My Lunch Box! ESL Food Activities for Elementary ELLs

 This resource ( My Lunch Box! – ESL Food Activities for Elementary ELLs (Flashcards, Worksheets & Games) is part of the Food Unit for Elementary English Language Starters.

LINK to download : https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Food-unit-for-Elementary-English-Language-Learners-Starters-11035412

Move beyond your coursebook to provide different activities to your students with this hands-on Lunch Box Resource designed for young English language learners! This pack helps students review food vocabulary, ideal for centers, whole-class games, or independent work. Teach food vocabulary with this printable "Lunch Box" pack for elementary ESL/ELL learners — flashcards, sorting, writing, games & speaking activities included.

One of the best ways to support vocabulary development in young English language learners is through visual scaffolding using the ready-to-use printable flashcards. Use them to introduce food items that goes into a lunch box.

 Sorting activity. Once familiar with the vocabulary, move into an interactive sorting task activity. Start by having students sort the lunch box items into basic categories like fruits and drinks. Add additional categories such as colors, what I like / don’t like.  Perfect for  whole-class sessions. 

Writing & Speaking Practice.  Place a lunch box flashcard on the board and several flashcards of items that go into the lunch box. Draw an arrow to the flashcard as you say: I like grapes! Continue until all items have an arrow.

Then, have a student come up and prepare the lunch box with the items that of his/her preference using the flashcards. Have them write down on their notebooks what they came up with on the board.

Have students talk about making sandwiches using the flashcards. Here is my example:  I am making a sandwich! What do I need?
Students: bread! Strawberry jelly, peanut butter! (place the corresponding flashcards)
Students can make another sandwich with other flashcards.

Speaking activity. Hold up a flashcard and ask: Do you like grapes?
Invite the students to raise their hands if they do and say: I like grapes!

Say, make a sad face if you don’t like it. Teacher: Do you like grape juice? 
Students: I don’t like grape juice.

 
The small cards add another layer of creativity. Students choose the items they want to "pack" in their lunch box using the cards, then use those choices to write a short text such as “In my lunch box, I have an apple, a sandwich, and some juice.” This encourages vocabulary recall and sentence construction.  Perfect for centers.

Small cards guessing game: cut off the word of each vocabulary card, turn the cards face down, and place number tokens on top. Students call out a number, turn over the card, say the word, and then match it to the correct picture. This builds confidence in speaking.  Perfect for  pair work.

These worksheets have students match words to pictures, writing the correct vocabulary word to reinforce word recognition in context.

Sorting worksheet where students categorize food items into three groups: drinks, fruit, and other. This activity encourages students to think critically about word meanings and food types.

One worksheet helps students practice numbers and food vocabulary together. Students count how many items appear in the lunch box (e.g., apples, sandwiches, juice boxes) and write the correct number.

The other worksheet encourages students to share their personal preferences about lunch box items.

A worksheet for students color the sandwiches based on a simple text.

The other, Write a short text about the lunch box. Using sentence starters like “In my lunch box, I have...” or “I like... but I don’t like...”, they build complete, meaningful sentences using the new vocabulary.

There is a worksheet that features a black-and-white lunch box template for students to complete. They can either draw their chosen lunch items or cut and paste from magazines.  Once their lunch box is complete, students move on to the to write a description about their lunch box using simple sentences.

The other option is to complete the lunchbox according to the vocabulary box.

Find a large image of a slice of bread, where students can draw and design their own sandwich by adding their favorite ingredients—lettuce, cheese, tomato, ham, or anything they like! This creative task allows to write about their sandwich.

 

Lunch Box Interactive Game Board! It combines speaking, vocabulary, and a touch of strategy. Students take turns moving around the board using markers (included), landing on different lunch box items.

If they can name the food where they land, they collect the item by choosing the matching card, that they place on the lunchbox template provided. When the game is over, they write what they have with sentences like:
“In my lunch box, I have grapes, cheese, and a cookie.”

Lunch Box Puzzle Game. Each puzzle piece shows a food or drink item (e.g., apple juice, sandwich, cheese) along with the word written in bold, easy-to-read text. Students match the word to the correct image by assembling the puzzle pieces.

Ideas to Play:

1. Basic Matching: Give students a pile of puzzle pieces. Have them find and match the correct word and image. Use it as a fast-finisher or center activity.

2.Memory Match: Cut the pieces apart and turn them over. Students flip two pieces to try and find a matching image and word.

3.Speaking Practice: When a student makes a match, they must say a sentence like:

“I have a banana.” or “I like apple juice.”

4. Lunch Box Challenge: Give each student 5–6 random puzzle pieces. They "pack" a lunch by selecting their favorite items, then write a sentence:

“In my lunch box, I have grapes, a cookie, and juice.”

 

Check the Thanksgiving food theme added to this complete resource: 

https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/11/thanksgiving-food-activities-for-ells.html

 

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linktr.ee/HolisticEnglishResources

I used this adorable clipart from Creative Fabrica to design the covers. They have a huge collection of graphics perfect for teachers. Here is the link to my affliate:   https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/sandwich-seamless-patterns/ref/2670802/?sharedby=user-3080428