What’s New with Dream English – Week of September 14, 2020

I love this time of year! The weather starts to cool, coffee gets tastier, and I really get down to work. I’m starting a new weekly blog post of all of the new songs and videos I’m releasing. I hope some of these will be helpful for your classes and young learners! Here we go:

  1. Learn Some Words Episode 1: Animals.

    This special new series from Dream English Kids teaches six words each episode with songs, repeat-after-me, and a quiz. Join Matt, Tunes, Bell and our friend the Pencil in this exciting learning adventure!
    YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/eHSTJuUpVQs

  2. ASL Phonics Video:

    Over the years I’ve received many request to make some sign language videos. I do use a little sign language in many videos, but this is the first time I am using the alphabet. More to come in this series.
    YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/pI1ZjdZd62o

  3. New Songs on Spotify and Apple Music: As more people use Spotify I will only put links to the Spotify releases here. Please search on Apple Music for the titles. Halloween Songs Album (Six Songs), Halloween Shake Song,  I See A Car Vehicles Song, Dinosaur Chomp to Ten

That’s the wrap up for this week. Please follow Dream English Kids on YouTube and Spotify to get notified of new releases right away. Or, stay tuned for the next What’s New! Thank you for your support! – Matt

Learn Some Words Episode 1: Animals New Original Learning English Show

New Show on YouTube: Learn Some Words! 😀
Perfect for the ESL/EFL Children’s English Classroom!

Learn Some Words Episode 1: Animals. This special new series from Dream English Kids teaches six words each episode with songs, repeat-after-me, and a quiz. Join Matt, Tunes, Bell and our friend the Pencil in this exciting learning adventure!

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/eHSTJuUpVQs

What Time Is It? Song for Teaching Children Time In English

What time is it? It’s time to play guitar!

I made this video a few years back, but still find it fun and useful for children’s English class. Sing the song and do the actions!

Actions help children remember vocabulary. For more on this concept look up TPR (Total Physical Response). And movement is fun!

Watch the full video here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0Yq_rztquuU

Back to Basics: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes is a great warm-up song for English Class

One of my favorite ways to start a new English class for young learners (ESL, EFL) is to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. The song is fun, simple, and active. After this song, the class can sit down and settle down for a fun class.

Recommended Ages: 3-7 Years old
Target Vocabulary: Body Parts

Give the song a try in your class! You can also download a free MP3 of the song here.  Happy singing!

Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes Song in Kids English Class

The Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes song is a basic song I use a lot when teaching children English (ESL, EFL). It is simple, active, and teaches useful vocabulary.

How to Teach

I start with the students by touching my head and saying, “head.” To add a little fun you can then shake your head with your hands and say, “wiggle, wiggle” kids love this. Repeat the same for all body parts: head, shoulders, knees, toes, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

If you know the song, sing it once a cappella (without background music) then press play on the CD or video and sing with your students!

Free Head, Shoulders MP3 Download

You can download a free MP3 of the Head, Shoulders song, and watch a video with the actions by clicking here. Make this song a regular in your classes!

Halloween Lesson Plan for Students Age 3-6 Years Old

Hi, Teachers! Here is a Halloween Lesson Plan. It is for beginners ages about 3-6, and a 30 minute class:

  1. Warm-up- Say hello then do action warm ups: clap your hands, clap, clap, clap. Shake your hands, shake, shake, etc.
  2. Count Numbers using flashcards from 1-20. First repeat after teacher, then see how high students can count.
  3. Song: Let’s Count 1 to 10 http://www.dreamenglish.com/numbers, or Halloween Counting song available at www.dreamenglish.com/halloween
  4. Book Time: My Favorite Pumpkin Free printable book available at www.kidsenglishbooks.com
  5. Song: My Favorite Pumpkin Song available at www.dreamenglish.com/halloween
  6. Vocabulary: Introduce Halloween vocabulary using flashcards, bat, ghost, witch, black, cat, pumpkin, etc.
  7. Circle Time: Have students hold hands and make a circle. Sit down, and pass a flashcard around the circle with every student getting the chance to say it. For example, bat, pumpkin.
  8. Activity time: Walk around the circle and pretend with the students to be the Halloween characters. Fly like a bat and witch, hop like a black cat. etc.
  9. Quiz Time: See how many Halloween characters the students can remember. Help the students if they can not remember. It is a beginners class. so do not push the students too hard to talk if they are not ready.
  10. Goodbye: Sing the Goodbye song available at www.dreamenglish.com/goodbye

I hope this gives you some ideas to have a great Halloween lesson! Make sure to have a lot of fun and keep the atmosphere relaxed and cheerful. Happy Halloween!

The Letter G Song, Teaching Letter Names to Young Leaners

Today’s letter is G! Students need a lot of review and repetition to learn letters. I created the Today’s Letter Songs to help young English learners (ESL, EFL) in this process. You can use these songs and videos to introduce a letter, or to review. Also, each Today’s Letter reviews the whole alphabet, making it even more useful for your classes. How to teach after the video!

