Use cute flashcards to play games and learn 9 new vegetables with your ESL class. This lesson can be easily adapted to use for an in-person class or online.

Before Class:

I recommend using these vegetable flashcards for this lesson. They only cost $1 and help support Oscar Lessons, so we can keep creating free TEFL lesson plans. But its also possible to simply draw the vegetables on the whiteboard or blackboard instead.

Note: You will need several copies of the vegetables and the happy face and sad face card for this lesson. Be sure to laminate the vegetables or print it on card stock if you plan on reusing the images for several classes.

The vegetables in this lesson are carrot, broccoli, peas, pepper, corn, potato, tomato, eggplant, and mushroom.

You will also need a ball or stuffed animal for this lesson.

Step 1: Introduce the vegetables (2 minutes)

Show students the vegetables and say the vocabulary word. You can encourage students to repeat the word after you, but its not necessary for students to say the word perfectly this early in the lesson.

Step 2: Help students recognize the vegetables (5 minutes)

Hold up two flashcards. Ask students to point to the word you say. Shout a word like “carrots” and check that students point to the correct flashcard. Change the flashcards and say a new vegetable, encouraging students to point to the right card. Repeat the activity several times, until students become better at identifying the flashcards.

Step 3: Say the vegetables as a group (3 minutes)

Have everyone stand up. Show a flashcard, jump, and say the word on the card. Have students repeat what you’ve done. Now try jumping and saying the vegetable several times. For example, jump three times, while holding the mushroom, and say, “Mushroom! Mushroom! Mushroom!” Have students mimic you.

Step 4: Play reveal the vegetable (5-10 minutes)

Now hide a vegetable behind your hand and slowly reveal the vegetable. Encourage students to shout the name of the vegetable when they know what it is. Repeat for several more vegetables.

Step 5: Say the vegetables individually (5 minutes)

Finally allow students to say the vegetables on their own. Throw a ball or stuffed animal to a student, show that student a vegetable, and encourage them to say the word. (If you’re teaching online, try choosing students’ names out of a hat instead.) Repeat several times, throwing a ball to a new student each time, and letting them say the vegetable that you show.

Step 6: Introduce “I like…” and “I don’t like…” (5-10 minutes)

Now it’s time to teach the phrase, “I like…” and “I don’t like…” Show students a vegetable, make a happy face, and say, “I like peas.” Encourage students to repeat after you. Then try again, but this time make a disgusted face and say, “I don’t like carrots.” Repeat the two phrases several times with different vegetables, encouraging students to repeat after you.

Note: Make sure that students add “s” to the following vegetables as they say the sentences, “carrots,” “peas,” “mushrooms,” “peppers,” “potatoes,” “eggplants,” and “tomatoes.” You can tell students that they don’t need to add “s” to “broccoli” or “corn,” but there is no need to go into countable and uncountable vegetables today unless your students have already studied that grammar.

Step 7: Practice using “I like…” and “I don’t like…” (10 minutes)

Now put the happy face and the disgusted face on the board (or draw them on the board). Ask one student to come up, put a vegetable in one of the mouths, and say, “I like carrots.” or “I don’t like carrots.” Let the other students repeat the sentence that the student says. Now call on a few more students, letting each come up, put a vegetable in a mouth, and say the appropriate sentence.

Step 8: Model small group practice (5 minutes)

Have three students come up to the front of the room. Have one student move a vegetable into the happy face or the disgusted face, then have the other two students say the appropriate sentence, such as “I don’t like eggplant.” Now let another of the three students move a vegetable and the other two say the sentence. Finally have the third put a vegetable onto a face and the other two say the sentence. Then have the students sit back down.

Step 9: Small group practice (10 minutes)

Now split the class into small groups and give each group their own set of face cards and vegetables. Help students choose who is going to go first, second, and third. Then let students move the vegetables onto the happy face or disgusted face and the other members of their group say the correct sentence. Let students do the activity independently, but the teacher should monitor to make sure the students are taking turns and saying sentences correctly.

We hope your young students had fun learning about vegetables with this lesson, and if you’re looking for more fun children’s ESL lessons, then try this Engaging Drawing Dictation Lesson for Kids.