Christmas Lesson Plan For Young Learners English Class

I am having a great time teaching Christmas lessons to young learners (ESL, EFL). We have been counting Santas, jumping like reindeer and more. Here is my idea for a fun class. Recommended ages 3-7 Years old:

  1. Warm Up With Actions– Do the actions and have your students repeat and do after you: clap your hands, clap, clap, clap. Shake your hands, shake, shake, shake. Wash your hands, wash, wash wash. Come up with your own!
  2. Song Time-Warm Up Action Song. I like to warm-up with a song like Head, Shoulders, The Good Morning Song, or Open Shut Them.
  3. Practice Counting Numbers- Use flashcards or your fingers, or objects to count from 1-10. You can count higher if your students are ready!
  4. Song Time- Sing the Christmas Counting Song, check that out and get a free download and poster here. Fore more Christmas songs, check out our Jingle Bells Page here.
    five santas poster sample
  5. Christmas Vocabulary Practice- Introduce 6-8 words about Christmas. For example, Santa, reindeer, elf, Christmas tree, presents, toys. MES English has some great free printable flashcards for this vocabulary.
  6. Game-Practice the Christmas vocabulary with a simple game. Check out our game ideas here.
  7. Book Time- Read a simple picture book about Christmas. Find something in your local library or bookstore. There is a free downloadable Christmas Book here.
  8. ABC Practice-Show the students that Santa is spelled S-A-N-T-A. Then practice saying the letters A to Z and sing the ABC Song.
  9. Review Time-Quiz the Christmas words. Show a flashcard to your students and see if they can remember. If they are young, you will have to help them and give them little hints. It is ok if you have to say the word for them as they are just learning.
  10. Goodbye Song-Sing the Dream English Goodbye Song and wish your students a Merry Christmas!

Update: Listen to a Podcast about this blog:

These are my ideas to get you started. Feel free to add, expand and make this into the best lesson for your students. Keep it fun and relaxed! Merry Christmas! For more Christmas resources, click here.

Santa is Coming Christmas Action Song for Young Learners EFL ESL

Learning English through actions is a great and tested way to get the most out of your classes. The Santa is Coming Christmas song is full of useful actions and phrases for your young learner class. Lyrics and more below the video:

Lyrics:

Merry, Merry Christmas
Merry, Merry Christmas

Decorate the Christmas tree.
Put out milk.
Put out cookies.

Santa is coming, Santa is coming here

Put on your pajamas.
Brush your teeth.
Go to bed early.

Santa is coming, Santa is coming here

Wake up.
Go to the living room.
Find your present.
Open your present.

Santa is coming, Santa is coming here
Merry, Merry Christmas
Merry, Merry Christmas

The great thing about using actions is that children learn at different paces. Some students might get the actions right away, and others might get the words first. You do not have to pressure your students to sing the song. Encourage them, and teach the actions to start. You can also make up your own actions to fit your class.

I hope this song brings a lot of fun and learning to your Christmas classes!