Christmas ESL Activities with a Clear Language Goal

A holiday lesson can be relaxed and still give students useful practice. You don’t need twelve activities, a craft cupboard, and a heroic amount of glitter.

Choose one or two tasks that revisit language students already know. Check that a Christmas theme fits your school and learners, and offer a non-holiday version when needed. Students shouldn’t have to celebrate Christmas to take part.

1. Describe and draw

One student describes a simple picture while a partner draws it: “There is a small gift under the tree.” Use familiar prepositions and colors. Compare pictures afterward and ask which instruction helped most. Online, paper held to the camera works if shared drawing tools are awkward.

2. Run a pretend gift shop

Give pairs a small set of items and invented prices. Model “How much is…?” and “I’d like…,” then switch shopper and assistant roles. For more advanced learners, add a budget and a reason for choosing each item. A birthday shop works as an alternative.

3. Turn bingo into listening practice

Students choose a few pictures or words from a prepared set. Instead of only calling a word, give a clue at the right level: “You put a present in it.” After a round, students write or say the clues for you. Preview any unfamiliar vocabulary first.

4. Compare two scenes

Give students pictures with small differences. They ask and answer without showing their partner the scene. Beginners can use “Is there…?” while stronger learners describe location and quantity. Keep the differences visible and unambiguous.

5. Read about a celebration

Choose a short text about a specific community or family. Ask students what the text actually says before comparing traditions. Avoid treating snow, gift giving, or one family’s customs as universal. Christmas happens in summer in parts of the world.

Invite students to discuss an imaginary event if they would rather not share personal information. “What might a visitor notice?” can be a more comfortable prompt than asking a learner to represent an entire country.

6. Write a useful message

Students write an invitation, a thank-you note, or a message about a school event. Provide a short model and a clear reader. Partners check whether the time, place, and purpose are understandable. Younger learners can dictate a sentence or label a picture.

Find a lesson at the right level

Our holiday lesson collection gives you a place to start. Preview the materials and choose by language demands, not just the festive pictures. Use the lesson page’s available viewing or download options.