Monsters and Body Parts: Fun and Hands-On ESL Activities for Young Learners

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

The students will identify and use the body vocabulary on the Monsters. Monsters have unusual and silly body parts. Since the Monster characters are make-believe, helping students to feel more comfortable describing and drawing bodies.

Labeling the flashcards helps students associate the written word with the visual body part on a fun character, making it easier to remember and understand.

Students practice numbers and vocabulary at the same time—by counting “3 eyes,” “2 arms,” or “5 fingers” to reinforce both content areas naturally. Place a Monster on the board and ask questions: How many fingers does the Monster have?

Understanding left and right is an important early skill. Associating it with a monster's body (e.g., “left arm,” “right eye”)  as they sort the flashcards on the board.

Points game. Write several different point values on the board as I wrote 1 to 5 for example. Stick any body flashcard over the points so your stduents can’t see the point under each flashcard. Have a students say a sentence for any flashcard: This is the left arm.  If the sentence is correct, remove that flashcard and reveal the number of points won. At the end, all the points are tallied for the students or teams participating.

Print the small cards for more activities. Students label the parts of the body on their notebooks using the card of their choice. This encourages spelling practice.

Students can practice full sentences using numbers and body parts on small card:
“The monster has two yellow arms.”

Monsters often have asymmetrical features, making them perfect for left/right practice. Cut the card in two and half them label each part of the body.

Label the Monster’s Body Worksheet. There is a picture of a monster with various body parts (e.g., eyes, arms, nose, tail). Students write the correct word next to each body part.

This worksheet set includes a full monster body without labels and a collection of body part illustrations (e.g., arms, legs, eyes, tail) and corresponding vocabulary words for students to cut out and use. Cutting, organizing, and gluing helps young learners develop coordination while practicing the correct placement of body parts.

Students read simple descriptive sentences on the worksheet about the monster and color each body part accordingly.

Students practice understanding short, clear sentences with color. supporting focus and accuracy in both language and task execution.

A simple answering the question worksheet.

The puzzle set covers a full range of body part vocabulary along with important spatial concepts like left and right.

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Frog and Can as an Ability

 This resource is part of Can as an Ability for Elementary ESL at this link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Can-as-an-Ability-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-4299251

Students will  learn and practice the simple and essential structure:
"Subject + can + verb". (e.g., The frog can jump.)  The resource Includes visual (flashcards), kinesthetic (miming, spinner games), and written (worksheets) activities. Supports diverse learners, including visual and hands-on learners.

Show any flashcard of the frog and have the students do the action as they shout out the word. This is a way to have the stduents become familiar with the verbs.

Ask questions with Can? Take out a flashcard and ask: Can you play baseball?

All the students that can play baseball will stand up and do the action, saying: Yes, I can.

The other will stand up and say: No, I can’t.

Continue with more flashcards.

Small cards Can/Can't Sorting Game. Use the bags from the complete resource labeled boxes or mats: "can" and "can't."

Students pick a frog card, say or decide the action (e.g., "jump," "swim"), and place it under the correct label.  The decision is based on real frogs: "Can a frog sing?" → "No, it can't!"

Small cards for Writing. Provide a sentence frame such as "The frog can play the piano."
Students draw a card and complete the sentence on their notebook using the action shown.

Print and hand in a chart to each student or pair of students. Say what the frog can do and students will check mark as a listening activity. Then, have the students check mark with another color what they can do and mark with an x what they can’t do.  They can write sentences about the chart.

Use the colored version students find the matching pairs, playing memory. They can play in pairs with two printables. They cut and shuffle the cards. Then, they place the cards facedown on a table or desk. The first students will flip over two cards, if they match they have to say the sentence using can. If the cards don’t match, they can take another turn.

Also sort the cards from the colored version, into sports, music and other verbs.

Worksheet. use can and can’t for ability. Writing sentences like “The frog can jump.” reinforces correct word order and sentence structure.

Some students learn best through visual worksheet and written input.

 Worksheets provide a tangible record of student learning.

You can use worksheets to check understanding by writing questions.

A cut and paste sentence association worksheet set.

Worksheets give students a chance to practice alone, helping build confidence and independence in using English.

Help students become familiar with the abilities vocabulary. Spread out both mats with the frog pictures. Students take turns drawing a verb card, then race to find the matching frog action picture on the mat. Say the sentence out loud: The frog can jump. Use a timer for added excitement.

Use the mat and the spelling Bingo template to play another game. Students write an assigned number of verbs or sentences from the mats onto the template. Then, use the verb cards as calling cards, the first students to cross all the verbs wins. Have the learners save the template to play on any other class.

There is another set of mats, check the blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/06/can-as-ability-games.html

Use the two fly swatter templates labeled "can" and "verb" to help young learners visually and physically interact with sentence structure, especially for “can” sentences (e.g., The frog can play baseball.).

