Routines and classroom

management for (very) young

learners

Loga Andreea Patricia

What are we going to look at today?
Acknowledging the challenges
Linking everything to language learning
Greetings
Circle time
Book tine
Games
Miming
Songs and chants
Workbook
Preparing to leave the class
Acknowledging the challenges
The children don’t know a word of English.
The experience of being in a classroom is new.
Their main concerns will be being parted from their
parents and being with children who they might never
have met before.
They have little or no idea what English is or why they
are learning it.
Linking everything to language learning
Our number one concern is making sure that the
children are safe, protected and in a welcoming and
friendly environment.
At this age, everything else comes second.
Our task is to help them start to learn and then to love
learning English. So, how do we begin?
Linking everything to language learning (2)
Talk to the children in English. Use it as much as
possible. Especially at this stage, the more you use
English, the more you are helping the children to
become bilingual. Let them get used to the sound and
rhythms of the language.
All of the classroom routines and the way you manage
the class can be done in English. It won’t be your target
language(we keep that very simple and clear) but it
will become part of their ‘background English’, part of
the classroom environment.
Greetings
Learn each child’s name and use it immediately.
You could write stickers with their names on and put
them on their tops to help you remember.
Notice the little things about each child-their bag,
their hair, their shoes. They will have made an effort
and these things are important.
Help the children to learn each other’s names and to
use them.
Greetings (2)
Children using each other’s names makes a big
difference to how they perceive each other and how
they communicate.
Keep reminding them; they won’t learn all the names
straight away. They might not be able to pronounce all
of them-their native language speech is still
developing.
Circle time
Make circle time the start of the lessons.(when it is
possible)
It gets the children sitting down and together. It helps
them to get to know each other and feel part of a
comfortable group.
It helps them to focus on the aims of the lesson.
Circle time is where you first present the target
language.
Circle time (2)
Let the children call out responses together. It feels
safe for them and they don’t have to stand out or feel
they are not saying things correctly.
Always accept approximations of words and phrases at
this stage. Saying things wrong is an important stage
in saying things right. Never correct a child, but say
the word or phrase correctly back to them.
Book time
Show the children that you like the books and are interested in
them.
Let them have time to discover the books and help them to turn
the pages, if they accidentally tear pages, mend them immediately
by taping them up.
Help them all to find the correct page in their books.
Help them to focus attention on the books and pictures on the
pages.
In Circle time, you will have introduce the language and present
the lesson using story cards or flashcards.
In Book time, they will see themselves the same lesson and feel it
is their, that they are familiar with it and can interact with it.
Games
Playing games is the main way in which children will
start to say and understand the target language of the
lesson.
If a game involves physical activity, make sure that you
leave time for the children to rest and drink some
water afterwards.
The children will get involved with the game and
might not use the target language which you intended.
Keep saying it and eventually they will join in.
Vocabulary games:
1. Catch a fly:
Vocabulary games:
Vocabulary games:
2. Tennis:
Vocabulary games:
Vocabulary games:
3. Dice:
Vocabulary games:
Grammar games:
1. Spot the
difference:
Grammar games:
•Distribute the cards randomly to kids.
2. LOOP: Some students may get more than one card.

•Choose a player to begin by reading their

card aloud. For example, I have a newt in
front of a boot. Who has an ant behind a
plant?

•Kids check their cards and if they have the

answer, they read it aloud, then ask the
question which is on their card.

•When the chain circles around to the first

student, the game can be over.
Miming
Miming is an activity that children will relate to when
it is used for expressing feelings. They will have
carefully observed other children showing sadness or
anger or excitement- this is part of their natural
development.
For example, if we want to teach the phrase ‘I’m
scared’, we can do this through mime using facial
expression as well as body language.
In this way, the children will gradually get used to the
idea of using expressive movement to convey meaning.
Songs and chants
At this early stage, learning to sing English is as
important as learning to speak English.
When we sing, we sing together. This means that some
children will be singing all the words and some won’t.
This is ok. Children love to sing the same songs over and
over again and gradually they will all pick up the words.
Some children might just enjoy the experience of being
in the group of singers , without actually singing at all.
Let them enjoy this mindful time and they will become
more vocal as time goes on.
Workbook
It is easier for the children and for the parents if you
can find time to do the workbook activities in class.
Prepare them for the activity as class, using the board
or the whiteboard first.
Then hand out the workbooks and make sure that
every child has found the correct page.
When they all have the right page and all know what
activity requires, hand out the crayons or pencils.
Take time to help them find the correct way.
Preparing to leave the class
Time your class so that everyone can find their bags
and leave the class in a leisurely and orderly fashion.
Just as you greeted the children into the class, use
their names when you say goodbye and encourage
them to do the same with their friends.
Thank you !