Free ESL Worksheets to Engage Students
43 ESL worksheets to help you run your classes masterfully. That’s right.
They’re free to use, easy to get started, and powerful enough to run your class how you want to.
If you like these free ESL worksheets, here’s more activities to engage your students in English.
All are free and can be used for any purpose.
- 27 Free ESL Games to Teach English Like an All-Star
- 13 Free ESL Lesson Plans to Master Your ESL Classes
- 101 ESL Conversation Topics to Break the Silence
But let’s start with our free list of ESL worksheets to transform your classroom into something special.
1 Emotions in Emoticons
Emotions are a common theme in these ESL worksheets because students have a hard time expressing themselves! This simple ESL activity gets students to match emotions with emoticons.
Emoticon Emotions
2 Pronunciation Pyramid
Start at the top of the pyramid and work your way down. The teacher says a word and the students circle it. Where do you end up at the bottom of the pyramid?
Pronunciation Pyramid
3 Sounds of English
Of all ESL worksheets, this one gets most surgical for pronunciation showing students exactly where to place their tongue. Place emphasis for each challenging sound.
Sounds of English
4 Top 10 Jobs
A Family Feud style ESL worksheet that helps kids reflect their future jobs. Let them guess the top 10 jobs students in North America want to be. They might be surprised.
Top 10 Jobs
5 Occupations Match
In the same theme of exploring students future, they associate jobs with pictures in this one.
Occupations Match
6 Minimal Pairs
As an ESL teacher, your biggest asset is how well you can pronounce the sounds of English. On this note, have them circle the words you say aloud.
Minimal Pairs Pictures
7 Rhyme Time
Bring out your stopwatch. In groups, get your students to think of as many rhymes as possible. The group with the most rhymes wins.
Rhyme Time
8 Picture Rhymes
This is one of the funnest ESL worksheets in here. Not only does it help students practice pronunciation, but they also learn to rhyme. Each picture is a rhyme, what is it?
Picture Rhymes
9 What is Halloween?
It’s October, that means it’s Halloween. Teach your students what Halloween is all about with this ESL worksheet.
What is Halloween?
10 Halloween Emotions
Halloween is a scary, yet fun time. These are two contradicting emotions and there’s no better way to teach them with emotional jack-o-lanterns.
Halloween Pumpkin Emotions
11 Christmas Crossword
Some say crosswords are non-educational ESL activities. But I disagree. Not only do students learn to improve their vocabulary, they learn to spell holiday words.
Christmas Crossword Puzzle
12 Christmas Untangle
A surprisingly difficult activity where students get to decipher words from a bunch of letters. Luckily, we provide answers at the bottom of the ESL activity.
Christmas Untangle
13 Jingle Bells Order
Students listen to the classic Christmas song “Jingle Bells” and order sentences when they hear them.
Jingle Bells Order
14 What’s the Question?
Moving out of the holiday theme, we get into asking questions. For each word in the list, make a question. Get creative and think of more.
What’s the Question?
15 Einstein’s Riddle
THIS is the most difficult of all ESL worksheets. Students have to use logic to solve a riddle that Albert Einstein made at his young age.
Einstein’s Riddle
16 Your Dream Dog
It’s the memory type of game, where students have to ask questions about something they are thinking of. Who wouldn’t want one of these cute dogs?
Dream Dog
17 Spot the Differences
Two pictures look identical, but they’re not. Students have to find 10 differences in both scenes.
Spot the Differences
18 Similar Sentences
How much do your students pay attention to detail? You read one of the sentences and your students circle the one you said. Sounds easy? Not so much for your class.
Similar Sentences
19 Maze Directions
The blind following the blind? Let’s hope not. A twist on the maze game, where one student closes his or her eyes and the other tells the way using directions. I’d be surprised if anyone got it perfectly, but that’s why this activity is so good. It’s challenging.
Maze Directions
20 Compound Words
A two-word combo in one (compound words) gets students thinking of the origin of English words. Figure out each compound word and then draw one of your own.
Compound Words
21 Preposition Practice
Where is the apple? In this ESL worksheet, students practice prepositions by writing down the location of the apple in each scene.
