**Japanese kindergartens love to put English teachers into this type of situation, so I know some of you out there have some nice ideas.**
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I really got myself into something wicked this time. The kindergarten I work for wants me to start teaching English classes in the morning. **About 20 minutes each** (not too bad) in their normal classrooms which is full of desks (unable to move due for various reasons).
It used to be that I could use the large play around (the “auditorium”/”gym”) but it’s being used for other things this year.
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My ideas so far:
**\[NO\] Flashcards:** The teacher other teacher who planned these things mostly just did flash cards. The kids, especially the younger classes, *yada*’d the flash cards whenever she brought them out. Makes sense, flash cards aren’t real enough for young children.
**Songs:** I decided to keep the hello and goodbye song they were already using since it lets them keep a sense of familiarity, plus they’re pretty good anyway. **Both songs combined are maybe 3-4 minutes** I can add maybe one more song but anymore than that doesn’t sit well with me. I personally feel that if the kids are just going to watch music videos, they don’t need me in the room — A Japanese teacher could be the one pressing the play button and it would be the same thing.
**TPR:** Normally I can keep kindergarten-aged children interested in TPR for 15-20 minutes at a time in a wide, open space. But since they basically won’t be able to move, I figured I might be able to keep their interest in some **”stationary TPR” for about 5 minutes.**
**Picture books:** I can read them a book which, realistically, **could be anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes.** I currently have an arsenal of three books that I’ve got down to a tee. They are: The Hungry Caterpillar, Don’t Press The Button, and Press Here (interactive book which I highly recommend). **Any other good book recommendations would be appreciated.** The Very Hungry Caterpillar isn’t comprehensible verbatim but I don’t mind simply changing the words.
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**I know this math adds up to the 20 minutes already, but I’d like some more ideas for variety.**
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Additional limitations:
1. In typical Japanese kindergarten fashion, the blackboard is plastered with posters, signs, and memos for teachers, and can’t be used.
2. The classroom setup (desks, chairs, etc) can’t be changed since they have to go straight into whatever they have planned after English.
3. However, the corona limitations are basically non-existent. They wear masks (or they’re supposed to) but there’s no 1-meter rule or no-touching rule.
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**More than specific games, I’m looking for general ideas. A specific game is nice and I’ll appreciate it, but this is a year-long situation.**
8 comments
Flash cards: I’d recommend trying to make them fun before scrapping them. Do only 3-5 at a time and make it interactive. If they’re verbs then have them act them out then go faster and faster til they’re all giggly. It’ll be fun and associating words with physical movement is good for memory retention. Try super easy versions of the feint game or something, or flash the cards very quickly and have them guess it.
Story books: like above, focus on making the kids feel like they’re part of it rather than spectators. Incorporate gestures, or for something like Brown Bear, Brown Bear you can open and shut each page real quick and have them tell you what they saw. Stuff like that. My 3 year old classes really liked Brown Bear and Where The Wild Things Are (to the point they were actually kinda upset if we didn’t have time lol).
Songs: I’d just recommend spacing them out and making sure there’s some kind of (simple) dance going with them. So they have some chance to periodically release energy in a way that you can still control. Also they’re kindergarteners, so they don’t mind being repetitive. Find a fun one they like (maybe just the classic head shoulders knees and toes. My kids liked wind the bobbin up) and keep it in your pocket. If kids are getting too antsy then throw it in there.
Finger play:
– This Little Piggy
– Round and Round the Garden
– Two Little Dickie Birds
– Incy Wincy
Tower game (such as stacking blocks, or even sets of little dice, and getting the kids to count and compete).
Circle time, using a toy microphone or a whiteboard marker. Get them to pass it around, asking and answering simple questions to each other.
Put a piece of string in the holes in the caterpillar book, and use plenty of nom-nom-nom sound effects. They usually love that!
Do you have access to a lending library? Many of them have English language books for kids, and although the selection is limited you can rotate through the books throughout the year.
Instead of flash cards, how about making kamishibai? You can use a big sketchbook, the kind you can buy at Daiso.
I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s ideas, because I’m in a similar situation. 🙂
Try the total physical response method, like a Simon Says game. If the students are able to stand up behind their desk you should still be able to do this game as long as you do things that don’t require them to move around too much.
You can also use total physical response with story telling. You mime a noun or verb in the story and have the children mimic you. Have them memorize the action with the word and repeat the action when they hear the word again in the story.
Have you thought of coloring? Simple photocopied sheets based on the theme or song you are doing. Look into Apricot- they have some good textbooks and songs that you can base your lessons around and some big story books that are very simple and suitable for kindergarten.
I taught kindergarten for about 10 years (Although we did have open space most of the time) and I used a lot of songs combined with TPR. If I used CDs it was more to do a ‘pass the parcel’ activity with flash cards. I had usually introduced the vocabulary through flash cards, done some kind of game with the flash cards (like pass the parcel or bingo for stickers) then a song involving TPR and then some kind of coloring activity to give the kids something to remember (playing the relevant song on repeat while I do it) plus a relevant story if I had one.
Flash cards and songs are great don’t cut them out just because you don’t like them.
It’s honestly not about the materials you use but how you present them. You have to create a narrative for the kids and use it to teach them.
Watch NHK on a weekday morning or late afternoon. Many of these shows are tailored to this age group. You can copy some of their ideas and just do it in English.
Kindergarten do sooo many nursery rhymes in Japanese. Especially those with hand movements. Do English ones.
My lesson plan is usually like
Hello song
Today’s theme song (sometimes two songs)
Introducing the topic
Practice with flash cards
Main activity
Good bye song
My main activities vary every class, like playing fruit basket, or reading a book.
I also make sure to adjust the lesson for each age level. This is very important.
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Here in the US whenever we are teaching a second language or math we play this game called around the room where a teacher will ask a question to one student and that student will go against another student to see who can get it first then whoever gets it first goes against another student till either all the students have gone a certain amount of times or a student had gone around the room
im not sure if this can be of any help but i found this website a few days ago and ive gotten a lot of activity ideas from it! 🙂 [https://busytoddler.com/category/learn/](https://busytoddler.com/category/learn/)
Ill be starting work at a kindergarten as well. best of luck!