How to teach English
How to teach English How to teach English
How to teach English to
to to
to very
very very
very young children
young childrenyoung children
young children
Introduction

3
Why teach English to young children?

4
Advice for teaching English to young children 5
Curriculum Development 7
Classroom Management 11
Curriculum for 5-year-olds 12

Units

13


28
Songs

30
The First Lesson

36
Bibliography 38 Formación en Educación Inicial San Andrés (FEISA) is a Christian teacher training
college and is part of the Evangelical University of Paraguay
FEISA, Casilla 1124, Asunción, Paraguay

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young as 3.

The curriculum set out in later pages is designed from a Christian perspective, because FEISA is a
Christian teacher training college and all children in Paraguayan schools are required to be
taught about God.

I acknowledge my indebtedness to Frances Smith, with whom I worked in Salamanca, and from
whom many of the ideas for games came. I would like to thank Samantha Parsons, who
encouraged me to write this guide, and Ana María Demestri, who caught the vision to take it to
schools in Paraguay. I would also like to thank Leonardo Fernández, who designed the front
cover.

To God be the glory.

Fiona Cooper
Asunción, July 2007
an easier study of foreign languages at higher school levels. This is particularly relevant in
Paraguay, with its bilingual education in Spanish and Guaraní.

Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
5Advice for
Advice for Advice for
Advice for teach
teachteach
teaching
inging
ing English to young children
English to young children English to young children
English to young children

• The emphasis should be on listening and speaking the language, see below for comments on
reading and writing.
• Relate what you teach to what they already know in their own language; don’t use the new
language as the basis for teaching new concepts.
• Use as much English as possible, talk to them all the time, so that the children hear as much
as possible. This gives them more opportunity to begin to understand the language and
absorb its rhythm.
• Your first aim should be that the children understand the language they are being taught.
• Allow the children to respond in their first language, then repeat back to them in English

Use short activities, to keep the children attentive.
•
Use active activities, to change the rhythm of the lesson, to keep them attentive, to stop
them fidgeting.
•
End the lesson with a quiet activity, to calm the children down for their next lesson.
•
Speak in English as much as possible (all the time, if practical!). This allows the children to
get used to the rhythm of the language and to pick up some words without really trying.
•
Use the children’s first language only when necessary, for example, to explain a game or for
discipline purposes. Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
6Reading and Writing

It is best if the children learn how to read and write in their own language before learning these
skills in the foreign language. This minimises the confusion of looking at the same letters and
hearing different sounds.

How to teach reading and writing in the foreign language to young children:
• First, the children need to be familiar with a wide range of vocabulary.
• Begin by reminding the children of the word, then show them the written word. Thus they
learn to associate the shape of the word with the sound, rather than relying on the
individual letter sounds to begin with.
When designing a curriculum to teach English to young children, there are certain things we
need to consider:
teaching English
to 5-year-olds?
UNITS

What kinds of
topics do we
want to cover?
GRAMMAR

What
grammatical
structures will
we teach?

EVERYDAY
LANGUAGE
What everyday
expressions and vocab
do we want the
children to learn?

ACTIVITIES

What kinds of
activities will
we use to teach
English?
INTENDED
OUTCOMES
What do we want the

Intended Outcomes

(What the teacher wants the children to achieve as a result of the English lessons)

• That the children would develop a positive attitude towards English and languages in
general
• That the children would increase their confidence in the lessons and be willing to have a
go
• That the children would learn some simple songs in English
• That the children would understand spoken instructions, vocab and simple phrases
• That the children would be able to say simple words and phrases, including asking simple
questions and making simple requests Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
9

Possible Units

• Animals
• Food
• School/ The Classroom
• Transport
• The House
• The World Around Us (tree, street, shop…)
• The Body

• Emotions
• Instructions
• Classroom management language Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
10
Here is a suggested way to set out each unit

UNIT TITLE
AIMS INTENDED OUTCOMES VOCABULARY

GRAMMAR EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS ACTIVITIES

Classroom Management
Classroom ManagementClassroom Management
Classroom Management
• Use a wide variety of activities during a lesson in order to keep the children motivated.
• Have different activities where the children have to move around.
• Intersperse active activities with quiet ones.
• End the lesson with a quiet activity.
• Encourage the children to raise their hand when they wish to participate, not shout out.
• Sit on the floor with the children (the closer you are to their level the better so they
identify with you when you demonstrate an activity and you realise how uncomfortable it
can be!).
• Sit the children so that they all have equal access to the activity (in a circle or semi-
circle is best).
• Allow the use of L1 until the children are ready to produce L2. Whenever appropriate,
say what they have said in L1 back to them in L2.
• If you notice a particular child is becoming restless then involve him directly in the lesson
immediately, e.g. give him the next turn at the game or give him a job to do (collect the
cards from the others or stick the pictures on the wall etc)
• Give lots of encouragement and praise.
• Try to avoid misbehaviour by using the above strategies, but when it happens, as is
inevitable,
1. Make sure the misbehaviour is not the result of misunderstanding your instructions.
2. Use L1 if necessary so the child understands what is happening.
3. If possible, discipline the child on his own, not in front of the whole group (not always
possible!)
4. Use punishments appropriate to the age of the child and consistent with the whole
Introduction

