www.eslkidstuff.

com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

Lesson 10
Body and shapes 1

General:
Level: 1 – BEAR CUBS (ages 3-5)
Time: 40 mins - 1 hour
Objectives: Identify and recognize 4 body parts and 2 shapes.
Structures: “What is it?”, “Which part of the body is that?”, “Touch your ...”.
New vocab: head, shoulders, knees, toes, square, circle, bag.
Review vocab: numbers 1-10, colors.

You will need to download:

Flashcards: head, should, knees, toes
Printables: • Square and circle trace worksheet
• Square and circle body worksheet
Readers: • Numbers 1-10
`Songs: • Hello Song
• Goodbye Song
• The numbers song
These can be downloaded at https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-lesson-plans.html

You will also need:

• name tags for each student
• a glove puppet
• colored crayons / pencils
• plastic fruit
• a large cloth bag
• squares and circles cut out of colored card
• cushions (1 per student)
• CD / Tape player or something to play the song on

Notes:
Students learn some body and shape vocabulary and play lots of fun games.

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 1 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

Lesson overview:
Warm up and maintenance:
1. Greetings
2. Name tags
3. Glove puppet greetings
4. Sing “The Hello Song”
5. Homework check
6. Do “Exercise routine” activity
7. Sing “The numbers song“
8. Read classroom reader “Numbers 1-10”
9. Do the “What’s in the bag?” activity

New learning and practice:

1. Teach 4 body parts
2. Practice the body vocab
3. Play "Teacher says"
4. 5-minute play time
5. Teach shapes square and circle
6. Play "Missing shape" and "Shape touch“
7. Do “Square and circle trace” worksheet

Wrap up:
1. Assign homework: "Square and circle body"
2. Say goodbye to glove puppet
3. Sing “The Goodbye Song"
4. Do "Quick check" and say goodbye

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 2 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

Lesson procedure:
Warm up and maintenance:
1. Greetings
Greet the students by name as they enter the classroom and
gesture for them to sit down (on cushions if you have them) in a
fan-shape around you.

2. Name tags
Before class, prepare some name tags (stickers or pin-on tags)
with each student's name written in dots or dashes in lower case
letters. Sit down with your students and lay out the name tags in
front of you. Pick up each tag and encourage the student to
recognize his/her name. Do this for everyone.

Finally, have everyone take out a crayon or pencil and trace their
name on their tags and stick them on.

3. Glove puppet greetings

Bring out your glove puppet bag and have everyone shout
"Hello!“ into the bag until he wakes up and jumps out of the
bag. Then model chatting with the glove puppet …

Puppet: "Hello", What's your name?"

Teacher: "My name is...".
Puppet: “How are you?”
Teacher: “I’m fine, thank you”.

… and then have the puppet say hello to each student and ask them the same questions.
Finally, go around saying "Goodbye" and "See you" before going back into the bag to sleep.

4. Sing “The Hello Song“

Sit in a circle and sing the song (clap along or pat knees).

Lyrics for "The Hello Song" Gestures for "The Hello Song"

Hello, hello, These are quite straight forward. First time you play
How are you today? the song do the gestures and encourage everyone
Hello, hello, to do them with you.
How are you today?
• Wave as you sing the "Hello, hello" parts.

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 3 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

I’m fine, thank you, • Gesture to others as you sing "How are you
I’m fine, thank you, today?"
I’m fine, thank you, • Point to yourself as you sing "I’m fine, thank
And how about you? you"
• Hand gesture towards another student as you
Hello, hello, sing "And how about you?".
How are you today?
I’m fine, thank you,
And how about you?

5. Homework check
Check each student's homework that you set in the last lesson.
Ask each student some questions about their homework
worksheet (e.g. "How many melons are there?"), give lots of
praise, and then put some kind of mark on the homework sheet
(e.g. a sticker, a stamp or draw a smiley face).

Finally, tell your students to put their homework back into their
bags.

