140+ Winter Vocabulary Words for ESL/ELD Students

It is always effective to teach ESL and ELD students vocabulary that they can see and use right away. Students learning English will be able to see and hear these vocabulary words right away at stores, in advertisements, in winter themed songs, on cards, and on TV.

Not all of these vocabulary words need to be assigned for memorization at once, but having them all on one page provides a good reference for your students to keep in their notebooks for all of their winter writing and speaking assignments.

Winter Weather Words

blizzard

chilly

clear

clouds

cloudy

cold

fog

freeze

freezing

frost

hail

ice

icicle

rain

rainy

raindrop

sleet

snow

snowy

snowflake

storm

sunny

temperature

wind

windy

Winter Sports

snowboarding

snowboard

ice skating

ice skates

ice rink

snow skiing

snow skis

mogul

ski jump

ski lift

poles

sledding

sled

tobogganing

toboggan

bobsledding

bobsled

hockey

hockey puck

hockey stick

goalie

goal

ice fishing

fishing pole

Olympics

Olympic Games

Olympic torch

Winter Clothes

boots

coat

earmuffs

fleece

gloves

hat

jacket

mittens

scarf

socks

sweater

turtleneck

wool

Winter Holidays

Christmas

Hanukkah

Kwanza

New Year's Day

New Year's Eve

Valentine's Day

More Winter Words

candle

candy cane

card

carol

chimney

December

decorate

decorations

February

fire

fireplace

frostbite

garland

gift
gingerbread man
gingerbread house

heater

hibernate

holiday

hot chocolate

igloo

January

migrate

mistletoe

North Pole

ornament

pine tree

poinsettia

present

reindeer

season

shiver

sleigh

slide (past tense-slid)

slippery

slippery

sneeze

sniffle

snow angel

snow plow

snow shovel

snowball

snowball fight

snowman

stocking

tradition

white

wreath

Give your students opportunities to use these winter vocabulary words throughout the season in their writing assignments, conversation practice, and in exercises like these:

Word Categories

Some of these winter vocabulary words are already sorted but students can further sort the winter vocabulary words into categories such as: things you can do in the snow, things to help you get warm, clothes to wear in the cold and other categories you or your students think of.

Fill In the Blank

As a vocabulary practice activity, write sentences that are missing a word and let your students use their list to determine what word best fills in the blank. Sample sentences using fall vocabulary include:

After playing outside in the cold, many children like to come inside and drink ________.

A ______ is a beautiful red flower that is used for winter decorations.

______ or _____ can be worn on your hands to keep them warm.

CLOZE Paragraphs

Cloze paragraphs are paragraphs with words and phrases missing that students fill in on their own. An example of a cloze paragraph using fall vocabulary is:

Winter is a season that includes the months of _______, _______, and _______. During the winter, children enjoy _______ and _______ outside in the snow. They also like to build _______.

Writing Assignments and Journal Activities

Give your ESL/ELD students plenty of practice using their new words in the journals and other writing assignments. Some journal topics for winter vocabulary include:

What is your favorite part of winter?

What is winter weather like in your community?

What is your favorite winter sport?

Word Games

Crossword puzzles, word scrambles, and word searches are great practice. All of these games can be made online at DiscoverySchool.com by using their Puzzle Maker application.