🏖️ Lesson Plan: Summer Holidays (Ages 6–18)

Linda G

?️ Lesson Plan: Summer Holidays (Ages 6–18)

Level: Beginner to Pre-Intermediate
Age Range: 6–18 (with adaptations)
Duration: 45 minutes
Skills: Speaking, Listening, Vocabulary, Reading/Writing
Theme: Talking about summer holidays—activities, travel, and personal experiences


1. ? Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Objective: Activate interest and set the topic

For Ages 6–10:

  • Show 3–5 colorful pictures (beach, ice cream, suitcase, swimming).

  • Ask simple questions:

    • “What do you see?”

    • “Do you like summer?”

    • “What do you do in summer?”

For Ages 11–18:

  • Ask discussion questions (use breakout rooms for groups if online):

    • “What is your favorite summer memory?”

    • “Do you usually travel in summer? Where?”

    • “What’s the best thing about summer?”


2. ? Vocabulary (8 minutes)

Objective: Learn key words related to summer holidays

Target Words:

  • beach, suitcase, plane, ice cream, swimming, camping, sunscreen, picnic

Activities:

Ages 6–10:

  • Picture-word matching

  • Repeat-after-me and gestures

  • “What’s Missing?” game (hide one flashcard)

Ages 11–18:

  • Word definition guessing game

  • Use in a sentence: “I always bring my ___ on holiday.”

  • Fast-paced quiz (Kahoot or paper)


3. ?️ Let’s Talk: Summer Fun! (10 minutes)

Objective: Practice speaking in full sentences using new vocab

Sentence Starters:

  • “In summer, I like to ___.”

  • “I go to the ___ with my family.”

  • “We eat ___ and ___.”

  • “I want to travel to ___.”

Adapted Speaking Activities:

Ages 6–10:

  • Choose and say: Show 3 pictures, students choose 1 and describe it

  • Sentence spinner or dice game (“I + verb + place”)

Ages 11–14:

  • Pair work: Ask and answer 3 questions about summer

  • “This or That?” game (Beach or mountains? Ice cream or watermelon?)

Ages 15–18:

  • Mini interviews: “Tell me about your best summer holiday.”

  • Discuss: “Do you prefer relaxing or adventure holidays?”


4. ? Listening/Story or Video (5 minutes)

Objective: Practice listening comprehension

Activity:

  • Use a short video clip or teacher-read paragraph

    • Ex: “Last summer, Mia went camping. She saw deer, swam in a lake, and ate hot dogs.”

Comprehension Questions:

Younger students: “Where did she go?” “What did she eat?”
Older students: “List 3 things Mia did.” “Was she alone or with someone?”


5. ✍️ My Summer Holiday – Guided Output (10 minutes)

Objective: Personalize language through speaking or writing

Choose: Speaking or Writing, depending on age and level

Ages 6–10:

  • Draw and describe: “This is my summer.”

  • Sentence frames:

    • I go to the ___. I eat ___. I feel ___.

Ages 11–14:

  • Fill-in-the-gap story

    • “Last summer, I went to ___. I ___ every day. It was ___.”

  • Share with a partner or teacher

Ages 15–18:

  • Journal prompt or mini paragraph

    • “Describe your perfect summer holiday.”

    • Share with classmate or read aloud


6. ? Game & Review (5–7 minutes)

Objective: End with fun and reinforcement

Game Options:

  • Ages 6–10: Vocabulary Bingo, Charades, or a "Pack Your Bag" memory game

  • Ages 11–14: “Would You Rather – Summer Edition”

  • Ages 15–18: Speed Questions (summer theme) or a short role-play: "At the airport" or "Booking a trip"


Learning Goals Recap

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Identify and use 6–8 summer holiday vocabulary words

  • Talk about their favorite summer activities and memories

  • Understand a short spoken or written story

  • Express a personal summer plan or experience using basic English

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This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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