6. Do "Exercise routine" activity

Say the following and have the students follow your lead:

"Stand up (T stands and so does everyone else)

"Hands up / hands down" (do 4 or 5 times)
"Jump" (4 or 5 times)
“Kick (4 or 5 times)
"Run! / Stop!" (4 or 5 times)
"Turn around! / Stop!" (4 or 5 times)
“Wiggle!” (a few seconds)
finally "Sit down".

7. Sing “The numbers song“

Get everyone to stand up and march along and do the actions. Make sure you do the
actions with the kids so that they can follow you and copy what you are doing.

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 4 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

Lyrics for "The numbers song" Gestures for "The numbers song"

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Jump! First time you play the song do the gestures and encourage
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Jump! everyone to do them with you.
Turn around and clap your hands
And jump! • As the music is in a marching-style, start off with
everyone marching enthusiastically on the spot to
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Kick! the rhythm.
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Kick! • Whilst marching, count off the numbers on your
Turn around and clap your hands fingers as the numbers are sung.
And kick! • Do each action word (e.g. jump, turn around, clap
your hands, etc.) at the point they are sung in the
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Wiggle! song.
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Wiggle!
Turn around and clap your hands
And wiggle!

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Jump!
6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 Kick!
Turn around and clap your hands
And Jump!
Kick!
Wiggle!
And Jump!

8. Read classroom reader "Numbers 1-10"

Before class, download and print off the reader "Numbers 1-
10" from our website. Let’s read this fun story again.

Get the students really involved in the story by asking lots of

questions such as what colors the animals are and the funny
things they are doing.

9. Do the “What’s in the bag?” activity

This is a fun vocabulary building activity you can do each lesson
as part of your warm-up routine. You’ll need a large cloth bag
and put some plastic fruit from the previous lesson inside. Also
throw in 2 other objects (e.g. a crayon, a plastic bottle, a sock,
a paper cup, a leaf, a ball, a teddy, etc. - anything lying around
(and safe!)).

Show the bag to your students, shake it to rattle the objects

inside, and ask, “What’s in the bag?”. Pull out the fruit first and elicit them, followed by the
2 different objects and teach/elicit the words – in each case, have students hold and pass
the fruit and objects around. You can even have students pull the objects out of the bag

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 5 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

instead of you taking them out – with eyes closed to make it fun! Make sure you have at
least 1 or 2 fruit/objects in your bag per student.

Finally, place/throw the objects around the classroom and have each student retrieve an
object as you call out its name and put it back in the bag.

Each week, we’ll add 2-3 more objects to the objects already in the bag and slowly remove
the fruit, so that in a couple of months you’ll have a bag full of new objects - and the
students will know the vocabulary for all of them!

New learning and practice:

1. Teach 4 body parts
This lesson we’ll learn 4 body parts and add to them next
lesson. Before class, prepare flashcards for head, shoulders,
knees and toes. Slowly reveal each flashcard card so
students can guess what the picture is. Then, have your
students touch their part of the body (so, when you show
the "head" picture get everyone to touch their heads).
Chorus each word 3x and ask your students to individually
say each word.

2. Practice the body vocab

Lay the 4 flashcards that you have just used in front of you,
facing your students (or lined up on the board). Randomly
touch each card and have your students touch that part of
their body and say the word. Do a final, faster round.

3. Play "Teacher says"

This is the game "Simon says" but using the word "teacher“ instead. Go straight into the
game (no explanations necessary) by saying "Teacher says touch your (knees)". Do the
action and make sure everyone else follows along. Do a few more.

Then at some point give a command without the "Teacher

says" part (e.g. "Touch your toes"). Everyone will touch
their toes, so make it very clear that they shouldn’t do this
when you don’t say "Teacher says".

After a while your students will get the hang of it. Play the
game faster and faster. When a student makes a mistake,

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 6 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

they have to sit the rest of the game out. The last student standing is the winner.

4. 5-minute play time

This is an optional segment that can be part of all your lessons at this level. Allow your
students to play with any games or toys you have. If possible, use large tubs or boxes to
hold the toys and bring them out for a few minutes each lesson. Tubs filled with animals,
plastic fruit, building blocks, kitchen sets, plastic food, cars & vehicles, Mr. Potato Head dolls
and so on.

