What are good ESL activities for 1st grade?
What are good ESL activities for 1st grade?
The best activities for first grade English learners are short, active and repeated: action songs, total physical response games, picture sorting, interactive read-alouds and simple role plays. Each one gives children many chances to hear and use English without needing to read well yet. This page covers what makes an activity work at this age, a list of reliable activities, a sample week and a starter bundle.
Shop early ESL practiceGood ESL activities for first grade keep children moving and talking in short bursts. Reliable choices include total physical response games like Simon Says, action songs, picture bingo, sorting cards into groups, interactive read-alouds with gestures, calendar time and short role plays such as a pretend store. Reuse the same game formats with new vocabulary, so the language is new but the routine is familiar.
Ready-made material
Early ESL Starter Bundle, Grades 1–3
7 resources in one download: $27.99 instead of $39.93 bought separately.
The first cover is the main resource; the others are related options. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Early ESL Starter Bundle | Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading & Calendar English | Grades 1–3
ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle | Everyday English, Grammar & Vocabulary | 9 Resources | Grades 2–6
Grade 1 ELA Pack | Grammar, Writing Prompts, Phonics, Reading & Vocabulary
Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum | Grammar, Writing, Phonics & Reading Packs for Every Grade
Why it is hard
What makes first grade ESL different
First graders are just learning to read and write in any language, and some English learners are doing that for the first time. Activities that rely on reading instructions or writing sentences shut them out. Attention spans are short, so a twenty-minute worksheet loses most of the class halfway through. Fine motor skills are still developing, which makes cutting, gluing and writing slow. Many activities from older grades also depend on explaining rules, and a long English explanation is exactly what a beginner cannot follow. The child stands lost while the game starts around them. On the other side, some first grade ESL time becomes pure play with very little language: coloring, free play or videos with no talk. Children enjoy it but leave without new words. Another issue is constant novelty. Teachers change games every day to keep things fresh, but each new game needs new instructions, so learners spend their energy on rules instead of English. The most effective activities at this age have a simple format that children learn once and play many times with different words.
What works
Reliable activities for first grade English learners
These activities need little explanation and work with almost any vocabulary set. Rotate a few of them each week.
- Simon Says and other movement games for body parts, actions and classroom commands.
- Picture bingo, with the teacher calling the word and students covering the matching picture.
- Interactive read-alouds where children make a gesture each time a key word appears.
- Sorting picture cards into groups, such as breakfast foods and dinner foods.
- A morning calendar circle with the day, the weather and how many days of school so far.
- A pretend store or kitchen where children ask for items with I want ___, please.
Step by step
A sample week for first grade ESL
This week uses one topic, food, with a short daily English block. Swap the topic and keep the same structure.
- Monday: Meet the foodShow real or toy food and pictures for six items. Say, gesture and repeat, then play Show me. Close with a short food song with actions and the class goodbye routine.
- Tuesday: Bingo and sortingPlay picture bingo with the food words, then sort cards into fruits and vegetables or likes and dislikes. Children say I like ___ as they place each card.
- Wednesday: Read-aloud with actionsRead a simple picture book about food. Children make a chewing motion or hold up a card each time they hear one of the week's words. Retell the story together with picture cards.
- Thursday: Pretend storeSet up a store with picture cards and play money. Children take turns as shopper and seller using I want ___, please and Here you are. Model it first, then let pairs play.
- Friday: Draw, label and reviewChildren draw their favorite lunch and label it with word cards or your help. Finish with a review game that mixes the food words with last week's topic.
Ready-made option
Ready-to-use practice for young English learners
For printable practice alongside these games, the Early ESL Starter Bundle ($27.99; parts $39.93) brings together vocabulary trainers for Grades 1 and 2, Grade 1 and Grade 2 grammar, a grammar and punctuation pack, a Grade 1 reading comprehension story and the Time & Calendar unit. The calendar unit fits the morning circle, and the story works well as a read-aloud with gestures. If your first graders already speak English and need general literacy practice, the Grade 1 ELA Pack ($12.99) adds writing prompts and phonics. Older newcomers in Grades 2–6 are better served by the ESL Newcomer Curriculum Bundle ($79.99).
Honest limits
What you will still provide
Games, songs and movement are the heart of first grade ESL, and no printable can lead them for you. Picture cards for games, toy food, play money and picture books are not included; use what your classroom already has. You also decide how long each activity runs for your group. Compare the bundle with your state's English language proficiency standards and your school's ESL plan. If other teachers in your building want to use it, contact Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days, a bundle that does not meet your needs can be swapped for store credit of equal value; there are no cash refunds.
Good to know
More teacher questions
How long should a first grade ESL activity last?
As a guide, keep most activities between five and fifteen minutes and switch before attention drops. Change the type of activity too, from moving to sitting and from listening to speaking. A twenty-minute block might hold a song, a game and a short drawing task rather than one long task.
Do worksheets have a place in first grade ESL?
Yes, as a short follow-up to spoken practice, not as the main activity. Matching pictures to words, tracing, coloring by instruction and simple labeling work well after children have used the words in games. Read the instructions aloud and model the first item so no one gets stuck on the directions.
How do I include a child who won't speak yet?
Choose activities where pointing, moving or holding up a card counts as an answer. Movement games and bingo are ideal. Let the child join choral singing and chants, where no one is singled out. Speech usually comes once the child feels safe and knows the words well enough.
Are these activities aligned to ESL standards?
The activities on this page are general teaching practice, and Teach Lessons does not claim that its bundle is aligned to any state's standards or English language proficiency framework. Check the materials against your state's standards and your district's ESL requirements before you use them in a formal plan.
What topics should I teach first in Grade 1?
Start with topics children use every day: greetings, colors, numbers, classroom objects, family, food, body parts and the calendar. These words come up constantly in school, so practice continues naturally outside ESL time. Seasonal topics such as weather and holidays can follow as the year goes on.
How can I tell if the activities are working?
Listen for the words outside the activity. When children use I want, color words or food names at lunch or during play, the activity has done its job. Keep a simple checklist of key words per topic and tick off what each child uses without prompting.
Teach one game, play it all year
Pick two or three games your first graders can learn once, then feed new words into them each week.
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