Foreign language learning comes to preschoolers naturally because of their innate curiosity of the surrounding world. The most important task English teacher faces during work is to focus this innate curiosity on language learning. This seemingly simple task can be quite challenging because, unlike adults, preschoolers learn unconsciously which in practice means learning unintentionally, involuntary, through various active games, nursery rhymes and songs. However, children are easily distracted and it is tough for them to focus on a given action for a long time.
Little Explorers
Without any doubts preschoolers are sensitive to ambient surrounding observers, therefore the teacher has to put a lot of efforts into providing them with as many incentives as possible. As such stimulants there can be used so-called thematically oriented Flash Cards presenting different concepts . They are usually made from cupboard so they are perfectly safe for children. Depending on age group those can be signed at the bottom or not. It is a basic English teaching aid used during kindergarten classes as it allows to illustrate not only a set of words, phrases and concepts but also a given situation in a foreign language. This invaluable source helps preschoolers to enhance memorizing by using visualization and concept mind mapping .
Mind Mapping
While learning a child’s brain creates a basic association map, language patterns and schemata. A Flash Card which shows a house can trigger an avalanche of associations of its individual elements such as doors, windows, roof, wall or a garden. With the help of this learning materials the teacher is able to bring to a child the objects or animals which could never be presented in the classroom, for instance: a fire engine, a snake or an elephants. Context sketching is essential in language learning and a set of Flash Cards provide this context for us. Moreover, the set of cards motivates to active engagement. By mean of them we can teach also numbers and alphabet. While vocabulary roundup even before I managed to show them a card and ask: „What number is it?” twelve mouths answer already resounded in my ears. This is how powerful the method is.
Parents can help
Finally, let me point out the extremely important role of parents in the whole learning process. Their mission is to repeat presented material with their offspring in the privacy of their homes as often as possible .