Holiday Season ESL Lesson for Beginners

OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This Holiday Season ESL Lesson for Beginners offers engaging activities, downloadable PDF worksheets, and digital class materials for A1-level students. In this lesson, students will:

• Explore common holiday traditions and activities through matching and discussion tasks.
• Watch a touching video that highlights the importance of family and the holiday spirit.
• Expand their vocabulary with holiday-related terms and phrases about wishes, needs, and preferences.
• Practice making sentences with “want to,” “would like to,” and “need to” for expressing desires.
• Participate in a creative activity where they write and share their holiday wish lists.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

Students this holiday season ESL lesson for beginners begin by identifying holiday traditions through a matching activity. They pair festive activities such as cooking with family, exchanging gifts, and visiting Christmas markets with corresponding images. Afterward, they engage in a group discussion about their personal holiday routines, preferences, and what they like or dislike about the season. Finally, students practice thoughtful gift-giving by brainstorming what gifts they would or wouldn’t give to people they know, using sample sentences as a guide.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

Students watch a heartwarming video about a grandfather learning English to connect with his granddaughter during the holidays. To start, students sequence key events from the video, such as the man labeling household items and receiving a package. They predict why he wants to learn English and check their guesses after watching. In the next activity, students identify specific items labeled in the video and complete sentences spoken by the grandfather.

DISCUSSION & GRAMMAR

Students reflect on the video in this holiday season ESL lesson for beginners by discussing questions. They assess the emotional tone and the product being advertised. They also evaluate the grandfather’s method of learning English and consider whether it is effective. In the grammar phase, students complete an exercise analyzing statements with phrases like “would like,” “want,” and “need.” They then practice creating similar sentences to express wishes, inspired by people’s holiday wishes shown in images.

HOLIDAY WISH LIST TASK: WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR?

In this creative and personal segment, students craft their holiday wish lists, choosing from categories like experiences, skills, people, and products. Working with classmates or their teacher, they share their lists, ask questions, and use key phrases like “I would love to” and “I need to.” The activity concludes with students summarizing their peers’ holiday wishes, promoting active listening and conversation skills.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON ESL LESSON FOR BEGINNERS

This holiday season lesson provides teachers with a festive, student-centered approach to language learning. The lesson seamlessly combines vocabulary building, grammar practice, and listening comprehension in an engaging format. Its focus on holiday themes keeps students motivated and excited, while the mix of tasks caters to different learning styles. The lesson also focuses on personal expression and cultural exchange, which makes it effective for diverse classrooms. Additionally, the structured activities save teachers time while delivering an effective and enjoyable learning experience.