Children Teaching ESL

Children Teaching ESL
Written by: Louanne Piccolo • Edited by: Linda M. Rhinehart Neas
Updated Sep 23, 2010 • Related Guides: BBC | Teaching English

Most ESL teachers have years of experience in teaching English to adults but may be daunted by the task of teaching children English. How to teach English as a second language to children involves understanding how to motivate children to learn and how to hold their attention for short periods.
Children and Motivation

Motivation is the key to learning, for both adults and children. This is especially true for children as their attention span is shorter than adults and, in most cases, children themselves have not made the decision to learn English but are normally signed up by their parents who feel that it is important for their children to speak English as a second language.

Intrinsic motivation, or interest in doing the learning activity, is natural for adults who want to speak English for professional, travel or personal reasons. How many children sign themselves up for an extra class outside of school hours? The best children's ESL teachers are those who have understood that they must enter into the magical world of make-believe and game-playing to teach English to children and to keep them motivated to learn without realising that they are learning.
How to Teach Children English

Make-believe is part of the development of a healthy child. Children can be remarkably inventive and imaginative and they love to create worlds and pretend to be any number of characters from fairies to cowboys. The key to teaching children English is to join them in their imaginations and motivate them intrinsically to learn. ESL teachers can use the following teaching strategies to introduce English vocabulary and grammar to children: