Teaching English To Preschoolers

Many Chinese parents recognize that their children's ability to speak English is a strong sign of future success and hence encourage them to begin studying the language as soon as feasible. The first exposure to the English language often comes in kindergarten, when children as young as three may start learning the basics. Here are some suggestions for teaching english to preschoolers, especially if you are new to teaching ESL or have limited experience with this age range.

Create a detailed lesson plan and stick to it

Every single ESL class, whether you're instructing professionals in corporate English or kindergarteners in the very fundamentals of the language, demands preparation. This is particularly crucial when working with extremely young students of English, since regularity is a need for children of all ages.

Maintain a consistent format for the beginning and ending of your lessons. Either have the students introduce themselves using their English names or have them recite a "hello" or "goodbye" song (if they have one). For extremely young children, this may be difficult on its own, therefore it's important to reinforce each lesson. As an alternative, you may have pupils reply to some elementary directions such as "stand up," "sit down," "listen," "be silent," etc.

Make sure there is focus language and a central idea behind each lesson. For three-year-olds, the former often consists of present basic statements like "My name is (English name)" or "It's a (vocabulary object)." The latter group may benefit from learning simple words for things like colors and playthings. Avoid introducing more than four new terms to the vocabulary list every lesson. At the conclusion of the class, each student should be able to compose a short statement (three or four words) using the course's vocabulary.

Try to keep things straightforward

Use the tried and true technique of "what works now, makes sense now." The instructor should begin by introducing the students to the language and terminology they will be learning. This may be done using a variety of methods, such as displaying flashcards or clapping out the syllables of phrases for students to repeat. The next step is to give the pupils some experience with the target language, maybe via a short game in which they respond to the instructor's queries. And last, have the pupils create their own own language.

A basic question and answer session amongst the students is another option. For the youngest students, interaction may consist of little more than learning each other's names or inquiring, "What is this?"

Keep in mind that young children can need extended periods of time to absorb very little knowledge. Don't fret about sounding like a broken record. As a matter of fact, the more you emphasize something, the more quickly they will learn it.