Hamburger Ingredients Unit for ESL | Food Vocabulary Games, Worksheets & Speaking Activities

 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

Teachers and students benefit from this resource because it offers hands-on, visual, and engaging activities that help students recognize and use hamburger vocabulary in meaningful ways. By practicing ingredients through games, puzzles, and writing, students build confidence to order a hamburger in real-life situations, while teachers enjoy easy-to-use materials that promote participation, communication, and practical language use.

Core Flashcard Activities (whole class)

Point & Say: Hamburger Ingredients

The teacher holds up a hamburger flashcard while students point to the ingredients and say the words aloud. The ingredient board (provided in the resource) is displayed in the classroom to give visual support and help students match each ingredient to the hamburger.

Add sentence frame:
 It has bread, cheese, ketchup, meat, and egg.

This activity supports listening, speaking, and vocabulary development and works well for whole-class instruction with kindergarten and early elementary English language learners.

Yes / No Listening. Show a card. Say a sentence: This hamburger has an egg.

Students respond: 👍 Yes / 👎 No by using their thumbs up or down.

Burger Swap.  Students work in pairs. One student looks at a hamburger flashcard and names the ingredients without showing the card. The other student listens carefully and ticks the matching ingredients on the worksheet. This activity practices listening, speaking, and vocabulary recognition.

 Write & Wipe: Hamburger Ingredients. Students place the hamburger flashcard inside a clear plastic sleeve and use a dry-erase marker to write the name of each ingredient directly on the card. This reusable activity builds vocabulary, spelling, and writing confidence while keeping students engaged.

🗣️ Speaking Activities

Show & Tell: Hamburger Ingredients. A student stands at the front of the classroom, holds a hamburger flashcard, and describes the ingredients using words or short sentences. This activity builds speaking confidence, reinforces food vocabulary, and encourages students to listen and participate.

Label the Hamburger (Whole-Class). The teacher displays the hamburger on the board and, with student help, labels each ingredient. Students point, say the word, and help write the correct label, reinforcing food vocabulary, listening, and speaking through active participation.

Guess My Burger. One student secretly chooses a hamburger flashcard and describes the ingredients without showing it. The class listens and guesses which burger it is on the grid by calling out the correct row and number.

 
🧠 Sorting & Thinking Skills

Sort the Burgers. By ingredients. Students work together to sort the hamburger flashcards on the board by ingredient. They place each card under the correct label, practicing food vocabulary, visual discrimination, and speaking in an engaging whole-class activity.

Sort by Number of Ingredients. They count the layers, compare the cards, and place them in the correct column, practicing vocabulary, counting, and speaking at the same time.

With or Without? Sorting. Students sort the hamburger flashcards on the board into “with” or “without” a specific ingredient (for example, tomato). They look closely at each burger and place it in the correct group.

Small Flashcard Activity Ideas

 Burger Match Writing. Students use a small hamburger flashcard and the ingredient checklist to review which items are in their burger. After ticking the ingredients, they write a short paragraph describing what their hamburger has. This activity combines vocabulary, reading, and writing.

What’s Missing? Students use the small cards to write about which items are missing from the ingredients worksheet.

like / don’t like. Students pick from the 20 different hamburgers small cards, one hamburger that the learners likes and one that they don’t like. Then, prepares to talk about the preferences.

Worksheets

Hamburger Ingredients – Write About It. Students look at the hamburger picture, check the ingredients it has, and then write simple sentences describing the hamburger. This worksheet supports early writing skills.

Listen and Color – Hamburger Ingredients. Give each student the hamburger worksheet and a set of crayons.

Tell students they must listen carefully and color the ingredients as you say: “Color the ketchup red.”
Students color the correct part of the hamburger as they listen.
Also, allow students to say what to color.

When students finish, ask simple questions about their hamburger, such as: What color is the ketchup? Students answer orally or point to the ingredient while saying the color.

Draw and Color – My Hamburger
Students draw and color their own hamburger, choosing the ingredients they like. Then they write a simple sentence to describe it (e.g., I like cheese and lettuce). Students can share their worksheet with the class to practice speaking, vocabulary, and confidence.

Hamburger Sorting – Cut and Paste. Students cut out the hamburger cards and sort them into the correct sections on the worksheet. They look carefully at each hamburger and decide where it belongs (for example: with tomato, without lettuce, with onions, or without cheese). Students glue the cards in the correct space.

Games

Hamburger Ingredients Board Game

Students play this fun hamburger-themed board game in small groups. Each player has an ingredients worksheet and a counter.

Students take turns rolling the die and moving along the path. When they land on a square, they identify the ingredient shown and tick it on their ingredients worksheet. If they can name the ingredient, they simply say the word aloud and tick on the worksheet.

As students move around the board, they collect ingredients to build their own hamburger. The game continues until all players reach FINISH.

At the end of the game, students use their worksheet to write about the hamburger they managed to gather the ingredients on the board path, for example:
“My hamburger has bread, meat, cheese, and tomato.”

🎉 The winner is the student who could collect and ticks the most ingredients.

Hamburger Puzzle – Match and Build

Students work in pairs to put together hamburger puzzles by matching each picture with the correct ingredient list. They carefully read the words, find the matching hamburger, and connect the puzzle pieces.

Exit Ticket – Hamburger Ingredients
Before lining up, each student receives a mini hamburger card at their desk. The teacher names one ingredient, and students whose hamburger has that ingredient stand up. As they leave the classroom, they hand in the card and say the ingredient aloud, reinforcing vocabulary and listening skills.

I invite you to visit my Pinterest board where I share hands-on ESL activities, games, worksheets, flashcards, and thematic units designed especially for elementary English language learners.

There is a Food Unit BUNDLE available here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Food-Unit-for-Kindergarten-and-Elementary-BUNDLE-6666931

👉 Explore, save, and get inspired:

https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl/esl-elementary-teachers-materials/

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.

This resource is available here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Food-Activities-for-ELLs-14904164

This Resource comes with the lunch box for ESL/ELL Learners, it combines visuals + play + writing for vocabulary retention,  covers listening, speaking, reading, writing — all skills  and flexible which can be used as centers, homework, games — ideal for busy classrooms. Here is the blog post:  

https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/08/my-lunch-box-esl-food-activities-for.html

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

Fun food unit games for elementary ESL/ELL learners — printable interactive vocabulary games, speaking tasks, and classroom activities to practise food vocabulary, all in the food pack. Go to the blog post here:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/02/food-unit-games-for-elementary-english.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