Every ESL teacher knows the small win that feels bigger than it looks. A beginner writes “I am happy,” or says “They are at school,” and for a moment the whole system of English starts to click. Identity, description, location, simple classroom talk. It all runs through these tiny forms.
That is why am are is worksheets matter more than their simplicity suggests. They are not just grammar drills for the first week of class. They are the practice ground for sentence control. If students do not automate “am,” “is,” and “are,” they keep stumbling later when they try to describe people, ask questions, write introductions, or understand basic reading passages.
The problem is not lack of material. It is choosing the right kind of practice for the job in front of you. A paper worksheet works well for a fast warm-up. It is weaker when you want homework feedback without marking a pile of papers. A game-based printable can wake up a primary class, but it may not give you enough tracking for an after-school program. A digital platform can save time, but only if setup is straightforward and the activities fit real classroom flow.
Teachers Pay Teachers hosts thousands of “is am are” worksheet options, which tells you how central this grammar point remains in early ESL instruction across major markets, from A1 classes to early primary grades (Teachers Pay Teachers search results for is am are resources). The demand is not the issue. The issue is selecting tools by use-case.
That is the angle here. Instead of one long mixed list, this guide treats am are is worksheets as a toolkit for lesson planning. Some resources are best for structured teaching. Some are better for interactive homework. Some are ideal for quick drills, speaking follow-ups, or mixed-ability groups. If you need a practical shortlist you can use next week, start here.
1. The Kingdom of English
The Kingdom of English is the option I would put in front of a busy teacher who wants more than a printable and less admin than a full LMS. It works best when your “am, is, are” practice needs to be assignable, trackable, and motivating without turning into another management task.
The platform includes 60 grammar topics, so “to be” practice sits inside a wider system instead of living as an isolated worksheet. That matters. Students who confuse “I am” one week often need review that connects to later grammar, reading, listening, and writing. A platform that keeps those pieces together is more useful than a folder full of disconnected PDFs.
Its practical appeal is straightforward. Google login removes setup friction. Teachers can work with up to 60 students per account, which suits many private classes, tutoring groups, and after-school programs. The AI-supported evaluation and feedback layer is especially useful when you want students to move from choosing the right form to producing their own short sentences.
Where it fits best
Use it in three places.
Digital station work: One group practices “am/is/are” while you teach another group.
Homework with accountability: Students complete assigned tasks, and you can see progress.
End-of-week review: Instead of giving one more paper worksheet, you turn revision into a class challenge with points and leaderboards.
That last part is not a gimmick when used well. Beginner learners often need repetition that does not feel repetitive. A gamified format helps you recycle the same grammar point without the class feeling stuck.
If you want background on the teaching logic behind this kind of setup, this explanation of what gamification in education means is a useful companion.
Trade-offs in real classrooms
The strengths are clear.
- Broad coverage: Grammar sits alongside reading, listening, and writing.
- Teacher efficiency: AI-supported checking reduces some of the manual feedback load.
- Student motivation: Leaderboards and class competition give repetition a reason.
- Low-friction access: Google sign-in is easier than asking families to create new accounts.
The limits are clear too.
- It needs internet access: Not a fit for low-tech classrooms.
- The standard account has a ceiling: If you run larger programs, the student limit matters.
- It is not a quick print-and-go option: If you need paper copies in the next five minutes, use a printable source instead.
Menlo Ventures’ 2025 consumer AI survey reported that 85% of students aged 18 and older used AI tools, the highest rate among the groups highlighted in the report (Menlo Ventures State of Consumer AI 2025). That does not mean every grammar task should become AI-driven. It does mean many learners already expect digital practice to be responsive, fast, and personalized.
Best use: assign “am, is, are” digitally when you want practice plus follow-through, not just practice plus hope.
2. Teach-This
If your planning style starts with “I need something reliable, level-appropriate, and teacher-proof,” Teach-This is one of the safest libraries to open first.
Its strength is not novelty. It is consistency. The “Verb to be” materials are organized the way teachers think. By level, by task type, by skill focus, and with teacher notes and answer keys that remove guesswork. That matters when you are planning for substitute cover, sharing materials with a colleague, or coordinating across classes.
Why teachers keep coming back to it
Teach-This works well when you need more than one mode of practice for the same grammar point. A worksheet on its own rarely gets students from recognition to confident use. A controlled exercise, followed by a communicative activity, gives the form somewhere to go.
