20 Winter Printables for ESL Learners (including a FREE Download)

Winter is often a time associated with spending quality time with family and friends, relaxing, and enjoying the holidays.

But it can also bring the perfect opportunity to spend extra time practising English skills with your children. 

To help you achieve this with minimal effort, I’ve compiled a list of 20 winter printables for ESL learners that are perfect for keeping your children busy at home. These resources focus on vocabulary building, sentence structure, and basic language skills while incorporating the theme of winter. They are mostly aimed at children studying English at A1-A2 CEFR level.

Text reads "20 winter-themed printables for young ESL learners. Winter-themed printables that can be used at home to help teach English language learners winter vocabulary". Background has two young children skiing. Foreground under the text shows a mock up of the printables.

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20 Winter Printables for ESL Learners

These printables offer a great, easy, and affordable way to teach your kids ESL at home. Each printable is colourful and aimed at young children learning English as a second language. The printables are easy to download. Simply print and play at home.

1. Winter Vocabulary Flashcards

Text reads "winter vocabulary poster and flash cards" with a mock up picture of two A4 printables with winter vocabulary.

Introduce your children to essential winter vocabulary words with colourful flashcards.

These cards typically feature pictures and matching words, such as “snowflake,” “scarf,” “gloves,” and “skiing.” 

Use them for matching games, memory challenges, or visual aids during lessons. For example, you could use them to play Pictionary, incorporate them in a vocabulary-themed tic tac toe, or play matching pairs.

They’re a great way to support word recognition and pronunciation.

2. Winter Colouring Pages with Vocabulary

Text reads "winter-themed colouring" with 3 mock ups of winter-themed colouring pictures e.g. a snowman, penguin ice-skating, etc.

Help your children connect visuals with words using themed colouring pages.

Each page includes a simple winter scene and a word to accompany it, like “snowman” or “ice.” 

Not only do these help children relax, but they’re excellent for practising fine motor skills while reinforcing winter-specific terms.

Plus they can be really fun to complete together!

Text reads" winter-themed word search" and includes a mock up of a word search with 8 words to find and an answer sheet.

Word searches are always an enjoyable activity for kids. This puzzle includes hidden words like “snow,” “sled,” or “scarf” focusing on a winter theme.

Word searches can help improve spelling and word recognition while keeping children actively engaged.

You can also find word searches to suit different English levels or use a template to create your own for the winter words your kids need the most help with.

4. Label the Winter Clothes Worksheet

Text reads "winter clothes vocabulary practice" with a mock up of 2 pieces of paper showing winter clothing e.g. hat, scarf, coat, etc.

With this worksheet, children can practise naming winter clothing items. They’ll identify and label items such as boots, hats, and coats. 

This printable is perfect for teaching practical vocabulary and can spark conversation about dressing for cold weather.

Turn it into a game by adding instructions whilst using your own winter clothing at home. For example, “put on your scarf” or “take off your hat”.

5. Winter Sentence Building Cut-and-Paste Activity

Text reads "winter-themed sentence builders" with a mock up of the printable. It has boxes with words inside to build a sentence and the second page has empty boxes for children to stick the answers.

Encourage sentence construction with fun, hands-on activities.

These printables allow children to cut out words and rearrange them to form simple winter-related sentences, like “It is snowing” or “I wear a scarf.”

This helps with sentence structure, grammar, and creativity.

6. Winter Anagrams 

Text reads "winter-themed anagrams" with a mock up of the anagram printable. It has 10 anagram puzzles, one page with picture prompts and another without.

This activity focuses on supporting vocabulary recognition and spelling practice.

Sharing words such as “snowflake” or “gloves” that have been muddled up for children to recognise the letters and rewrite them in the correct order.

7. Winter-Themed Bingo

Text reads "winter-themed bingo" with a mock up of the bingo call out cards and bingo game cards, both include colourful winter-themed images.

Bingo games with winter-themed words and pictures are a hit with early learners.

This activity makes ESL lessons lively and fun. Use simple vocabulary such as “igloo” or “boots” to keep it engaging but not overwhelming.

This printable has everything you need to turn this into a family fun activity with calling cards and different bingo sheets.

8. Winter Words Tracing Sheets

Text reads "winter-themed handwriting practice" with a mock up of tracing sheets, each with 6 words and pictures to guide children to practice their handwriting.

Use tracing sheets to help your kids practise writing and spelling winter words.

These sheets focus on words like “snow,” “scarf,” and “sledging.”

Tracing improves fine motor skills and helps young learners become more comfortable forming letters.

9. Winter Story Starters for Beginners

Text reads "winter-themed story starters" which includes a mock up of a sheet with story starter sentences.

Story starters encourage creativity and language development.

This printable features 15 simple sentence starters like, “On a snowy day, I like to…” Children can continue the sentence to create their own stories.

This activity encourages sentence building and storytelling.

10. Winter Scavenger Hunt

Text reads "10 winter-themed activities for kids" with a mock up of the printables included such as a vocabulary poster, scavenger hunt, Bingo cards, and word search.

