o YOUNG LEARNERS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY. o LEARNING THROUGH PLAY.TYPES OF PLAY.DRAMATIC PLAY.EASY DRAMA ACTIVITIES.USING PROPS FOR PRETENDED SITUATIONS. o READY…STEADY…PLAY!! o CIRCLE DANCE - COLOR SQUARE DANCE - BE ACTIVE! - MASHED POTATOES. o FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS - HOT POTATOES - CATERPILLARS AND BUTTERFLIES. o MAYPOLE - THERE AND BACK IN THE FOREST - AT THE PARK - FREEZE AND GO!. o MORNING CREATURES - TOY DANCE - FIND A PARTNER - THE MULTIPURPOSE OBJECT. - WHO ARE WE? - MIMING GAMES FOR LITTLE KIDS. o GAMES FOR VERY YOUNG LEARNERS. BENEFITS OF GAMES - WHY DO GAMES WORK WELL? - CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING GAMES - HOW DO I SET UP A GAME? o LISTENING GAMES - SPEAKING GAMES. o GAMES AT CIRCLE TIME. o ANIMAL NOISES & MOVEMENT - DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE - HOP. BUNNY, HOP! o CHINESE WHISPERS - I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE - MYSTERY BAG. o PARACHUTE GAME - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH A BALL - SHOW ME - SIMON SAYS. o OUTSIDE GAMES. o GO TO… - ONE, TWO THREE, STOP! - RED LIGHT, YELLOW LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT! o CROCODILE - THERE ARE FOUR IN YOUR GROUP - CAT & MOUSE FRUIT COCKTAIL o FLOOR GAMES. o INSIDE GAMES. o RESOURCES FOR GAMES - FISHING COLORS - FIND YOUR SHAPE POCKET CUBE. o FEELY BAG - TOUCH SOMETHING - MIRROR GAMES - HIDE, FIND, TELL DICE GAMES. o USING PICTURE CARDS FOR GAMES. o MAKING CARDS WITH YOUR CHILDREN. TECHNIQUES TO USE CARDS. o WHO HAS GOT…? - SNAP GAME - GO FISH. o BOARD GAMES: BINGO – MEMORY – PUZZLES – DOMINOES – GRIDS o MATCHING STICKS- WHAT IS IT CARDS - MATCHING MATS. o USING FILE FOLDER GAMES. o SOME CONCLUSIONS. o REFERENCES. “READY…STEADY…PLAY! Teaching Very Young Learners through Dramatic Play & Games”
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…and the importance of “PLAY” …and the importance of “GAMES”
PLAY is the dominating activity of children between 3 and 12 years. PLAY IS LEARNING. PLAY IS THE CHILD’S LIFE !!
TYPES OF PLAY: There are 4 categories of play: SENSOMOTOR PLAY
CONSTRUCTION PLAY
SYMBOLIC PLAY
GAMES WITH RULES
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in Young Learners’ Classroom
Delight in “makemake-believe” believe” Play in imaginary worlds. Can act out a role. Engage in “pretend activities” activities”. Dress up. Become another person.
MIME
SONGS RHYMES
MIME MIME CHANTS CHANTS CHANTS
SONGS SONGS
RHYMES RHYMES
PUPPETS PUPPETS ACTIVITIES SIMULATION SIMULATION SIMULATION ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES
ROLE-PLAYS ROLE-PLAYS
DRAMATIZING gives shy children speaking a foreign language, another character to “hide behind”. Children become actively involved in a situation/ text. It makes language more meaningful and memorable than drilling and mechanical repetition.
“READY…STEADY…PLAY! Teaching Very Young Learners through Dramatic Play & Games”
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SHORT
To activate the Language and have fun! EASY TO SET UP
ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE: ADAPTABLE TO USE SHORT SHORT FUN
EASY EASYTO TOSET SET UP UP FUN FUN
WITH WITHLANGUAGE LANGUAGE CONTENT CONTENT
ADAPTABLE ADAPTABLE TO TOUSE USE
SHORT EASY TO SET UP
Focus on mime. ADAPTABLE TO USE Work on using their bodies to express meaning. meaning FUN
Give them “teacherteacher-controlled activities” activities” Introduce concepts of music/ movement/ Dramatic Play. Create and sustain a “pretend play” environment!!
