Teaching English to Spanish 3-6 year olds

[pastrana7]

Dear all,

I have a half-hour slot in the school break to teach English to a group of ten children, rotating each day from the 3 year olds to the 11 years. Due to the fact that I am taking their break time I base this session on games which is not difficult as we are based in the gymnasium rather than a classroom filled with desks. I have found many ideas for activities to carry out with the older children, but this post is to ask for ideas of activities for younger children: the 3 to 6 year age group. I sing many English songs with them, read them very simple books in English, give them 3-5 new words of vocabulary using flashcards, use puppets to introduce simple conversation phrases, but am lacking games. They enjoy action songs, but I am looking for actual games.

Does anyone have any suggestions for English language games for 3-6 year olds that involve moving their bodies, please?

Thank you in advance.

 

[emsr2d2]

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

I used to play a game with my one and only child student (an 8-year old boy). I would hold a soft ball and say "One" as I threw it to him. When he caught it, he had to say "Two" as he threw it back to me. Unsurprisingly, I would then say "Three" as I threw it to him again! There was a double purpose to it. It helped him to count but we also used to see how high a number we could count to before one of us dropped/missed the ball.
With your very young children, you could sit on the floor and roll the ball. You could either roll it to the child and get them to say the next number before rolling it back to you, or you could get them to roll it on to a different child. The important thing is that they continue to count upwards in numerical order. With the older children, who should be able to throw and catch by now, you could do the same thing but sometimes get them to count backwards (you might start by saying "Twenty" and get them to reduce the number by one each time). You could get them to add to/deduct from the number each time in higher multiples than one. You get the idea.

I used the same ball game to get them to do a sort of word association or get them to list words that fit into a category I previously chose. I might say "Colours" and then throw the ball to a child who had to say any colour in English. The next child has to come up with a different colour. No repetition is allowed!

You could also get the kids to stand in a circle and take it in turns to run over to another child, tap them on the shoulder and that child has to say something like "My name is [name]". Once they've said it correctly, they run to a different child, tap them on the shoulder and they have to say the same thing.

I know you said you use songs - have you already taught them the Hokey-Cokey? That involves singing in English and moving their bodies.

 

[Matt501]

I play a game where they learn vocab first through flash cards. Afterwards I play music, where they walk in a circle (or swim, jump etc) and stop it randomly. The last person to sit down (chair or floor) has to answer the question "What's this?" pointing to a flash card.

 

[J&K Tutoring]

At that age, anything and everything is pretty much a game.

1. 'Bop the Bunny'. This one is strictly listening for the youngest. You will need a toy hammer- preferably one that makes a squeak when you hit something. Review some flash cards (5 seems a good number) and spread them in an arc in front of you on the floor. Students are invited one by one to take the hammer and 'bop' the word you name. If they need help, you can tap your foot by the correct card. Loud applause when they get it right.

2. 'What can you find'. This one gets them speaking the word(s). You hold flash cards upside down and fanned out. One by one they come and choose a card, saying the word they find. It's fascinating to watch them progress from merely taking the top card to eventually making a more random choice.

3. 'Secret Word'. This is for older kids already familiar with the flash cards. As you review the cards, you scatter them face-down on the floor. When all cards are on the floor, you choose a secret word or a category (animals, food, colors, etc.). One by one, the kids pick up a card, give it to you, and say the word. If they find a secret word, they get a sticker.

4. 'Hungry Monkeys'. This is a counting game. You'll need a quantity of small toys- anything they can hold a number of in their two hands. We have about 200 plastic peanuts, which are ideal. Spread bowls of the toys on the floor and say, 'Monkeys, are you hungry?' They respond, 'Yes, we are hungry!' You say, 'Go, monkeys!' and they scramble to get what they can grab and return to their seats. You go around with a large receptacle and they count the toys back. As the kids get older, you can pair them up to reach a higher number. You can make it more interesting by writing a secret number and hiding it. Anyone getting the secret number (and remembering it) gets a sticker. This one is best suited to your middle range. Younger kids can't count very high, and the older ones may be too aggressive.

5. Older kids can go shopping. You have a box of toy fruit, vegetables, or whatever. One by one they come up and you say, 'Good morning, (name). What would you like?' They say, 'I would like a/some _____ please.' You say, 'Here you are.' They say, 'Thank you.' and sit down.

6. Back to Back. Two players stand back to back. You give each a card that they hold facing out. You count 'One! They take a step. 'Two!' Another step. On your count three, they turn and say the word the other player is holding. First one correct wins.