Why Teach English to Preschool Children free essay sample

Why teach English to preschool children? It is easier for children to learn a new language because they are still learning their mother tongue. For them, it is also easy to pronounce new linguistic sounds, and they do not feel bad if they make a mistake. Furthermore, if children enjoy learning a new language at this age, they would remember it for the rest of their lives, and they would find it easier to learn another language when they grow up. What is more, learning a new language (in this case, English) will promote the children to be more open- minded, thus they would tolerate and understand other ways of learning, thinking, and so on. It helps to expand children’s creativity because of the constant comparison between the two languages. 2. Tips for teaching the target language Since the correct order to teach language skills in English is listening, speaking, reading, and writing. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Teach English to Preschool Children or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Teachers should focus on the first two language skills, which are listening and speaking. So the teacher has to talk to the children in English therefore, the children will be exposed to the language and hence they will begin to comprehend and get used to the English rhythm. The teacher has to create a language-rich environment. The objects of the classroom should be labeled and if possible, there should be an image added on the label, just for reinforcement. The classroom’s library should be full of bilingual books or books in English. The classroom should be decorated with pictures with words in the target language. Teachers have to guide the children to understand the language that they are being taught. When asking question, students can answer them in their first language, but the teacher has to repeat the given answer in the target language. Repetition is very important while teaching the language; otherwise the children will not have the opportunity to really learn it. It is recommended for teachers not to overload the students with information. For instance, when starting to learn English, students should start working with simple words rather than sentences because they should be introduced gradually. Students need to know what to expect from each class, for this reason teachers have to have a routine to follow. For example, if the children know their routines, the class will be organized; everything would flow in a proper way. Using body language, facial expressions, and exaggerating your tone of voice will help the students to understand what you are trying to communicate. Moreover, when using visual aids the children will understand the vocabulary even before they know it. The teacher has to illustrate abstract concepts with images, toys, or realia. For instance, the word rainbow should be taught by showing images of rainbows or displaying blocks in a rainbow pattern. Students can also draw a rainbow and paint it. Furthermore, when the students learn new vocabulary, the new information should be reinforced. If the teacher reads to the kids a story about animals, he or she should follow up the activity by teaching them ‘old McDonald had a farm’, for example. We all know that children love having fun; therefore, games must be included in the lesson plan. The games have to be didactic in order to make them learn without knowing that they are being taught. If at the beginning of the lesson or after the warming – up stage, the students are still too energetic, the teacher should make them play or do an activity. This activity shall help the kids to calm down and either learn new vocabulary or revise them. For example, Simon Says can be a very suitable game to burn student’s energy. Children’s attention span is very short; it only lasts between five to ten minutes. So, teachers must use short activities in order to keep the students focus. Furthermore, children’s first language should only be used to explain a game or the classroom rules. At the end of the lesson, the teacher shall use an activity or game to calm down the kids. He or she can also make the students tidy-up the classroom, assigning each kid a task. For instance, one child can clean the board while other students are picking up and putting away the objects that were used during class. 3. Types of activities that must be included in a preschool teacher’s lesson plan. Songs, games and some role-playing will help the students to have fun and learn at the same time. Children also love short stories. If the teacher works with puppets while narrating a short story, students would be much more involved in the story. Activities that involve painting and drawing, cutting, will help the students to concentrate in their own work. Besides, they will use their creativity while having fun and learning. The teacher should choose activities or games according to their students’ types of intelligence, or vary the games addressing to a specific type of intelligence. The types of intelligences could be logical, kinesthetic, linguistic, musical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, visual, and naturalistic.