• Home
  • Login
  • Registration
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
ESLarticle.com
Tweet
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Members
  • Add Article

Top Categories

Teaching 509
Other 210
Classroom Management 138
Career Development 135
Learning Methodology 121
Study Skills 90
E-Learning/CALL 87
English Language Learning (ELL) 78
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) 77
Teaching Methodology 76
English Language Teaching (ELT) 73
English as a Second Language (ESL) 64
Teach in Shanghai
Home / Articles / Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (T / View Article

Publishing

  • Articles
  • Add Article
  • Articles Archive
  • Latest Articles
  • Popular Articles

Latest Articles

Jan 5, 2019

Metacognition in Reading Competency

As related to the reading process, metacognition can be defined as contemplation concerning one's own thinking processes or knowledge of one's own...

Jan 5, 2019

Mass Media Literacy Reflections for Language Instructions

"You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself." Galileo Galilei Mass media forms thrive today. As development...

Nov 30, 2018

Ideas for the First Class with New Learners

~~The first class with new learners can be an anxious one for all concerned – teacher as well as learners. Below are some tips to make that first...

Nov 19, 2018

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners It is estimated that there are over a billion English speakers in the world, including native speakers,...

Nov 15, 2018

Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Hom

Education Today, December 2013 Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Home  Timothy G. Weih University of Northern...

Popular Articles

1142821 Views

5 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Classroom Bulletin Board This Winter

Back to school, fall leaves, Thanksgiving and Christmas all easily lend themselves to great decorating themes, but what to do when those are over...

381567 Views

Three Unique Ideas To Make Your Bulletin Board More Useful

Bulletin boards have long been existent in campuses. They have proven to be such versatile and useful aids in both the learning and teaching...

140627 Views

History of the Chalkboard

Walk into just about any classroom and you will find one: A dark green board on the wall, lined with pieces of chalk and felt erasers. Chalkboards,...

65150 Views

Report Card Comments

For a small minority, writing report cards isn't a big deal. But most teachers generally dread report card writing time. Completing the comment...

49101 Views

Second Language Acquisition: Swain's Output Vs Krashen's Input

1. Introduction: Input versus Output. A general overview In order to assess how compatible Krashen's and Swain's views are, it is essential to...


Teaching the under 5s

by Sophia McMillan

Jan 15, 2018 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (T 4023 Views

~~Teaching very young learners (under 5s) can be particularly daunting for many teachers. For most it is the first time they have had to cope with children this young, and many are concerned or worried about how to approach the class.

Teaching very young learners can be a lot of fun and very rewarding however, there is no doubt that it presents a set of unique challenges.  Young learners are not interested in English per se they are more focussed on having fun, playing games and being entertained.

Initially, most young learners are very shy of their new teacher; especially as to them the new teacher is a strange and scary looking foreigner. It is not uncommon for them to become fixed to their mothers and barely acknowledge your presence. One thing that works in your favour is that small children are innately curious and by making funny faces, silly noises etc will make them smile or laugh winning half the battle. Perseverance however, will pay off and before long the little ones will be used to you and the classroom, possibly even fighting over who gets to hold your hand etc and learning English all at the same time.

With very young learners it is important that the lessons are fun, as, if they are enjoying themselves they are more likely to participate in the activities. Generally children love to draw, colour, sing, dance, and play games – they are looking to be entertained. To maintain their interest it is important that they enjoy it and laugh.

Very young learners have very short attention spans and so the classes should be fast, fun and energetic. Using a combination of activities, e.g. songs, movement, actions and games is an effective way of maintaining their attention. However, it is vital to be aware of what is happening around you because as soon as the learners start becoming distracted it is imperative to stop the current activity and move on to something else. While you should go into the class with a clear lesson plan it is important to remain flexible and respond to the learners.

Playgroup courses are designed to incorporate social skills, gross and fine motor skills, simple concept building etc., in conjunction with a wide range of resources. The courses contain a range of activities etc that work with this age group. It is important to consider why we are doing the activities we do. Some activities will make the lesson go smoother for both the teacher and learners. For example, teaching the value of turn taking and co-operative play will encourage learners to work together and share, developing their social skills. Creative activities are important as they can provide an opportunity for a wide range of language use as well as developing a number of skills in the learners, increasing their motivation. Thus it is beneficial when teaching very young learners to consider what skills are being developed.

