Game of the Week – Count and Balance

Kids English Theatre

Sometimes the simplest games are the most fun. Count and Balance (suitable for children 4+) You’ll need your trusty magic wand for this game. – Have everyone standing in a circle. – Explain that they are going to count to 50 (10 for younger children) standing on one leg with their eyes closed! – If…

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Start Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Kids English Theatre

While I was studying acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (over 25 years ago!) my tutors were exceptionally demanding and would constantly push me out of my comfort zones.😱So much so that I vividly remember once, walking down the street at the end of a particularly disastrous movement class with tears rolling…

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The Power of Praise and Encouragement

Kids English Theatre

I have to laugh when parents sometimes tell me “ Miranda, I’m sending my child to you because he/she hates English!” Thanks very much! It’s not ideal starting sessions surrounded by frightened little faces, who already have preconceived negative vibes about language learning. But, when it happens and I know I have a tiny window…

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How to Connect with Young Language Learners

Kids English Theatre

When I first started teaching young learners my main concern was not being able to connect with them. 😵I was young at the time, I had no experience teaching children and I felt self-conscious and wooden communicating with them. But, as soon as I let myself go and entered “kids kingdom” I really started enjoying…

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Character Walks – English Drama Game

Kids English Theatre

👣Character Walks👣 This simple drama game (ages 6+) is great for practicing questions and reviewing vocabulary. It also encourages children to develop their imaginations and boost their self-confidence by play-acting in front of an audience. 1) Have everyone standing in a large circle 2) Children are secretly given a character for example: ballerina, cowboy, queen,…

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Storytelling with young language learners

Kids English Theatre

I used to really dislike storytelling with my young language learners. Why? Because it was such hard work! I would find it exhausting maintaining children’s attention for longer than a “page” and it crushed me when I saw eyes rolling 🙄or heard little voices exclaim “when is it finished?” or worse still “this is BORING!!”.😴 I…

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Singing with young language learners

Kids English Theatre

A question I often ask teachers is “do you sing in class?” Answers vary… 🗣 “Perhaps, if there’s time at the end of the lesson” 🗣“No, I’m a terrible singer!” 🗣“Yes, but I sing the same old songs” 🗣“I’m too embarrassed to sing” 🗣“I only sing songs with very young learners. Older kids get bored” 🗣“No,…

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Why do English lessons flop?

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Have you ever prepared an  activity for your children based on what you’ve read somewhere or seen someone do? But when you introduce it, it completely FLOPS?😢 Why is that? A lot comes down to how we communicate. I often see teachers with impressive qualifications, knowledge and experience but with something fundamental missing: Effective communication…

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Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear… English Drama Game

TEDDY-BEAR

This afternoon I’m teaching a new (mixed level) group of 7-8 year- olds.🇬🇧🇬🇧 Some have already participated in my Mummy & Me courses and are therefore more confident speakers while others are completely new to Drama and English and are a bit apprehensive about what to expect (quite understandably so). If you are starting with a…

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English drama game of the week

Kids English Theatre

Theatre warm-up games are perfect in helping to break-the-ice with a new langauge class🇬🇧 and set a playful tone to sessions. They instantly create a pressure free setting where children feel open to join-in, get-to-know their classmates and try new-things. A fun drama starter game is: CREATE AN OBJECT/ANIMAL Age: Children 5-99 Level: beginner- advanced Print…

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