If you teach English to Young Learners and/or Kindergarten, having a well-planned lesson can be the difference between a stressful experience and one that is enjoyable for both you and the children. Most importantly, a well-planned lesson can lead to more successful outcomes for the children.
So what should you think about when planning a lesson for Young Learners or Kindergarten? Here are 15 practical tips:
1. Always plan extra
ALWAYS plan more than you think you will need for any one lesson. As you become more experienced and get to know your class, you’ll be able to judge what works well and for how long, and incorporate this into your planning. Even so, there will still be times when you run out of activities.
In those moments, even five minutes can feel like a very long time with a class of five-year-olds. Keep a list of extra ideas on the wall for quick reference, and have the resources ready in your “toolkit” – whether that’s a puppet, a song or a quick game.
2. Be flexible
Sometimes an activity just doesn’t work. No matter how well planned it is or how brilliantly you think it will suit your class, it can fall flat. This happens to even the most experienced teachers, so don’t worry – be flexible and ready to adapt. Simply change what you’re doing and use one of the extra activities you’ve prepared.
3. Experiment
Don’t be afraid to try out new ideas – they might just turn out to be brilliant. The more confident you become, the more you will want to experiment with new ideas and different ways of teaching.
4. Be aware of children’s attention span
Children have short attention spans, so you’ll need to change activities regularly. Alternating between more physical activities and calmer ones is particularly effective and helps maintain engagement.
5. Add an element of surprise
If lessons are fun and contain an element of surprise, children are more likely to stay focused and engaged.
Even something simple, like putting a puppet in a bag and pretending you don’t know what’s inside, can create excitement. Pretend you see the bag move. Involve the children. Look at the bag and pretend it stops moving. Build anticipation. Children love this type of activity and respond very positively to it.
6. Make lessons meaningful
If you notice something that particularly interests the children, try to incorporate it into your lesson plan. For example, if they’re fascinated by dinosaurs and you’re teaching numbers, count dinosaurs.
Teaching language in context makes it more meaningful. If you’re teaching farm animals, create a farm scene, tell a story about a farm, or sing songs such as “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” Context gives language purpose and makes it easier to remember.
7. Incorporate plenty of repetition
Don’t teach something once and then move on. Children (and adults!) need plenty of repetition, review and reinforcement in order to acquire and retain language.
This is why learning through rhymes, songs and stories is so successful. Children enjoy playing games and hearing songs repeatedly. Repetition also builds confidence – they begin to join in more, speak more, and understand more. It’s exciting to observe their progress over time.
Looking for ready-made Young Learner lesson plans? Have a look at our Resource Packs:
8. Use creative activities
Creative activities make lessons active and memorable, helping ensure children are engaged and learning at the same time.
For example, if you’re learning colours and singing “Ten Coloured Fish,” invite the children to make their own fish – decorating them however they choose, using collage, paint or other materials.
Where possible, let children take their creations home. This creates a positive home–school link and allows families to see what they’ve been learning.
9. Differentiate
Always start from the child and where they are in their development and learning. Children learn at different rates, so differentiation is important.
You might ask the same question in different ways depending on the child. As you get to know your class, this becomes easier. Pair children thoughtfully to support one another, but vary pairings regularly.
Differentiation helps prevent boredom when a lesson is too easy, and frustration when it is too challenging. Observe and assess regularly so you can adjust your teaching accordingly.
10. Ask the children!
Don’t be afraid to ask children what they’ve enjoyed – but be prepared for honest answers! Don’t take responses personally; instead, use them to inform future planning.
Children might tell you which games they like (and are likely learning from), or suggest something new you hadn’t considered. Even very young children who can’t verbalise their opinions will show you through their enthusiasm and willingness to repeat an activity.
Often, enjoyment and learning go hand in hand.
11. The role of play
Incorporate play and games into your lessons. Play gives children ownership of their learning and builds confidence without the fear of failure.
Sitting in rows and answering questions on demand can be stressful for young learners. Through play, children consolidate learning in a natural way. When they choose what to play or create, they are intrinsically motivated and more likely to remember language.
Rhymes, games and stories support play-based learning. Creative activities allow children to use their imagination and move freely in the classroom, both of which support language development.
12. Encourage independent learning
Plan opportunities for children to be independent learners. For example, leave out resources from the lesson and build in time for children to use them freely. It’s often surprising how much English emerges during these moments.
You can also invite children to become the “teacher”. Extending activities to include this opportunity reinforces learning and builds confidence in using their developing English.
13. Use open questions
Include open questions in your planning wherever possible so children can think and share their own ideas.
For example, once they know some animal names, ask about their favourite animal. If they’ve learned descriptive adjectives, ask why they like it (“because it’s pink/small/funny…”). Open questions encourage longer responses and deeper thinking.
14. Incorporate quiet time
When I first began incorporating quiet time, I worried it would look like I wasn’t teaching. In reality, the opposite is true.
Leave out storybooks for children to explore. Very young learners will practise holding books correctly and turning pages. If they’re familiar with a story, they may begin retelling it using the pictures, sometimes even mimicking the intonation.
Older children may look for familiar words or read independently, depending on their level. Sit alongside them during quiet time to observe and gently scaffold their learning.
15. Review your lessons
Always review your lesson afterwards. Ask yourself what worked well and what could be improved. If something didn’t go according to plan, don’t be hard on yourself. Add it to your growing understanding of what works with your class and adjust accordingly.
Keeping brief notes during or after lessons can be invaluable. Even a few words on a piece of paper can help you refine future planning.
Conclusion
Planning is essential when teaching English to Young Learners or Kindergarten. But it’s also important to notice what happens beyond your written plan – things like taking turns, listening carefully and following instructions.
Sometimes, even when an activity feels less successful than you hoped, valuable learning is still taking place in these small, incidental moments.
Teaching children requires a holistic approach. Keep these 15 tips in mind, stay flexible, and allow space for those unexpected moments of learning. You’ll find that teaching children can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
Happy planning!
