Circus Ringmaster and Platform Prepositions Activities | ESL

 This resource is also included here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Circus-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-3759017

Step right into the circus and make learning prepositions fun and meaningful! This Circus Prepositions resource uses the Ringmaster and colorful platforms to help students understand and practice key prepositions such as in, on, under, behind, next to, between, and in front of through engaging, hands-on activities.

It can be used as a stand-alone resource to teach or review prepositions or as a complement to your Circus Unit, helping students strengthen reading, speaking, and sentence-building skills in a fun and visual way.

Use the flashcards to introduce or review the prepositions with your students.

True or False Show. Show flashcard and say sentence: The ringmaster is under the platform.

Students show: 👍 Correct or 👎 Incorrect.

Circus Director Game. One student becomes the "Circus Director or Ringmaster". Print the hat template, add a strip of paper and create the hat for the student or yourself.

They say: "The ringmaster is under the platform."

Other student points to that flashcard, which should be placed on the board.

Match the Sentence to the Flashcard. In this activity, students read the sentence strips and place them under the correct circus flashcards on the board. Each sentence describes the position of the ringmaster in relation to the platform.

The sentence strips are included in this resource and are designed to match the flashcards.

Act It Out: The Ringmaster and the Stool. In this interactive activity, one student wears the ringmaster hat and uses any stool and glues the stool prop, that you have previously prepared using the printable in the resource. Another student gives directions, suing the flashcards as a guide, the position using a complete sentence, such as: “The ringmaster is on the stool.”

The student acting as the ringmaster listens and places himself in the correct position.

Listen and Draw Activity. The teacher secretly chooses a flashcard and describes it without showing the picture. For example: “The ringmaster is behind the platform.”

Students listen carefully and draw what they hear. Afterward, the teacher shows the flashcard so students can compare their drawings. This activity develops listening comprehension.

The small cards are included to provide more opportunities for practice.

Read and Match to the Picture. Students receive the printable small picture cards and the sentence strips. Students read and match.

Write the Sentence. Students pick a small card and write the sentence.

Why Small Cards Are Powerful for Literacy

They help students:

read independently
 manipulate language
build sentences
practice writing meaningfully
develop confidence

Cutouts are included so students can physically place the Ringmaster in different positions relative to the platform, helping them practice prepositions through hands-on learning.

Listen and Place the Ringmaster. Print and cut the  platform + ringmaster cutout. It comes in colored and b/w version.
Teacher says: "The ringmaster is under the platform."

Students place the ringmaster correctly.

Worksheets are included to help students practice prepositions through reading, writing, matching, drawing, and coloring activities.

Students roll the printable dice and color the matching picture on their worksheet. Each time the dice lands, students identify the preposition and find the correct image to color. This activity reinforces preposition vocabulary.

Students complete the worksheet by reading each sentence and writing the correct preposition to describe the position of the ringmaster.

Students read each sentence and trace the line to match it with the correct picture.

Have the learners write the correct preposition to describe the position of the ringmaster.

This worksheet is for drawing and coloring the platforms in the correct position around the ringmaster. Students carefully follow the instructions.

Games are included to help students practice prepositions in a fun, interactive, and engaging way.

Feed Me Circus Ring activity

Students take turns choosing a small circus card and feeding it into the Feed Me Circus Ring Box that you have ready. As they feed the card, students say a complete sentence

Matching Mat Activity

Students take turns rolling the preposition dice. They say the preposition they rolled, for example, “behind.” Then they find the correct Ringmaster picture card and place it on the matching word on the mat. Finally, they say a full sentence: “The Ringmaster is behind the platform.”This adds movement and speaking practice

Puzzle “Build and Read”
After completing the puzzle, students read the full sentence aloud to a partner. Then, they use a small card or flashcard to recreate the same position of the Ringmaster and say the sentence again. This reinforces reading, speaking, and comprehension of prepositions.

Spinner Activity

Students spin the spinner and look at the picture where the pointer lands. They say a complete sentence to describe the Ringmaster’s position using the correct preposition. This activity helps students practice speaking.

 Flap Book Activity Text:

Students create a flap book to practice circus prepositions. Under each flap, they write and complete a sentence to describe the Ringmaster’s position.

 

 Find creative ideas and engaging resources for teaching young learners, visit 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!

Teach Prepositions with Confidence: Hands-On Activities for Elementary ELLs

 Your Complete Prepositions Bundle to Support ESL Success is here at the link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Prepositions-Bundle-Hands-On-ESL-Activities-for-Elementary-ELLs-13387265

Use the bundle to help with the understanding and use of prepositions of place. All the activities allow differentiation — use simpler tasks for beginners and games or puzzles for early finishers.

The bundle keeps growing. These are 16 units or themes included until now: Rabbit and Mitten, Apple & Tree, Hamburger and box, crayons and crayon box, clock and mouse, robot and box, dog and the doghouse, monkey and box, crab and the sandcastle, rooster and the barn, fireflies and jar, tree and kite, monsters in bed, airplane and cloud, Halloween cat and hat, Thanksgiving turkey and hat.