Preposition Practice
22 Comic Book Creation
Every kid loves comic books. But what if they didn’t have any words in them? Let’s fill in these speech bubbles with an interesting story.
Comic Book Creation
23 Charades for Kids
Charades only works when you have outgoing students. But in groups of two, they feel a bit more comfortable and less stressed out. Go through the worksheet with more words to act out.
Charades for Kids
24 Emotions Spin
Of all ESL worksheets, this is the most in-depth vocabulary for emotions. Because students always need help explaining how they feel, their arsenal of emotions will at least triple with this ESL activity.
Emotions Spin
25 Word Chain
In pairs, connect the last letter of a word by thinking of a word that starts with that letter. It’s the English version of Karuta – a popular Japanese game.
Word Chain (Shritori)
26 Teacher Quiz
If you want to get your students out of their chairs in your first class, then this should be your go-to activity. Find clues around the class, and match answers with the clues.
Teacher Quiz
27 How’s the Weather?
In this ESL activity, students remember the weather for the past couple of days. You can pair them up talk as a large group.
How’s the Weather?
28 Why Learn English?
There are tons of benefits to learn English. As the true language of globalization, how can English help them in the future?
Why Learn English?
29 Your Superhero
If you’re in Asia, it’s almost like every one of your students have a hidden talent as an incredible artist. This activity is good for superlatives and classes with mostly boys, what would be your ideal superhero?
Your Superhero
30 Text Message Translations
From their native tongue to English, translate a typical text message they would send with their friends. Or better yet, make it up if you don’t feel comfortable sharing.
Text Message Translations
31 Pizza Recipe
Have you ever made a pizza? Which ingredients would you add? Practice imperatives and transition words as they explain step-by-step their pizza creation.
Pizza Recipe
32 Valentine’s Day Cards
Who knew rhymes could be so much fun? Finish the rhyme of the classic poem “Roses are red, violets are blue…”. I love Valentine’s day and so will your kids with this ESL activity sheet.
Valentine’s Day Cards
33 Phone Emoticons
Kids use a ridiculous amount of emoticons in phone conversation nowadays. What do they all mean? How do you associate an emoticon to an emotion? Cut out a select few, and use them in a written conversation.
Phone Emoticons
34 Birthday Match
Get your students off their feet to search for clues around the classroom. The detectives pass the information to the secretary and match birthdays with some of the most prolific figures in the history.
Download
36 Cultural Differences
The fine line between culture across the globe is thinning because of globalization. However, some key cultural differences still remain. What are they?
Cultural Differences
37 Country Outlines
I love geography. Who doesn’t? Match the country with its outline, then draw a country. How close are you to the real thing? One of my brightest students always loved drawing country outlines for fun so I dedicate this one to him.
Country Outlines
38 Your Satisfaction Level
Explore your innermost satisfaction. What makes you happy and sad? A lot of ESL worksheets focus on feelings. And this one registers at all levels extreme happiness to sadness.
Your Satisfaction Level
39 Connect the Dots
If you are empty-handed with 5 minutes to spare, this is a time filler for the end of a kids class, Admittedly, not much value here for English, it’s your desperation move that runs parallel to tic-tac-toe in terms of beneficial value.
Connect the Dots
40 Minimal Pairs Listening Test
Test your students listening skills with these minimal pairs. Can they differentiate some of the sounds unique to English? Mix up the minimal pairs five times each and correct their papers.
Minimal Pairs Listening Test
41 Alphabet Story
Create your own story with consecutive letters from A to Z. For some of these letters, this will challenge their ability to formulate sentences… But that’s OK.
Alphabet Story
42 Halloween Bingo
Get your students to put the Halloween vocabulary anywhere in the Bingo sheet. As you read any word in the sheet, they cross it off. The first one who gets a line wins.
Halloween Bingo
43 Simon Says
Practice imperatives with “Simon says”. Or better yet, get one of your students to lead giving instructions to the class if they are familiar.
Simon Says
What’s in your free ESL Worksheet arsenal?
We’ve shared our ESL resources. 100% free to use when you teach English abroad.
Now, it’s time for you to put on your thinking caps.
Which ESL activities work in your classes? Is it a wide range of ESL discussion topics?
Let us know with a comment below.
What a great site. Thanks for sharing.
We are working with a family from Syria.