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Teaching EFL in a KindergartenSo why teach EFL at such an early stage in life? Simple when you are a kid it’s easier to absorb information that is presented to you and to reproduce that information when asked to. As a kid you are also more willing to be more active and experiment with language than a teenager or an adult would be. In simpler words you more willing to make mistakes and don’t have to cater into pressure of if you do. It is also said that if you want your kid to do well in a foreign language the parent should start teaching them at the age of 3 at least. And due to all of these reasons schools around the world adapted TFL into the kindergarten and preschool classes. Teaching EFL in a kindergarten is the most rewarding experience out of all of the tesol jobs out there, but it can also be one of the most difficult if you are in no way a creative. You need to be creative and fun if not the students will lose interest quick and that’s the last thing you want in your class. If they do they might start acting out. Don’t forget the younger the student more less likely they are able to sit still for 40 minutes listening to you go over the rules of english. If they do act out be fair and punish them, also make sure that all punishments stay within the schools rules and that you treat the students equally. You will most likely be teaching simple vocabulary and phrases. So using pictures, video, and even acting these things out will gain attention and keep it the more the silly antics are the better. Some schools will have you go beyond simple vocabulary and phrases though and in those cases the creativity comes in. keep in mind that you don’t want to teach pure memorization even if it feels like that’s all your teaching, you want the students to know and understand everything they are doing. “Stopping rote memorization of the sight words is essential to learning effective reading and comprehension skills” (1). It is said that even native english speaking countries have a problem with this. This is also the time in a person’s life where learning disabilities can be presented and you need to know how to handle those who have them as well. There are three different types of learners auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. An auditory learner is one who benefits from lecture style teaching where the importance lies in telling the student how to do things rather than showing. Visual learners learn by seeing things and how they work. Kinesthetic learners are a mixture of both and are successful when they are engaged in the activity that is being presented to them so it’s more hands on. “children enter kindergarten as kinesthetic and tactual learners, moving and touching everything as they learn” (2). Kindergarten is mostly kinesthetic learning but you also need to work in the other types as well. The hands on approach is not only in kindergarten but it is also used in other grades as well So in conclusion teaching EFL in kindergarten can be fun and rewarding but it is also difficult. Be sure you know what the school expects of you as a teacher and always keep your lessons fun but educational while incorporating all the students needs. (1) http://www.prweb.com/releases/picturefirstlearning/lawndaleschoolprogram/prweb9235480.htm (2) http://school.familyeducation.com/intelligence/teaching-methods/38519.html