[dragonele]

Hello everyone! I am in serious need of help...I teach individual lessons to a bright 7 year old girl but I've run out of ideas. The biggest problem is that it's just her so 98% of these games that I read about can't be played!! I'm getting a bit bored with flashcards, hangman and eye-spy .Another problem is that although she is very intelligent and absorbs the language like a sponge, she is also very shy and doesn't speak up as much as I'd like. I'm not sure where to go from here. Does anyone have fun ideas for one on one classes with a child?!?!

[clivehawkins]

How about cutting pictures out of a magazine and letting her tell you a story, using them to illustrate it. This will give her the chance to express herself and use her fantasy \ imagination. If she's a bit shy, help her along by asking for some extra details on anything she tells you.


You could always watch a cartoon, stopping it every so often to ask questions \ predict what's going to happen \ make up a new dialogue etc.

Good luck.

[Beatrix]

Quote clivehawkins

How about cutting pictures out of a magazine and letting her tell you a story, using them to illustrate it. This will give her the chance to express herself and use her fantasy \ imagination. If she's a bit shy, help her along by asking for some extra details on anything she tells you.


You could always watch a cartoon, stopping it every so often to ask questions \ predict what's going to happen \ make up a new dialogue etc.

Good luck.

exactly, clive, you are reading my mind
I would suggest using the internet rather than magazines...find some funny cartoon characters or funny pictures on the net, print them and try inventing and telling stories about them
you can start with one set of pictures by telling her your story, and then ask her to invent hers with the other set, or something like that

also, you can try drawing, ask her to draw anything you tought her with pencils, watercolours, never mind, or ask her to draw something you believe she has already learned. that should be fun for both of you and it makes things easier to remember


(clive, have I made any mistakes in this post?)
thanks

ps. and yes, play games with her at her level that's what I would suggest
good luck and pls report back to us the results of our advice! (if any)

[Beatrix]

Quote clivehawkins

You could always watch a cartoon, stopping it every so often to ask questions \ predict what's going to happen \ make up a new dialogue etc.

omg, the child will hate her teacher for not letting her, the poor thing, watch her cartoon properly

[dragonele]

Okay, I am going to try with the cut-outs this afternoon...I'll let you know how it goes!
Thank-you!!!

[dragonele]

Hi guys!
Well, I tried out both your ideas. I went through old magazines I had at home and made a list of things that she already knew and thus, I knew she could find. For example, a pink skirt, a young girl, a puppy, etc. I also brought along some of my daughter's Barbie stickers for the things that weren't in the mags (a sun, hearts). Once we were all set up and she had found what I asked for, we glued them onto a big poster board in a way that represented a very simple story which I got her to tell me in her own words. Like I said, it was a very simple story but it was great hearing her speak on her own!
Then we did the funny pictures. Actually, they were cute animals pictures I found on the internet. I printed them at the top of a sheet of paper and left enough space at the bottom for her to write what she saw. It was a super way to get her using adjectives and the present continuous!!
Well, what can I say guys?...thanks, I owe you one!

[chammi]

I am in the same position. I have a 10 year old boy and he is very kinetic.

One thing that was good for several lessons was a board game that I made (draw, scan into Photoshop and add color and text) Basically he and I moved around the board (we used a penny and yen as player markers) If you fell on a CHALLENGE space or the same square as another player, you had to draw a CHALLENGE! Card. I made these in Word.

The cards and board can be as lo-fi as you like. All you really need is a couple of markers and some posterboard. I've heard of people making board games with spread sheets as well.

The real secret is the challenge cards. They had sort of mini-games printed on them (think Mario Party). I tried to add a couple of new cards every week.

Examples: "UNDERWATER: hold your breath as long as you can. The first person to breathe is the loser." We also had a version with wall squats ("sitting" back against the wall and feet planted together about 8" in front of you.). We had a mini game where we played "War" with a deck of 5-10 cards. We had one where we played newspaper island (last person to stay on the newspaper which is folded in half each round wins). We had table curling (using flat marbles to try to get as close to the edge of the coffee table without going over)

The key is to play the game in English, but let the minigames be physical things so that you can play (more) fairly against the kid. Obviously, my kid would ace the Japanese and I the English if we let them be about the language. But he always won the staring contest and newspaper island, so it wasn't stacked in my favor when we centered it around physical games or games of chance.