Incorporate being outdoors with a fun Winter-Themed scavenger hunt. With a list of words such as “snow”, “frost”, or “a frozen puddle” your children can enjoy spotting different items whilst gaining some fresh air. 

During or after the walk, you could use the scavenger hunt as a basis for conversation practice e.g. “what colour scarf did you see?” Or “how many snowmen were there?”

You can get a copy of this Winter-themed scavenger hunt with the Winter Activity Pack here.

Join the FREE Resource Library

Looking for FREE quality printables, templates, and guides to help you teach your kids ESL at home?

Join theOET’s FREE Membership and gain access to 10s of resources designed by a qualified teacher to help your family learn English at home.

New resources are added every month. Save time, money, and stress with pre-made educational printables and guides.

11. Winter-Themed Prepositions Worksheet

Teach prepositions with fun, winter-themed pictures.

Worksheets might include prompts like, “The penguin is on the ice” or “The mittens are under the hat.”

This helps children understand spatial relationships and sentence structure.

12. Winter Picture Dictionary

Use this as a reference tool for your children by printing out a simple winter-themed picture dictionary.

With winter vocabulary words and matching images, this resource makes it easy for kids to review and remember new terms. It’s ideal for independent practice.

13. Winter Weather Vocabulary Activity

Text reads "winter weather vocabulary activities" with a mock up of 4 activities to practice winter weather including flash cards, a board game, and vocabulary matching.

Teach weather terms like “blizzard,” “frost,” and “hail.”

These worksheets encourage kids to match words with pictures, describe winter weather, and even have a template for them to record their own local weather.

This type of activity boosts conversational skills, too.

14. Hot Chocolate Sequencing Worksheet

Teach sequencing with a fun activity focused on making hot chocolate.

Printables include steps like “Add marshmallows” or “Heat the milk.”

It’s a great way to build vocabulary while introducing basic sequencing in sentences, not to mention rewarding as you get to enjoy drinking a delicious hot chocolate at the end.

15. Winter Animals Vocabulary Cards

Text reads "winter animals vocabulary activities" with 3 different themed activity mock ups that include flash cards, animal vocabulary matching, and a game of guess who.

Use these cards to teach animal-related words like “penguin,” “polar bear,” and “seal.”

You can also discuss how these animals adapt to winter, adding an educational twist to the activity.

They’re perfect for enhancing vocabulary with real-world connections and great for incorporating cross-curricular topics such as science and geography.

16. I Spy: Winter Wonderland

This Winter-Themed printable version of the popular children’s game I Spy will engage your children’s attention. 

With a colourful picture and associated activities, your children will learn and review Winter-Themed vocabulary and practice essential skills such as writing and grammar.

17. Winter Story Dice

Text reads "winter-themed story dice" with a mock up that inclides 2 story dice. One has coloured in images and the other has black and white outlined images. Images include winter items such as sledging, penguins, snowmen, and hot chocolate.

This is a really good activity to build speaking skills and storytelling, all whilst developing your children’s imagination. 

In this set, there are 2 story dice. One provides colourful pictures prompting children to create their own story.

The second is perfect for those who love arts and crafts. It includes black and white images for children to either draw or create with playdough / air-dry clay.

18. Writing Prompts

Text reads "winter-themed writing prompt" which includes a mock up of a printable with photos, vocabulary pictures, and lines for writing on.

For children who need a bit of extra writing practice, these writing prompts provide a good template.

With photos to provide a basis of what to write about, and a vocabulary list to refer to, your children can use this to develop better writing skills and practise forming full sentences.

19. Winter Board Game

Text reads "winter-themed board game" with a mock up of a printable board game that has questions and answer templates on it, and a print out of characters for the board game that includes animals such as a robin, fox, and hedgehog.

This simple board game will help your children practice winter-themed vocabulary words and speaking skills.

Players take turns rolling the dice, asking, and answering questions relating to winter. 

20. Winter Escape Room

Combining several of these activities turns learning into a fun game with a printable escape room template.

Your children will complete different “quests” in order to help save a baby polar bear and return it safely home. During each activity, they’ll improve their vocabulary range and speaking skills. 

BONUS Freebie

Sign up to theOET’s Free membership below to access 10s of templates, including winter-themed activities, colouring, flashcards, and posters.

Join the FREE Resource Library

Looking for FREE quality printables, templates, and guides to help you teach your kids ESL at home?

Join theOET’s FREE Membership and gain access to 10s of resources designed by a qualified teacher to help your family learn English at home.

New resources are added every month. Save time, money, and stress with pre-made educational printables and guides.

These winter-themed ESL printables offer a brilliant way to inspire early learners while building their English skills. 

By combining engaging visuals, age-appropriate activities, and seasonal themes, you can make language-learning enjoyable and effective. 

These resources are practical tools to keep young learners motivated throughout the season.

Text reads "20 winter printables for esl learners" with a mock up of 6 printables including winter-themed colouring, winter clothes vocabulary labelling, a winter-themed board game, winter weather vocabulary flash cards, and Bingo cards.

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