Teaching English to children

When you teach children English it is essential to have a box of materials that can be adaptable to any game or activity

As parents when you show your enthusiasm and appreciation towards your children to teach English, it has a very positive impact on them. They will pick up on your enthusiasm for the language. But as parents you need not worry if your children don’t start speaking English immediately. They need a certain amount of time to absorb the language. You can arrange short and frequent sessions than long infrequent ones at home for them. Keep the activities short and varied in order to hold your children’s attention. Fifteen minutes is enough for one kind of activity for very young children. The advantage of teaching English at home is that you can use everyday situations and real objects from around the house to practice the language naturally and in context. Suppose, you can talk about clothes when your child is getting dressed, --‘Let’s put on your white shirt today’. Practice vocabulary for toys and furniture when you are helping your child to tidy their bedroom ---- ‘Where is the blue car?’ Teach food vocabulary when you are cooking or going shopping. When you go to the supermarket, give your child a list of things to find using pictures or words depending on their age.
Younger children love books with bright colours and attractive illustrations. We can use them to teach English. For example, we can ask our children to point to different things, e.g. ‘Where's the cat?’ After a while we can encourage them to say the words by asking ‘What's that?’ Some educators believe that kids learn best through play. And what is true of English-speaking children, in this case, will also be true of your English-learning students. Here are some ways you can make learning more fun with your student’s games. Not only do games play on the competitive nature of most children, but games also give them a goal to accomplish. When you win a game, you have really done something, and you can feel good about your success. Kids love to make colorful and exciting things in the classroom. Pablo Picasso observed that “every child is an artist.” Take advantage of that inborn quality and use art to teach your young students the English language.

Of course you can talk about obvious things like colors and shapes when you use art, but creative projects have so much more potential. Art is a fantastic way to get your young students excited and interested in a variety of lessons to reinforce. Students can draw pictures independently, but you should walk around the classroom and encourage them to talk to you about their work.

 With younger children, there is no need to explicitly teach grammar rules, but instead  we should get them used to hearing and using different grammatical structures in context, for example ‘have got’ when we are talking about someone’s appearance, or ‘must/mustn’t’ when talking about their school rules. Hearing the grammar being used in context from an early age will help your children/students to use it naturally and correctly when they are older.
Children learn naturally when they are having fun. If children are bored they won’t pay attention, and they won’t learn. Our job is to make learning engaging and fun. Teaching children can be immensely rewarding but it’s not fun and games all the time, and sometimes it’s just not that easy. English teachers who wish to teach children must be aware of the challenges and difficulties they may encounter, and prepare accordingly.  Teaching children demands a great deal of creativity and energy. Kids will always keep you on your toes! They will amaze you and surprise you, but don't think that just because you'll be teaching colors and animals, it'll be a breeze. Songs are a really effective way to learn new words and improve pronunciation. Songs with actions are particularly good for very young children as they are able to join in even if they are not yet able to sing the song. The actions often demonstrate the meaning of the words in the single classes may include singing, dancing, and jumping, as well as writing, reading, or listening. The best English as Second Language (ESL) lessons combine the right mix of teaching strategies. You may begin class with a short song, then move on to a reading exercise. Songs are a fantastic mnemonic device for new vocabulary, and the Internet is a wealth of different song ideas. The best time to use a song is once the vocabulary has already been introduced. Some songs are simpler, ideal for using the same day or the same week that the vocabulary is introduced. As kids get older and reach their pre-teen years, some ESL games and activities may not interest them as much as they did in the past. Find out what does interest them. What kind of music do they like? What do they enjoy reading? What sports do they play? Which sports stars do they admire? Lessons should be planned in accordance with learning goals. And vocabulary, grammar, and language should be taught in context. For example, when teaching children foods in English, it should be within a meal context like breakfast, lunch or dinner, and should never be a list of items they must study or memorize.

If there is one thing kids like more than having fun, it’s moving. In fact, Dr. Maria Montessori suggested that young children are not able to learn unless they are also able to move. In addition, involving the whole body in language learning is a useful teaching method. The more language learners move, the better and faster they understand what you are teaching and the more easily they can retain the information. TPR (Total Physical Response) is a teaching method that works really well with children. In essence, you associate physical movements with language instruction. Students move as they learn. They follow instructions, copy your movements and get their whole bodies involved when they practice language concepts. This is one of the most effective ways to teach ESL to children.

