Counting 1–20 Turkeys in the Oven | Numbers and Counting Activities for ELLs

  This resource (Counting 1–20 Turkeys in the Oven) is part of the House Furniture for Elementary ESL to prepare for your lesson plan , at my store:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/House-Furniture-unit-for-Elementary-ESL-3420723

ELLs benefit from concrete, colorful visuals. Seeing the turkey food piece in an oven next to a number gives them a clear representation of the math concepts. This resource connects math (counting and numbers), and language (speaking, listening, and writing numbers), making it a well-rounded tool for elementary classrooms. It can be used for Thanksgiving.

Counting to 120 turkeys

Place the turkey in the oven flashcards (quantity cards) on the table. Provide students with fun foam numbers and letters. Students will count the chickens and say the number out loud. Then, using fun foam numbers to build the numeral and spell out the number word.

Extend the flashcards into sentence practice, which really helps elementary English language learners connect numbers → vocabulary → full language structures.

Promote Number Recognition using the bingo grid. Students identify numbers from the flashcards displayed on the board and transfer them to their bingo grid, reinforcing numeral recognition. Learners choose 8 numbers from 1 to 20. When numbers are called out during the game, students must listen carefully, understand, and check their grids. Bingo allows multiple exposures to numbers without feeling repetitive or boring.

As students count the turkeys, they can also practice sentence structures like “There are eighteen turkeys in the oven,” promoting speaking and writing skills in context.  

Set up a pretend “kitchen” where students take turns being the cook and customer. The customer says, “I want sixteen turkeys,” and the cook finds the matching flashcard.

Having both quantity cards and numeral small cards helps students make the connection between the symbol (number) and the quantity.

Matching Game.  Students match the numeral card to the turkeys quantity card.

  Memory Game. Lay cards face down and play “Concentration” to find pairs (number + quantity).

Number Sequencing: Strengthens understanding of forward and backward number order.

Counting Worksheets

  Listen and color the turkeys in the oven to reinforce vocabulary recognition. Then, they will complete the color of each turkey on the other worksheet.

Read & Color the instructions on the worksheets.

Completing Number Sequences Worksheets that reinforces the idea of counting forward. Another worksheet is to unscramble the number words where students must use reasoning to put letters in order, building both cognitive flexibility and persistence.

Matching numerals to number words worksheets.

Write the number word by counting the turkeys in the oven.

 

Board game

 Players must match their space to the correct small card or cards from the mat (numeral or oven quantity) before they can stay on it.

The matching mats supports number-word association and visual counting.

Play the Missing Piece Challenge. Students can place any piece on the mat wither the numeral or the word.

Students can play the classic match of numeral, words and quantity cards.

They can also order all the cards in a number sequence on the pocket chart if you have one.

Another Way to Use These Cards: File Folder Game

These matching cards can also be transformed into a reusable file folder game, giving students another engaging way to practice counting and number recognition. Simply glue one of the matching boards inside a file folder and keep the remaining cards in the folder pockets.
Students count the objects on each picture card and match them to the correct numeral or number word. Since the cards are interchangeable, you can easily change the matching combinations to provide fresh practice throughout the year.
This activity uses the same cards included in the previous matching games, so no additional preparation is needed. Just assemble the file folder once, and you'll have a durable, hands-on center that students can enjoy independently.

The file folder game is perfect for  intervention groups.

There is a coloring the turkeys in the oven according to what the spinner lands on. Assemble the spinner using a butterfly fastener and a clip.

This is a make words game. There is a letter to place on each card to spell the number word and the word to add to simple number such as six to make sixteen.

Monsters in bed is also included in this resource, check the blog post:

https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/09/monsters-in-bed-prepositions-activities.html

Find more engaging ways to teach numbers to your English Language Learners.
Check out my Pinterest board for printable materials and creative activities!
 From flashcards to worksheets, you'll find tons of useful resources to make your lessons fun and interactive.
Visit the board here: https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl/esl-numbers-and-math/numbers-1-to-20/

Used creative fabrica for the numbers! Here is my affliate link:   https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/orange-doodle-letters-and-numbers/ref/2670802/?sharedfrom=pdp