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!

  • Independent Literacy Activities: Year 6 (Set One) - Spelling and Writing Skills

    Independent Literacy Activities: Year 6 (Set One) – Spelling and Writing Skills

    NZ$7.50

    This resource contains 8 independent activity sheets designed for Year 6 students to practice literacy skills autonomously. These tasks are structured to provide student agency and to allow teachers to work with other groups without frequent interruptions.   Please note: We’ve included a version with “Year 6” in the heading and a version without it….

  • Whole Class School Journal Resource Year 4 - After the Storm

    Whole Class School Journal Resource Year 4 – After the Storm

    NZ$8.50

    Develop your students’ reading comprehension with this comprehensive whole-class teaching resource, focused on the story After the Storm from the Year 4 November 2025 School Journal. Great as an addition to your structured literacy program. Enhance Your Students’ Reading Comprehension with Science of Reading Principles.   After the Storm – School Journal Year 4 November…

  • Whole Class School Journal Resource Year 5 and 6 - Amazing Antics

    Whole Class School Journal Resource Year 5 and 6 – Amazing Antics

    NZ$8.50

    Develop your students’ reading comprehension with this comprehensive resource, focused on the non-fiction article “Amazing Antics in New Zealand from the Year 5-6 November 2025 School Journal. Great as an addition to your structured literacy program. Enhance Your Students’ reading comprehension skills with Science of Reading Principles.   This teaching tool engages students in deep…

  • Whole Class School Journal Resource Year 4 - Spotting Kiwi

    Whole Class School Journal Resource Year 4 – Spotting Kiwi

    NZ$8.50

    Develop your students’ reading comprehension with this comprehensive whole-class teaching resource, focused on the story Spotting Kiwi from the Year 4 November 2025 School Journal. Great as an addition to your structured literacy program. Enhance Your Students’ Reading Comprehension with Science of Reading Principles.   Spotting Kiwi – School Journal Year 4 November 2025 This…

  • Verbs and Verb Tenses Task Cards | Grammar - Syntax Activities

    Verbs and Verb Tenses Task Cards | Grammar – Syntax Activities

    NZ$4.00

    This colourful set of 32 Verbs Tasks Cards helps students to understand one of the key building blocks of sentences. Print and laminate these verb and verb tenses task cards for regular use!   These grammar-syntax activities align with the Science of Reading (SoR). This resource is a practical addition to your structured literacy programme….

  • Pronouns Task Cards | Grammar - Syntax Activities

    Pronouns Task Cards | Grammar – Syntax Activities

    NZ$4.00

    This colourful set of 32 Pronouns Tasks Cards helps students to understand one of the key building blocks of sentences. Print and laminate these pronouns task cards for regular use!   These grammar-syntax activities align with the Science of Reading (SoR). This resource is a practical addition to your structured literacy programme. Activities link directly…

  • Independent Literacy Activities: Year 5 (Set One) - Spelling and Writing Skills

    Independent Literacy Activities: Year 5 (Set One) – Spelling and Writing Skills

    NZ$7.50

    This resource contains 8 independent activity sheets designed for Year 5 students to practice literacy skills autonomously. These tasks are structured to provide student agency and to allow teachers to work with other groups without frequent interruptions.   Please note: We’ve included a version with “Year 5” in the heading and a version without it….

  • Year 4 Maths Vocabulary Slides: Geometry and Statistics (Phase 2)

    Year 4 Maths Vocabulary Slides: Geometry and Statistics (Phase 2)

    NZ$8.00

    This Daily Maths Vocabulary Slides resource is your no-prep, 5-minute-a-day solution to building essential Geometry and Statistics vocabulary for your Year 4 students. These slides can be used in PowerPoint or imported into Google Slides.   These 12 vocabulary slideshows are designed to be quick, engaging, and powerful. Aligned with Year 4 (Phase 2) of…

  • Tier 2 Vocabulary Explicit Teaching Slides and Make Your Own Editable Slides - Year 4

    Tier 2 Vocabulary Explicit Teaching Slides and Make Your Own Editable Slides – Year 4

    NZ$8.00

    Our Year 4 Tier 2 Vocabulary Teaching Slides offer an interactive, effective approach to expanding vocabulary knowledge. These slides are designed to integrate seamlessly into structured literacy programs, enriching students’ word comprehension—key to boosting reading and writing skills. Studies indicate that vocabulary development significantly enhances academic success, particularly in reading comprehension. The refreshed New Zealand…

  • Independent Literacy Activities: Year 3 (Set One) - Spelling and Writing Skills

    Independent Literacy Activities: Year 3 (Set One) – Spelling and Writing Skills

    NZ$7.50

    This comprehensive resource provides 10 independent activity sheets designed for Year 3 students to practice essential literacy skills autonomously. These activities are ideal for literacy rotations, homework, or early finishers, allowing students to work without interrupting the teacher.   Please note: We’ve included a version with “Year 3” in the heading and a version without…

  • Whole-Class Reading and Writing Activities: How Māui Discovered Fire

    Whole-Class Reading and Writing Activities: How Māui Discovered Fire

    NZ$8.50

    Develop your students’ reading comprehension and writing skills with this comprehensive resource, focused on the pūrākau (Māori legend) How Māui Discovered Fire. Great as an addition to your structured literacy program. Enhance Your Students’ reading comprehension skills with Science of Reading Principles.   This reading and writing teaching tool engages students in deep comprehension strategies,…

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!