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Teaching EFL in Kindergarten Teaching kindergarteners is an energy consuming occupation regardless of the subject being taught. Teaching English as a foreign language to kindergartners is no doubt a difficult task, but it is extremely rewarding for prepared teachers. There are ways and guidelines that one can follow to better prepare for inheriting such a position. EFL Kindergarten students have yet to fully master their own native language. So it is important for the teacher to know what to expect from their students. These students are still so young that they are likely to be emotional, easily distracted, and prone to outbursts. It is important to focus on easy subject matter and use simple language when dealing with these youngsters. The students should not feel discouraged by their mistakes, and corrections should only be done when they are absolutely necessary for lesson comprehension. The teacher must also relate and empathize with these young students. The old adage proves, true kids are kids. Kindergartners need lots of visual stimulation and they should not be punished or feel threatened for behaving like a ?kid? would their age. Remember, these students are young and new to the school experience. They are likely experiencing a degree of anxiety in their new class, and the teacher should never make them feel more anxious than they already are. The EFL teacher should have a degree of goofiness in their class. The students are so young, that they will have a hard time sitting still through lengthy lectures and tedious worksheets, so it is important for the teacher to have a fun personality. The teacher should never shout at or inflict any time of negative physical contact with the students. It is important to present clear and reasonable ground rules to the kindergarten class that each student can understand and abide by. A clear system for disciplining should be established and enforced fairly, such as time out time or being sent to the principal?s office. The students also need praise and rewards for their good behavior. If a student can go a whole class without speaking their native language, they should be rewarded! A good and simple idea is to give students blank sheets to put stickers on, if they receive enough stickers, the teacher can offer the student an incentive or physical reward, such as being the teacher?s assistant for the day or receiving a new pack of pencils. On the contrary, if a student is demonstrating disruptive behavior, the teacher can remove a sticker from their sheet their behavior warrants action. The young kindergartner student is perceptive. They have an acute sense of fairness, so the teacher can absolutely never play favorites or treat the students differently in terms of how they are rewarded, praised, and punished. It?s hard for any kindergartner to sit still throughout a lesson. For this reason, the class should have activities that get the students moving. Racing to the white board to draw a picture or find a flashcard can be a nice break from sitting for the kindergarten student. Children of all ages love games, and EFL kindergarten students are no different. The teacher should have a repertoire of appropriate games to play for each lesson. Coloring activities and other crafts should also be used when they are appropriate. There are countless resources online for teaching kindergarten students a variety of subjects. Use the internet to find activities that relate to the lesson and stimulate your classes? interest. The teacher should always have extra materials on hand. Some students may finish activities or exercises earlier than others. They will no doubt act out if they are stuck at their desks waiting for the next segment of the lesson. The teacher should always have some extra coloring sheets, crafts, or worksheets with them just in case such a scenario arises. Many different things can happen when teaching a kindergarten class. The teacher should be ready to deal with a variety of scenarios such as a fight, bloody nose, or a student who becomes ill. Anything can happen when teaching kindergarten, so the prepared teacher must be ready to handle a variety of unexpected situations.