 How to teach the Letter G Song
You can pre-teach the letter G by writing it on the board, or using a flashcard of the letter G. You can also pre-teach the vocabulary of the video using flashcards or drawings. In this video we have grapes, goat, go-kart. One way I teach the vocabulary is to play the video once, then play it again, pausing at each vocabulary word and having the students say it a few times.
After the Video Activities
Here are some of my ideas for extending the learning experience from the video in your classroom.
  1. Speaking Activities: Ask the students questions like, “ What is today’s letter? What words that start with the letter G were in the video? What other words that start with the letter G do you know? Do you have the letter G in your name? Do you have letter G as the first letter in your name?”
  2. Writing Activities: Ask the students if they can write the letter G on the board. In the video I use the capital letter, but feel free to teach the lower case at this point. Ask the students if they can draw anything that starts with the letter G, like grapes, a go-kart or a goat.
  3. Worksheet Activities: We have a Letter G touch and say phonics worksheet that you can print out and use in your classes. Find that here: http://www.dreamenglish.com/phonics-a-lesson You can also create your own handwriting worksheet or search the web for something great to use in your classes.

    So far we have uploaded A to G on YouTube with more to come in the following weeks. Have a look at the A to G videos here.
    These are a few ideas to get you started with the Letter G.  Happy teaching and singing the letter G! 

Halloween Song for Kids – Are You Scared? No, no!

The Are You Scared? song is a fun way to teach Halloween vocabulary, and the questions “Are you scared?” to your young English learners (ESL, EFL).  More about how to teach the song and where to get a free MP3 download below the video!

Listen to a Podcast on How To Teach The Are You Scared Song

Download the song for free at www.dreamenglish.com/halloweenareyouscared

Topic: Halloween

Vocabulary: bat, black cat, ninja, spider, superhero, witch, pirate, snake

Question: Are you scared? Answer: No

How to teach:  You can pre-teach the vocabulary by using your own flash cards, or download and print for free these great cards at MES-English.com https://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/halloween.php

Then, look at one of the cards, for example the witch, and ask your students, “Are you scared?” The teacher can make a scared face, then relax and say, “No.” For advanced students you can teach, “I’m not scared.” Go through a few of the flashcards like this until you think the students understand.

Next teach the lyrics to the song. Have the students repeat the words after you.
Song lyrics:

Are you scared?
No, No
Are you scared?
No, No
Are you scared?
No, No

All right! Here we go!
A bat, a black cat, a ninja , a spider
Are you scared?
No!
Catch!

(repeat with a superhero, a witch, a pirate, a snake)

Next, watch the video and have your students sing along. You can repeat the song a few times to make sure the students really understand it.

Vocabulary Practice Game: Try the Tower Game with the Halloween vocabulary. You can read about the Tower Game here. The teacher can  show a bat flashcard to a student and ask, “What is it?” the student will answer, “a bat.” Next, the teacher will ask, “ Are you scared?” after the student answers, give the student the flashcard to build the tower and move onto the next students.

I hope this helps you teach the song. Happy teaching!

 

Top 10 Dream English Songs for Teaching English to Children

When I started Dream English there were not many songs available that were great for teaching young learners English (ESL, EFL). Now there are hundreds! I thought it would be helpful to talk about the songs I use most teaching children ages 3-8 English.

Top 10 Dream English Songs for Teaching Children English

  1. Hello Song – A great song to start the class. Say hello, make a circle, and walk this way! Watch video here!
  2. What’s Your Name? – Asking students, “What’s your name?” is something that I do in every class! It’s simple interaction, and kids always enjoy saying their names. Watch video here!
  3. Let’s Count 1 to 10 – A favorite numbers and actions song. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, jump! Watch video here!
  4. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes – This traditional song is perfect for teaching body parts. The speed up part makes it super fun for students! Watch video here!
  5. ABC Rock Song – A bit of a twist on the ABC song with a fun A to Z chant in the middle. Watch video here!
  6. Colors Action Song – Let’s sing colors, and do actions with each color. A great movement and color song! Watch video here!
  7. Weather Song – The sun comes up, up, up! Another fun action song, teaches weather and some prepositions. Watch video here!
  8. Days of the Week Song – Monday, Tuesday, la, la, la! Be sure to do all of the actions in this pop song about the Days of the Week! Watch video here!
  9. What Can you do? Action Song – Jump, I can jump! Let’s do some fun actions while we sing along to this simple song! Watch video here!
  10. Shapes Song – A circle, a triangle, a square, a heart. I’ve always liked the simplicity of this song, and the actions that go along make it a great motor skills song. Watch video here!
  11. Wake Up Song / Daily Routines – One of the first, and still most popular Dream English songs. Let’s wake up, brush our teeth, and more in this fun daily routines song. Watch video here!
  12. Goodbye Song – Another early Dream English song, that is still a favorite. Let’s clap our hands, spin around, do more actions and say Goodbye to the class! Watch video here!

So that is the list of the songs I use most to teach English. Some of these I wrote years ago, and some more recent. Check out the videos for all of the songs , and you can find most of these songs on our Free Download Page, or on Spotify and iTunes. Happy Singing!

Singing with Dan Zanes and Claudia Eliaza – The Wheels on the Bus and More!

I’m a big fan of Dan Zanes, so I was super excited that he could join me in the studio to sing some songs! Dan’s wife Claudia, an amazing singer, joined us and we had a musical blast!

Join us as we sing the Wheels on the Bus Song, a classic children’s nursery rhyme. Be sure to sing-along and do all of the actions.  More songs from the session coming soon!

To learn more about Dan Zanes, the Grammy winning singer for all ages, check out www.danzanes.com

To learn more about Claudia and hear more of her amazing singing visit: https://www.instagram.com/claudiaeliaza/