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Make COLORED NECKLACES for each one In “Square Dance”, one person is the caller , who calls out the movements that everyone else performs. Children follow the color directions: “Blues step forward Then turn round Walk to your place And twirl around. Reds hop to the middle, And back again Find the yellows And shake a leg Greens turn around, Clap your hands Make a sound And say good-bye!
Prepare carpet squares or “PERSONAL MATS” MATS” for each child Children sit on their squares and follow simple directions “Stand on your square, Jump on your square Put one foot on your square Change squares with a friend
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Prepare a MAYPOLE: tie one piece of ribbon around a large Hula Hoop for each child. Stand in the middle of a circle with the Hula Hoop and give each child a ribbon end. Pretend you are a “maypole” and the children are the “merry dancers”. Sing a song while they turn around.
o Use FLASHCARDS with FEELINGS: FEELINGS happy, sad, angry, bored, tired. o One child chooses one word , mimes the expression and asks: ”How do I feel today?” o The rest of the class guesses the meaning o In groups: children mingle around and through mime they find a partner who feels the same as they do. “READY…STEADY…PLAY! Teaching Very Young Learners through Dramatic Play & Games”
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Young children LOVE to mime and they love doing actions. Use miming for vocabulary or sentences which you would like students to hear repeatedly, either as part of initial presentation of the language or as revision.
Miming games can be adapted to a wide range of vocabulary: MIME EATING DIFFERENT FOOD: ice cream, pasta, chewy toffees, chewing gum, hot dog, chips, steak, etc. MIME A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY: mum, dad, baby, sister, brother, grandfather, great-grandmother, etc. MIME AN ACTION: close the curtains, knock on the door, sit on the floor, stand up, see, look, run, walk, sleep, cry, sing, dance, play tennis, play football, etc.
MIME A FEELING: happy, sad, angry, sleepy, dreamy, tired. MIME AN ANIMAL: mime the animal with or without sound effects. MIME A JOB: doctor, nurse, taxi driver, schoolteacher, footballer, racing driver, farmer, opera singer, actor, clown, circus acrobat, etc. MIME A MEANS OF TRANSPORT: with sound effects.
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To add a variant to that you could lay out some cards face down. One child takes a card and looks at it without the others seeing. He or she then mimes what is on the card and the other children have to guess what is being mimed.
Playing is the child’s natural way of learning. learning
- are rules & interaction. - a mini social world to enter society.
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The game should: - Be relevant linguistically. - Have an aim and purpose. purpose - Be simple to explain. - Easy to set up and play. - Easy to carry out. - Everyone should be able to participate in it. - It should be FUN !!!!!!!
Ways of showing children what to do in a game: A QUICK DEMONSTRATION : Play the game with 1 or 2 pupils in front of the class.
A TRIAL RUN: Have a trial run before starting a new game.
GIVING INSTRUCTIONS: Use gestures and mime to communicate meaning. Language must be simple. Instructions must be short: - “Let’s play a game…” - “Form groups of…” - “Shuffle the cards!” - “Give 5 cards to your companion!” - “Whose turn is it?”” It’s mine!” - “Time’s up!”
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ACT OUT: - Both, those who chase the others or lead the action and those who are chased. -Children should see what they are supposed to do. GIVE THE GAME A CHANCE: Sometimes a new game does not seem to work (do not be discouraged!!!!) Try it again another time. AVOID HIGHLY COMPETITIVE GAMES: - Let 2 or 3 be the winners instead of just one. - Several children can be eliminated at the same time.
1) 2) 3) 4)
Give out an ANIMAL FLASHCARD to each student. Display animal pictures in a row. Call out the first animal. All students with that animal flashcard stand up and move like the animal (…and make the sound) 5) Call the second animal, the children standing sit down and those with the next animal stand and move like the animal.
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1) Seat all the players in a circle, close together. 2) A player walks quickly around the outside of the circle gently tapping the seated players on the head saying “DUCK" each time until he or she decides to switch to “GOOSE!" 3) At this point, the child chosen as “The Goose” gets up and chases the child who tapped him round the circle, trying to catch him before he does a complete circle and sits down in the “Goose's" spot. 4) The “GOOSE" now becomes the “DUCK" and repeats the game as described above. TEACHING TIP: Every few rounds change the vocabulary, so if sticking to the animal theme play with : “Tiger, tiger, snake!” - “Cow, cow, pig!”, etc…
1) The game is that you hide objects in a bag and children guess what they are and name them. 2) You'll need to make this easy and that can be done by sticking to a theme such as all fruits, or all animals. 3) If you find the children cannot guess the objects then show them all the objects first and then hide them and let the children feel and name.
