The benefits of using chants and songs with children are numerous, among them:
Today I saw the power of using chants as a learning tool outside the classroom. I spent the day at my brother's house, and there was a little girl, Heloisa, who is two years old, and who was too shy to get close to me. I tried all I could without any success. So, I just sat next to her and my niece, Valentina, who is seven, and watched them drawing and playing. Then, I listened to a background song, and saw that the girls were moving their bodies even without paying attention to the song. I suddenly said,' why don't we sing a song together?' My niece suggested 'Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes' and we all chant it in Portuguese, the little girls and me. Heloisa smiled, enjoyed what we were doing, and started to talk to me. But what really brought her close was when my niece asked me to chant it in English. Valentina knew the chant and what it meant. Heloisa, who is only two, did not. However, she asked me to repeat the chant again and again, until she could pronounce the words correctly and knew their meaning. And when her mother picked her up by the end of the day, Heloisa could chant it alone to her and show the body parts. I have always believed that real learning happens when you are having fun, when you are enjoying yourself, in or outside the classroom. When you use chants and songs, it will double the fun. Children love them. Always keep a song in your heart (and a poem) in your pocket. You will be glad you did!
0 Comments
Children are inherently creative. However, as they grow old, they lose their willingness to try new things due to a series of factors, being among them: fear of failure, opinions of others become important, they want to know the 'right answer'. At the same time, teachers make use of the so-called 'creativity killers' in the classrooms, such as:
Instead of stifling children's creativity, teachers should nourish and develop them. Here are some suggestions that can promote creativity in the language class:
What else could you add to this list? |