Anyway, there is an idea for people with competitive kids.

[chammi]

Another thing that words really well for me is playing BINGO. We play "Audio Bingo" Where I fire up Audacity (but really all you need is a cheap mic and Sound Recorder or something like that).

I make little cards with the vocabulary on them (grab pictures off the net, use the "Windows Photo Printing Wizard" to make 2 sets of "wallet prints" and you're done).

Then I record a start track. Something like "Are you ready to play audio bingo? . . . Let's start!"

Then record sounds files of you saying the words twice.

Ex: "Dog . . . dog."


Import these into iTunes or any other audioplayer that shuffles and plays the shuffled songs once.

Make a playlist of the tracks.

Then it's showtime! You and your kid each arrange your cards into a 3x3, 5x5, etc grid.

Once that's ready, you open the playlist and turn on shuffle and double-click on the START sound file. Then run back to your place and start flipping over cards as they are called.

The game is fair because it's really a game of chance at this point.

--


Another variation can be done with squares of construction paper and audio recordings of "Are you ready to play audio Twister? Let's start!" ; "right foot blue"; "left hand green" etc.

---


the beauty of audio bingo is that once you have recorded your sound files, you can mix and match them to review.

[dragonele]

Those are some great and very immaginative ideas Chammi! You sound like a great teacher to have.Thank-you...now I just have to figure out a way to make time so I can put these games together!

[clivehawkins]

Quote dragonele

Well, what can I say guys?...thanks, I owe you one!

Don't mention it. I'm delighted that it went well.
That's why this site is so great - I've been given so many ideas by the members. It's a great example of a community pooling ideas to improve our teaching!!!

[Beatrix]

Do you know any cute popular children songs I might sing to my 6-year-old? apart from London bridge is falling down...

wait, I checked google and here is the link Songs for Teaching: Educational Children's Music Downloads/CDs

[clivehawkins]

Quote Beatrix

Do you know any cute popular children songs I might sing to my 6-year-old? apart from London bridge is falling down...

We listen to The Wiggles a lot. The songs are fun and the kids love it - especially my daughter and she's only 2!

Here's the link to their site:
The Wiggles

Or you can watch on Youtube - look for songs like 'Hot Potato', 'Dorothy the Dinosaur' 'Get ready to wiggle', 'rock-a-bye your bear' etc.

Just be warned - the songs are so catchy you'll be singing them all day!

[dragonele]

My kids' (aged 4 and 7) favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, BINGO, and Down by the Bay. In Down by the Bay they sing the first part and I sing the ' have you ever seen a ....' part because it's too fast for them. The other two were hits right off the bat, maybe because they are especially easy to learn and because of the hand movements. Oh yes, another song they love is the knick knack song (I don't think it's actually called that).The one that goes, "this old man , he played one, he played knick knack on my thumb." I also find they like most Raffi songs. I especially like one song of his that speaks of nationalities although I can't remember exactly how it goes at the moment...I'll get back to you on that!

[Beatrix]

ok, dragonele, now, if you could help me please

my 6 year old is a very clever boy, and I can't do my classes with songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" etc. simply because he's too mature and he doesn't like them

can you give me an example of some of your classes
(he's an absolute beginner, of course)

[dragonele]

I understand what you're saying Beatrix. I 've found that not all children like songs, especially when they are alone in an individual class. But if the problem is the type of songs, well then maybe 'Down by the Bay' is something your boy would like. It's challenging becuase it's fast and the last part has to be a rhyme. If he's capable he could do it himself. Like I said in the other post, I usually do that part for them.
I'd like to suggest a game that my 7 year old absolutely loves: "Guess Who?" I bought it when I was in Canada but I remember reading how to make it on the Net somewhere. The game consists of guessing which person the other player has by using the process of elimination. It's excellent for using present simple and continuous (ex. Does your person have a beard? Is she wearing earrings?) and for learning vocabulary used to describe people.
I remember her enjoying the card game "Go Fish" when we were doing numbers and we used a cartoon card deck (Dora, I believe) for playing Old Maid to learn Occupations.

Anything at which she can beat me, she likes. Basically that's what it comes down to. I think the more clever ones have a better developed instinct for competition most of the time so games where he is playing against you might be more fun and instructive for your boy.
If these are the kind of examples you were looking for let me know and I'll keep going....

[Beatrix]

yes,

thank you!
yes, keep going, please!