Thanksgiving Food Activities for ELLs

 This resource is part of the Food Unit for Elementary English Language Starters.

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

Students learn Thanksgiving key food words through games, and speaking prompts that help build confidence in using new vocabulary. Celebrate Thanksgiving in your ELL classroom with this engaging, low-prep Thanksgiving food resource pack designed for young English learners! 

Build a Thanksgiving Menu. Give students flashcards and blank “restaurant menu” templates. They choose 5–7 food flashcards to create their own Thanksgiving menu, labeling each item and drawing it. Extension: Students present their menu to a partner.

Do You Eat It? Game. Show a flashcard and students show the YES puppet, or the NO puppet. Then they complete the speaking prompt: I like peas or I don’t like cranberry sauce.

Thanksgiving Food Pictionary Relay Two teams. One student draws the food from a flashcard; teammates guess the word in English. They swap artists each round. Perfect for vocabulary recall + teamwork!

Class Survey. Students walk around asking: “What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?”
They tally answers and make a bar graph. Use small cards as visuals during the survey.

Alphabet Order Race game using the small Thanksgiving food cards. This scene will feature children with flashcards taped to their backs, arranging themselves in alphabetical order.

Flashcard Swat: Place several small cards face-up on a table. Give one student a fly-swatter. The teacher says a Thanksgiving word (e.g. “corn!”), and the student must quickly swat that flashcard and say the word. Then pass the swatter to the next classmate.

I Like / I Don’t Like Writing Activity. Students choose a Thanksgiving food card and write a sentence about their opinion using “I like…” or “I don’t like…”. Example: I like mashed potatoes. I don’t like peas. This activity helps students practice sentence structure, express opinions, and connect language to real-world vocabulary.

My Thanksgiving Dinner. Students draw their Thanksgiving dinner on the plate template on the worksheet. Then, write 2–3 sentences about what is on the plate. End with a Show and tell activity.

Using “there is” and “there are” with food on the worksheet. “There is” helps students describe single items (There is a turkey.) “There are” teaches them to describe plural items (There are carrots and peas.) These structures support basic sentence formation, descriptive language.

Children read each Thanksgiving food word on the worksheet and draw the correct food on the empty plate next to it.

Crossword puzzle worksheet where students read the clues and write the correct food words to complete the puzzle. It’s a fun way to reinforce spelling.

This worksheet helps students practice polite food requests using Thanksgiving vocabulary. Learners look at the food items and answer the question: “What do you want?” with short, polite responses like: “Ham, please.

Do You Like Turkey? – Thanksgiving Food Opinion Practice. This fun worksheet helps students express their food preferences using “Do you like...?” questions and short answers like: “Yes, I do.” or “No, I don’t.”

Thanksgiving Food Survey – Ask, Record, and Graph! This interactive worksheet gets students moving, speaking, and graphing! Learners walk around the classroom and ask 7 classmates questions like: “What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?”    They record their friends’ answers, then use the data to complete a simple graph showing class favorites. It’s perfect for practicing speaking, listening, tallying, and data interpretation—all through fun Thanksgiving food vocabulary.

This fun worksheet strengthens reading comprehension and food vocabulary.

Thanksgiving Food Bingo. Each student gets a strip with 5 food pictures while the teacher uses a calling mat. As the teacher calls out each food, students mark their cards. The first to complete their strip shouts “Bingo!” Great for listening practice and word recognition. Easy to prep.

Follow me on Instagram for creative activities, freebies, classroom tips, and exclusive sneak peeks of my teaching resources! Let’s make learning exciting! Follow me here: @rosamelia_eslteacher

Halloween Food Vocabulary Activities & Games for Elementary ELLs

 This resource is part of the Food Unit for Elementary English Language Starters.

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

Review food vocabulary in a Halloween context to help elementary English language learners connect familiar words to a seasonal theme.

Putting the food words into Halloween flashcards makes it fun to connect with everyday food terms. Make puzzles out of the flashcards to reinforce vocabulary recognition. Encourage speaking practice as students say the food item they found.: “I have a hamburger.”

Arrange the Halloween food flashcards face-up on a desk or wall — this is the “Halloween Food Stand.” One student is the “shopkeeper,” the other is the “customer.” Print the sign to add make it fun.

The customer student looks at the flashcards and says:

“I want a hot dog, please.”

The shopkeeper student finds the card and says:
“Here you are.”

The customer student replies:
“Thank you.”

Students can make even more short dialogues.

 

Give a small group of students a set of small cards. Each one picks a card and writes a sentence starting with:

o    I like… (e.g., I like ice cream and soda.)

o    I want… (e.g., I want a hot dog.)

Have them share their sentences with the group. Turn it into a group survey: students ask each other “Do you like…?” or “Do you want…?” and record answers.

Character Favorites. Students pick one Halloween character card and one food card. They make a sentence:

“Frankenstein likes pancakes.”

Find two vocabulary worksheets: Crossword Puzzle: Students use picture clues to fill in the words for different Halloween food items. Word-to-Picture Match: Students draw a line from each food word to its matching picture. It will reinforce Spelling. Then, Use the words in a mini spelling contest.

You can send the worksheets home for extra vocabulary practice.

There are grammar practice worksheets as “What do you want and “Do you like?

More grammar worksheets to build Sentence Structure.

Cut-and-fold matching worksheet to review vocabulary. Students name each food item on the worksheet. They cut out each food item and its word, fold them in half, and place them on a table. Cards can be used for matching games, speaking activities, or sorting tasks.

Print the Bingo game to review food vocabulary. It comes with a Teacher’s Mat with all the Halloween food picture cards for calling out items, and Bingo Strips with has 5 different Halloween food items.

Students listen, find the matching food on their strip, and mark it. The first to complete their strip shouts “Bingo!”. It encourages Focus and Attention.

There are games that I have for Kindergarten ELL, such as letter tiles, board game and feed me boxes, which can be adapted to older students. Check the blog post and the link to the resource:

https://eflpreschoolteachers.blogspot.com/2024/09/halloween-food-for-kindergarten-ells.html

Come join me on my Facebook fan page. Get ideas, tips, and free resources for teaching English to kindergarten and Elementary learners. Click: https://www.facebook.com/ESLPreschoolTeachers/

 

I used the alphabel clip art to make the sign using Creative Fabrica, here is my affliate link: https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/halloween-alphabet-letters-sublimation-27/ref/2670802/?sharedfrom=pdp

My Lunch Box! ESL Food Activities for Elementary ELLs

 This resource is part of the Food Unit for Elementary English Language Starters.

LINK: 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.

One of the best ways to support vocabulary development in young English language learners is through visual scaffolding using the flashcards. Once familiar with the vocabulary, move into an interactive sorting 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.

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 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.

Hold up a flashcard and ask: Do you like grapes?
Invite the stduents 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.

Small cards guessing game: cut off the word of each 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.

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 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.”

 

 

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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