•
The following units are to be used as a guide; they are not perfect! If you realise that there
are better ways of doing something or more appropriate vocabulary or grammar etc to teach,
or better songs or better games etc, then please feel free to adapt and improve on what’s
provided!
•
Feel free to change the order of the units, as appropriate. As far as practical, teach the
same units as are being taught in the children’s L1, at the same time, in order to make the
learning relevant.
•
The ideal lesson time would be about 30 minutes, every day
•
Teach no more than about 4 words at a time. When most of the children understand these
words then move on to another 4 words. It might take a couple of lessons until the children
are ready to move on, it might take a week. Take it at their pace; there’s no point in
rushing it because the children won’t learn anything well.
•
Keep repeating activities, vocabulary, songs, in order to help the children learn better.
•
Keep revising what you’ve already covered.
•
Bring in everyday language as and when suitable and convenient.
•
If you do not have as much time as is specified to spend on each unit, then cut out some of
the vocabulary. Focus on a few words only so that the children can learn a few words well
rather than a lot of words badly.

God made us and we’re
all special
•
To introduce simple
greetings
•
To introduce basic
instructions
•
To introduce numbers 1-
5

•
To be able to point to
the part of the body
when they hear the
word
•
To begin to be able to
say the names of some
parts of the body
•
To be able to do the
action when they hear
the instruction
•
To enjoy the English
lessons
•
To be able to say

•
hand
•
fingers
•
feet

•
shake your
head
•
bend your
knees
•
clap your
hands
•
stamp your
feet
•
wiggle your
fingers
•
shrug your
shoulders
•
numbers 1-5
•
stand up, sit
down

Stick

•
Total Physical Response;
children to do actions, following
the teacher’s example to begin
with
Games:
•
Heads down, thumbs up
•
Using flashcards; Terry’s game,
point to… pelmanism, guessing
game, swapping places
Songs:
•
Head, shoulders, knees and toes
•
Hand upon your head
•
I have two eyes, two ears, one
nose (S&K)
•
Clap hands, follow me
•
Roly poly poly
•
I’m a little bear, my name is
Teddy…
Story:

To be able to point to
the picture of the animal
when they hear its name
•
To begin to be able to
say the names of some
animals
•
To begin to be able to
count up to 10 with the
teacher
•
To begin to recognise
the numerals 1-5
•
To be able to correctly
identify objects of a
particular colour
•
To be able to associate
animal noises with
particular animals

•
hippo
•
lion
•
monkey
•

blue
•
green
•
brown
•
colour
•
numbers 6-
10

GRAMMAR EVERYDAY LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES
Questions:
•
What’s this? It’s a …
•
How many …?
•
Who…?
•
What colour is…?
•
Whose turn is it? It’s
your turn
•
Who’s won?
•
Point to…
•
Numbers 6-10

Stories:
•
Where’s Spot?
•
Old McDonald had a Farm
•
Noisy Farm
•
Oh Dear!

Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
15SCHOOL
Unit no. 3
Duration: 4 weeks
Lesson time: 30 minutes every day
AIMS INTENDED OUTCOMES VOCABULARY
•
To introduce vocabulary
associated with the
school
•
To practise numbers,
colours and greetings
•
To introduce
prepositions in, on,

chair
•
carpet
•
door
•
window
•
ceiling
•
pencil
•
scissors
•
glue
•
book
•
board
•
school
•
classroom

•
shut
•
open
•
in

“red, red, blue”
•
Guessing game
•
What’s missing?
• Memory matching

Songs:
•
Open, shut them
•
Point to the ceiling
Story:
•
Where’s Spot?

Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
16 THE WEATHER
Unit no. 4
Duration: 2 weeks
Lesson time: 30 minutes every day
AIMS INTENDED OUTCOMES VOCABULARY
•


•
sky
•
sun
•
cloud
•
rain
•
storm
•
cold
•
hot
•
sunny
•
cloudy
•
raining
•
windy
•
happy
•
sad
•
angry
•

Swapping places
•
Running game
•
Guessing game
•
What’s missing?
• Memory matching

Songs
:

•
The sky is blue today…
•
I like the rain
•
If you’re happy and you know
it
•
I’m happy, I’m happy… Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
17TRANSPORT
Unit no. 5

teacher, up to 10
•
To recognise the order
of adjective-noun
•
To use the language
associated with a bus
ride in a role play

•
bike/bicycle
•
car
•
lorry/truck
•
bus
•
aeroplane
•
boat
•
fire engine
•
ambulance

