My Life! Teaching in a Korean University

  • ESL Korea
  • Teaching English
  • ESL Activities
  • Learning English

in Games and Activities· Life in the Classroom

Christmas ESL Activities, Games, Lesson Plans, Worksheets & More

If you’re looking for some of the best ESL Christmas games and activities, then you’re certainly in the right place. We have the top options for you to consider trying out, along with lesson plans, worksheets, vocabulary and more.

christmas-esl

Christmas ESL Games and Activities

Let’s get to the best ideas for a Christmas ESL lesson.

#1: Concentration Christmas Vocabulary Game

A nice way to review new vocabulary is to play this memory game. Make up matching cards. One card has a picture and then the other one has the corresponding word. Higher-level students can do a word and then a description.

In small groups of 3-4, students place the cards face down in a random fashion and then play a memory game. The first student takes two and if matching keeps them and goes again. If they’re not matching, they place them back in the same spot and the next student goes.

#2: Make Christmas Cards

Making Christmas cards is a fun activity that students of all ages enjoy. First, show students some sample cards and then teach some possible greetings to include. I let students give the cards to whomever they’d like. Me(!), another teacher, students, family member or friend.

63 ESL Holiday Games & Activities: Fun Ideas for Halloween, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's,...
2 Reviews
63 ESL Holiday Games & Activities: Fun Ideas for Halloween, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's,...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 111 Pages - 03/22/2021 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

#3: Candies in a Jar

Put holiday-themed candies in a glass jar and count how many you are putting in as you do it. Seal up the jar well.

Then, let each of your students have one guess as to how many candies there are. I usually do this by giving each student a small piece of paper. They have to write their name, class, and guess. Then, the person who guesses closest to the correct number gets the entire jar of candies. They can choose to share, or not!

#4: Guessing Game

#5: 2 Truths and a Lie Christmas Traditions

A fun way to talk about Christmas traditions around the world is to assign each pair or small group a different country. They can use their phones to do a bit of research about traditions in that country.

Then, they have to write down three traditions. 2 are true and they can make up a false one. The goal is to fool their classmates! Go around the class and each group can share their three statements, while the other students guess which one is false.

39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
222 Reviews
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 94 Pages - 05/30/2015 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

#6: ESL Christmas Charades or Pictionary

Try out these classic party games around the holidays. Just make sure that students know the selected vocabulary words first. You can have students act it out (charades) or draw it (Pictionary). Either way, get ready for a fun class!

#7: Odd One Out

#8: Singing Christmas Carols

I’m terrible at singing but the good news is that there are lots of people on YouTube who aren’t! I like to have a small sing-a-long in my classes to some popular carols. I generally take requests and then search for something like “Jingle Bells Karaoke” so we can see the words if students don’t know them already.

#9: Guess the Word Vocabulary Review

This is a quick game to review new vocabulary. Teammates have to describe a secret word to one person on their team who has to guess what it is. It’s best-suited to smaller, rather than larger classes. Find out more details here:

Guessing Game Vocabulary Review.

#10: TEFL Vocab Auction

#11: Christmas Listening Lesson

I always like to have some dedicated listening lessons in all of my classes. They’re a nice change of pace from the usual speaking-focused activities and the more introverted students really appreciate it. Plus, listening is an important, but often overlooked skill!

It’s possible to make your own TEFL listening lesson based on someone talking about their experiences with Christmas, Christmas traditions, or just about anything else that might be related. Find out how to do that here:

TEFL Listening Lesson Planning Template.

#12: Decorating Christmas Cookies

This activity does require some extra preparation and a small budget but students love it! Make (or buy) some plain Christmas cookies in a variety of shapes such as Christmas trees, Santa, reindeer, etc. Then, bring in icing in a variety of colors.

I get students to each bring one type of sprinkle or candy to share with the class when they’re decorating, plus their own plastic container with a lid and knife or whatever they want to use to decorate with. I always bring some extra wooden chopsticks and paper plates in case some students forget.

Play some carols or a Christmas movie in the background and you’ll have yourself a great class!

#13: Dialogue Substitution

#14: Christmas Around the World Presentations

A fun activity to do around the holiday season is to do a group presentation about Christmas traditions around the world. Have each team choose a country and then prepare a presentation about what happens on that holiday. Find out some more ideas here:

Games, Activities & ESL Teaching Tips

* indicates required

ESL Presentation Topic Ideas.

#15: Bingo

A fun party game is to play Christmas-themed Bingo. Bring in some blank Bingo grids, or have students draw their own in a notebook. Then, elicit at least 30 Christmas vocabulary words, or have this prepared ahead of time if you’d like.

