Activities for ESL Students

Your search for fresh, effective activities for ESL students is over. At Top Teaching Tasks, our comprehensive collection of ESL teaching activities takes the stress out of lesson planning and puts the joy back into language teaching. From our popular inferring activities to advanced language exercises, we’ve covered every aspect of ESL learning.

Whether you’re teaching primary school newcomers or guiding advanced learners through complex language concepts, our ESL resources provide the perfect blend of educational value and engagement. Explore the collection of fun activities to teach English to second language learners below!

  • Daily Literacy Review Slides for Year 4-6: Set Two

    NZ$20.00

    Our Daily Literacy Reviews are a dynamic and effective tool for enhancing memory, retention, and learning. By incorporating principles of spaced practice, interleaved practice, and retrieval practice, these daily reviews offer a comprehensive approach to reinforcing previously taught literacy content. A great companion to your structured literacy programme. Aligns with the refreshed New Zealand English…

  • Ready to Read Phonics Plus Tupu Hands-On Activities Volume Two

    NZ$8.00

    This resource provides hands-on activities to accompany many of the Ready to Read Phonics Plus Tupu texts. The hands-on activities have been created to specifically match the focus sounds taught in each book.   With initial modelling and scaffolding, these activities are intended to be completed independently to build students’ skills in following instructions, fine…

  • Sale!

    Ready to Read Phonics Plus Kākano Seed Hands On Activities BUNDLE

    Original price was: NZ$20.49.Current price is: NZ$14.99.

    This resource provides hands-on activities to accompany 21 of the Ready to Read Phonics Plus Kākano texts. The hands-on activities have been created to specifically match the focus sounds taught in each book.   With initial modelling and scaffolding, these activities are intended to be completed independently to build students’ skills in following instructions, fine…

  • Decodable Text for Older Readers: The Paris Games

    NZ$5.00

    This resource is designed as a decodable text for older readers (year 4 – Year 8). It focuses on the Olympic Games and New Zealand’s involvement.   Focus Phonemes and Graphemes: This text has a particular focus on v_e split digraph words, including a_e, e_e, i_e, and o_e split digraphs. Examples include athlete, compete, backstroke,…

  • Daily Literacy Review For Year 7-8 Set 2 | Daily Grammar Practice Spiral Review

    NZ$20.00

    Our Year 7-8 Daily Literacy Reviews (SET TWO) are a dynamic and effective tool for enhancing memory, retention, and learning. By incorporating principles of spaced practice, interleaved practice, and retrieval practice, these daily reviews offer a comprehensive approach to reinforcing previously taught literacy content.   They are a great companion to your structured literacy programme and…

  • Daily Literacy Skills Year 4-6 Set ThreeDaily Literacy Skills Year 4-6 Set Three a

    Daily Literacy Review For Year 4-6: Set Three

    NZ$20.00

    Our Daily Literacy Reviews are dynamic and effective tools for enhancing memory, retention, and learning. By incorporating the principles of spaced practice, interleaved practice, and retrieval practice, these daily reviews offer a comprehensive approach to reinforcing previously taught literacy content. A great companion to your structured literacy programme.    Click here to see our Daily…

  • Sale!

    Ready to Read Phonics Plus Tupu Hands On Activities BUNDLE

    Original price was: NZ$18.50.Current price is: NZ$13.00.

    This resource provides hands-on activities to accompany the Ready to Read Phonics Plus Tupu texts. The hands-on activities have been created to specifically match the focus sounds taught in each book.   With initial modelling and scaffolding, these activities are intended to be completed independently to build students’ skills in following instructions, fine motor skills…

  • Sale!

    Ready to Read Phonics Plus Māhuri Hands On Activities BUNDLE

    Original price was: NZ$16.50.Current price is: NZ$12.00.

    This resource bundle provides hands-on activities to accompany all of the current Ready to Read Phonics Plus Māhuri texts. The hands-on activities have been created to specifically match the focus sounds taught in each book.   With initial modelling and scaffolding, these activities are intended to be completed independently to build students’ skills in following…

  • Decodable Text for Older Readers: Matariki

    NZ$5.00

    This resource is designed as a decodable text for older readers (year 4 – Year 8). It focuses on Matariki, a public holiday marking the Māori New Year in New Zealand.   Focus Phonemes and Graphemes: The text emphasises the following phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences: /or/ phoneme represented by or /ar/ phoneme represented by ar ‘er’ grapheme…

  • Sale!

    Ready to Read Phonics Plus Tupu Seedling Activities BUNDLE

    Original price was: NZ$14.00.Current price is: NZ$12.00.

