ESL/EFL Preschool Teachers: Happy Birthday Unit for ELL

Link to the resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Birthday-Resources-for-Preschool-ELL-2406183

or here: https://www.bilingualmarketplace.com/products/birthday-unit-resources-for-preschool-esl?variant=14606913568817

For the birthday theme it is good to review the numbers 1 to 10 first.

Show the number flashcard one at a time in random order and have the students look up for the number in their book and point to it.

Flashcard activity 1 that review numbers and colors at the same time:

Stand 10 students in front of the class. Hand in the number flashcards in random order. Stand behind a student.

Teacher: What is her name ?

Students: Patricia.

Teacher: What is Patricia´s number ?

Students: seven.

Flashcard activity 2: Stand 10 students in front of the class. Hand in the number flashcards in order. Stand behind a student.

Teacher: What number is this ?

Students: four.

Teacher: What color is number 4 ?

Students: pink.

Continue with all the numbers.

The use of the cutouts is for active participation of the whole class. The activities here are noncompetitive and supposed to involve all children. Laminate your cutouts with clear contact paper.

Place the cake cutout on the board. Have a student come to the board and give him/her the candles. Ask How old are you ? Have the student place that number of candles on the cake.

Count the candles with the class.

Teacher: How many candles are there ? let´s count!

One, two,three four, five!

Five candles.

Get a birthday bag and place 5 real candles or cutouts. Take one out at a time and start counting with the class. Place all the cutouts in the bag. Show the different cakes cutouts.

Teacher: What color is the cake ?

Students: It´s yellow and pink.

Teacher: What color is the candle ?

Students: It´s blue.

Teacher: How many candles are there ?

Students: one.

Do the same with all the other cakes.

Teacher: How many presents are there ?

Students: one, two, three. There are three.

Teacher: How many balloons are there ?

Students: one, two, three, four, five. There are five.

Teacher: what color are they ?

Students: pink, green, yellow, purple, blue.

Bring colored balloons to the class. Have children pick a balloon in their favorite color.

Student: a balloon, please

Teacher: What color ?

Student: pink. Thank you.

Blow up all the balloons. Give each child a Sharpie marker and have him/her write their name on the balloon. Tie the balloon to the back of their chairs.

Teacher: Blue balloons, stand up !

Teacher: Red balloons, run!

Teacher: yellow balloons, jump !

Letter arts and crafts is so popular that I am creating more uppercase letters for each theme, so the collection gets bigger. It is fun for children to put together the letter craft, but you can make them for class decoration.

Use the worksheets as a supplement to your lesson planning. It reviews emotions, face, color recognition, shapes and numbers by improving fine motor skills along the way. The worksheets are supposed to be fun and challenging. I made banners, necklaces, flashcards and Bingo.

This time a wish balloon. Place any cutout from a magazine of something that you wish.

Teacher: I wish for a sweater and shoes.

Put the wish symbol over your head.

Have the children do the same.

Flashcards are still effective tools for the class. Plan motivating games with the theme for independent learning or for groups.

I created a birthday wheel to play a guessing game or for the students to make their own.

Puzzles can help with spatial relationships, eye-hand coordination, and fine motor skills. Children can do the puzzles by themselves. Make two copies of each puzzle, one is for showing it to the students and the other is the one that you will cut apart to complete. Then, show the pieces of puzzle that the students are going to complete and count the pieces.