The site earns its place in this area. You can pair a worksheet with a game or speaking task from the same topic area without patching materials together from five different websites.
For teachers building a mix of printable and digital grammar practice, this guide to ESL grammar practice online is a sensible pairing.
What it does better than free worksheet banks
- Better sequencing: Materials feel planned, not randomly uploaded.
- Clear teacher support: Notes and answer keys save prep time.
- Useful beyond beginners: The broader library supports later units too.
The main drawback is predictable. Much of the best content sits behind a membership. If you only need the occasional free sheet, you may not get full value from the platform. The interface also has enough filters and categories that a new user may need a little time to learn where everything lives.
This is a good fit for coordinators and tutors who want fewer surprises. It is less ideal if your main goal is to grab a free one-page drill in under a minute.
3. Liveworksheets
Liveworksheets is what I reach for when the paper worksheet itself is fine, but I do not want to mark it.
That is the core value. The platform takes familiar worksheet formats and turns them into interactive tasks students can complete online. For “am, is, are,” that works especially well because the target language is controlled enough for self-correction to be useful. Students choose a form, submit, and see quickly whether the grammar is right.
Best classroom use-case
This is strongest for homework, blended learning, and remote catch-up work.
A student absent today can still complete the task tonight. A support group can do the same grammar point at a slower pace on tablets while the rest of the class works with you. A tutor can send one link instead of scanning and emailing a PDF.
The article brief allowed one of the strongest platform-specific data points here. LiveWorksheets’ interactive version 116321 has been viewed by thousands, showing how well this model fits routine grammar homework and self-checking practice in real classrooms (Cambridge excerpt reference used in the verified data set).
Real trade-offs
The good part is obvious. Results can be collected automatically, and that saves time.
The weak part is just as obvious. A lot of the content is user-created, so quality varies. Some activities are clean and accurate. Some are cluttered, oddly worded, or not well leveled. You still need to vet before assigning.
- Use it when: you want fast assignment and auto-checking.
- Avoid it when: you need a carefully designed teaching sequence, not just an exercise.
- Watch for: ads in the free experience and uneven task quality.
Practical tip: preview every “am are is worksheets” activity as if you were the student. Check directions, example sentences, and whether the answer key accepts only one wording.
4. Games4ESL
Games4ESL solves a different problem. Sometimes students do not need more explanation. They need energy.
This site is especially useful with primary learners and lower-elementary ESL classes because the materials are built with young learners in mind. You get affirmative, negative, question forms, matching tasks, and a bingo option that helps students repeat the same target structure in a format that feels lighter than a standard drill.
Why it works with younger classes
Children usually handle “am/is/are” better when form and movement are connected. Even simple changes help. Standing up for “are,” circling a correct answer on a board, or calling out a bingo square creates enough variety to keep attention from falling apart.
Games4ESL supports that style well. The worksheets are direct, visually friendly, and often pair nicely with the site’s game materials and PowerPoints.
Where it falls short
It is not highly differentiated. If you teach a mixed-age center, a teen class, or adults who need more mature-looking material, this may feel too young. It is also a content bank, not a tracking system. You print, teach, collect, and mark.
That is not a criticism. It just means the site is best treated as a fast teaching resource, not a workflow solution.
- Strongest for: primary classes, young beginners, fun review lessons
- Less useful for: adult learners, detailed progress monitoring
- Best move: pair one printable with a speaking follow-up so students do not stop at circling answers
I like this kind of resource most when the lesson has already introduced the rule and the class now needs lively repetition.
5. K5 Learning
A familiar classroom problem. One group needs fresh speaking practice, and another still needs a clean page that lets them sort out "I am," "he is," and "they are" without extra noise. K5 Learning fits the second job well.
The strength here is control. The layout is spare, the language stays age-appropriate, and the practice does not wander into too many directions at once. For early elementary ESL, that matters. Students who freeze on busy worksheets usually do better when the page asks for one grammar decision at a time.
Best use-case: remediation and quiet reinforcement
I use resources like this for catch-up folders, partner tutoring, and homework that needs to survive outside the classroom. Parents can usually follow the pattern. Support teachers can pick it up quickly. Students are less likely to get stuck on the instructions than on the grammar itself, which is the right trade-off for this level.
