Children's Language Activities

Learning another language at a young age can help children to have a better chance of speaking the language fluently. Children that know another language often have an easier time understanding the English language, do better on standardized tests and have advanced reading skills, according to Kids Source. Although children can learn languages by hearing words and repeating them, they often benefit from activities that help to reinforce what they learn from their teachers.

Games

Games can often help children to practice a language in an interactive and engaging way. Through games, they can work on reading or saying words that they are currently working on in class. During a game such as Bingo, a teacher says a vocabulary word in English and students need to find the corresponding word, which is written in the foreign language, on their Bingo card. A game called "hot potato" involves students holding a ball and saying a vocabulary word in English and the foreign language they are learning and passing the ball to another person, who tries to remember another vocabulary word. When a student cannot remember a vocabulary word, he is out.

Worksheets and Workbooks

Worksheets and workbooks feature activities that often help students to think critically about words and phrases they are using. Through worksheets and workbooks, students are able to practice new vocabulary words or learn how to conjugate verbs or use words such as conjunctions and prepositions. Worksheets or workbook activities can give teachers a way to assess how well students are learning a foreign language. Teachers can develop worksheets that make practicing a foreign language fun, which can ask students to match pictures with vocabulary words, unscramble or search for words or color in pictures that match with vocabulary words.

Cultural Activities

As students learn a language, teachers can also educate them about different countries where the language is spoken. This can allow students to learn not only the languages but to get a deeper understanding of people who speak the language. Teachers can incorporate activities, such as craft-making, that help students learn about the cultures within these countries. For examples, teachers can have students make crafts that are associated with a country's holiday while also teaching them words linked to that holiday. Educators could also have students develop speeches, all in the foreign language, about one aspect of a country's culture or history.

Books, Movies and Music

Listening to songs, watching movies or reading books in another language can allow students to get used to hearing or reading a different language. Teachers should choose books, movies or songs that fit with students' ages and education level. Movies with English subtitles can often allow students to stay engaged in the movie while also giving them a chance to hear people speaking a foreign language. Teachers may want to read and explain children's books or poems to students or help them read materials in a foreign language so that they understand what they are reading. When listening to songs, educators can give students handouts of the lyrics so the young people can sing along.

Performances

Watching a skit, play or puppet show or putting on a performance can also give students a chance to either speak or hear a foreign language. Speaking the language can help them to learn how to better pronounce certain words. Performances should incorporate vocabulary that students already know or are working on, but they can include new words and phrases as well. If students put together their own plays, skits, puppet shows or other types of performances, teachers should give them some guidelines about what directions to take with their performances. They could also give students scripts, to which students can be asked to make changes.

Group Activities

Children can often help each other to learn foreign languages through group activities. Group activities allow children to talk to each other in a foreign language, something they will need to know how to do if they want to be able to communicate with others in the language. During a group activity, they could ask each other questions or answer questions from a workbook or worksheet.

References

• Kids Source; Why, How, and When Should My Child Learn a Second Language; Kathleen Marcos
• Teachingideas.co.uk: Foreign Languages-General Ideas
• Illinois State Board of Education: Foreign Languages
• The Business Journal; What's the Importance of Learning a Foreign Language?; Joe Carroll
• Dialnet; Integrating Cultural Activities in a Foreign Language Classroom; Dagmar Scheu
• Annenburg Learner: Teaching Foreign Languages K-12

Resources

• Center for Applied Linguistics; Teaching Foreign Languages to Children; Rhodes and Pufahl
• Columbia University: A Few Brief Suggestions for Studying a Foreign Language
• California State University Northridge: Foreign Language Lesson Plans and Resources
• Apples for the Teacher: Foreign Languages
• Activityvillage.co.uk: Learning Languages
• Transparent Language: Language Games