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CLASSROOM LANGUAGE: FOR OUTDOOR GAMES: THE PLAYGROUND MAKE TWO GROUPS STAND IN THE MIDDLE DON’ T CROSS THE LINE STAND SIDE BY SIDE SKIP HOP TAKE TWO STEPS FREEZE! IT’S YOUR TURN WE ARE ALL WINNERS IT’S A DRAW
Get your students to stand in a line one beside the other, facing you. Turn around to face a wall (“home”) so your back is facing the children. Call out: “One, two, three, stop!” stop!” In the meantime, the children run towards you, trying to get as close to you as possible. When you say “Stop!” Stop!”, turn quickly around and see if anyone is moving. If so, ask: “What’s your name?” : I’m Peter. Go back Peter! (all) and Peter has to go back to the standing line. Repeat the procedure. The game finishes when a pupil touches “home” before you see him. He can take your place.
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Children will make a circle and the teacher gives out NECKLACES of the vocabulary she wants to practice. Eg: 3 apples, 3 bananas, etc... One student in the middle calls out one type of fruit and those who have that card must stand up and rush to change seats. A new person will be in the middle without seat. If the student in the center wants everyone to change seats, he must call out “FRUIT COCKTAIL! COCKTAIL!”
INDOOR GAMES provide another great opportunity for learning and developing social skills and usually involve the whole class. Use games to help children focus on Cooperative learning in groups . Design games that allow participation and cooperation from all.
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Use PAPER PLATES to prepare different activities to revise colors, numbers, vocabulary, concepts, etc…
Prepare some fishing-rods and some cut outs with colored fish. Children fish the different animals with magnets
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Roll and Color Dice Game for Brown Bear -Print the page below for each child. - Have the children roll a die. - Have them identify the number then color one of the animals with that number on it.
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YOU WILL NEED: Prepare photocopies by drawing pictures in squares of dotted lines, so children can cut along easily. Children color the drawings and cut out along the lines. Stick them on colored cards. The teacher protects them afterwards Give each child a envelope, labeled with a category (eg: food, clothes) and an appropriate drawing to put in the home-made cards . Keep all the envelopes in a decorated box.
CREATE GAMES TO REINFORCE CONCEPTS THAT YOU ARE TEACHING: - Colors - Numbers - Weather Use them for: - Small groups. - Whole class activities. - On the chalk board. - On the floor. Storage the games in labeled boxes
“READY…STEADY…PLAY! Teaching Very Young Learners through Dramatic Play & Games”
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CLASSROOM LANGUAGE: FOR BOARD GAMES: GAMES THE BOARD A SQUARE A COUNTER ROLL THE DICE GO FORWARD TWO SQUARES GO BACK… MISS A TURN IT’ S YOUR TURN
Encourage students to use English as they play. They should: - count in English, - use phrases such as “My/Your turn”. In addition teachers ask questions about the game as they monitor students’ progress: “Whose turn is it? “How many… ?”.
Prepare a grid of nine squares of the vocabulary to practice and give one to each child and some buttons. Prepare a set of individual pictures for you to take out from a bag . Take a card at random out of your bag and ask a useful question, Eg: Do you like sandwiches? Those who have the drawing of a sandwich in their grid, answers “Yes!, I like sandwiches” and put the button on the drawing Continue asking until someone completes the grid and shouts “Bingo” The winner can call out the following game.
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1) Give children a set of UPPERCASE LETTERS and had them hang the letters up on the clothesline (leaving one empty clothespin between each letter).
2) Then give them the LOWERCASE LETTERS to hang up next to the matching uppercase letter.
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Use a marker to write on the STICKS, the skills you are working on. Use MATCHING STICKS for: - Letters - Colors - Shapes - Numbers - Name recognition - etc.
Children are given the sticks to match and they can sit on the floor or at the table and match the sticks together.
