Posts Tagged ‘teaching kids English’
Storytelling with young language learners
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…
Read MoreSinging with young language learners
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,…
Read MoreWhy do English lessons flop?
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…
Read MoreTeddy Bear, Teddy Bear… English Drama Game
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…
Read MoreTeaching children English is tough!
Contrary to what most people believe – teaching children a foreign language is 1000 times more complicated than teaching adults. I too once thought “Kids? An hour lesson? Yeah, I can do that, no problem! Some paper, a few crayons and I’ll have them doing worksheets and colouring-in pages, simple!”👍👌 How wrong I was. After…
Read MoreESL Drama Games and Stories
Are you looking for new activity ideas and storybooks to introduce to your children? One of my children’s favourite storybooks is The Color Monster: A Story about Emotions by Anna Lienas. Do you know it? It’s a beautifully illustrated pop-up storybook and the simple language makes it ideal for introducing or reviewing colours and emotions with…
Read MorePerforming with young language learners
Just before Christmas my 5-6 year old language learners presented their own “mini Christmas show” to families and friends. 10-minutes of sparkling Christmas songs and chants that ended with all the children showering paper snowflakes on our young protagonist, dressed up as a Christmas tree! I always get so excited seeing children performing and putting into…
Read MoreTrial English Language Lessons – Can Be Scary
It’s that anxious time of year again – the start of a new school term. Many of you are probably already in full flow organising trial lessons for prospective new students. I personally still find trial lessons stressful – mainly because there are no guarantees: Children will actually show up and participate in the trial…
Read MoreEnglish language learning is serious play
I was once asked by a dad of one of my pre-schoolers when I was going to start introducing the verb -to be and -to have. I responded that I was already doing so in every single lesson. He looked at me confused and assured me that his child couldn’t yet repeat the verb -to…
Read MoreLanguage learning and the power of role-play
By encouraging children to express themselves through a character, you give them the courage and confidence to speak-up and communicate freely in English without feeling embarrassed or judged.Drama has the power to nurture children’s true potential and make children love learning languages, hopefully forever!
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