Christmas Nutcracker Body Unit – Games, Worksheets, Flashcards, Dice & Activities for Elementary ELLs

 This resource (Christmas Nutcracker Body Unit Games — ESL Body Parts Vocabulary for Kids) is included in the Body Unit for Elementary ESL. Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Body-Theme-for-Elementary-ELL-1836555

The story of The Nutcracker is associated with Christmas in many countries. focus on language and culture as you combine the holiday context with reviewing the body vocabulary. We are close to the end of a term so grab your  students’ attention often drifts with Holiday-themed lessons. Print the low-prep materials.

Nutcracker body parts flashcards— large visuals for board, pocket charts, or centers  

Begin class by showing the flashcard of the Nutcracker, asking students “Who is this?”

Students: The Nutcraker!

 Ask about the body vocabulary: “What parts of the body do you see?” and label on the board.

Use flashcards of the face and label with your students on the board. Then, use the cutout and say: Put the red hat on the Nutcracker’s head.

Students can practice left and right by sorting the Nutcracker legs and arms flashcards. This activity helps them recognize body vocabulary, develop spatial awareness, and use English while interacting with the cards. Children place each card under the correct label: “Left” or “Right.” After sorting, students say the words aloud and make simple sentences such as “This is the right leg” or “This is the left arm.” This hands-on activity is perfect for small-group centers or whole-class review.

Clothes Identification. Show the students a colored Nutcracker flashcard. Label the clothes on the nutcracker if your students know those words. Then,ask: “What color is his jacket?” “What color are the boots?”

Use in pairs or small groups to increase speaking opportunities

Movement / acting game: Have students act like Nutcracker characters — “Walk like the Nutcracker.” Show the right arm flashcard and say: “Raise your arm like a toy soldier”, “Show me your leg / foot,” etc.

Great for kinesthetic learners.

Each student receives a Nutcracker small card, and the teacher silently mouths a body part. Instead of hearing the word, students must watch your mouth, identify the vocabulary item, point to that part on their Nutcracker card, and say the word aloud.

This type of activity strengthens visual discrimination, listening skills, and pronunciation, while also encouraging students to pay close attention to the shape of English sounds.

Worksheet practice

This worksheet helps students review and reinforce body vocabulary using a fun Nutcracker theme. Learners look at the arrows pointing to different body parts and write the correct words in the blank boxes. This activity improves spelling, vocabulary recall, and reading comprehension. It is perfect for independent practice, small-group work, or as an assessment during the Christmas season.

Labeling. After students write the words, ask them to color the Nutcracker and write a short text about the clothes.

Nutcracker Read & Color Worksheet. Students read a short description of the Nutcracker’s body parts and clothing, then color the picture to match the text. This activity reinforces clothing words. It’s perfect for independent work.

Give each student the Nutcracker body cutouts template to build. Students show their Nutcracker to a partner and say:
“This is his right arm… this is his left leg.”

They can also write a short descriptive text.

Display Nutcrackers on a Christmas board or wall.

Games

Nutcracker Dice & Color worksheet. Help your elementary English learners review body vocabulary, colors, and following directions. Students use two printable dice:
🎲 one Nutcracker body-part die
🎲 one color die

Students roll both dice, look at the body part and color they landed on, and then color that part of the Nutcracker on their worksheet.

More advanced students can describe what they are colored:
“The jacket is yellow.”, “I colored the boots black.”, “His hat is green.”

The dice add an element of surprise that keeps students motivated, and the worksheet allows them to produce a colorful final picture. This makes it perfect for centers.

Christmas Nutcracker Body Board Game with a Focus on Speaking in sentences + vocabulary review.
Students roll the die and land on a nutcracker. They turn a candy card and answer the question. If it is correct, they feed the any in the owl’s feed me box. If not, they return the candy card to the deck.

THis resource and more included in the bosy pack bundle.Check it:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Body-Unit-BUNDLE-for-EFL-Kindergarten-and-Elementary-6893078

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Beach Numbers 1–20 Activity Pack | Counting, Number Words, Games & Centers

This resource (Beach Numbers 1–20 Activity Pack — Printable ESL Counting Games & Number Cards) is included in Beach Unit for Elementary at this link:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beach-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-4075972

Young learners need repeated, hands-on practice to understand numbers beyond 10. Counting shells on a sandcastle gives students concrete, visual support as they learn to recognize quantities, compare numbers, and count accurately. This boosts students’ language comprehension while practicing math. All materials are ready to print — just cut & go!  

Flashcards are flexible and allow teachers to create many short, meaningful tasks without needing to prep more materials.

Number Recognition Drill. Match the Beach Numeral to the Sandcastle. Students work individually or in pairs to match the number flashcard to the sandcastle quantity card.

 

Ordering Activity. Use one set of printable number cards for ESL kids at a time: Students place numeral cards in order from 1–20.

Flashcard number beach theme Bingo. Give students bingo sheets with numerals or quantities. Flash the opposite card (sandcastle or number) as the calling card.

Fly Swatter Number Game. Place several of the sandcastle quantity flashcards and numeral cards on the board. Call out a number or show a flashcard, and students race to swat the matching card with a fly swatter. This game helps learners strengthen number recognition.

