I agree with everything above. It is a mess and it's a business move.
In Japan there is heavily publicised research (maybe Baby Einstein) that children should lstart learning foreign languages before the age of 3. The research talks about hard-wiring in the brain setting by the age of 3. If you're interested I'm sure you can find similar articles about this in English.
Anyway... bringing it back. I teach some 2 year old classes. They are not easy and are draining. I start out telling the mothers not expect anything. Even older children don't understand the value of learning English, so we shouldn't expect babies to appreciate your effort either. The biggest goal at this age is listening and some vocabulary. Most of the time the kids will not say any of the words in class but they often say them at home or sing the songs at home.
Remember that when they are in class they are more concerned about input than output. So, if you get zero response, don't let it get you down. I have the mothers in the class and I tell the mothers to stay focused and do what I ask. The kids will learn what to do by wathing their mothers.
The kids are small and they are going to run around, get bored, and/or wonder off, BUT that doesn't mean they aren't listening. Remove everything below 2' from the room for baby classes. Everything! If there is nothing for them to do when they wander off, they'll come back.
As for the lesson, I have about 5-6 activities that I do and I change every 5 minutes or so. If you're going to do songs, it's best to do something with actions. itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus, hokey pokey, I'm a little teapot.
You have to be willing to do the actions an not care that you're the only one doing it.
I teach 6-8 vocab words over 3 lessons. I just give them small cards and let them play with them. They are so young there is no point trying to play a game. You can have them knock down cards with a soft ball. As fun as that sounds, they become more interested in the ball. So, like I said just give them the cards and let them play with them. Ideally, in time, you can ask which ones do you want and the kids will (cross your fingers) tell you. Start with things they know and can recognize: fruit, colors, shapes, nature, and animals
You can also do some exercise with them. Basically simon says without the simon says. Let them run around and burn some energy. Then they might be able to sit through one book, but read them 3. Short books with simply vocabulary are best and read the same books over and over again. They also like lift the flaps.
The best part is the babies will grow into toddlers and eventually kids. I have 2 classes of 5 year olds that have been coming for 3 years. They are wonderful and a real joy to teach, but they used to be my nightmare. Now, their understanding and reasoning without complete comprehension are great. Their pronounciation is near perfect and they enjoy learning new words and questions. They speak English spontaneously and play around with the language.
My best advice is patience, :bad-word: patience, :twisted: patience, :evil: patience, :2gunfire:
PATIENCE!!
Last bit of advice: If something fails today, it doesn't mean it will fail tomorrow. Don't give up on a good idea. Children sometimes just need time to process the information. (However, if it fails everytime don't hang on to it just because you think it's useful.)
I have a lot more to say on this, but I've already rambled on and been on and off the point several times. If you have any questions or comments please let me know.
I hope that helps or inspires.
Mark
www.mes-english.com