It is vital to remember that irrespective of the activity the learners are not expected to do everything perfectly. Rather it is the taking part that is important, not the end result. It is important also to remember that talking to the children is vital, they probably will not respond initially and most of the learning will be passive. During activities you should be talking about what they are doing, what colour things are, counting etc.

Songs, chants etc are a great way of getting the learners moving. Initially, they may be shy and reluctant leaving you leaping around the classroom feeling silly. If you can forget your embarrassment and persevere they will soon join you. Songs expose the learners to natural speech rhythms, useful English and language heard with music is retained easier. Further, the musical side of the brain (the right hemisphere) is larger in young learners than the ‘language’ side. These songs etc need to be repeated regularly with consistent actions to accompany them, as more exposure will increase learner confidence and motivation.

Interactive drawing is another useful teaching tool. For example, draw a circle and have the learners add facial features to your direction; give them a page of shapes and ask them to colour specific shapes certain colours. As they become more aware the tasks set can become more complex – while remaining within their capabilities.

Flashcards can be used to introduce, practice and review language as well as play games and tell stories. Using mimes will help learners associate an action with a word (e.g. drink, wash). Remember that for very young learners even something simple like running and touching a colour is an exciting game.

Puppets can be a useful teaching aid as learners often enjoy making the puppets talk and interact. They can also be used to model the language and encourage quieter learners to speak, either to or through the puppet.

A kitchen set equipped with plates, cooking utensils, and the plastic food or playdough can help teach early vocabulary and concepts. Setting up tea parties can foster co-operative play and encourage learners to use their imagination.

Overall, teaching under 5s can be challenging; it requires a great deal of energy, an ability to forget your embarrassment, and a great deal of flexibility and lateral thinking. However, after the first few weeks you should be able to tell what works with your learners and this will help ensure the lessons are fun and entertaining for both you and them.

Article source: http://eslarticle.com/pub/teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-languages-t/139630-Teaching-the-under-5s.html

  • General Information
Author Info

Author Name: Sophia McMillan

About Author:

~~Sophia McMillan is the Training Manager / TESOL Course Director at Shane Training Centre, Shane Corporation Ltd, Japan. The only Trinity accredited centre in Japan and dedicated to promoting & fostering teacher development.

Most Recent Articles

  • Oct 16, 2018 Vocabulary Learning Tips by Sophia McMillan
  • Sep 17, 2018 ESL Mentoring. by Sophia McMillan
  • Sep 17, 2018 For ESL students: How to parse English sentences. by Sophia McMillan
  • Jul 13, 2018 Language Games for Children by Sophia McMillan
  • Jul 12, 2018 Language Games for Adults by Sophia McMillan

Actions

  • Print Page

Articles Archive

  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021

Random Articles

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

TAVI, TALO and TASP through the prism of Virginia Woolf

The paper is about three ways of applying texts in the EFL classroom. They are TAVI, TALO and TASP. The paper's secondary focus is on the use of...

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

The Middle East and Arriving on the Right Foot

This article identifies and discusses distinctions among Middle Eastern countries for EFL teachers. It also shares useful tips on how to arrive...

Reading

English Majors Experience Various Works Of Literature

English majors are subject to take a variety of advanced literature courses. These higher-level courses delve into great detail about how to read...

Classroom Management

Should Discipline Be Differentiated?

When we hear the word differentiation, many of us automatically think about developing instructional activities that are appropriate for a...

Other

The Business of Education

Education has, since the early 1700s, been a fundamental right for all citizens of this country. We have always recognized education as necessary...

About ESL Article

ESL Article is a private ESL/TEFL site designed and maintained by educators and educational administrators. It was launched in August 2008 with the aim of bringing ESL/TEFL students, parents, teachers and schools information and articles about the teaching profession and learning community.

Icon Group Member

ESL Article is a member of Icon Group Thailand (IGT), a group of ESL TEFL TESOL websites providing educational resources and information to teachers, schools and students around the world. The group was founded in 2003 and now includes 15+ websites covering educational information services, teaching resources and e-learning.

What is ESL?

English as a second language (ESL) is the use or study of English by speakers of different native languages. It is also known as English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), English as an additional language (EAL), and English as a foreign language (EFL).

  • Home
  • Registration
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Help
  • Partner
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
​

© 2022 ESLarticle.com.
Member of Icon Group Thailand - Educating the Future:
TESall All TESOL  Total ESL  ESL Job Feed
TEFL World  TEFL Jobs Overseas  Teach Overseas
Asia TEFL  ESL Powerpoint  Teacher Training