The window for language acquisition is wide open during early childhood. This natural developmental stage makes preschool the perfect setting for exposing kids to Spanish, French, or any other foreign language. Gather the little ones for foreign language circle time and follow these tips to create a fun language experience.
Opening Song
Routine and structure are important in preschool. Begin each circle time with a simple "Hello" song in the foreign language. Choose a traditional song from the target culture or create your own. Use the same song each day in order to signal the shift in languages and focus the children's attention.
Daily Warm-Up
The need for predictability remains high at the beginning of the lesson, especially if the teacher is using the target language exclusively. Follow a fun regimen of daily routines:
Create a poem or chant describing circle time behavior. The children can gesture as they recite target language rules such as "I sit down", "I watch", "I listen", etc. This warm-up activity takes less than one minute, yet it serves a dual purpose of reviewing familiar material and reminding the children of the expectations.
Next, it's calendar time. Produce a magic wand pointer to review the days of the week and count the numbers. Each day, systematically choose a special "magic wand helper" to point to the calendar as the other children respond chorally.
Finally, greet the children individually and ask, "How are you?" This can be done in a variety of ways:
- Create paper plate masks with happy, sad, and neutral faces. Children hold up a mask to respond.
- Bring out a mascot-puppet to greet each child. This trick encourages even the most timid preschooler to speak.
- Gently roll or toss an inflatable globe to each child as you ask the question.
- Create a chant or a song to keep the responses rolling along in rhythm.
- Hold up your "Thumbkin" thumbs as the children chorally recite short greeting-conversations.
After a predictable daily warm-up, those little language-ready brains are primed to learn something new.
Input of New Words and Phrases
Now is the time to bring out your fun and surprises. Use props, costumes, pictures, story books, drama, songs and movement to introduce new language expressions and concepts. Reinforce the weekly preschool theme in the foreign language lesson. For example, if the weekly theme is "Dinosaurs," you can count dinosaurs, graph them, sort them by size and color, and tell dinosaur stories.
Guided Practice
Short games or activities will reinforce the new language expressions. Preschoolers like to identify items that they pull out of a mystery bag, act out stories as the teacher narrates, or challenge that friendly puppet friend to a game of concentration or tic tac toe. The possibilities for guided practice are as limitless as your imagination. Just remember to keep the games non-competitive and make sure everyone gets a turn. If possible, crafts, coloring, or small group games can extend the lesson after circle time.
Goodbye Song
Create closure to the day's learning with a rhyme or finger play related to the theme. After about 20 minutes of language immersion, it will be time for individual "Goodbye's" and a closing song.
Develop language skills, confidence and excitement in your preschoolers through a fun foreign language circle time.
 |