 What’s Inside the Prepositions Bundle

Flashcards with clear visuals for each unit or theme.

Small cards for small groups play.

worksheets for hands-on practice

games that reinforce vocabulary and sentence building

Mini-books for reading + comprehension

This Bundle serves in Your Classroom as Small Group Centers, Whole Group Warm-Ups, Assessment or Homework.

The bundle works for you as it saves preparation time, Works well with diverse English levels. It also encourages active learning and student participation. It is Perfect for grades 1–4 and adaptable for early finishers or extension tasks. Most activities are printable and ready to go — just add scissors, glue, and dice for games!

How I Use Thematic Units to Teach Elementary ESL Students

 Teaching English Language Learners in elementary school can  feel overwhelming to plan meaningful, language-rich lessons every week. That’s exactly why I use thematic units in my classroom with all you need to write your lesson plan.

 You can explore the 10 thematic units here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elementary-ESL-Teaching-Units-EXPLORE-Bundle-10-Thematic-Units-14383276

My Elementary ESL Teaching Units- EXPLORE- Bundle, which includes 10 ready-to-use with minimal prep thematic units are designed specifically for elementary-age ELLs (typically grades 2–5).  These units are: transportation, town,farm, beach, routine verbs, weather, seasons, time,community helpers, adjectives.

This Bundle Supports Mixed Ability Levels. In one class, you might have newcomers alongside students who are ready for richer tasks. Thematic units allow you to differentiate easily—with visual supports, simple worksheets, and extension activities all in one place.

 Each unit includes:

Flashcards vocabulary cards for visuals and frequent review to introduce vocabulary. They are included in every unit to give students clear visual support, and make language practice interactive, hands-on, and easy to reuse throughout the lesson.

Transportation unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/12/transportation-flashcards-for.html

Small cards are included in each unit for hands-on practice, games, sorting, and sentence-building activities that encourage active student participation.

 town unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/03/town-small-cards-for-elementary-esl.html

Cutouts are included to promote hands-on learning through matching, sorting, and interactive language activities. Adjectives blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/06/adjectives-craft-stick-puppets-sorting.html

Worksheets help students reinforce vocabulary and language structures through guided, independent practice and review. Farm Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/04/hands-on-farm-vocabulary-activities.html

Engaging games for production in group or partner interaction.They are important in this resource because they keep students motivated while providing meaningful, repeated practice of language skills in a low-stress, engaging way.

Beach Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/05/beach-unit-games.html

Spelling activities are important because they help students connect sounds to letters, reinforce vocabulary, and build confidence in reading and writing English words.

Seasons Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2020/03/seasons-and-nature.html

Printable books to support thematic literacy. They give students a meaningful way to practice reading, vocabulary, and sentence structure while creating a take-home product they feel proud of. 

Transportation Unit Blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/02/transportation-layered-book-for.html

Holidays: Christmas.  The bundle includes themed units for popular holidays, helping students practice language through familiar, engaging celebrations and seasonal vocabulary.

Weather Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/12/christmas-snowglobes-numbers-120.html

Use the unit materials in centers where students can practice vocabulary through:

Matching games.  Telling the time blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2019/04/telling-time-for-esl-learners.html

Memory cards. Community helpers Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/07/community-helpers-jobs-and-occupations.html

Sentence Association. Routine Verbs unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/07/routine-verbs-small-cards-for-eslefl.html

Students rotate through activities.

There are add ons:

Activities focusing on numbers 1–20 help students develop counting skills, number recognition, and number vocabulary through visual, hands-on, and engaging practice that supports early math and language development. Farm Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/10/counting-120-cows-numbers-activities.html

Prepositions of location is also found in several units. It will help students understand how objects relate to each other in space (in, on, under, next to, etc.) through visual and hands-on practice. This is especially important for ELLs, as prepositions are challenging to learn and are best taught in context, supporting clearer sentence building, better comprehension, and more confident oral language use.

Beach Unit blog post:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/09/beach-prepositions-activities-with.html

Finally, Teaching tips to make planning easier and more effective. The 3ps lesson plans are ready to follow.

Follow me on Instagram for creative activities, classroom tips, and exclusive sneak peeks of my teaching resources! There Hands-on games and activities for young learners, freebies and more:   https://www.instagram.com/rosamelia_eslteacher/

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.

Prepositions of place 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.
 

 Students use transportation-themed flashcards and worksheets to count vehicles from 1 to 20. They match each quantity flashcard with the correct numeral flashcard, color the vehicles to show the quantity, and practice number recognition in an engaging, visual way, all included in the trasnportation pack. Take a look!   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/10/counting-vehicles-1-to-20-esl-number.html

  Go to the Transportation Unit BUNDLE for ESL/ELL in Kinder and Elementary! CLICK: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Transportation-Unit-BUNDLE-for-ESL-Kindergarten-and-Elementary-7677380

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/