K5 Learning keeps the focus on the basic "to be" pattern in a first-grade format, with answer-supported practice that works well for simple correction and review (K5 Learning am is are worksheet page).
If you are mapping a beginner sequence for children, the next clean contrast after "to be" is often have and has practice for young learners.
Classroom trade-offs
K5 is useful because it is limited. That sounds harsher than it is. A narrow worksheet often teaches better than a clever one when the goal is accuracy.
The limitation is range. Teens will usually find it too young. Adults will not want it. You also do not get digital assignment tools, auto-checking, or class tracking, so it belongs in the "structured print reinforcement" part of your toolkit, not the interactive homework slot.
- Strongest for: elementary remediation, homework folders, parent-supported review
- Less useful for: teens, adults, communicative grammar lessons
- Best move: assign one page for accuracy, then follow it with a short oral check so students say the pattern, not just fill it in
6. ISLCollective
ISLCollective is where I go when I need ideas, not certainty.
That distinction matters. The site is full of teacher-made resources, and the range is its biggest advantage. You can find formal drills, picture prompts, dialogue tasks, colorful kid sheets, and more creative formats that larger libraries sometimes ignore. If you are teaching one grammar point to several groups and do not want every class doing the same page, this variety is useful.
Best for finding unusual angles
Need a worksheet that feels less textbook-like. Need one with stronger visuals. Need something that can work for a multilingual class where images matter more than directions. ISLCollective often has an option.
That said, you have to treat it as a community archive, not a quality-controlled curriculum. Some materials are excellent. Some need editing. Some are too busy. Some are too easy.
The inclusion gap teachers should notice
The verified data also points to a real weakness across many “am is are” resources, including reviewed materials on major worksheet platforms. Neurodiverse learners are often poorly served, with many resources remaining visually uniform and lacking multisensory support (ISLCollective search page referenced in the verified data).
That is worth saying plainly. If you teach students with dyslexia, ADHD, or processing differences, do not assume a popular worksheet is an accessible worksheet.
When using ISLCollective with mixed-ability groups, I would rather adapt one simple page well than download five flashy pages that overwhelm the learners who most need clarity.
Use this site for inspiration, alternatives, and one-off finds. Just keep your vetting standards high.
7. All Things Grammar
All Things Grammar is the teacher equivalent of a dependable whiteboard marker. Not exciting. Always useful.
Its “Be Verb” worksheet is exactly the kind of page you want when there are five minutes before class and you need something clear. One page, uncluttered format, a short reference chart, practice items, and an answer key. For A1 to A2 review, that formula works.
Why classic drills still matter
Students often need a clean first pass before they are ready for a game, pair task, or digital assignment. If the initial page is too noisy, you spend the lesson explaining the worksheet instead of the grammar.
All Things Grammar avoids that problem. It is not trying to entertain. It is trying to clarify.
The worksheet style also pairs nicely with quick mini-lessons on what is subject-verb agreement, especially when students begin to confuse “be” forms with later agreement patterns.
What it does not do
It will not carry a whole week of instruction by itself. The task types are limited, and if you assign too many similar pages in a row, students switch to autopilot. This is best used as:
- A warm-up
- A short quiz-style review
- A catch-up sheet for absent students
- A controlled practice page before speaking
The article brief included one concrete example that fits this type of resource well. A typical “am/is/are” worksheet from Paulton Junior School includes 15 sentences such as “We (am/is/are) happy,” with “are” as the correct answer, which is exactly the kind of focused control beginners need before freer production.
8. Grammarism
Grammarism is for teachers who want volume.
Some sites give you one or two nice pages. Grammarism gives you enough material to build a progression. If you need to move from very controlled “I am / he is / they are” work into longer drills over several lessons, this site becomes useful fast.
When high-volume drills help
I would not use a large stack of worksheets as my whole method. But there are situations where depth matters.
A tutoring center may need fresh homework every week. A support program may need repeated practice for students who keep mixing forms. A teacher working across different age groups may want the same grammar point in slightly different versions.
Grammarism is good in those situations because you can keep the grammar target stable while changing the page.
The practical downside
The main trade-off is variety. You get lots of drills, but not always lots of activity types. That means the site works best when you are the one adding the communicative layer.
- Use one sheet for controlled written practice.
