Christmas Nutcracker Body Unit – Games, Worksheets, Flashcards, Dice & Activities for Elementary ELLs

 This resource (Christmas Nutcracker Body Unit Games — ESL Body Parts Vocabulary for Kids) is included in the Body Unit for Elementary ESL. Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Body-Theme-for-Elementary-ELL-1836555

The story of The Nutcracker is associated with Christmas in many countries. focus on language and culture as you combine the holiday context with reviewing the body vocabulary. We are close to the end of a term so grab your  students’ attention often drifts with Holiday-themed lessons. Print the low-prep materials.

Nutcracker body parts flashcards— large visuals for board, pocket charts, or centers  

Begin class by showing the flashcard of the Nutcracker, asking students “Who is this?”

Students: The Nutcraker!

 Ask about the body vocabulary: “What parts of the body do you see?” and label on the board.

Use flashcards of the face and label with your students on the board. Then, use the cutout and say: Put the red hat on the Nutcracker’s head.

Students can practice left and right by sorting the Nutcracker legs and arms flashcards. This activity helps them recognize body vocabulary, develop spatial awareness, and use English while interacting with the cards. Children place each card under the correct label: “Left” or “Right.” After sorting, students say the words aloud and make simple sentences such as “This is the right leg” or “This is the left arm.” This hands-on activity is perfect for small-group centers or whole-class review.

Clothes Identification. Show the students a colored Nutcracker flashcard. Label the clothes on the nutcracker if your students know those words. Then,ask: “What color is his jacket?” “What color are the boots?”

Use in pairs or small groups to increase speaking opportunities

Movement / acting game: Have students act like Nutcracker characters — “Walk like the Nutcracker.” Show the right arm flashcard and say: “Raise your arm like a toy soldier”, “Show me your leg / foot,” etc.

Great for kinesthetic learners.

Each student receives a Nutcracker small card, and the teacher silently mouths a body part. Instead of hearing the word, students must watch your mouth, identify the vocabulary item, point to that part on their Nutcracker card, and say the word aloud.

This type of activity strengthens visual discrimination, listening skills, and pronunciation, while also encouraging students to pay close attention to the shape of English sounds.

Worksheet practice

This worksheet helps students review and reinforce body vocabulary using a fun Nutcracker theme. Learners look at the arrows pointing to different body parts and write the correct words in the blank boxes. This activity improves spelling, vocabulary recall, and reading comprehension. It is perfect for independent practice, small-group work, or as an assessment during the Christmas season.

Labeling. After students write the words, ask them to color the Nutcracker and write a short text about the clothes.

Nutcracker Read & Color Worksheet. Students read a short description of the Nutcracker’s body parts and clothing, then color the picture to match the text. This activity reinforces clothing words. It’s perfect for independent work.

Give each student the Nutcracker body cutouts template to build. Students show their Nutcracker to a partner and say:
“This is his right arm… this is his left leg.”

They can also write a short descriptive text.

Display Nutcrackers on a Christmas board or wall.

Games

Nutcracker Dice & Color worksheet. Help your elementary English learners review body vocabulary, colors, and following directions. Students use two printable dice:
🎲 one Nutcracker body-part die
🎲 one color die

Students roll both dice, look at the body part and color they landed on, and then color that part of the Nutcracker on their worksheet.

More advanced students can describe what they are colored:
“The jacket is yellow.”, “I colored the boots black.”, “His hat is green.”

The dice add an element of surprise that keeps students motivated, and the worksheet allows them to produce a colorful final picture. This makes it perfect for centers.

Christmas Nutcracker Body Board Game with a Focus on Speaking in sentences + vocabulary review.
Students roll the die and land on a nutcracker. They turn a candy card and answer the question. If it is correct, they feed the any in the owl’s feed me box. If not, they return the candy card to the deck.

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Thanksgiving Hat Prepositions of Place Activities for Elementary ELLs

 This printable, ready-to-use resource is part of Clothes Theme for elementary ELL/ESL learners. Click here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Clothes-Theme-for-Elementary-ESL-2987481

The Thanksgiving Hat Prepositions  ESL resource is an engaging way to use prepositions of place while celebrating the Thanksgiving season. Simply print and go! The resource can be used for warm-ups, mini-lessons, or as part of a Thanksgiving classroom center. Have the students master prepositions of place in a fun Thanksgiving hat theme.

