Listen and make

“Listen and make” activities are more creative than “listen and do” activities. These type of activities involve:

1. Listen and colour:

Colouring is a very simple activity for language work with VYLs and YLs. Teacher can prepare students for the activity by doing some “Listen and identify” activity in order to revise the colours they need and the names of what they are about to colour.

• Explaining and demostrating:

•  Asking for helpers and giving things out:

2. Listen and draw:

Children can draw by themselves without instructions. But our aim is to get them to listen to some instructions in English. Listen and draw activities could be:

• Teacher describes a very simple picture of a familiar scene, with objects children know. The children listen and draw what they hear you describe.
• Choose three or four pictures the children have drawn and show them to the class:
• Talk about things in them to the whole class.
• Put two up on the board and talk about the differences or ask the children to spot the difference.
• Make up a story about what is happening or talk about what might happen later.

3. Listen and make:

There are many things that children can make in class: plasticine, play-dough, paper or card, posters to go on a wall... And it is always fun making things for a special occasion. Children love celebrations (birthdays, coming back to school after a holiday...) and festivals (in your country, in other countries, in English speaking countries).

Use opportunities such as these to talk in English about the things children bring in. Tell the children what happens during celebrations in other countries.