We frequently get inquiries from instructors and parents looking for advice on learning 2- and 3-year olds. so we’d like to portion some thoughts on be aftering a category for these really immature scholars. It’s of import to understand that kids from 2-3 old ages old have really limited vocabularies in their first linguistic communications. and from the age of 2 are by and large merely get downing to threading together vocalizations of more than one word. As such. your chief focal point with such immature scholars is non on linguistic communication production. but linguistic communication comprehension. You’ll want to prosecute the kids in interesting. comprehendible activities while supplying them with tonss and tonss of English input. Don’t force per unit area the kids to speak…they will when they are ready. Here is a suggested lesson program for working with this age group. Knock Knock!
Have the pupils line up and strike hard on the schoolroom door before coming in to fall in the lesson. This is a little signal to the kids that they are transitioning to a new puting with new activities. Signing passages truly helps immature kids stay calm while fixing them for something merriment and new. If they are talking. inquire a simple inquiry like. “What’s your name? ” To do certain they understand the inquiry. you can indicate to yourself foremost and state “My name is ______ . ” Following point to the pupil and ask. “What’s your name? ” Use gestures whenever possible to assist do the linguistic communication apprehensible. If the pupil is non talking much yet. is comparatively new to the school. or is merely non in a great temper ( possibly they merely woke up from a sleep ) . a friendly “hello” and “come in” works merely all right. Have music playing in the background to make a warm ambiance in the schoolroom. Geting Settled
Have an activity set up in the schoolroom so that when the pupils enter. there is something that instantly involvements them and takes their heads off of any concerns they may hold. Ideally. this is a haptic activity that doesn’t require speech production. but can be adapted so the kids need to listen to the instructor. For illustration: Fishing: Cut out a clump of fish from different colored paper. ( You can happen cutouts on the Super Simple ABCs Support Pack CD-ROM ) If possible. laminate them so they’ll last. Put paper cartridge holders where the oral cavities are. Make “fishing poles” from a nice unit of ammunition piece of wood ( avoid anything excessively pointy ) . some twine or narration. and a magnet. When the kids come into category. sit down with them and detect the fish together. Indicate out the different colourss. ( “Look. a bluish fish! There’s a xanthous fish! ” etc. ) . Show the kids how to angle. stating. “I’m traveling to catch a xanthous fish! ” Give each kid a fishing pole ( do certain to supervise them carefully ) . Say. “Let’s catch a yellow/green/blue fish! ” If you are reexamining colourss. this should be plenty. If you are presenting colourss. point out the colourss for them. Continue until all the fish are caught. Count the fish.
Roll up the fish. Ask for each colour one by one. “Can I have all the xanthous fish. delight? ” “Can I have all the bluish fish. delight? ” Don’t concern if kids don’t understand you at foremost. When they bring their fish to you. observe the colourss. ( “Oooh. a bluish fish! ” ) and thank the pupil. Screening activities: Travel to your local price reduction shop and purchase a clump of different colored “pom-poms. ” those little small puffy balls used for trade. Buy some motley containers or little baskets. one for each colour of pompon. Have the pompons spread all over the schoolroom. Let the kids come in and play with them and so inquire them to assist you clean them up. Screen them into colourss. Count them. Put the violet pompons in the purple basket. yellow in xanthous. etc.
Two and three year-olds truly love sorting and cleaning up. so every bit long as you mix up the sortables ( buttons. straws. bean bags. etc. ) . you can make this sort of activity over and over. Matching or puzzle activities: Cut pictures into two pieces and disperse them around the room. Have the pupils help you set them together. As you do so. present the vocabulary. For illustration. cut images of different fruits in half. Place halves all around the schoolroom. Keep the other halves to yourself. When the kids enter. demo them you are seeking to happen the fiting piece to one of the halves by merely traveling around the schoolroom seeking to do a lucifer. Once the childs gimmick on. give them each a half to happen the lucifer for. Clean Up
Teachers sometimes make the error of hotfooting through clean up clip. Clean up clip is a great chance to utilize natural linguistic communication with the pupils in context. You can utilize it to reexamine the linguistic communication one more clip by inquiring for points one-by-one by colour. form. or utilizing the vocabulary word. Or put on the “Clean Up! ” vocal and demonstrate seting things off. Children love to assist and the room will be clean in no clip! Passs
Make “passports” for each of the kids in category. At the beginning of category. the instructor says. “Passports. please! ” As the kids manus over their passports. promote them to state. “Here you are! ” Count the passports together. With immature pupils. we are ever numbering ( How many? ) and calling colourss ( What colour? ) . The kids are reassured by linguistic communication they can easy understand. Name each kid one by one and allow them take a spine for their passport by inquiring. “What colour do you desire? If you’d like to publish your ain passports. here is a nexus for a Super Simple Learning Passport. with more schoolroom thoughts. Print page one foremost. so turn it over and print page two on the dorsum. Or. you can merely publish the screen and leave the interior of the passport white. Thicker paper works best. Hello Song
Get down every category with a hullo vocal. Every Super Simple Songs CD includes both a hullo and a adieu vocal. so there are many to take from. Our favourite for the youngest pupils is “Hello Hello! ” from Super Simple Songs 3. It’s really simple and merriment. and stresses constructing assurance with its easy to follow gestures. Active Song