Flashlight Reveal. Cover each small flashcard with yellow paper. Students take turns shining a flashlight behind the covered card to reveal the hidden sandcastle or numeral. When they see the image appear, they say the number out loud. This adds a fun element of surprise that keeps students engaged!

Listen and Color – Beach Numbers Worksheets. Students listen to the teacher call out a shell number and its color, then find the matching shell in the sandcastle and color it correctly. The second page reinforces learning as students independently complete the color sentences for numbers 1–20.

Follow the Code – Write the Numeral. Students follow a simple color code to identify how many shells are in each sandcastle. After coloring the shells according to the instructions, students write the correct numeral beside each castle.

Match the Number Words. Students look at the number words in the center of the page and match each one to the correct numeral around the sandcastle border. They draw a line from each word to its corresponding number.

Numeral–Word–Quantity Matching Cards. Students use three types of cards: the numeral, the number word, and the sandcastle with the matching quantity of shells. They cut out the cards and work at the table to match the three pieces that belong together.

Students can work individually, with a partner, or in small groups to complete each matching set. Great for centers, early finishers, and hands-on number practice!

Spin and Cover worksheet. Students use the spinners to generate a random number, then look for the matching sandcastle on their worksheet. They cover the correct sandcastle with a counter, token, or small manipulative or color. Players continue spinning and covering until all the sandcastles are matched.

Beach Number Board Game.  Students roll the dice, move their game piece along the colorful path, and identify each number they land on. Perfect for math centers, small-group rotations, or partner games.

Number Word Building. Students use the letter tiles to complete number words. They look at each card, identify the missing beginning letter, and place the correct tile to spell the number correctly. This activity helps learners number vocabulary in a hands-on way!

Shell Number Match. Students choose a numbered shell and place it on top of the matching number word in the sandcastle. They continue selecting shells until the entire castle is covered. This hands-on activity helps learners connect numerals with number words.

Check the blog post of  the low-prep small cards for your “Beach” unit — perfect for games, grammar drills, writing prompts, or fast finishers, all in the full beach resource.  These Beach Unit Small Cards make it easy to bring beach vocabulary to life in elementary ELL classes — and save you time prepping. Go here:   https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2025/04/beach-unit-small-cards.html

Go check the Beach Unit Bundle, here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beach-Unit-BUNDLE-for-ESL-6889239

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!

Birthday Monsters Activity Pack | ESL

 This resource(Birthday Monsters Activity Pack — ESL Board Games, Flashcards & Worksheets for Kids) is included in The Birthday Unit: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Birthday-Unit-for-Elementary-ESL-5279726

Using Birthday Monsters to review birthday vocabulary is an engaging and effective way to strengthen language skills in young English language learners. The colorful monsters holding or interacting with birthday items give students clear visual cues to supports comprehension.This pack is ready-to-print.

As children look at each monster flashcard, they can point and say, “This monster is yellow and so on.

The teacher can hold a card and ask questions:  Who is he?

Students: He is yellow Monster.
Teacher: What does he have?
Students: He has a blue candle and a pink party hat.

Guess the Birthday Item! Envelope Game. Place the birthday small cards inside an envelope, leaving only the top part of each card showing. Students look at the small visible section and try to guess what birthday item it is. Students can respond using simple sentences, such as:
“Yes! It’s a present!”
or
“Oh, no, it isn’t a candle. It’s a cupcake!”

Identify the colors of the party objects. Place several monsters on the board and say a color: Yellow Monster!
Students name what he has: a blue candle.
Name a birthday object: party hat!
Students name which ones have that object: blue Monster, Purple Monster, Pink Monster, yellow Monster.

Matching Game on the Board. Play a matching game using the small cards included in this resource. Write several simple sentences on the board, such as “The monster has a present,” “The monster is yellow,” or “The monster has balloons.”

Students read each sentence and place the correct small card under the matching sentence.

Color & Read Worksheet.  Students read simple sentences and color the correct monster.

Match the Sentence to the Monster. Students draw lines to connect sentences to the correct monster image.

Write the Missing Word. Mini sentences with a blank space.

Draw the Birthday Items.

Color the Correct Birthday Items and answer the questions.

Birthday Monsters Board Game. Students take turns moving their party hat token along the path of Birthday Monsters until they reach the finish balloon. On each turn, students draw a question card and answer it before moving. Cards ask about monster colors, birthday items, body parts, and more!

Students each receive a Bingo strip with 8 images. The teacher uses the calling mat to call out items. Students mark the pictures they hear. The first to cover all 8 pictures says “Bingo!”.

Feed-Me Cupcake Box Activity

Use the bingo strips as cut-apart picture cards for this fun speaking activity! Students cut out their small cards and “feed” them to the Cupcake Box one at a time while describing each picture. Students choose a card, hold it up, and say a complete sentence before feeding it into the cupcake’s mouth.

Help your elementary English Language Learners (ELLs) build communication skills with Birthday Unit invitations and cards! These engaging printables combine real-world writing, vocabulary practice, and creativity, making them perfect for early readers and writers in ESL/EFL classrooms.Go to the blog post: https://eflelementaryresources.blogspot.com/2024/09/birthday-unit-invitations-and-cards-for.html

Discover engaging, creative, and effective resources designed specifically for English Language Learners! The resources are ready-to-use lesson plans and activities, just here:

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Holistic-English-Resources-By-Rosa-Amelia