Sports ESL Worksheets, Flashcards and Lessons
130 worksheets, 41 lessons, 12 vocabulary decks and 3 shadowing scripts · Free time & culture
Start here — 23 free samples
Free to try: open, print and play them — no account needed.
Sports worksheets
130 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Sports lessons
41 ready lessons for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
Sports vocabulary
12 word decks with meanings, examples and pronunciation: flip, quiz, print as flashcards or play as a game.
Sports shadowing
Listen, repeat, record and compare: short scripts for pronunciation and fluency.
About Sports
Sport is a topic many learners are passionate about, whether they play, watch or simply follow a team. It is highly visual, easy to mime and connects well with health, free time and big events such as the Olympics and the World Cup.
Kids and A1 learners learn soccer, tennis, swimming and basketball with can and can't and like + -ing. A2 learners master play, go and do with sports (play soccer, go swimming, do karate), talk about how often they play sports and describe famous athletes. B1 learners describe matches and experiences with past and present perfect tenses. B2 to C2 learners discuss sport and money, doping, extreme sports, sport and national identity, and idioms such as a level playing field.
On this page you will find printable worksheets, ready-to-teach lessons and vocabulary flashcard decks on sports.
Teaching tips: Sports
- Sort sports into play, go and do columns and let learners work out the rule: play for ball games, go for -ing activities, do for martial arts and individual activities.
- Play sports charades where learners mime and the class guesses with "Are you playing tennis?"
- Have learners commentate on a short, muted sports clip to practice present continuous.
- At B2 and above, debate whether top athletes are paid too much or whether extreme sports should be banned.
Questions teachers ask
When do we use play, go and do with sports?
Use play with ball and competitive games (play soccer), go with activities ending in -ing (go skiing) and do with martial arts and many individual activities (do judo, do yoga).
What sports vocabulary should young learners know?
Soccer, basketball, tennis, swimming, running, riding a bike and skating, taught with actions and flashcards.
Is sport a common exam topic?
Yes. Sport and leisure appear regularly in Cambridge speaking and writing tasks, from A2 Key to C1 Advanced.