•
wheels
•
ticket

sitting down and being quiet,
then announces their arrival.
Passengers get off the bus and
thank the driver.)
•
Mime riding a bike, driving a car
etc
Games:
•
Pointing to flashcards on walls,
putting flashcards into hoops
•
Swapping places
•
Running game
•
“red, red, blue”
•
Guessing game
•
What’s missing?
•
Memory matching
Songs:
•
The wheels on the bus
•
Look, I am a fire engine
•
Ten little teddy bears

room/piece of
furniture when they
hear the word
•
To begin to be able to
say the names of
different rooms and
pieces of furniture
•
To be able to place
objects in the correct
positions in relation to
furniture and house
etc
•
To be able to count,
along with the
teacher, up to 10
•
To begin to be able to
recognise the numbers
6-10

•
house
•
room
•
bedroom
•

•
garden
•
inside
•
outside
•
tree
GRAMMAR EVERYDAY LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES
•
Where’s the…?
•
In the… (room)
•
Is it in the … (room)?
As appropriate for routine
etc
•
put different objects and
characters into different rooms in
a toy house or a large picture of
one
•
children to point to different
rooms/ name rooms as teacher
points to each one
•
guessing game; where’s …?
Games:
•

to love and look after us
•
To relate the vocabulary
to the children’s own
lives
•
To practise vocabulary
from the “House” unit

•
To be able to identify
the correct member of
the family when they
hear the word
•
To begin to be able to
say the names of the
members of the family
•
To bring in a
photograph of own
family and, depending
on ability, either point
to the different family
members when asked
or name them

•
Mum/my
•

Games:
•
Guessing game; where’s (Mum)?
•
Who’s missing?
Songs:
•
My mummy, my daddy and baby
•
God made daddies (S&K)

Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
20
FOOD
Unit no. 8
Duration: 4 weeks
Lesson time: 30 minutes every day
AIMS INTENDED OUTCOMES VOCABULARY
•
To introduce the
names of some fruit
and vegetables and
other food items
•
To share the fact that
God made fruit and

•
Plum
•
Strawberry
•
Orange
•
Lemon
•
Banana
•
Carrot
•
Potato
•
Tomato
•
Pepper
•
Grapes
•
Fruit
•
Vegetables

•
Hungry
•
Cake
•

Swapping places/ running game
•
“red, red, blue”
Songs:
•
What is yellow?
•
5 red apples, hanging in a tree
•
Who made apples?
Story:
•
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
21


about what they’re
wearing
•
To identify the correct
shape when asked
•
To begin to be able to
name shapes
•
To be able to identify
whether something is
big or small

•
t-shirt
•
skirt
•
trousers
•
shorts
•
trainers
•
(sandals)
•
shoes
•
socks
•

Please Mr Crocodile
•
Running game
•
“red, red, blue”
•
Guessing game
•
What’s missing?
•
Memory matching
Songs:
•
Are you wearing red today?
•
What’s this?

Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper
22Ex
ExEx
Example Lesson Plans
ample Lesson Plansample Lesson Plans
ample Lesson Plans

5 mins To respond to
instructions, to
recognise which part of
the body to point to, to
practise the numbers 1
and 2
Point to your… get chn to point to
different parts of their body
How many…? Ask chn how many
(arms/eyes/heads etc) they have

5 mins To practise saying the
words for different body
parts, to play a quiet
game
Memory matching Body
Flashcards

5 mins To do an active activity,
to practise the words
for different body parts,
to follow instructions,
to sing the song
Song; Clap hands, follow me 5 mins To calm down, to say
the words for parts of
the body
Terry’s game

the names of different
animals (quiet game)
Put flashcards into different coloured
hoops
Animal
flashcards
Coloured
hoops
5 mins To do an active activity,
to follow instructions,
to sing the song
Song; Clap hands, follow me 5 mins To practise recognising
the names of different
animals (fun game)
Swapping places Animal
flashcards

5 mins To calm down, to say
the words of the
different animals in the
story
Story; Where’s Spot? Book
“Where’s
Spot?”

Fun English for Kids
Fiona L Cooper

etc
5 mins To practise saying the
names of classroom
objects
What’s missing? Classroom
objects

3 mins To do an active activity,
to revise words for body
parts
Actions; stand up, sit down, stamp your
feet, jump up and down, arms up, arms
down, bend your knees, clap your
hands, wiggle your bottom

5 mins To do a quiet activity,
to practise saying the
names of classroom
objects
Terry’s game

Classroom
flashcards

2 mins To practise numbers up
to 5, both saying them
and recognising them
Number chant; count on your fingers up
to 5, show me 3 fingers etc.


correct picture to go on the chart
Weather chart
and pictures to
stick

5 mins To practise recognising
the weather vocabulary
Pointing game Weather
flashcards
5 mins To introduce emotions
vocabulary
Emotions; get the children to put on
happy faces, sad faces, angry faces,
tired faces.
Everyone to put on a happy face,
then say, “I’m happy” etc

5 mins To do an active activity,
to revise body
vocabulary
Song; Hand upon your head
Actions; sit down, stand up, clap
your hands etc

3 mins To practise weather
vocabulary and
emotions, to sing the
song
What colour is the sky today?
Song; The sky is blue today