Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Looking for a free ESL progressive tense resource that your students will actually use? You’re in the right place.
Let’s be real—progressive tenses can get confusing fast for English learners. Whether it’s present progressive, past progressive, or future with will be + -ing, your students are juggling time markers, helping verbs, and -ing forms all at once. No wonder it feels overwhelming!
That’s exactly why I created this mini desk mat for progressive tenses—to simplify things for my students (and make life a little easier for me too). And yes, you can grab the present progressive version totally free right now.
Why Use Desk Mats for Grammar?
Desk mats are one of those ESL tools that pull double duty: they provide visual support and reinforce sentence structure during writing, speaking, or even partner games.
In my classroom, I like to use them as:
- Warm-up supports
- Writing aids during bell work or journal time
- Scaffolds for speaking tasks
- Grammar reference tools during test prep
- A built-in “cheat sheet” for reluctant writers
The best part? These mats stay right on students’ desks, so they don’t have to flip through notebooks or raise their hand every 3 seconds to ask if it’s am or is. (You know the feeling.)
What’s Included in the Free ESL Progressive Tense Resource?
The freebie focuses on Present Progressive Tense—perfect for back-to-school grammar refreshers or newcomer ESL students.
You’ll get:
- A half-page mini desk mat with simple visuals and sentence frames
- Key reminders like “Never use an -ing verb without a helper!”
- Example sentences for am / is / are + verb-ing
- A printable layout with two mats per page
- Clean, teen-friendly design that doesn’t feel “babyish” or cluttered
It’s available in PDF, Google Slides, and PowerPoint, so you can use what works best for your teaching style. Print it, project it, laminate it—whatever fits your classroom flow.
👉 Grab the Free Present Progressive Desk Mat Here
Want the Whole Set?
If you find yourself loving the free version (your students will, promise), I also created a 3-mat bundle that includes:
- Present Progressive (am/is/are + -ing)
- Past Progressive (was/were + -ing)
- Future Progressive (will be + -ing)
Each version keeps the same clean layout and teen-friendly style but highlights the different helping verbs and time clues students need. It’s perfect for spiral review or year-round support.
👉 Check Out the Full Mini Desk Mat Set Here
A Back-to-School Favorite
I love using these mats during the first week of school as part of our classroom setup. We talk about grammar expectations, introduce our desk tools, and use them right away in a low-pressure speaking activity. It sets the tone for how we’ll use English all year—confidently and with the right support in place.
Final Thoughts
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to grammar scaffolds. Sometimes a clear, visual tool can do the job better than a worksheet or mini-lecture. And if that tool is free? Even better.
Give the free ESL progressive tense resource a try and see how your students respond. It’s been a game-changer in my own classroom, and I think it’ll help your learners, too.
👉 Click here to grab the free desk mat
👉 Or take a peek at the full 3-tense mini bundle
Happy teaching!
– Sunshine Castro, M.Ed.
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