Students begin to recognize and internalize the correct pattern on the flashcards or small cards.

Frog Can board game. There are two paths, students will choose just one. Players roll a die and move. Land on a space and say a sentence using CAN: The frog can play the guitar!

Add a challenge-if correct, move forward 1 extra space.

Spinners are perfect for movement, randomness, and speaking practice. Students spin the frog spinner. Whatever action it lands on (e.g., jump), they say:“The frog can write.”

This resource has more to check, go to this blog post:
https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/06/can-as-ability-small-cards.html 

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Adjectives Flashcards for Elementary ELL

 Link to the Adjectives resource is here for your lesson planning :

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adjectives-for-Elementary-ELL-2150071

I made a big collection of adjective flashcards. It wasn´t easy to classify them. I made 101 flashcards.  There are adjectives for people, things, feelings, size, time, weather, origin, quantity, taste, appearance, condition and more.  You might be using them according to your scope and sequence of your book series or for writing lessons.

Improve listening skills with this flashcard activity. Show students the flashcards with adjectives of size: big, small.
Teacher: Look at the girl. She is wearing a dress. It is big. Continue with shoes and suit.
Then compare the flashcards related to the tie, dress and skirt.
Describe a flashcard only using an adjective. The children point to it and guess which one is it.
Teacher: long and big.
Students: purple dress.

Adjectives of size with big and small backpacks.

Teacher: What is this?

Student: It is a backpack.

Teacher: It is a big backpack. And this?

Student: It is a small backpack.

Play beanbag game with the adjectives of size: tall and short. Adjectives naturally lead into learning how to build longer and more complete sentences.

Make 2 beanbags. Place all the flashcards on the floor in random order and have students take turns throwing the 2 beanbags to the opposite adjectives.

Teacher: He is a tall man!

Place this adjective flashcard on the board for talking about physical appearance.
Ask questions to develop the oral and listening skills.
Teacher: Look at this man. He is tall. (write the word tall in white)
Look at this man. He is short. (write the word short in white)
Do the same with thin and fat but with a yellow chalk. Assign a name to each man. Make sentences.
Teacher: Pedro is tall and thin. Eddy is fat and short.
Have the class pick two students to make more sentences similar to the example.

Adjectives of quality or condition: Dirty and clean. 
Teacher: What are these?
Student: They are pants.
Teacher: They are clean pants.
Teacher: They are dirty pants. Point to the dirt spots.
Have the students walk around and find examples with more clothing items and say the corresponding sentence.

Introduce the adjectives of condition new and old with the flashcards. Show students the difference that these words are used for things. Point to the first car.
Teacher: What is this?
Student: It is a car.
Teacher: It is a new car.
Teacher: What is this?
Student: It is orange.

For Food. Adjectives of temperature: Hot and cold. Adjectives of Taste (Sensory Adjectives)

Adjectives of emotions or mood.  Here we have happy and sad flashcards.
Teacher: Who is this?
Student: He is Danny.
Teacher: Danny is happy.
Teacher: Who is this?
Student: He is Joe.
Teacher: Joe is sad.
Have two students come to the front and act as a happy and sad. The class has to make more sentences.

Adjectives of Age. These describe how old or new someone or something is, in terms of time, age, or development.

Descriptive Adjectives – Appearance (specifically Hair Adjectives)

These are a subcategory of physical appearance adjectives and describe: Color, Length, Texture, Style.

Descriptive Adjectives – Personality & Appearance

They are often divided into two related subcategories: Appearance Adjectives and Personality/Intelligence Adjectives

Adjectives of Wealth or Socioeconomic Status. These adjectives describe a person’s or group’s economic condition, specifically how much money or material resources they have.

Adjectives of Quantity (or Number)

These adjectives describe how much or how many of something there is. They're especially useful for countable nouns and are often taught early in English language learning.

Adjectives of Strength or Physical Ability. These adjectives describe how much power, energy, or physical ability someone or something has.

Directional words or spatial words.

Up and down. Adjectives help students describe making their language more specific and expressive.

Activity 1. Have your students stand up and sit down as you show the flashcards or arrow cutouts.
Activity 2. You can also give instructions using their hands.
Teacher: Hands up !
Teacher: Hands down !
Teacher: Boys, Hands up. Girls, Hands down.
Then introduce left and right.
Teacher: Hands to the right!
Teacher: Hands to the left!

Descriptive adjectives related to weather conditions. These adjectives describe what the weather is like.

Adjectives of physical state or need. They describe how someone feels physically—specifically, related to basic needs like food and drink.

Adjectives of Age or Time Period.

There are more adjectives flashcards to this resource. Download and use according to your lesson plan.

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