    This resource provides follow-up activities for all of the current Ready to Read Phonics Plus Tupu Seedling Level readers found in New Zealand schools. An engaging format is used to develop your students’ sense of agency and independence – perfect for your reading rotations.   This Ready to Read Phonics Plus Tupu Seed Activities BUNDLE…

  • Daily Literacy Review Slides for Year 1-3: Set Two

    NZ$20.00

    Our Daily Literacy Reviews are a dynamic and effective tool for enhancing memory, retention, and learning. By incorporating principles of spaced practice, interleaved practice, and retrieval practice, these daily reviews offer a comprehensive approach to reinforcing previously taught literacy content. A great companion to your structured literacy programme. Aligns with the refreshed New Zealand English…

  • Phonics and Structured Literacy Activities Set One: 9 Focus Sounds

    NZ$10.00

    These activities have been created to specifically support the teaching and learning of the nine target sound and letters. The sound and letters included in this set are the following single consonants or short vowel sounds: m, a, d, p, o, t, n, i, s   With initial modelling and scaffolding, these activities are intended…

  • The Lead-Up to the Treaty Year 5-6 Whole Class TeachingThe Lead-Up to the Treaty Year 5-6 Whole Class Teaching a

    Whole Class Aotearoa New Zealand History Activities – The Lead Up to Te Tiriti – Phase 2

    NZ$8.50

    Develop your students’ reading comprehension, writing, and literacy skills with this comprehensive whole-class teaching resource, centred on the events leading up to the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi—a foundational moment in Aotearoa New Zealand’s history.   This resource is a perfect addition to your structured literacy program, offering both rich…

  • Daily Literacy Reviews Set 4 Year 4-6Daily Literacy Skills Year 4-6 Set 4a

    Daily Literacy Reviews For Year 4-6 Set Four

    NZ$20.00

    Our Daily Literacy Review Slides are dynamic and effective tools for enhancing memory, retention, and learning. By incorporating the principles of spaced practice, interleaved practice, and retrieval practice, these daily reviews offer a comprehensive approach to reinforcing previously taught literacy content.   A great companion to your structured literacy programme. Aligns with the refreshed New…

  • Daily Literacy Skills Year 7-8 Set ThreeDaily Literacy Skills Year 7-8 Set Three a

    Daily Literacy Review For Year 7-8: Set Three

    NZ$20.00

    Our Year 7-8 Daily Literacy Reviews (SET THREE) are dynamic and effective tools for enhancing memory, retention, and learning. By incorporating the principles of spaced practice, interleaved practice, and retrieval practice, these daily reviews offer a comprehensive approach to reinforcing previously taught literacy content.   They are a great companion to your structured literacy programme.  …

  • Daily Literacy Skills Year 1-3 Set Three

    Daily Literacy Review Slides for Year 1-3: Set Three

    NZ$20.00

    Our Daily Literacy Reviews are dynamic and effective tools for enhancing memory, retention, and learning. By incorporating the principles of spaced practice, interleaved practice, and retrieval practice, these daily reviews offer a comprehensive approach to reinforcing previously taught literacy content. A great companion to your structured literacy programme.    Click here to see the Daily…

Teach By Skill Level

Beginner

Our foundation-level ESL activities create a supportive environment for new English learners. Speaking and listening exercises form the core of this level, transforming potentially daunting concepts into enjoyable learning experiences that reinforce fundamental language structures.

Intermediate

Our intermediate activities for ESL students build on basic foundations and focus on developing more complex language skills. Conversation practice materials include reading comprehension and interactive exercises that improve understanding and critical thinking. Guide students from basic sentence construction to confident paragraph writing and strong inference and composition skills. 

Advanced

Our advanced ESL activities offer sophisticated language development opportunities for learners ready to refine their English mastery. Challenge students to think critically while expressing complex ideas fluently with more complex language exercises. 

Why Choose Our ESL Activities?

If you’re looking for ESL teaching activities that deliver results, our comprehensive collection stands out in the New Zealand education landscape for all the right reasons. 

Whether teaching a diverse classroom of beginners or guiding higher-level students, you'll find materials that can be easily adapted to suit your teaching style and students' needs. Our collection ranges from back-to-school activities that help students settle in, to advanced language exercises for confident learners.

Moving beyond traditional worksheet-based learning, we’ve created interactive activities that excite students about learning English—from speaking exercises that build real-world confidence to writing activities that develop academic skills. Plus, with regular updates and new additions to our collection through our membership subscription, you’ll never run out of fresh and fun activities to teach English and keep your ESL lessons dynamic and effective.

Frequently Asked Questions

How suitable are these activities for different English proficiency levels?

We comprehensively design our ESL teaching activities to support every stage of the English learning journey. Each resource is carefully calibrated to match specific proficiency levels, ensuring students are appropriately challenged without feeling overwhelmed.

Our activities feature built-in flexibility that makes them particularly effective when you need to adjust the difficulty level up or down to match your student"s needs. Every activity comes with extension options for quick learners and additional support materials for those who need extra practice.

How often do you update your ESL teaching resources?

We update our ESL teaching resources monthly, ensuring you always have access to current and engaging materials. When you sign up for a membership subscription, you receive automatic access to all new and updated materials, along with helpful notifications about fresh content. This means you"ll never miss out on new activities that could benefit your students.

Can these activities be used in both individual and group settings?

Absolutely. Since modern language teaching happens in various settings—whether one-on-one with a student or managing a lively classroom of 30—you can easily adapt our activities for ESL students to suit your teaching environment, ensuring consistent learning outcomes regardless of the setting.

Secure Engaging Resources for Language Learning

From building basic conversation skills to mastering academic English, our resources provide the perfect blend of educational value and student engagement. Transform your ESL teaching experience with our comprehensive collection of fun activities to teach English.

Join our community of successful teachers; explore fun ESL teaching activities from Top Teaching Tasks today!