Ten helpful ideas for teaching English to young learners

1. Use L1 as a resource when necessary

1.1. Explain a difficult expression in L1

1.2. Take the answers in L1 and recast them in English

2. Collaborate with other teachers in your school

2.1. Visit with teachers each others' classrooms

2.2. Connect lessons to the topics, activities and stories that students learning in their native language

3. Communicate with other TEYL professionals

3.1. It helps to keep the classroom fresh with new ideas

3.2. It helps to construct new ideas and solutions to the common problems that teachers face

4. Establish classroom routines in English

4.1. Starting a lesson with singing a special song

4.2. Add a classroom language

5. Teach in themes

5.1. Use thematic unit planning

6. Involve students in making visuals and realia

6.1. Draw different pictures

6.2. Create puppets

6.3. Coloring drawings and cutting them out

6.4. Bring toys and objects on the lesson from home

7. Bring in helpers from the community

7.1. Do a storytelling

7.2. Assist in the class helping with activities

8. Use stories and contexts familiar to students

8.1. Use themes that are based on children's language proficiency and what is of interest for them

8.2. Use stories and contexts that children have expierence in their native language

8.3. Teach the language based on situations that are found in the native country

9. Move from activity to activity

9.1. Create a balance between the different kinds of activities

9.1.1. Individual/pairwork/groupework/whole class activities

9.1.2. Different skills: listening/talking/reading/writing

9.1.3. Quit/noisy exercises

9.1.4. Teacher-pupil/pupil-pupil activities

10. Supplement activities with visuals, realia, and movement

10.1. Supplement the activities with brightly colored visuals, toys, puppets or objects

10.2. Use children's physical energy, move around the classroom or outside

10.3. Use guesters