Flashcards, because my child doesn't repeat

Hello everyone! Back in the saddle, finally!

I was about to write a post about Social Science - The Capitals of Europe, but I've just found these search terms - in the headline - in the statistics of my Spanish blog, mihijohablaingles.com, so I decided that maybe it's worth giving you some guidelines to solve this little inconvenience: MY CHILD DOES NOT REPEAT.

The first step, as always, is to find out the reasons why your children refuse to repeat the words in English (or any other language you're trying to teach them). Generally speaking, it may depend on shyness, shame, insecurity, frustration caused by a negative event which may have occurred in relation to this type of request or you're just dealing with children who simply don't like to be corrected because they are very competitive and associate the word 'mistake' to 'failure'.

Solution? GAMES

Games where, in order to win, you have to repeat words, read them out loud, say short sentences, ask simple questions, etc. We repeat the word aloud (or only the first syllable when we perceive that they can complete the word on their own) and let our children / students say or repeat them. If we realize that their way of pronouncing it is not appropriate, we repeat it ourselves, again, pronouncing it correctly, without making them notice the mistake. Why? Simply because if the child likes the game, he will want to play it again (and again) and that will give us the opportunity to practice the same words several times, thus he'll be able to learn new vocabulary and its correct pronunciation without pressure. Easy peasy.

While children are playing games they are learning in an informal way and they always want to win, so, while they're playing, they forget their inhibitions, concentrate and try to do their best. Playing games is a powerful tool in the teaching - learning process.

Once they have acquired more self-confidence, being introduced to new contents to play with will be perceived as a natural process.

Which games should we propose to the youngest? In the beginning, we should use very simple games like a Memory or a Bingo and later a Go Fish in order to introduce grammatical structures we want them to learn.

I hope you'll find this post useful and that you'll enjoy playing games and practicing  English together with your children.

More play ideas for children

--> I'd like to read this post in Spanish

Teaching HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

03/10/2013

Five years ago I bought this little book to teach the expression: 

How long does it take to do something? 

It takes…

The book is definitely focused on children's everyday life and suggests them to consider the amount of time they need to do things like zipping up a jacket, going to school by bike, filling in a bucket with sand, taking their shoes off, washing the dog etc.

My students find it quite entertaining, so I wanted to keep thinking about time. I came out with these actions that anybody can time inside any classroom:

- How long does it take to jump 20 times?

- How long does it take to say the English alphabet?

- How long does it take to say "I can speak English" 10 times?

- How long does it take to pile up all your books?

- How long does it take to take everything out of your schoolbag and then put it back in?  

I'm sure you can think about many other enjoyable things to do and time.

Let the children write down the questions and the answers, it'll help consolidate them in their minds.

Finally encourage them to think of their own.

Have fun!

--> Quiero leer este post en Castellano



 

Anorak - We love Writing... And your kids?

Summer is very close and many children around the world will be soon on holiday--if they aren't already.

Entertaining them during the next long, hot days is going to be quite easy if you're able to get the next issue of Anorak Magazine, dedicated to writing!

Writing is the most fun and, secretly every elephant wishes it could write!

It's true, spelling isn't always easy, but your fingers could become round like sausages if you never use a pen.

Which was the first writing system ever created, who invented it and why?

How did we arrive in the digital era and its keyboards?

Find it out in the history section and then try to correctly answer the writing trivia!

After that, you will have the great opportunity to write something in Russian, just to impress your classmates!

For the youngest kids there's an alpha-forest full of letters A-a, but how many?

There's a ancient Roman inscription to crack besides a coloring page and a 'spot the animal on the bus' activity.

As always you'll find comics, rhymes, drawings and books reviewed by children.

Definitely another Anorak issue for your collection!

More about Anorak - The happy Mag for Kids

More about Writing

Writing tip nº 5: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF…? (2nd Conditional)

This writing technique proposed by Rodari in his 'The Grammar of Fantasy' uses hypotheses to make up stories.

It's quite easy because you only have to randomly choose a subject and a verb, possibly logically disconnected one from another. 

For example: 

bath / fly

toy / speak

cow / give an interview

mountain / walk

Oklahoma City / is surrounded by the sea

candies / rain

Rollerblades / travel through time

etc.

More ideas:

What would happen if a cow was interviewed by Oprah?

What would happen if you could walk on a rainbow?

What would happen if your school was a boat?

What would happen if you could speak Chinese?

What would happen if all the cars in your city couldn't move?

What would happen if you could pop into your favorite program right through your own TV?

Your students can answer the question using their imaginative skills and create really amusing and fun stories.

The more they can talk about their own lives and experiences the more they will be able to enhance their essays.

Actually, why don't you use this writing tip to create an unusual school bulletin? 

It would be challenging and entertaining!

In the picture: What would happen if a glass elevator got into an Earth orbit?
Illustrator: Ashlyn Anstee


WRITING TIP NUMBER 4

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WRITING TIP NUMBER 1