- Then convert five answers into spoken sentences.
- Then ask pairs to make their own mini-dialogues using the same forms.
If you only print and assign, students will feel the repetition. If you treat the worksheet as the base layer, the volume becomes a strength.
This is a good resource for teachers who like to build their own sequence and need enough raw material to do it.
9. EnglishWSheets.com
EnglishWSheets.com is one of the better free options when your class needs repetition without doing the same thing over and over.
That is not a small point. “Am, is, are” is easy to explain but surprisingly easy to over-drill. Students can get bored before they get accurate. This site helps because one topic can come with multiple-choice work, gap-fills, speaking cards, grammar tests, and even a board game.
Strong choice for mixed-ability groups
The site stands out in this area. In a mixed-ability class, not every student should always do exactly the same task. One student may need sentence-level correction. Another may be ready to use the forms in short speaking turns. A third may need a game format to stay engaged.
EnglishWSheets.com gives you enough formats to split a class more intelligently.
Try this pattern:
- Group A: a straightforward gap-fill
- Group B: speaking cards with short answers
- Group C: board game review after finishing early
That is much better than giving the same worksheet to everyone and hoping it lands equally well.
One caution
The more visual pages can use a lot of ink. That sounds minor until you are printing for several groups every week. I would save the graphic-heavy pages for classes where the visual appeal matters most, especially younger learners.
This site works best in classrooms where the teacher wants printable variety but is still willing to run the organization manually.
10. EnglishLinx
EnglishLinx is a straightforward fallback resource, and that is a compliment.
The site’s useful feature is simple differentiation by age band. It separates K-5 and 6-12 materials, which helps when you tutor across age groups or manage a center with younger children and older beginners in the same week. You do not have to guess whether a page will look too childish or too advanced.
Best use-case
This is a quick-download site. You need a basic be-verb worksheet. You want an uncluttered PDF. You do not need student accounts, dashboards, or layered tasks. EnglishLinx handles that job well.
For tutors, that reliability matters. You can grab one page for a child who needs foundational review and another for an older learner who wants the same grammar presented in a less juvenile format.
What to keep in mind
EnglishLinx does not have the depth of larger ESL-specific libraries. You are not coming here for a carefully structured sequence or a rich bank of communicative extensions. You are coming here for fundamentals.
That makes it especially useful for:
- Tutoring centers
- Sub plans
- Fast review packets
- Extra support work for students who need another simple pass at the form
It is basic. Sometimes basic is exactly right.
Top 10 am/are/is Worksheets Comparison
| Product | Core features | Quality ★ | Price & Value 💰 | Target 👥 | Unique selling point ✨ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Kingdom of English: Gamified Practice Platform 🏆 | Gamified activities across grammar/reading/listening/writing, AI feedback & grading, leaderboards, Google sign‑in, class tracking (60 topics) | ★★★★★ | 💰 Low-cost; free trial; scalable to up to 60 students | 👥 Classroom teachers, blended & homework use | ✨ All‑in‑one teacher‑centred gamified platform with AI grading |
| Teach‑This: Extensive Resource Library | CEFR‑aligned printable worksheets, teacher notes, filters by level/skill | ★★★★ | 💰 Paid membership for premium content | 👥 Teachers needing structured lesson plans | ✨ Rich, level‑filtered resources with teacher guidance |
| Liveworksheets: Interactive Digital Worksheets | Converts PDFs to interactive auto‑graded sheets; Google Classroom/MS Teams integration | ★★★★ | 💰 Free tier (ads) + premium options | 👥 Remote/blended teachers assigning homework | ✨ Auto‑checking interactive worksheets from uploaded PDFs |
| Games4ESL: Printables for Young Learners | Printable verb‑to‑be pack, bingo, PPT games, child‑friendly visuals | ★★★ | 💰 Free | 👥 Primary teachers & young learners | ✨ Game‑based, ready‑to‑print materials for engagement |
| K5 Learning: Printables for Young Learners | Grade‑banded 'am/is/are' worksheets with answer keys; US K‑5 pacing | ★★★★ | 💰 Mostly free downloads | 👥 Elementary teachers & parents (US) | ✨ Grade‑specific, curriculum‑paced worksheets |
| ISLCollective: Community Content Hub | Massive searchable teacher‑made DB, views/likes/comments for vetting | ★★★★ | 💰 Free to register & download | 👥 Teachers seeking variety & fresh ideas | ✨ Huge, diverse community marketplace of teacher resources |
