Family and Friends ESL Worksheets and Lessons
234 worksheets, 87 lessons, 14 vocabulary decks and 15 shadowing scripts · People & me
Start here — 58 free samples
Free to try: open, print and play them — no account needed.
Family & friends worksheets
234 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Family & friends lessons
87 ready lessons for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
Family & friends vocabulary
14 word decks with meanings, examples and pronunciation: flip, quiz, print as flashcards or play as a game.
Family & friends shadowing
Listen, repeat, record and compare: short scripts for pronunciation and fluency.
Warm-ups and fillers
Quick Fun Corner activities on the same theme: no preparation.
- Would you rather · KidsMime your job. Can the class guess it? Then say one thing you need: “I need a …”
- Riddle · A1Hint: The plates, the food and the big turkey all go on me.
- Would you rather · B1In pairs, list two good things and two bad things about each. Then tell the class: "If I hosted, I'd have to …, but I could …"
- Would you rather · B1Friendsgiving is a Thanksgiving meal with friends. Choose, then tell your group who you'd invite, what you'd cook and one thing that could go wrong.
- Riddle · B2Hint: One person can be a mother and a daughter at the same time.
- Tongue twister · C1Sounds: /ɡr/ and /kr/
About Family & friends
Family and friends is one of the richest early topics: every learner has something to say about the people in their life, and the vocabulary recycles naturally through the rest of the course. It also gives an authentic context for possessives, which learners at every level find tricky.
Young learners and A1 classes start with mom, dad, brother, sister, grandparents and have/has, plus possessive 's and his/her. At A2 and B1 the family tree grows to cousins, aunts, in-laws and step-families, with present continuous and past simple for family news and stories. B2 to C2 learners discuss relationships, family structures, generational change and phrasal verbs such as get on with, look up to and fall out.
This page brings together printable worksheets, ready-to-teach lessons and vocabulary flashcard decks on family and friendship, organized by level.
Teaching tips: Family & friends
- Build a class family tree of a famous or fictional family rather than asking learners to draw their own, which can be sensitive.
- Drill the difference between "my sister's friend" and "my sisters' friends" with quick board examples, as the apostrophe position confuses most learners.
- Use an information-gap family tree where each partner has half the names and must ask "Who is Tom's wife?" to complete it.
- At B1 and above, have students interview each other about a friend they have known a long time to practice present perfect with for and since.
Questions teachers ask
Which family words should I teach first?
Start with mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother and grandfather, then add parents, children, aunt, uncle and cousin once possessive 's is secure. In-laws and step-relations suit A2 onwards.
How can I teach family without upsetting students with difficult home situations?
Use fictional or celebrity families, cartoon characters or photos you provide, and never require learners to describe their own family.
Do the family worksheets have answer keys?
Yes. Worksheets come with an answer key or teacher copy, and you can print them as PDF or share a class link so students complete them online.
What grammar goes well with family at intermediate level?
Present perfect for experiences and duration, used to for childhood memories, and relationship phrasal verbs work well from B1 to B2.