ESL Unit for Online ESL Teachers: Playing – Level 2 (Beginner)

Engaging and Interactive ESL Lessons to Teach Playtime Vocabulary & Concepts

About This ESL Unit

This unit from SuperEnglishESL.com introduces Level 2 students to essential vocabulary and concepts related to playing. Students will learn about different types of play, toys, and outdoor activities while practicing key sentence structures, phonics, and interactive speaking activities. These lessons build confidence in young learners by engaging them in real-world play scenarios.

Perfect for online and classroom ESL teachers, this unit includes low-prep lesson plans with structured activities, downloadable worksheets, and fun games. By the end of this unit, students will be able to describe their favorite activities, ask and answer questions about playtime, and use basic sentence structures fluently.

Lesson Overviews

ESL Lesson Plan 1: Talking About Toys & Play

Students learn common toys vocabulary, practice asking and answering questions about toys, and use the verb “play” correctly.

Lesson Features:

✔ Warm-up: “Missing words” game with common food items as review.
✔ Reading & Discussion: Identifying different toys and describing what they are.
✔ Vocabulary Focus: toy, ball, shop, play, see
✔ Grammar & Sentence Structures:

• “What does he/she have?” → “He has a __.”
• “Where does he/she go?” → “He goes to the __ shop.”
  ✔ Phonics Focus: Short Oo (fox, box, job).
  ✔ Interactive Elements: Maze activities, toy-finding games, and Tic-Tac-Toe.
  ✔ Real-Life Applications: Describing their favorite toys and what they like to play with.

ESL Lesson Plan 2: Playing at the Park

Students explore different outdoor play activities and movement-related words while practicing verbs like run, jog, sit, walk in sentences.

Lesson Features:

✔ Warm-up: Odd-one-out game (e.g., “Which one is different?”).
✔ Reading & Discussion: Describing playground equipment and actions at the park.
✔ Vocabulary Focus: slide, swing, run, walk, park
✔ Grammar & Sentence Structures:

• “What do they play on?” → “They play on a __.”
• “Where do they go?” → “They go to the __.”
  ✔ Phonics Focus: Short Oo (pot, hot, cot, not).
  ✔ Interactive Elements: Mazes, rhyming word activities, and Chutes & Ladders game.
  ✔ Real-Life Applications: Talking about their local playground and describing what they do there.

ESL Lesson Plan 3: Playing Games & Having Fun

This lesson focuses on games, toys, and playtime activities. Students will practice using “have” in different sentence structures.

Lesson Features:

✔ Warm-up: “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” song.
✔ Reading & Discussion: Describing different toys and games.
✔ Vocabulary Focus: game, blocks, have, play
✔ Grammar & Sentence Structures:

• “What do they have?” → “They have __.”
• “What do they play?” → “They play __.”
  ✔ Phonics Focus: Short Oo (cop, mop, pop, top).
  ✔ Interactive Elements: Rhyming games, fill-in-the-blank, and counting activities.
  ✔ Real-Life Applications: Talking about their favorite games and toys at home.

ESL Lesson Plan 4: Flying Objects – Kites, Drones, & More

Students learn vocabulary for things that fly, including kites, drones, and planes, while practicing present simple verbs.

Lesson Features:

✔ Warm-up: “One, two, three, four, five” counting song.
✔ Reading & Discussion: Talking about flying objects and what they do.
✔ Vocabulary Focus: kite, drone, fly, bird, plane, rocket
✔ Grammar & Sentence Structures:

• “What does he/she fly?” → “He/She flies a __.”
  ✔ Phonics Focus: Short Oo (dog, hog, log, jog).
  ✔ Interactive Elements: Kite-flying role-play, match-the-picture activities, and storytelling.
  ✔ Real-Life Applications: Talking about real-life experiences with flying objects.

ESL Lesson Plan 5: Playing – Review & Assessment

A comprehensive review of all vocabulary, sentence structures, and phonics from the unit.

Lesson Features:

✔ Warm-up: “Spot the Difference” picture game.
✔ Assessment Tasks:

• Matching vocabulary words to pictures.
• Completing sentences with the correct words.
• Listening comprehension activities.
  ✔ Interactive Elements: Tic-Tac-Toe, Chutes & Ladders, and multiple-choice games.
  ✔ Real-Life Applications: Using complete sentences to describe how they play and what they play with.

Who Is This Unit For?

✅ Beginner ESL learners (Pre A1) in classrooms, online lessons, or homeschool settings.
✅ 1:1 tutoring or small group ESL classes for young learners.
✅ ESL teachers looking for structured, engaging, and interactive lesson plans.

Downloadable Materials:

📝 Lesson Previews & Worksheets
🎲 Games & Interactive Activities
📚 Reading Passages & Phonics Drills
🔊 Listening & Speaking Exercises

Teacher Tips:

📌 Use real toys or pictures of playgrounds to enhance engagement.
📌 Encourage students to describe their playtime routines using learned vocabulary.
📌 Incorporate real-world experiences, like bringing a toy to class or discussing a recent park visit.