| All Things Grammar: Classic Printable Drills | Clean one‑page PDFs, separate answer keys, consistent formatting | ★★★★ | 💰 Free | 👥 Busy teachers, A1–A2 learners | ✨ No‑prep, classroom‑ready drills |
| Grammarism: High‑Volume Printable Drills | 100+ 'to be' worksheets with answers; spans children → adults | ★★★ | 💰 Free (daily cap); paid bundle options | 👥 Teachers building long practice progressions | ✨ Exceptional volume for sequenced drilling |
| EnglishWSheets.com: Printables for Varied Activities | Multi‑format packs (MCQs, gap‑fills, speaking cards, board game) | ★★★ | 💰 Free | 👥 Mixed‑ability groups & kids | ✨ Topic packs with varied task types to avoid monotony |
| EnglishLinx: Classic Printable Drills | Separate K‑5 & 6‑12 PDFs, quick labeled downloads | ★★★ | 💰 Free (ad‑free membership optional) | 👥 Tutors and mixed‑grade classrooms | ✨ Fast, age‑appropriate differentiation for quick drills |
Building Your To Be Toolkit for the Week
Mastering “am,” “is,” and “are” is not a one-lesson event. It is repeated exposure, in varied formats, with enough control at the start and enough meaningful use afterward. That is why the best am are is worksheets are rarely one perfect worksheet. They are the right mix of tools across a week.
For pure structure, Teach-This and K5 Learning are strong. They help when you want orderly progression, answer keys, and materials that feel stable. Teach-This is stronger for teachers who want a broader professional library. K5 Learning is better when the learners are younger and the page needs to stay simple.
For quick classroom execution, All Things Grammar and EnglishLinx are hard to fault. They are not flashy, but both are useful in the way a dependable photocopiable resource should be useful. You can print, teach, and move on. That still matters in real schools where not every lesson needs a digital layer.
For younger learners who need movement and energy, Games4ESL is the easiest recommendation from this list. It makes beginner grammar less static. EnglishWSheets.com does something similar from a different angle by offering more variation in task type. If you teach mixed-ability children, that variety can save a lesson from becoming too easy for half the class and too repetitive for the other half.
For digital homework and blended learning, Liveworksheets remains one of the most practical choices. It is the simplest bridge between the worksheet world and the online-assignment world. Just remember that convenience does not remove the need for teacher judgment. You still need to preview and filter.
For broad idea hunting, ISLCollective is the most useful. It is where you go when you need alternatives, visuals, or a fresh format. But it should also remind teachers of something important. Popular does not always mean accessible. If your class includes neurodiverse learners, dense worksheets with too many visual demands can create barriers instead of support. In mixed-ability groups, differentiation is not just about easier and harder versions. It is also about readability, pacing, response format, and how much language students must process at once.
The most complete option for ongoing use is The Kingdom of English. It is not just another grammar handout source. It gives you a system for assigning, tracking, reviewing, and motivating practice around “am, is, are” and well beyond it. That is especially valuable for coordinators, tutoring centers, and teachers who want continuity between homework, class stations, and revision. When the same platform also supports reading, listening, and writing, students stop seeing grammar as a disconnected worksheet task.
A simple weekly rhythm often works best. Start with a clean drill from All Things Grammar or K5 Learning. Move to a communicative or game-based printable from Games4ESL or EnglishWSheets.com. Assign a Liveworksheets task for feedback outside class. Then finish the week with a gamified review on The Kingdom of English so students revisit the same forms in a more motivating format.
That combination tends to work because each tool does a different job. Paper builds control. Games build attention. Interactive homework builds follow-through. Trackable platforms build continuity.
If you choose with the classroom use-case in mind, “am, is, are” stops being a dull beginner unit and becomes what it should be: the first stable brick in a student’s English system.
If you want one place to turn “am, is, are” practice into assignable, trackable, motivating work, The Kingdom of English is the strongest all-in-one option on this list. It gives teachers a practical mix of grammar, reading, listening, and writing activities, with AI-supported feedback, leaderboards, and simple Google login that fits real classroom routines. For tutors, coordinators, and teachers who want less admin and more visible progress, it is well worth trying.