Students can fill up their Bingo boards with whatever words they’d like, in any spot. To pump up the educational value of this, I describe the words instead of just saying them.

#16: Running Dictation

#17: Crossword Puzzles

A fun, quieter activity that students really enjoy is a crossword puzzle. Have a search on Google and you’ll find a ton of ready-made ones. Or, consider making your own using Discovery’s PuzzleMaker. It’s also easy to make puzzles for other holidays. Here are some more ideas: ESL Thanksgiving.

esl-christmas

ESL Christmas Lesson Plans

If you’re a teacher, then you already know how much time it can save, using what other teachers have created. Here are some of the best Christmas ESL lessons to check out:

ESL Flow

ESL Kids Stuff

British Council

TEFL Christmas Worksheets

Here are some of the top picks for ESL Christmas worksheets:

ISL Collective

Boggles World ESL

ESL Printables

Christmas ESL Vocabulary

Here are some of the words to consider teaching students related to this popular holiday:

  • bells
  • candy cane
  • decoration
  • candles
  • carols
  • chimney
  • gifts
  • gingerbread house
  • lights
  • North Pole
  • ornaments
  • presents
  • Rudolph
  • Santa
  • sleigh
  • snow globe
  • star
  • stocking
  • stuffing
  • tree
  • turkey
  • under
  • wreath

Did you like these ESL Christmas Games?

39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Kids (7+) Who Want to Have...
20 Reviews
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Kids (7+) Who Want to Have...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 75 Pages - 07/12/2015 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

Yes? Then you’re going to love this book on Amazon: 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Kids. The key to better TEFL classes for children is a wide variety of interesting, engaging and interactive games and activities. This book will help you get there in style!

You can get the book in both digital and print formats. Keep a copy on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide. Or, take the digital version with you to your favourite coffee shop for some serious lesson planning on the go.

Whatever the case, get ready to level up your TEFL teaching with kids in a big way! Find out more about the book right here:

check-price-on-amazon-button

Have your Say about Christmas ESL Activities and Lesson Ideas

Do you have any go-to TEFL activities you like to do for this popular holiday? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also, be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy English teachers, like yourself find this useful resource.

christmas-esl-lesson

Last update on 2022-05-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Games, Activities & ESL Teaching Tips

* indicates required

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 30 books for English teachers and English learners, including Advanced English Conversation Dialogues and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at:
Facebook
Pinterest

« Thanksgiving ESL Activities, Games, Lesson Plans, Worksheets & More
Fun Debate Topics: Check out these Funny Debate Questions & Ideas »

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. What does this mean? I recommend products (only ones that I like) and if you purchase a product through that link, I earn some money.

67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
Check Price on Amazon
39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Teachers of Teenagers and Adults who Want to Start Their English Classes Off...
39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Teachers of Teenagers and Adults who Want to Start Their English Classes Off...
Check Price on Amazon
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
Check Price on Amazon

More ESL Activities & Games

39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
Check Price on Amazon

Recent Posts

  • ESL Sentence Making Games and Activities, Lesson Plans, Worksheets
  • English Grammar Games, Activities, Worksheets & Lesson Plans
  • ESL Phrasal Verbs Games, Activities, Worksheets & Lesson Plans
  • WH Questions ESL Activities and Games | ESL WH Question Ideas
101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online: Practical Ideas, Games, Activities & Tips...
101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online: Practical Ideas, Games, Activities & Tips...
Check Price on Amazon
Sale 101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
Check Price on Amazon

About and Contact

Jackie Bolen has been talking ESL South Korea since 2014. The goal is to bring you the best tips, ideas, and news for everything teaching English in Korea, including university jobs.

Contact Jackie Bolen and My Life! Teaching in a Korean University here.

Email: [email protected]

Address: 2436 Kelly Ave, Port Coquitlam, Canada

Find the Privacy Policy here.

Facebook

Pinterest

TikTok

YouTube

LinkedIn

Best Seller

101 ESL Activities: Games, Activities, Practical ideas, & Teaching Tips For English Teachers of...
101 ESL Activities: Games, Activities, Practical ideas, & Teaching Tips For English Teachers of...
Check Price on Amazon

Search

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Advertise on My Life! Teaching in Korean University

Recent Articles

english-expressions

English Expressions, Phrases & Idioms: See Eye to Eye

profs-abroad-review

Review of Profs Abroad: Is it Worth it?

present-perfect-continuous-activities

Teaching Present Perfect Continuous: Timelines, Activities & More

Touchstone-final-exam

Touchstone Final Exams | Touchstone ESL Exams

Copyright © 2022 Jackie Bolen + My Life! Teaching in a Korean University. All Rights Reserved.