcard. Use the small cards for calling the verbs. Children cross the words as they have it on their spelling bingo grid.

Print the camera for any game in a bright construction paper. Have several more printed as well.

Students of all ages like the camera. Use the camera to have the children name each verb as you pass the picture, you can make the strip as long as you want.  

Writing / Sentence Practice. I also included the photo clip art, children either draw the verb, look them up in magazines and cut them or simply cut them from the small cards here. They can also write the verb or write complete sentence in the simple present tense using the verbs. 

They can make a photo album using their own pictures and write sentences under each photo.

 

Check the Routine Verbs Worksheets Pack that comes in the complete resource. It offers picture-verb matching, fill-in blanks, writing and negative/affirmative sentence activities perfect for practice, review, homework, or literacy centers. With ready-to-use worksheets, you’ll make verb practice fun, clear, and meaningful for young students.

https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/08/routine-verbs-worksheets-for-eslefl.html

Follow me on Instagram for teaching tips, freebies, and more! Click here: https://www.instagram.com/rosamelia_eslteacher/

When creating the covers, I always start by choosing clipart. I found these on Creative Fabrica—they're easy to use and come with a commercial license! Click on my affliate link:   https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/morning-routine-planner-papers-clipart/ref/2670802/?sharedfrom=pdp

Halloween Face Activities for Young English Learners

 This resource is also included here:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Face-Unit-for-Elementary-English-Language-Learners-10106986

 

Focus on the face of Halloween characters. It connects the Holiday with essential vocabulary practice.

The Halloween Flashcards help introduce the characters and reinforce vocabulary like eyes, mouth, teeth, hair, and nose.

Labeling activities encourage active language use, helping students connect written words to visual features.

 

 Use the small cards to play: Who Am I? Guessing Game. One student picks a card and describes the face (He doesn’t have hair)

Classmates: Mummy!

Students pick a small card and make a simple sentence. Motivate them to create a text.

  By labeling parts of a Halloween face of the small cards, students practice reading, writing, and vocabulary recall in a meaningful way.

Worksheets give students extra practice recognizing, labeling, and describing face parts.

Label the Face worksheet. Students look at Halloween character faces and write the words (eyes, mouth, nose, teeth, hair) on the blank spaces. Then, they can color the parts of the face. Later, they write a short text describing the face. This helps students build simple descriptive sentences.

Read, draw, color worksheet, Students complete the Halloween face on each character.

Read the phrases to draw and color. Students read and color according to the sentences.

Complete the Sentences worksheets.

Students read simple sentences describing the face of a Halloween character and color according to the text.

Students look at the five Halloween characters (witch, vampire, mummy, Frankenstein, devil) and complete each face by drawing the missing parts (eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, hair). After finishing the drawings, they color each part according to their choice.

Then, students answer simple questions about the faces they completed.

Give students a chance to apply descriptive language to their own drawings writing their own texts to expand the worksheet.

Find ideas, tips, and free resources for teaching English to preschool and kindergarten learners?
Come join us on Facebook!

👉 ESL Preschool Teachers Facebook Page

I Designed the Halloween Covers using Creative Fabrica. Here is my affliate link: https://www.creativefabrica.com/ref/2670802/

 

Routine Verbs Flashcards for ESL/EFL learners

 This resource (Routine Verbs Flashcards for ESL/EFL – Printable Everyday Verbs for Elementary ELLs)  is included here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Routine-Verbs-for-Elementary-ELL-3088833

The Routine Flashcards give students a clear visual cue that helps them connect the action verb with its meaning, making it easier to remember. Download the printable routine verbs flashcards for young ESL/ELL students — perfect for teaching daily actions with fun games, miming activities, and speaking practice.

Some ideas for games and activities for your students using the full set of routine-action verb flashcards (picture + word)   . Let me know which one you used and how well it worked.

Mime. Show a flashcard and do the corresponding action as you say it. Have the student mime and repeat the action.

Teacher: wake up, wake up!
student: wake up, wake up!

Who is? Have six children come to the front. Hand in a routine verb card to each one and the corresponding realia or cutout to act it out. They have to look at it and mime the action at your call.

