What ESL Supplies Do You Need?

If you're a new ESL teacher, you may wonder which ESL supplies will help you in your job.

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Fortunately, we now have the internet to supply us with almost anything we need, and it is easy to find great ESL supplies, so here is a list of some of the things that are essential to help you in your job.

1. Student rewards

Whatever the age of your students, they enjoy being rewarded.

Whether it is with stickers, postcards, books, certificates, notebooks, pens, or candy, they will love having some physical recognition for good work or hard effort.

There are some great websites that sell student rewards at really cheap prices. You can even get some personalized gifts that can work really well for competitions or special events.

2. Craft supplies

To add a little creativity into your classroom it is always a good idea to have some craft supplies. You can get these from specialist craft or hobby shops, toy shops or even large supermarkets, as well as online.

The uses for these are endless. They encourage students to work together on projects, they can be used to decorate posters for the classroom, to illustrate stories, and in fact, their use is only limited by your imagination.

3. Reading books

These aren't first on the list for a few reasons.

First, many people will think these are obvious anyway.

Second, they are not suitable for every class.

And third, they encourage individual work rather than group or team work which is so important in a class environment.

Graded readers (books specially written for second or foreign language learners) are great for individual students to take home and read, and as many schools do not supply them it is often great if the teachers have a few they can lend over a weekend.

Students seem to appreciate being trusted with them if they know they belong to the teacher, and will usually bring them back.

4. Puzzle books

Puzzle books are great because you can give them as prizes or you can use them in your classes.

I used to have a "Friday Fun" table, where I'd have copies of puzzles, graded readers, DVDs, as well as worksheets etc., which students could take for a weekend to use to practice their English.

5. Dictionaries

If your school or college does not provide dictionaries, then it would really help if you had some you could take to class with you.

They can be expensive, so it may not be a great idea to give them to students to take home, but they are invaluable in the class.

6. Flashcards

If you are teaching low-level students, then flashcards can be really useful.

These are cards with a picture on one side, and the word corresponding to the picture on the other side.

They are great for illustrating beginners' vocabulary, and can be used in a variety of games and activities to reinforce vocabulary that students have already learned.

7. Paper and pens

Students often forget these essential items, so you should always go to your ESL classes with a supply of paper and pens.


Just a simple search on the internet will help you find all these supplies, wherever you are in the world, so there is no reason for you not to have the ESL supplies you need!

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