Write sentences for each flashcard on slips of paper and have the students place them correctly.

Flashcard Memory Match. Cut the words out of the flashcards. Students take turns flipping two cards to find a match: e.g., a turkey with a hat on its head matches the “on” card.

Listen, Find, and Show. Spread flashcards on the floor. The teacher says a sentence: “The hat is in front of the turkey.” Students race to touch or hold up the correct flashcard.

Small cards. Match and Say. Give each student a set of small cards and a set of preposition word cards (cut the words out of the card). Students match the picture to the correct word (e.g., “on,” “under,” “behind”). After matching, they say the sentence aloud: “The turkey is on the hat.”

Mini Memory Game. Use two copies of the small cards. Place them face down.  Students flip two cards at a time to find a matching pair. Every time they find a match, they read the sentence: “The turkey is between the hats.”

For advanced learners, ask them to write the sentence after matching.

Spin and Match. Use the spinner with prepositions. Place a clip and a brass fastener to the spinner template. Students spin, find the small card that matches the preposition, and say the sentence aloud.

Cutout Activities for Turkey and Hat Prepositions. Listen and Place. Give each student a set of cutouts: the turkey, the hat in the colored or b/w version. The teacher gives commands aloud: 👉 “Put the turkey under the hat.”

Students listen, move the cutouts, and repeat the sentence.

As a Variation: Have a student act as the “teacher” and give the commands!

Play like this: 

Students roll the Prepositions Dice and color the picture on the worksheet that matches the preposition shown. Each side of the dice includes a turkey and a hat in different positions to represent words like on, under, next to, behind, in, between, and in front of.

Read and Color – Turkey Prepositions Worksheet. Students read each sentence carefully and color the picture that matches it. For example:
👉 “The turkey is under the hat.” — students find the correct image and color it.

Fill in the Blanks – Turkey Prepositions Worksheets .Students complete each sentence by filling in the correct preposition that describes the turkey’s position.
Example:  “The turkey is ___ the hat.” → on

Each worksheet helps students read, think, and apply the correct preposition while reinforcing sentence structure.

Interactive Notebook – Turkey Prepositions Worksheet. They place the hat cutout first, then place and insert all the turkeys with preposition words (on, under, behind, next to, in, etc.) in the correct positions — some may require cutting small slits to fit the turkeys properly, Previously, students color each turkey. At the end, they write complete sentences to describe their work, such as: “The turkey is behind the hat.”

Label the Turkey’s Body Worksheet. Students identify and label the different parts of the turkey’s body, such as the head, wings, tail, and feet.  They read each word and write it in the correct blank space on the turkey.

Turkey Prepositions Matching Mats. They cut out the word cards and match each preposition to the correct turkey and hat picture.

As they match, students read each sentence aloud — for example,
“The turkey is behind the hat.”

Turkey Prepositions Sentence Puzzle. Students build complete sentences. They read each picture on the mat, find the correct word cards, and arrange them to form sentences such as: “The turkey is next to the hat.”

Turkey Prepositions Board Game. Students roll the dice and move their token along the path, saying a sentence for each space they land on — for example,

“The turkey is on the hat.”

They practice prepositions of place while having fun racing to the finish!

Interactive Turkey Prepositions Book. Students read each page and move the turkey cutout attached with yarn to match the sentence — for example,
 “The turkey is under the hat.” They slide or lift the turkey to the correct position on every page, bringing the sentences to life in a fun, hands-on way!

Here I am reading the book:

Teaching **prepositions of place** like *in, on, under,* and *next to* can be a challenge for young English learners — but this **Rabbit and Mitten Preposition Activity Pack** makes it fun and memorable! These hands-on printables and games help students practice spatial vocabulary through colorful pictures, engaging worksheets, dice games, and speaking tasks that reinforce meaning in context, all in the complete clothes pack.  Go to the blog post: 

https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/03/rabbit-and-mitten-preposition.html

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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.

Teach body parts with fun monster-themed ESL flashcards, worksheets & games — includes labeling, counting, left/right practice & more for young learners, all included in the complete resource. Check the blog post here:    https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/06/monsters-and-body-parts-fun-and-hands.html

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!