Teacher: Ready! Action!
Teacher: make the bed!
Students: Laura!
Teacher: brush the teeth!
Students: Jacky!
Then do it backwards.
Teacher: Ready! Action!
Teacher: Patricia!
Students: do homework!
Teacher: Tomas!
Teacher:  wash the dishes!

Verbs in a bag. Place the routine flashcards in a bag. Sit the children in a circle if you have a small group. For large groups, it might be good to have several sets and do the activity in groups.

The first child of the circle draws a card from the bag and without showing it mimes the actions. The children have to guess and shout out the verb. Then make a sentence with the verb.

Children: clean the window!
Children: Erin is cleaning the window!

Hand in the routine verbs flashcards to a group. Have them order the verbs in alphabetical order and then write them down. Useful for Mixed-ability: pair stronger with weaker students.

Place 6 flashcards on the board. Write a question word under each one: Who ?, Why ?, Where ?, When ?, What ?, How many ? . Divide the class into pairs and have them write questions with each question word. When all the questions are ready, have them exchange the questions sheets with other pairs to answer them.

Lay all the cards face down on a table.  A student turns a card around, reads it and makes a complete sentence. If it is right the student keeps the card.  If the sentence is wrong, the student puts the card back. Student: clean. I clean the house with my mother.

    Yes/NO Q&A: Have students ask each other in pairs questions using any flashcard in random order.

Student 1: Do you play football?
Student 2: Yes, I do.

 Writing Practice.  Students pick any four flashcards and write a short text. Then, hands it in to another student to read. They can find similarities between their routines.

There are small cards in this complete resource with picture-cards, verb small cards, matching worksheets, cut-and-paste mats, bingo/spelling game, printable picture album template, etc.)  go to the blog post:    https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/07/routine-verbs-small-cards-for-eslefl.html 

Visit my blog, EFL Preschool Teachers, where you’ll find fun lessons, printable materials, and inspiration to make your classroom shine! CLICK: https://eflpreschoolteachers.blogspot.com/

Present Continuous Activities for the Toys unit

  This resource (Present Continuous Activities for the Toys Unit – Printable Toy-Verbs Flashcards & Worksheets for Elementary ESL) is also included here. LINK: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Toys-unit-for-Elementary-English-Language-Learners-Starters-1865563

Understanding and using the Present Continuous tense allows learners to participate more fully in conversations about current activities related to toys in this case. Engage young ESL learners with toy-themed Present Continuous activities — flashcards, games, and worksheets to practise “is playing,” “are eating,” and more. The resource is Flexible: usable for warm-up, pair work, centers, homework — fits busy classroom routines. 

Learning to use the Present Continuous tense is a big step for elementary ESL/ELL students. The Flashcards (toy pictures + action) work well in warm-ups, Show a Toy flashcard. Ask: “What is the girl doing?”

Then, have students take turns making sentences for other flashcards: The boy is playing with a teddy bear. The teddy bear is brown. It is small.

Present Continuous Statements using familiar toys makes that grammar relatable . Small cards encourage independent learning. Use these for sentence building / question-answer practice.

 

Present Continuous Questions with toy-themes small cards. Learners will ask what people are doing in pictures and have peers answer.

Use the cards as a prompt yes/no question-and-answer interactions between students.

Worksheets & Independent Practice 

These toys worksheets help students connect grammar structures with real-life vocabulary. Students identify actions using the present continuous tense.

Worksheets give students repeated exposure to key verbs through matching to the picture. This helps solidify understanding and recall.

Answering simple questions aids into written communication.

Describe the action on each space of the board game. Students say what the person is doing. If correct, they move one space. If not, they don’t. Use in centres for beginner classes. The Game board encourages communicative sentence and question practice.

Play sentence association game where students match a picture card to a sentence. It Supports Grammar Acquisition as It reinforces sentence structure, especially the subject + verb + ing form used in Present Continuous tense. Perfect for pari work. 

The cards are in the same format as in the complete resource. Put them all together and play with more cards. Check the blog post here:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/03/toys-unit-games-for-elementary-english.html

Follow me on my Facebook fan page Holistic English Resources by Rosa Amelia for teaching tips, activity ideas, and to grab the newest freebie I share with my followers! 🎉

📲 Facebook.com/HolisticEnglishResources