Encourage your students to ask you for the toy they want to play with, circulate during the
play time and ask students about their toys. It’s also a good opportunity for a quick rest
room break!

5. Teach shapes square and circle

Before class, cut out 4 squares and 4 circles from some
colored card.

Start off by showing the square and teaching / chorusing

"square". Hand the square to a student who says "square"
and passes it on to another, each student saying "square" as they pass it around. Next, do
this for the circle shape. You can also elicit colors and sizes (e.g. a "big, yellow, square", "a
small, blue circle", etc.).

6. Play "Missing shape" and "Shape touch“

Put all of the square and circle shapes on the floor and
gather everyone around. Tell everyone to close their eyes.
Take away one shape and say, “Open your eyes”.
Everyone must guess which shape is missing.

With the shapes still on the floor, say "Hands up in the air"
– once all hands are up say, “Touch a (green) circle” – and
have everyone quickly touch (not slam!) a green circle. Do this for all of the shapes.

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 7 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

7. Do “Square and circle trace” worksheet

Hold up the worksheet and model tracing and coloring in the shapes – elicit the shapes and
colors as you do so. Have your students take out their crayons and complete their
worksheets. Spend time with each student, helping, asking questions and praising.

Finally, hold up each student’s work in turn and ask them to tell you the shapes and colors.
Tell your students to put their worksheets into their bags.

Wrap up:
1. Assign homework: "Square and circle body"
Hold up the homework worksheet and model matching and
coloring in the shapes. Give out the worksheets and say, "Put
your homework in your bags" and help them to do so - this is
important as they will probably want to start coloring them
right away.

2. Say goodbye to glove puppet

Take out the bag again and get everyone to wake up the glove
puppet by shouting its name into the bag (e.g. "Cookie Monster!").
Bring out the puppet and go through the same routine - go to each
student and say hello, ask their name and the say goodbye / see
you.

Then put the puppet back in the bag (back to sleep).

3. Sing "The Goodbye Song"

Sit together in a circle and sing and clap along.

Lyrics for "The Goodbye Song" Gestures for "The Goodbye Song"
The first time you play the song do the
Goodbye, goodbye, gestures and encourage everyone to do
See you again. them with you.
Goodbye, goodbye, • Wave as you sing the "Goodbye,
See you again. goodbye" parts.
• Hold your hand above your eyes (as you
It’s time to go, would when you are looking into the
It’s time to go, distance and keeping the sun out of
It’s time to go, your eyes) and look at another student
See you next time. as you sing "See you again".
• Tap watch (or imaginary watch) and
Goodbye, goodbye, then point to the door as you sing "It’s

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 8 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved
 www.eslkidstuff.com | Lesson Plans for ESL Kids Teachers

See you again. time to go".

It’s time to go, • Point towards another student as you
See you next time. sing "See you next time".

4. Do "Quick check" and say goodbye

Time to leave the class. Make sure everything is put away
and the students have gathered their belongings. Have
them line up at the door and place yourself between the
door and the students. For each student hold up the
worksheet from today’s lesson and ask them to say both
shapes and their colors. When they say the words
correctly say goodbye and let them leave. If they make a
mistake, have them go back to the end of the line - they will have to try again once they
reach the front!

• All flashcards, worksheets, craft sheets, readers and songs used in this
lesson plan can be downloaded at eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-lesson-
plans.html
• More free Lesson Plans are available at eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-lesson-
plans.html
Can you suggest any additions to this lesson plan? If you know of any great games, activities,
teaching points, links to other sites or any other ideas that can be added to this lesson plan,
please email us: https://www.eslkidstuff.com/contact.htm

Please report any mistakes at https://www.eslkidstuff.com/contact.htm

This lesson plan was produced by ESL KidStuff (https://www.eslkidstuff.com) and is covered
by copyright.

ESL KidStuff Lesson Plan: Page 9 of 9 Copyright ESL KidStuff

Body and shapes 1 All rights reserved