Halloween Skeleton Body Parts Activities for Elementary ELLs

 This resource is included in the Body Unit for Elementary ESL. Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Body-Theme-for-Elementary-ELL-1836555

The Halloween skeleton adds a playful, spooky twist to the traditional body unit, keeping students motivated and excited to review words like head, arm, leg, foot, hand, and ribs.

The teacher places a skeleton flashcard on the board. Students come up one by one to label the body parts using word cards, sticky notes, or by writing directly on the board with markers. This promotes whole-class participation.

Students label the parts of the skeleton directly on a flashcard placed inside a clear plastic sheet using whiteboard markers. They can write the words for head, arms, legs, feet, ribs, bones, and pelvis, then erase and repeat for practice. Students engage with the vocabulary by writing it themselves, reinforcing spelling and word recognition.

Students sort the skeleton body part flashcards into two groups — left and right. For example, they place left arm, left leg, left hand on one side, and right arm, right leg, right hand on the other. This can be done on the board, in a pocket chart, or on their desks as a group or partner activity.

Students use the skeleton flashcard to count how many of each part the skeleton has. For example:  The skeleton has one head./ The skeleton has two arms./ The skeleton has three fingers.

The small cards can be used for forming simple sentences (e.g., The skeleton has two legs. / This is the skeleton’s head.), allowing students to practice speaking.

As a speaking activity: 

Cut out the word from each small card and then match it to the correct picture. This will strengthen their reading comprehension and vocabulary recall.

Students use the small skeleton body part cards to write simple sentences such as: This is the skeleton’s hand./ This is the skeleton’s leg./ This is the skeleton’s head.  They can write the sentences on paper, mini whiteboards, or in their notebooks after choosing or drawing a card.

Label the Skeleton Worksheet. Students write the correct word next to each body part.

Read and Color the Skeleton Worksheet. Students read simple descriptive sentences about the skeleton and color each body part accordingly.

Students look at pictures of the skeleton’s body parts on a worksheet and draw lines to match each picture with the correct word.

Students can complete this worksheet on their own, making it ideal for assessment, centers, or homework.

  This craft-style activity perfectly combines art, language, and kinesthetic learning. Students build their own skeleton craft by gluing the body part cutouts onto a frame made with chenille stems (pipe cleaners).

They color each piece, assemble the skeleton, and glue or tape it onto construction paper. Once their skeletons are complete, students describe their creations to the class using full sentences, such as:  This is my skeleton./  It has two arms and two legs. / The skeleton’s head is gray.

 

Here I am with my description:

Students match each word to the correct skeleton body part by connecting or assembling puzzle pieces. Each piece includes a word and a corresponding picture of that part on the skeleton. Matching words to pictures helps ELLs connect spoken and written English naturally, reinforcing comprehension through a hands-on activity.

Find more creative ideas and engaging resources for teaching young learners by visiting 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!