Tag: efl

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!

5 Tips for Teaching Halloween to Young English Learners

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Halloween is a super fun time of year. We can all play dress up, and be the superhero we always wanted to be! When teaching children English (ESL, EFL) Halloween is a fun time to break out of the regular routine and do something a bit different. Below are five ideas for great Halloween Classes:

5 Teaching Halloween Tips:

  1. Songs and Chants- There are not a lot of traditional Halloween songs that are great for kids, so I have made several songs for teaching Halloween. Sing about Favorite Pumpkins, Ghosts and Witches, and Chant about the Halloween characters. Check out all of our Free Download Halloween Songs here!
  2. Games – You can use Halloween themed flashcards and do any of the fun classroom games I recommend on this page.  I like to play a “Trick or Treat” game with the kids. Have the kids line up and knock on a pretend door. They have to say, “Trick or treat” then I ask “What are you for Halloween?” The students can either choose a character, or hold a character card to answer. Next we play Rock, Scissors, Paper, and if the students win I give them a pretend Halloween candy made out of paper. We go through the line a few times to make sure every students gets a paper candy. At the end, we count how many paper candies each student has. Simple and fun!
  3. Worksheets and coloring – We have several worksheets on the Dream English Halloween Page. One of my favorites, is the draw your own pumpkin worksheet. This lets the kids be creative, and have a lot of fun. Be sure to show several examples of Halloween pumpkins to get their ideas flowing.
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  4. Halloween Books – There are many great Halloween children’s books available at your local bookstore. Make sure you choose books that are age appropriate, and not too scary. We have this fun and simple My Favorite Pumpkin book that you can download for free. Print it, and have a blast reading it to your students. After the book, sing the Favorite Pumpkin song with your students!
  5. Halloween Parties- Halloween is a fun time to host a party! You can have a classroom day be a Halloween party, or schedule a separate time to have an informal, non classroom setting party. Play Halloween games, read books, do some trick or treating activities, sing some songs. The idea is to get your students out of their normal classroom environment using English.

I hope this helps give you some ideas of what to do this year in your ESL and EFL classes for Halloween! Check out the Dream English Halloween page for more ideas, songs, and worksheets. Happy Halloween!

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/

Teaching Food to Young Learners of English – What Do You Want to Eat? Song Part 2

Teaching food to children can be a lot of fun. Children who are learning English (ESL, EFL) love learning the names of food, It is really important to teach kids how to ask for food in English, so I made some fun videos! More below the video:

This song focuses on asking for food using “want” and “some.” For example, ” I want some pizza, I want some ice cream.”

Lyrics: What Do You Want to Eat Song Part 2:

What do you want to eat? (x2)
I want some pizza (x2)
(repeat with rice, cheese)

Do you want some spider spaghetti?
No, thank you.

(repeat with soup, fish, ice cream,
worm cookies)

Game Idea

Put a bunch of food flashcards on the floor. Have the students ask the teacher, “What do you want to eat?” The teacher answer, ” I want some pizza.” The first students to touch the pizza flashcard gets a point! You can change it up by having the students answer the question.

Be sure to check out the What Do You Want to Eat? Song Part 1 for more food vocabulary. This song focuses on using “want” and “a”. For example, “I want a hot dog.” I hope this is helpful. Happy singing!

Getting Back into Teaching English to Kids After a Break

For many teachers of English to children (ESL, EFL), the summer is a break from teaching.  Of course many teachers teach all year long, but for those of us who do have a break starting again can be a jolt to the system. A fun jolt, like a strong espresso in the morning, but it still takes some adjusting. Here are my top tips for getting things going in a great way!

5 Tips for Starting Teaching after a Break

  1. Go slow! If you have had a break, chances are your students have too. Do not rush the first lesson. Take things slowly, and have a fun review day with songs and games.
  2. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Even I forget the words to my own songs sometimes after a long break. Give yourself sometime to readjust to teaching. Laugh along with the students if any mistakes are made.
  3. Have Fun! Let’s not forget that teaching is fun! Take the first few lessons to establish the fun you can have in a classroom.
  4. Remember why you teach. We all teach for different reasons, but I believe that at the foundation of teaching is the want to help others. We want to help our students learn English. That idea is a great motivator!
  5. Try new things. It is great to try a few new things when classes start again. It could be a new song, a new game, or a new book. Do something fresh and exciting for you and your students.

Oh, and if you need some lesson plan ideas to get you started, check out the Dream English Teaching Tips Podcast here.

These are a few of my ideas, and I hope they help you get off to a great start! Or, if you did not have a break, give you some new ideas to keep things fresh. Have a great one!

New Video: Alphabet Actions for Children’s English Class

Learning the ABCs is a really important part of children’s English class (ESL, EFL). It is a good idea to teach the alphabet with books, games, activities, and of course songs! Here is my new Alphabet Phonics Song:

Give it a try in your classes. You can pre-teach the actions, or just play the video and have the students follow along.

Game Idea:

After singing the song, get your students in a circle. Toss a ball around saying the letter of the alphabet and action that goes with it. For example:

Teacher: A add (do the action from the video)
Student 1: B bounce (bounce the ball, or pretend to)
Student 2: C catch

You get the idea! Keep going until you get to Z. You may have to help the students a bit if they can not remember the letter or action. Give it a try, and have fun!

 

Matt’s Tube Episode # 3 Volcanoes! Learn about Volcanoes for Young English learners

While teaching English to children (ESL, EFL) it is important to teach as much about the world as possible. In this new episode of Matt’s Tube we learn about volcanoes!

Did you know that magma is the hot fluid inside the volcano, that becomes lava when it goes outside the volcano? Learn this and more cool things in this episode of Matt’s Tube!

Circle time! A quick tip for your Children’s English class

Circle time! A quick tip for your English class: Make a circle with your students and pass a flashcard around the circle. As the students pass the card they say the word on the card.

For example, pass an apple flashcard and each student will say “apple”, then they pass the card to the next student.

For more advanced students, try phrases like “it’s an apple” or ” I like apples.” Give it a try! This is a great confidence builder for your students. I hope this is helpful! Thanks, Matt

New Wild Animal Finger Family Video with Matt Mini Lesson for Kids English Class

I had a lot of fun making the Wild Animals Finger Family Song Part 2.  We sing about kangaroos, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, and bears! More below the video:

How to use the video in class:

Listen to Dream English Teaching Tips Podcast about this video. Click here!

Start by pre-teaching the vocabulary in the video: kangaroo, monkey, zebra, giraffe, and bear. Also teach the phrases, “Where are you?” and ” I see a monkey.” You can show flashcards with the animals and have your students repeat after you. Then, watch the video and sing the song with your students!

Mini Lesson about Wild Animals

Depending on the level of your students, you can do a few things with the mini lesson. Watch one time, the mini lesson is right after the song in the video. For younger students, have them just watch and listen. For older students, after watching ask the following questions:

  1. What animal can jump? (answer: kangaroo)
  2. What animal can swing from tree to tree? (answer: monkey)
  3. What animal has black and white stripes? (answer: zebra)
  4. What animal has a long neck? (answer: giraffe)
  5. What animal is a bit scary and says roar? (answer: bear)

These are just some ideas to get you started. As always, be sure to come up with your great ideas! Leave a comment on Facebook or Dream English Kids YouTube and let us know what you think about the video! Happy Teaching!