Effective English Language Teaching Strategies for Children
Understanding Children as Language Learners
How Children Learn:
- They develop quickly as individuals.
- They learn by watching, listening, imitating, and doing.
- They don’t understand complex grammatical rules.
- They use non-verbal cues to understand situations.
- They use their mother tongue to process new information.
- They imitate sounds and adult speech accurately.
- They are naturally curious and love to play.
- They enjoy routines and repetition.
- They have short attention spans and need variety.
Effective Teaching Methods for Young Learners
How Teachers Can Help:
- Make learning fun and enjoyable.
- Be encouraging and don’t focus on mistakes.
- Use gestures, actions, and pictures to demonstrate.
- Talk to them in English about things they can see.
- Play games, sing songs, and say rhymes.
- Tell simple stories with pictures and acting.
- Answer mother tongue questions in English.
- Recycle new language and add new words.
- Plan varied activities: quiet, noisy, sitting, and moving.
Teaching Children Under Seven
Key Considerations:
- They acquire language through hearing and experiencing.
- They learn through play, not conscious study.
- They love playing with sounds and imitating.
- They don’t organize their learning consciously.
- They may not read or write in their mother tongue.
- Their grammar develops naturally through exposure.
Teaching Children Between Seven and Twelve
Characteristics of this age group:
- They are learning to read and write in their own language.
- They are developing as thinkers.
- They understand the difference between real and imaginary.
- They can plan and organize activities.
- They can work with others and learn from them.
- They can be reliable and take responsibility.
Teaching Strategies for 7-12 Year Olds
How to engage them:
- Encourage reading in English (stories, comics, games).
- Encourage them to work out meanings themselves.
- Explain simple language concepts.
- Use a wider range of language input.
- Encourage creative writing and experimentation.
- Explain your intentions and involve them in planning.