MATCHING MATS are designed to build visual discrimination skills in children ages 3 to 6 years of age. They are perfect for: group use individual use structured play free play.
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Matching Mats are designed to build visual discrimination skills in children ages 3 to 6 years of age. They are perfect for group and individual use in either structured or free play. this MATCHING MAT has 12 squares that are to be matched with the identical square piece.
INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare out two copies of a Matching Mat Stick it to hard construction paper. Laminate both of them. Leave one Mat complete and cut out the twelve corresponding squares on the second sheet. They can be used as floor or table games.
A typical FILE-FOLDER GAME consists of a laminated paper sheet and some cut outs.
Flower and Butterfly Alphabet File Folder Game
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FILE FOLDERS are easy to make and provide an excellent way for children to participate in "hands-on" learning! WHAT ARE “FILE FOLDERS”? They are folders and cards that children can use for: matching, classifying, ordering, etc… You can also have FILE FOLDER GAMES that children can chose from themselves.
You will need: File Folders - Either Color or Manilla - Glue Sticks - Card Stock Paper and Regular Paper - Laminator machine or self contact transparent paper - Zip-Lock Bags or Paper Bags to store the loose game pieces in. The first thing you need to do is print the file folder game you wish to make. Use normal ink jet paper for the front cover and game pieces that are glued inside the file folder. Use a thicker paper called cardstock for the pieces that that will be laminated. Once the patterns for the game are printed, cut out the pieces that go on the cover of the file folder and inside the file folder. You can arrange the pieces any way you want. Next ... cut out the pieces that you printed on cardstock and laminate and protect them for durability. Cut out the pieces that were laminated and place them in a paper bag that you stick to the back of the file folder. Finally, store File Folder Games in a simple plastic container that has a lid. “READY…STEADY…PLAY! Teaching Very Young Learners through Dramatic Play & Games”
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NOTE: Do not put too many games in the container so that students can easily choose the games from it. To play the FILE FOLDER GAMES students: match the pieces that are loose in the paper bag… to the pieces that are inside the file folder. FILE FOLDER GAMES can be played on the floor, on tables, in groups or individually.
Playing is the child’s natural way of learning. learning Students use the language while enjoying! GAMES improve the effectiveness of your teaching and make your classes more fun!! Playing Games: it is a good opportunity to foster cooperative values, class participation and healthy competition
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REFERENCES: We are grateful for permission to reproduce material from: -
Amanda Cant & W. Superfine. “Developing resources for Primary”. Richmond Publishing. Jean Warren. “Story time ideas for Circle Time” Totline Pub. Roth, Genevieve.” Teaching Very Young Children- Pre-school and Early Primary”. Richmond House, Susan. “An introduction to Teaching English to children”. Richmond Curtain and Pesola. “Languages and children” – making the match. Longman. Jayne Moon. “Children learning English”. Macmillan Books for teachers. Wendy Scott. “Teaching English to children”. Longman.
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www.enchantedlearning.com www.teachers.net/lessons www.kizclub.com www.teachervision.fen.com www.kindercrafts.com www.sparklebox.co.uk www.welcometoenglishandfun.com
We strongly recommend hands-on learning activities for Very Young Learners from: www.childcareland.com www.earlychildhoodprintables.comS SHELLEY LOVETT has been creating original learning activities and resources for the early childhood community since 2000. She has also been working in the field of early learning for the past sixteen years as both a licensed child care provider and a pre-k teacher.
www.teachingenglishgames.com SHELLEY VERNON created a method that concentrates on enhancing listening and speaking skills through Language Games which involve repetition and through fluency activities which have genuine communicative value rather than artificial conversation. She created her best-selling "English Language Games for Children"
E-BOOK:”READY...STEADY...PLAY! Teaching Very Young Learners through Dramatic Play & Games” Copyright 2012 By Graciela Bertolini www.gracebertolini.com.ar All rights reserved. No part of this E-BOOOK may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording, computer bulletin board (BBS), Internet, or by any information storage retrieval system, without written permission of the author. This legal protection not only applies to the name but also to the format and contents of this publication. Any copying or similar book, will be seen a breach of copyright and legal action will be H sought. Please do not email this E-book to anyone else, as I do not want free copies being emailed all over the Internet. I appreciate your integrity on this point. Thank you! Grace Bertolini.
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