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Teaching English as a foreign language to kindergarteners can be fun and seem quite easy because little children are easily involved but it requires a special personality and skill to teach kindergarteners. A kindergartener teacher has to have a great deal of patience, tolerance and love for children while being strict to be able to maintain discipline at the same time. If as teacher, you’re too patient and soft with them, they may take you for granted and you may not be able to control the class. Also, if you’re too strict, they may get very intimidated and afraid of you and may not want to participate in the lessons or even attend the classes which could affect their learning and self esteem in general. So a good teacher has to try to find a balance between being strict/disciplined and being patient/tolerant. There are several ways to teach EFL to kindergarteners to ensure that they participate and are happy to learn english while maintaining order and discipline in the classroom at the same time. 1. Routines: Young learners tend to engage more in the classroom when there is a routine which the teacher sets and sticks to. This is because they are used to it and know what to expect and this relieves them of their fears and makes them more confident to learn English. Routines makes them to have an idea of how the lesson should go/goes and once they are used to it, they’ll know what to do and will participate more in class. 2. Activities and games: Children need to be actively involved always because they easily get bored. Games help to maintain order and also grabs their attention in the classroom. Children love playing and games also makes them relax. Play games, sing songs and involve them in activities that requires them moving around. Games for children have to be fun, exciting and should be able to grab the students’ attention. A good kindergarten teacher must be energetic and prepared to always create fun activities and involved in them as well. Nursery rhymes and flashcards are important tools for teaching English to kindergarteners. Kindergarteners most especially love nursery rhymes because they are fun and it helps them to easily learn and understand simple English phrases such as names of shapes, colors, animals, days of week etc. Rhymes make children excited and allows them to move around and make gestures. Activities like this makes them to relax and enjoy the lesson. Many nursery rhymes can be found on the internet most especially on Youtube. Flashcards (with pictures) are also very important to help kindergarteners study and understand vocabulary and grammar. Flashcards can be downloaded from various resources on the internet and can also be bought online or in English bookstores. Games such as matching the pictures on the flashcards can be used as an activity for the students. 3. Be brief with explanations: Avoid talking for long periods of time because children get distracted and bored easily. Children can’t stay focused and attentive for a long time, therefore, explain activities quickly and start immediately as they need to be stimulated and stay active all the time. 4. Interaction with each other and also with the teacher: Children learn by interacting with each other and also when the teacher interacts with them too. A good teacher should try to talk to each child individually within each class and whenever possible, have them working together in pairs or in groups. Interaction with themselves will help them relax, create friendships and enhance their learning ability. 5. Praise and encourage: Kindergarteners love to be praised and feel good about their achievements. Always praise and encourage students whenever they complete a task or activity, answer questions or participate. It makes them proud of themselves and makes them want to do more and be more involved. Rewards such as stickers can be given to them also. Learning is enhanced when students feel good and encouraged. Finally, teaching EFL to kindergarteners isn’t hard, you just have to be very patient and willing to have fun with your students, and also have to be energetic and love playing with children.