Now is a good clip to allow the pupils get up and fire off some of their nervous energy. Singing an active vocal that allows the kids to hold merriment and travel around the schoolroom. like “Walking Walking. ” “Seven Steps. ” “Count And Move. ” or “We All Fall Down. ” You don’t necessitate to take a new vocal for each lesson. Very immature kids are reassured by familiar modus operandis. they will be merely every bit aroused to sing and dance to “Walking Walking” the 10th clip they hear it as they were the first or 2nd clip. You don’t necessitate to “teach” these songs…just put them on and travel! Circle Time
Make a circle with all of the pupils keeping custodies. Make a BIG circle. Make a little circle. Walk unit of ammunition and unit of ammunition. fast and decelerate! Bend down low. make up high. Say. “Hello! ” Now. sing “Make A Circle. ” At the terminal of the vocal. pupils are seated and ready to listen/focus. Remember that biennial olds frequently like to play around other kids. but are still going comfy playing with other kids. Circle clip is great for assisting kids learn to play together and collaborate with each other. Thematic Language
Introduction/Review
Circle clip is a good clip to present or reexamine a linguistic communication subject. For illustration. the subject might be emotions ( happy. sad. angry. etc. ) . When possible. existent objects are the best manner to present or reexamine new vocabulary in category. When presenting playthings. for illustration. it’s much more exciting and interesting for immature kids to see and experience the existent plaything. However. it’s non ever practical for instructors to convey realia to category. Picture cards can work good as a replacement. but ever look for interesting ways to present the cards. Have them hidden around the schoolroom and have pupils assist you happen them. Or draw them easy one by one from a colorfully decorated envelope or a Mystery Box. Think of ways to construct wonder before presenting the points. Never merely thumb through the image cards and get down boring. Thematic Language Activity
After presenting the linguistic communication subject for the category. seek an activity that allows the kids to utilize. or at least indicate comprehension of. the new linguistic communication. Simple trades and activity sheets are great for maintaining the pupils focused and interested while leting the instructor to utilize the mark linguistic communication in a meaningful manner. For illustration. when practising emotions. seek pulling different faces ( “Can you draw a happy/sad face? ” ) . Very immature kids won’t be able to pull really good yet. but they enjoy seeking and it’s a great chance for them to get down to larn crayon/pencil accomplishments. Thematic Song
Now. sing a vocal related to the linguistic communication subject of the category. For emotions. seek “If You’re Happy. ” “Five Little Pumpkins. ” or “Can You Make A Happy Face? ” It’s a good thought to allow the vocal drama in the background during the Language Activity so that the pupils become familiar with the melody and will be comfy singing and/or dancing with the vocal. Remember that linguistic communication production is non your chief end with really immature scholars. It’s okay if they don’t sing. All the pupils will bask hearing and reacting through dance and gestures. and you’ll shortly find them singing without any suggestion. Storytime
Following is storytime. Aid pupils passage by singing “Please Sit Down And Storytime Music” which indicates it’s clip to sit down and be quiet. Be certain to sing and gesture both poetries before get downing to read to give the pupils clip to settle down. Ideally. the book is related to the thematic linguistic communication of that category. but it need non be. Very immature scholars show a batch of involvement in books with flaps or things they can touch. like “Where’s Spot? ” “Where’s Maisy? ” or “Good Night. Sweet Butterflies. ” Passs
It’s nice to complete category by giving each pupil a cast in their passport. Name each pupil by name and allow them take their cast ( “Which one do you desire? ” “This one? ” ) . The returning of the passport is a nice manner to signal the terminal of category. Children can be really sad to see classtime come to an terminal. but when you give the pupils spines or casts in their passports it eases any letdown they may experience. Goodbye Song
Any of the goodbye vocals from the Super Simple Songs CDs will work great. but our favourite for the youngest scholars is “Bye Bye Goodbye” from Super Simple Songs 3. It’s a great bookend to “Hello. Hello! ” and lets pupils stop the lesson confidently by stating. “I can _____ . ” Some parts of the lesson stay the same about every week…Passports. Hello vocal. Circle Time. Storytime. Passports. Goodbye vocal. A certain grade of modus operandi is soothing. and it allows you to hold some natural interaction with the kids. Some of the most utile linguistic communication in category can come during passport clip from interaction with each kid one on one. Some things change a small but are still familiar…different vocals. different screening activities. different linguistic communication subjects. etc.
Every one time in awhile. wholly mix things up. Get on-line and happen some age appropriate trades that may take a little longer than activities you typically do in category. Forget about the flash cards and all the other activities and have a merriment trade twenty-four hours! Be flexible! If an activity is non working. be prepared to travel on to another activity. If an activity is working. don’t haste along to the following activity. You don’t hold to make everything on your lesson program! When learning 2- and 3-year olds. retrieve that you are non merely their first linguistic communication instructor. you may be their first instructor of any sort! You have a great chance to assist your pupils form positive attitudes non merely about linguistic communication. but larning in general. Have merriment and Keep It Super Simple!
