Small children absorb language easily making them wonderfully responsive to learning English as a second language. Child-centered, conversation-based activities are a good place to begin as you and your students become acquainted. You can introduce familiar objects as a starting-off point for enhancing vocabulary and new-word acquisition. At this point, instructor and student may find themselves teaching one another as things are "named" in both respective languages. Music and the visual arts are indispensable aids that help make language-learning more enjoyable for everyone.

Oral Conversation

Have your students join hands to form a circle. A masking-tape outline on the floor or rug accompanied by a few universally recognized, wordless gestures are adequate to convey your meaning to the children.

Motion for the children to sit in place, forming a circle. Position yourself in a seated position at the center of the circle.

Point to yourself and say," My name is Miss ______." Point to one of the students and say," What is your name?" Help the student formulate a response and then direct him to take up your position at the center of the circle. Encourage the student to play the role of instructor, by pointing to a new student, re-introducing himself and requesting the new candidate's name. Continue to follow the same sequence until every child has had a turn in the teacher's seat.

Naming Familiar Objects

Form a circle as in Section 1, Steps 1 and 2 above.

Sit in the center of the circle with a bowl of fruit, a basket of vegetables, or flash cards featuring pictures of animals. Each game varies according to the objects you showcase.

Pick out an item and hold it up for the children to see. Identify the object. "Apple." Have the children repeat the word for each object as it is named.

Progress by asking the children to find named objects. " Find the banana." A correct full-sentence response earns a spot in the middle of the circle and the right to ask the next question. "Find the pineapple." Continue until all have had a turn in the middle.

Pass out drawing paper and crayons. Ask the students to draw a picture of an item. Collect the pictures. Use the pictures next class for review. Flip them over, one-by-one, and ask, "What is this?" Each student identifies his or her own work, retrieves it and identifies it correctly: "This is a banana." Continue until all of the pictures are claimed and named.

Moving to Music

Plan your lessons so that simple songs act as signals, denoting an action--the form-a-circle song, for example--time of day, or task.

Create or find simple songs for welcoming, hello, circle time, exercise, storytime , abc's, tidy up and goodbye.

Sing the songs during your lessons to announce what's next on the agenda. Students will soon learn to recognize the songs, learn the words and sing along.