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

Sports Games for ESL | Vocabulary and Grammar Activities

 This Sports Vocabulary Games  for elementary ESL resource is included here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sports-for-ESL-Vocabulary-and-Grammar-Activities-14663481

Playing sports-themed games during the unit help learners practice sports vocabulary and grammar structures naturally. By moving, speaking, matching, and interacting with others, students develop stronger listening, speaking, reading, and thinking skills. Help your elementary ESL learners explore sports vocabulary and verbs through fun interactive games!

Do–Go–Play Sorting Activity
In this activity, students sort the sports cards into the correct column: do, go, or play. As they place each card on the mat, they practice using the correct verb for each sport, such as do karate, go swimming, or play soccer. This hands-on task helps learners understand verb–sport collocations while building vocabulary in an interactive way.

This version lets students cut and paste the sports cards into the correct do, go, and play columns. The black-and-white format is perfect for saving ink and gives students the chance to color the cards themselves before sorting. They can also write phrases for each category.

Sports Puzzle Match Game
In this activity, students complete circle puzzles by matching each sport with its equipment and place. As they connect the pieces, they review vocabulary such as ball, court, pool, bike, and paddle while strengthening problem-solving skills. This is perfect for centers, pair work, or independent practice.

I Can / I Can’t Writing Activity
In this activity, students use the sports cards to write sentences about what they can and can’t do on the format. They choose cards and complete the worksheet using connectors like and and but to make longer sentences. For example: I can play soccer and tennis or I can’t play basketball, but I can play tennis. This activity helps students practice sentence structure, express abilities, and connect language with the sports vocabulary they have learned.

Spelling Bingo Game
In this activity, students write any sports words they choose into the blank Bingo boxes. Then the teacher (or a student leader) uses the small sports cards from the resource to call out each word. Students listen carefully and cross out the words on their Bingo boards. The first student to cross out all their words and shout Bingo! wins. This game is a fun way to review vocabulary, practice spelling, and build listening skills.

I Like Sports Board Game
In this fun board game, students move around the path by rolling a die and landing on different sports spaces. Each time they land on a sport, they say a sentence such as I like tennis or I don’t like tennis. This game encourages speaking, builds confidence, and helps students practice sports vocabulary and simple grammar in an interactive, engaging way.

Sports Facilities Interactive Activity

In this hands-on activity, students use a sports facilities template along with standing player pieces and sport name cards that you will assemble beforehand. They choose a player, read the sport, and place the figure in the correct facility—such as putting the swimmer in the pool or the tennis player on the court. This interactive task helps students connect sports with their proper locations, strengthens vocabulary, and encourages speaking as they describe what they are doing (e.g., She is playing tennis on the court).

Which game will your students choose first? Comment below!

Don't miss the flashcards from this resource:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/10/sports-flashcards-for-esl-vocabulary.html

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Airplane Prepositions Activities ESL/EFL

  This resource (Airplane Prepositions Activities for Elementary ESL / EFL Learners) is included in the Transportation unit for Elementary ESL at this link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Transportation-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-4049752

Prepositions provide clarity and precision in language. They help learners describe spatial relationships, time, and direction accurately, which is essential for effective communication. Using the airplane theme helps engage students and give a concrete visual for abstract prepositions such as ‘next to’, ‘behind’, ‘between.

Lay out the prepositions of place ESL airplane flashcards and have students match them with written preposition words or sentences that describe the airplane’s location.

Show a transportation vocabulary ESL prepositions flashcard without revealing the word, and students must guess the correct preposition.

Cut the airplane themed grammar game ESL flashcards and give half the class preposition words and the other half flashcards. Students must find their matching partner.

Preposition Go Fish with the small cards. Print the picture cards in pairs (e.g., two cards of each). Students ask each other: “Do you have the airplane under the clouds?”
If yes, they take the card and make a pair. If not, the answer is “Go fish!”

Create Your Scene How to play: Give students airplane and cloud cutouts plus preposition cards. They place them on a blank paper or small mat and write or say the sentences.

Cutouts that come in b/w and colored version. Act It Out – Give students the airplane and clouds templates glued onto crafts sticks and have them place them in positions as they roll the dice.

Mini Diorama Placement. Provide students with the templates to cut and glue. Write the prepositions and then write a description of where the airplanes are in this interactive activity.

Worksheet 1: Read, Draw & Color. Students read the sentence and draw the airplane in the correct place around the cloud. Then they color the airplane and cloud to show comprehension of the preposition.

