How Do You Teach English to Kids? Practical TEFL Tips for Young Learners & Teens – S01E45

How do you teach English to children and teenagers — and what makes teaching young learners so different from teaching adults?In this episode of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em look back at their own experiences of teaching kids, from very young learners and energetic summer-school groups to teenagers, exam students and one-to-one lessons.Drawing on more than 40 years of combined English-teaching experience, including plenty of first-hand experience with children and teens, they discuss the lessons that worked brilliantly, the classes that definitely didn’t, and the techniques they learned along the way.How do you keep children interested in English? Should you use rewards and star charts? How important are routines? What should you do when teenagers simply don’t want to participate? And how can teachers combine structure with games, stories, crafts and topics students genuinely care about?Gav explains why he sometimes abandons the coursebook when a young learner becomes enthusiastic about a topic such as fashion or a favourite film, while Em remembers both the excitement of teaching highly motivated children and the challenge of trying to energise tired teenagers.They also explore classroom management, clear instructions, consistency, praise, short activities, storytelling, hands-on learning, revision and keeping teacher talking time under control.Later, Gav and Em consider the particular challenge of teaching children online and ask how teachers can maintain energy, interaction and attention when young learners are sitting behind a screen.Whether you are teaching English to kids for the first time, returning to young learner classes after a break, or looking for practical TEFL ideas for children and teenagers, this episode offers honest classroom experiences and plenty of ideas to try.☕ Support Gav & Em:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod🌐 More TEFL articles, episodes and teaching ideas:https://howtoenglishpod.comReferences:Best books for kids: https://bilingualkidspot.com/2019/06/11/esl-english-learning-books-for-kids-beginners/Oxford Picture Dictionary: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-oxford-picture-dictionary-for-kids-joan-ross-keyes/book/9780194349970.htmlLet’s Go Series: https://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/young_learners/lets_go_fourth_edition/?cc=cz&selLanguage=csSong: We're going on a bear hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QlAx20TvEIKids peer teaching: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/peer-correctionUseful Tips for Teaching ESL To Children: https://www.eslbase.com/teaching/teaching-esl-childrenTimestamps:00:00 Teaching kids: Gav & Em introduce the topic02:16 Coursebooks or the learner’s interests?04:31 Why teaching children is a different skill05:52 Motivating children and difficult teenage classes09:34 Classroom management, boundaries and respect10:51 Rewards, stars and the importance of consistency13:34 Routines, clear instructions and lesson structure15:45 Story time and activities for younger learners17:17 Crafts, stories and interactive listening19:18 Hands-on activities and keeping instructions short21:32 Review, correction and praise22:52 The challenges of teaching kids online25:44 Following their interests — even if it means Frozen 226:28 Gav & Em’s favourite memories of teaching children28:47 End