One of the most important things to remember when you teach children is not to put pressure on them. Remember that children learn some aspects of foreign languages more easily than adults. So no matter what you do in class, they will already be on the road to fluency in English. Their natural acquisition process will follow three simple steps. They will recognize words and grammar when you use them. They will be able to respond when you ask them questions about the words and grammar you use. And then they will be able to use those language structures themselves.

When you teach children, remember you should avoid putting pressure on students by not correcting every error they make. You had better focus on what you have recently taught, and correct errors with those words and structures. But if you haven’t covered a grammar point yet, let it go. Your students don’t have to have all of English perfect right away. When you hear a student say something wrong or use a word incorrectly, just use it correctly right afterwards. The natural language learning feedback system in the human brain will notice the difference, and your students will likely use the language correctly just from hearing it right. Don’t give everything a grade. Sometimes it’s enough to just go over correct answers with your students or have them discuss their answers together. You don’t have to collect every paper and mark it up with the mighty red pen.

Children should generally not be asked to do an activity for any longer than 20 minutes, so if we imagine that a class lasts between 45 and 60 minutes, each activity would be about a third or up to half of a class period. Often, however, an activity will take up much less time than this.The idea with educative play is for teachers and assistants to participate in the play in English, asking questions that students can answer. Examples of such questions include: (i)What are you doing? (ii)What are you playing? (iii)Can I play? (iv)What’s that? (v)Would you like this (block, ball, and doll)? Encourage students to answer you in English, but don’t force them to speak to one another in English. As things progress, they may speak to one another in English of their own accord—which is proof that your efforts are paying off!

Studies have shown that children who are exposed to English or another language before the age of ten have a better chance of learning to speak without an accent. The developing brain of a child undergoes physiological changes at the onset of adolescence that make it more difficult to distinguish and reproduce many of the sounds of a foreign language. Consequently, if you expose your child to hearing native-spoken English from an early age, it will be that much easier to teach him to speak like a native. It's also important to start teaching English as a second language early, because young children have an easier time learning languages than adolescents or adults. This is because young children are still using their intrinsic language-learning skills to acquire their first language. They quickly realize they can use these same skills when learning English.

 The writer works in BRAC
Education Programme
Email: [email protected]

 

Teaching English to children

When you teach children English it is essential to have a box of materials that can be adaptable to any game or activity

