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In 2016, I came to China to study my master program. During my studies, I had the opportunity to teach few hours in an educational center. Most students are between the age of 4 and 7. I taught them general English. As someone who majored in the English language as a bachelor degree, I had the chance to apply the theories I studied into the class. During the lesson, I included multiple games and activities, but the most effective one is flashcards activities. Flashcards can be used for different purposes. I use flashcards to introduce and review vocabulary. In order to teach new vocabulary for young learners in a simple way I let them repeat the words again and again. I also use pictures on double-sided or single-sided flashcards. Double-sided flashcards have the picture on the front and the word on the back, while single-sided flashcards only include a word or a picture. In class, I try my best to include as many flashcards as possible because I noticed that students really enjoy learning through games. I always use online sources to find more activities such as: Around the World: It’s a group game where students stand together in a circle and have to answer the questions correctly. Two students from each side need to stand next to each other as the first set. I hold up a flashcard and the student who says the name of the flashcard first wins the round to compete against the next person. Whoever gets the most answers will get more stars. Hide and Seek: It’s another group game. I tell the students to close their eyes and I hide the flashcards in different places. Then I ask the students to open their eyes. I name an animal or a fruit or anything that is related to the current lesson or the previous lesson if I’m doing a review, and I let the students look around for the cards. Whoever finds more flashcards will get more stars. Point to it: I place flashcards in front of the students or put them on the board, and then I give the student a long stick to point to the right flashcard which I said out loud. I also use the long stick by myself and let the student say the name of the flashcard. To include more students, I call two students to the board and point to one flashcard, and the fastest student gets more stars. Memory Test: I use this flashcard activity to test the students’ memory. I prepare two copies of each flashcard and then I mix them all together and lay them face down in rows so the students won’t see the picture. When the game begins, students should take turns to find the right match then they need to say the right word linked to the picture. If they get it right, they can keep the two copies so at the end I can give them more stars. Roll the Dice: I put flashcards in front of the students and explain the game for them as usual. For example, if the student gets number 3, they should tell me the name of the third flashcard. If the next student gets number 5, they should count from the third card 5 times, which get them to the 8th card. If the student gets the name right, they can keep the card and then I can give them a star. When it comes to teaching young learners, the teacher should be more creative and dynamic to keep the students active in class. So the easiest activity is using flashcards. Students like to be praised so I always write their names on the board and add stars next to their names to see who is number one at the end of class.
