Amazon Animals is a great topic for young ESL learners! Not only do they learn English, but they also build geographic knowledge of the world and natural environments. Amazon Animals are fascinating, and there are so many to learn!

For reference, our beginner ESL Amazon Animal unit for young learners focuses on 14 vocabulary words before adding and building on this in later levels. The initial vocabulary learned includes: rainforest, Amazon, South America, jaguar, sloth, toucan, royal flycatcher, red howler monkey, manatee, electric eel, iguana, poison dart frog, leaf insect, and anteater. Here are some of our young learners aged 3-6 doing a great job in our Amazon Animals unit:

Here are some videos and resources I used in our Amazon Animal Unit.

Educational Videos:

InfoZillien: Rainforest Animals | Amazon Rainforest Animals

This video features a lot of animals! It shows short video clips of the animals with the animal's name pronounced. It is great for the kids to see many animals they don't know (and many probably won't be part of your unit), as it creates a lot of interest and fascination about the Amazon and its wildlife.

Socratica Kids: 10 Jungle Animals for Kids || Amazon Animals for Kids || South American Animals

10 Amazing Amazon Animals with some interesting facts. Uses some language not all kids will understand, but nonetheless they will be interested and gives you plenty of opportunity to explain. 

Twinkl Educational Publishing: What Animals live in the Rainforest? | Rainforest Animals for Kids

This video introduces a few rainforest animals with interesting facts. I like to pause when it shows the world map to explain where South America and the Amazon are. Although the language might be advanced for young ESL learners, it is still valuable for them to see the animals and perfect for practicing some animal vocabulary.

Inspire Education: The 4 Layers of the Rainforest

Later in our Amazon Animals unit, we introduce the four forest layers. This video is a useful accompaniment to illustrate these layers.

animal fun facts: Rainforest Animals 🐅🌴 - Animals for Kids - Educational Video

Another good introduction for showing rainforests and introducing the forest layers and some animals. 

sFrancis719: Exploring Life within the Layers of the Rainforest

Another useful video for introducing and showing the four forest layers. The end of the video also introduces a few rainforest animals. 

Songs:

Lingokids: IT'S RAINING IT'S POURING IN THE RAINFOREST ☔ 🌴 Kids Song | Lingokids

A fun song set to the melody of "It's Raining, It's Pouring," featuring some fun animal sounds that the kids love! The jaguars roar with a "roar," and the monkeys have fun with a "huhuhu.

Super Simple Songs: Walking In The Jungle

A classic song to sing with actions! "Stop!" "Listen!"

A good warm up song with actions to follow along to!

Games:

What Animal Is This? What animals live in the Amazon rainforest? | Guess the animal

Guess the animals from the silhouettes and riddles! You might need to pause, explain, and simplify some of the language for beginners.

Criczzy:🐘Animals Pub Quiz Challenge [Amazon Rain-forest Edition] |Guess These 11 Animals🦁You'll Be Amazed!

Guess the animal from the blurred picture. This activity is easier than the above video as it focuses solely on animal vocabulary with pictures, making it great for both beginner and older learners. Each picture includes a one-word clue, which is excellent for learning additional vocabulary. You may need to demonstrate and explain the one-word clues.

Classic Trivia: Guess the Amazon Rainforest Animal Quiz

Guess the animal from the pictures. Since there is no narration, you'll need to vocalize the answers yourself. The 3-second guessing time is quick, so be prepared to pause the video to elicit guesses from the students.

Coach Corey Martin: Jungle Chase | Break Break | Just Dance | GoNoodle Inspired

This is a fun lesson break you might enjoy! Give it a try. It's like Temple Run, but set in the rainforest. Do the actions together: "jump," "duck," "slide," and "freeze." After each round, there's a question—you can pause and elicit the answers.