Worksheet 2: Fill in the Blanks. Students answer the question “Where is the airplane?” by filling in the missing preposition. Great for reinforcing vocabulary and sentence structure.

Worksheet 3: Color & Match. Students color the airplanes and match each picture to the correct sentence. This strengthens reading comprehension and preposition recognition.

Worksheet 4: Read, Color & Complete. Students read the simple sentence, color the airplane and clouds, and then fill in the correct preposition to complete the meaning.

 Matching Mat. Print the mat with labeled prepositions, and students place the airplane cutout in the correct spot on the mat.

Puzzle Game. Students match a sentence with the correct picture.

Airplane Prepositions Flap Book. Students glue the printable onto another paper and cut the flaps. They lift each flap to reveal a space where they write their own sentence using the preposition.
 

There is counting vehicles 1 to 20 included in this resource. Take a look!   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/10/counting-vehicles-1-to-20-esl-number.html

 

Check out my Pinterest board for printable materials and creative activities!
From flashcards to worksheets, you'll find tons of useful resources to make your lessons fun and interactive.
Visit the board here: https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl/esl-transportation/

Thanksgiving Furniture Vocabulary and Activities for Elementary ELLs

 This resource ( Thanksgiving Furniture Vocabulary & Prepositions Activities for Elementary ESL Learners) is part of the House Furniture for Elementary ESL, at my store:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/House-Furniture-unit-for-Elementary-ESL-3420723

The Thanksgiving Furniture resource is useful for teachers because it combines holiday fun with essential vocabulary practice, helping students review furniture words in a meaningful, seasonal context. It keeps learners engaged through hands-on Thanksgiving-themed activities while reinforcing language skills. Celebrate Thanksgiving with furniture vocabulary and fun prepositions activities for elementary ESL/ELL students. Flashcards, worksheets & games included.

Have the students identify and name common pieces of furniture found in various rooms of the Thanksgiving house. Point to a room in the flashcards and they call out any furniture. Then, place that flashcard with an arrow pointing to it and saying: There is a green bed.

Use basic sentences to describe the location of different pieces of furniture (e.g., "The bed is in the bedroom,"). The flashcards help to aid the vocabualry of each furniture piece. Example: There are two pictures in the living room. There is a purple rug and an orange sofa. I can see a purple lamp on a yellow table.

“Find the Closet!” Activity. Show the three closet flashcards (red, blue, and green). Say a color aloud — for example, “Show me the blue closet!” do the same with lamps, rugs, tables, etc.

In this hands-on activity, students place a turkey cutout on different furniture flashcards to practice vocabulary in an engaging, thematic way. It helps reinforce word recognition while adding a fun Thanksgiving twist to the lesson.

Small cards. Picture-to-Word Match: Have students match pictures of furniture items to the corresponding word cards.

Memory Game: Place all flashcards face down and have students take turns flipping two cards to find a match.

Flashcard Tower. Students using the cards, they try to build the tallest “tower” (stacked or overlapped). Adds competition and fine motor fun while reinforcing vocabulary.

Students can use the small cards to describe each image using prepositions, for example, “The owl is behind the window.” This activity helps them practice sentence structure and spatial vocabulary in a fun, visual way.

Students complete a worksheet by writing the name of each furniture item and coloring it as the teacher dictates. As a follow-up activity, they can write simple sentences for each item to practice spelling, vocabulary, and sentence formation.

Match the word to the picture (e.g., "couch," "bed," "table").

Fill-in-the-Blanks: Create sentences with blanks for furniture words, helping students practice using the vocabulary in context.

There is a read and color worksheet where students read short sentences and color the furniture items accordingly. This activity helps them practice reading comprehension and color vocabulary in a fun, interactive way.

There are three worksheets featuring different rooms of a house. Students listen and color the furniture as the teacher gives instructions, then label each item and write a short description text to practice vocabulary and writing skills.

Cut and Paste worksheet: Provide cut-out pictures and words for students to match and glue onto a worksheet, creating a physical activity that can aid memory.

Cut and paste each piece of furniture in the correct room of the house as labeled.

Word association matching activity where students practice vocabulary by pairing Thanksgiving-themed furniture picture cards with their corresponding word cards.

Write sentences with prepositions using the word and picture cards useful for the practice of sentence structure, and prepositions in context.

There is counting 1 to 20 turkeys in the oven included in this resource, here: 

https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/09/counting-120-turkeys-in-oven-numbers.html

Find more ideas and resources at my Pinterest Board.

https://www.pinterest.com/ei98srl/esl-house-unit/teaching-house-unit/