As parents when you show your enthusiasm and appreciation towards your children to teach English, it has a very positive impact on them. They will pick up on your enthusiasm for the language. But as parents you need not worry if your children dont start speaking English immediately. They need a certain amount of time to absorb the language. You can arrange short and frequent sessions than long infrequent ones at home for them. Keep the activities short and varied in order to hold your childrens attention. Fifteen minutes is enough for one kind of activity for very young children. The advantage of teaching English at home is that you can use everyday situations and real objects from around the house to practice the language naturally and in context. Suppose, you can talk about clothes when your child is getting dressed, --Lets put on your white shirt today. Practice vocabulary for toys and furniture when you are helping your child to tidy their bedroom ---- Where is the blue car? Teach food vocabulary when you are cooking or going shopping. When you go to the supermarket, give your child a list of things to find using pictures or words depending on their age. Younger children love books with bright colours and attractive illustrations. We can use them to teach English. For example, we can ask our children to point to different things, e.g. Wheres the cat? After a while we can encourage them to say the words by asking Whats that? Some educators believe that kids learn best through play. And what is true of English-speaking children, in this case, will also be true of your English-learning students. Here are some ways you can make learning more fun with your students games. Not only do games play on the competitive nature of most children, but games also give them a goal to accomplish. When you win a game, you have really done something, and you can feel good about your success. Kids love to make colorful and exciting things in the classroom. Pablo Picasso observed that every child is an artist. Take advantage of that inborn quality and use art to teach your young students the English language. Of course you can talk about obvious things like colors and shapes when you use art, but creative projects have so much more potential. Art is a fantastic way to get your young students excited and interested in a variety of lessons to reinforce. Students can draw pictures independently, but you should walk around the classroom and encourage them to talk to you about their work. With younger children, there is no need to explicitly teach grammar rules, but instead we should get them used to hearing and using different grammatical structures in context, for example have got when we are talking about someones appearance, or must/mustnt when talking about their school rules. Hearing the grammar being used in context from an early age will help your children/students to use it naturally and correctly when they are older. Children learn naturally when they are having fun. If children are bored they wont pay attention, and they wont learn. Our job is to make learning engaging and fun. Teaching children can be immensely rewarding but its not fun and games all the time, and sometimes its just not that easy. English teachers who wish to teach children must be aware of the challenges and difficulties they may encounter, and prepare accordingly. Teaching children demands a great deal of creativity and energy. Kids will always keep you on your toes! They will amaze you and surprise you, but dont think that just because youll be teaching colors and animals, itll be a breeze. Songs are a really effective way to learn new words and improve pronunciation. Songs with actions are particularly good for very young children as they are able to join in even if they are not yet able to sing the song. The actions often demonstrate the meaning of the words in the single classes may include singing, dancing, and jumping, as well as writing, reading, or listening. The best English as Second Language (ESL) lessons combine the right mix of teaching strategies. You may begin class with a short song, then move on to a reading exercise. Songs are a fantastic mnemonic device for new vocabulary, and the Internet is a wealth of different song ideas. The best time to use a song is once the vocabulary has already been introduced. Some songs are simpler, ideal for using the same day or the same week that the vocabulary is introduced. As kids get older and reach their pre-teen years, some ESL games and activities may not interest them as much as they did in the past. Find out what does interest them. What kind of music do they like? What do they enjoy reading? What sports do they play? Which sports stars do they admire? Lessons should be planned in accordance with learning goals. And vocabulary, grammar, and language should be taught in context. For example, when teaching children foods in English, it should be within a meal context like breakfast, lunch or dinner, and should never be a list of items they must study or memorize. If there is one thing kids like more than having fun, its moving. In fact, Dr. Maria Montessori suggested that young children are not able to learn unless they are also able to move. In addition, involving the whole body in language learning is a useful teaching method. The more language learners move, the better and faster they understand what you are teaching and the more easily they can retain the information. TPR (Total Physical Response) is a teaching method that works really well with children. In essence, you associate physical movements with language instruction. Students move as they learn. They follow instructions, copy your movements and get their whole bodies involved when they practice language concepts. This is one of the most effective ways to teach ESL to children. One of the most important things to remember when you teach children is not to put pressure on them. Remember that children learn some aspects of foreign languages more easily than adults. So no matter what you do in class, they will already be on the road to fluency in English. Their natural acquisition process will follow three simple steps. They will recognize words and grammar when you use them. They will be able to respond when you ask them questions about the words and grammar you use. And then they will be able to use those language structures themselves. When you teach children, remember you should avoid putting pressure on students by not correcting every error they make. You had better focus on what you have recently taught, and correct errors with those words and structures. But if you havent covered a grammar point yet, let it go. Your students dont have to have all of English perfect right away. When you hear a student say something wrong or use a word incorrectly, just use it correctly right afterwards. The natural language learning feedback system in the human brain will notice the difference, and your students will likely use the language correctly just from hearing it right. Dont give everything a grade. Sometimes its enough to just go over correct answers with your students or have them discuss their answers together. You dont have to collect every paper and mark it up with the mighty red pen. Children should generally not be asked to do an activity for any longer than 20 minutes, so if we imagine that a class lasts between 45 and 60 minutes, each activity would be about a third or up to half of a class period. Often, however, an activity will take up much less time than this.The idea with educative play is for teachers and assistants to participate in the play in English, asking questions that students can answer. Examples of such questions include: (i)What are you doing? (ii)What are you playing? (iii)Can I play? (iv)Whats that? (v)Would you like this (block, ball, and doll)? Encourage students to answer you in English, but dont force them to speak to one another in English. As things progress, they may speak to one another in English of their own accordwhich is proof that your efforts are paying off! Studies have shown that children who are exposed to English or another language before the age of ten have a better chance of learning to speak without an accent. The developing brain of a child undergoes physiological changes at the onset of adolescence that make it more difficult to distinguish and reproduce many of the sounds of a foreign language. Consequently, if you expose your child to hearing native-spoken English from an early age, it will be that much easier to teach him to speak like a native. Its also important to start teaching English as a second language early, because young children have an easier time learning languages than adolescents or adults. This is because young children are still using their intrinsic language-learning skills to acquire their first language. They quickly realize they can use these same skills when learning English. The writer works in BRAC Education Programme Email: [email protected]