Teaching Strategies for Preschool & Pre-k English Language Learners

English Language Learners in Preschool

Do you need help teaching English Language Learners in your classroom here in the U.S., or abroad? Having a multicultural classroom is a must in today’s day and age. Here you’ll find my best advice for teaching dual language learners in preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classrooms.

Working with English Language Learners in Preschool and Kindergarten

Tips for Working with English Language Learners

As early childhood teachers, almost everything we do in the classroom daily is conducive to learning the English language. Below you will find research-based information and my personal tips that will put your fears to rest and make your ESL students feel safe and comfortable in your classroom.

Common School Abbreviations for Teaching English to Dual or Multilingual Learners

Schools like to abbreviate often used terms, here are some of the most common ones used in the U.S.

  • Dual Language Learners (DLL)
  • English Language Learners (ELL)
  • Multilingual Early Learners (MEL)
  • English as a Second Language (ESL)

There are new abbreviations and terms being created by schools all the time, if you come across one that isn’t listed here leave me a comment below so I can update this list.

Your Role as a Preschool Teacher to Help Non-native English Speakers Feel Comfortable

Experienced ESL Teachers

I have two great passions in life, one is teaching young children in the early childhood classroom and the other is teaching English Language Learners. As an experienced ESL teacher of 20+ years, I’ve been fortunate to be able to work in both fields here in the U.S. and abroad.

New ESL Teachers

Often, I receive requests for help from teachers who are new to working with Second Language Learners. One of the most common misconceptions about any preschool program serving multilingual students is that you have to stop and change the way you do everything if you have non-native English speakers in your classroom – but nothing could be further from the truth.

Bilingual Teachers

What’s the difference between a Bilingual and an ESL teacher/classroom?

A bilingual teacher is one who speaks the native language of the students and teaches in that native language and in English too. How much English is spoken in a bilingual classroom depends on the program.

An ESL teacher is one who speaks English and teaches the students in English only.

In Texas, a bilingual classroom usually refers to Spanish speaking students and teachers, in other areas it is common to have bilingual classes for Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and many, many other languages. Research shows that it is better to learn in ones native language if possible.

Encouraging Native Language & Culture Within Your Preschool Classroom

Communicating with Multilingual Early Learners

How can I communicate with a child who doesn’t speak English?

Use hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate, you will be surprised at how much you can convey with these alone.

Just like any other young child, ESL students will also pick up on your body language, so be relaxed and confident, smile often, and give the thumbs-up sign when things are going well.

Speak clearly, enunciate your words, and avoid use of regional slang or colloquialisms.

What if My ELL Students Don’t Talk?

Help! My ESL students never talk, I don’t think they’re learning, what should I do?

Don’t worry, most ESL students will go through a “silent period” that can last anywhere from six weeks to three months or more. During this time your students are absorbing their new language and may be afraid of speaking and making a mistake. It’s very important that you, your colleagues, or the child’s classmates do not force young English Language Learners to speak during this time or punish them for not speaking, however lots of praise and encouragement often works wonders.

You can entice your ESL students into speaking through the use of props and music. What four year old doesn’t love speaking into a microphone and hearing his own voice or singing along to a song with big alligator puppet? By making English less scary and more fun, your ESL students will be talking a blue streak by the end of the year.

Preserving the Native Language and Encouraging Communication Between Other Students

I have several ESL students who all speak the same home language and they are always talking to each other in their native language, is this bad? Should I put a stop to it? How can they learn if they don’t speak English in my class?

Discouraging the use of the native language in the classroom or at home is counterproductive. Often, ESL students will discuss concepts they are learning in your classroom in their native language, thus improving comprehension.

We don’t want English to replace their native language, we want them to learn English as a Second Language. Banning their native language in the classroom will force ESL students to lose their identity and feel “bad” for speaking their native language- thus feeling bad about themselves and their culture.

Do I Need to Understand the Child’s Native Language?

Do I have to speak the student’s native language to be an ESL teacher?

No, this is a common misconception. An ESL teacher is an English teacher, ESL teachers do not need to speak the student’s native language to teach English. As an ESL teacher, I often have students who speak several different languages in my classroom at the same time and there is no way I could master all those languages in order to teach them English.

Why Don’t My Students Look Me In the Eye When I Speak to Them?

Why won’t my ELLs look me in the eye when I’m speaking to them?

In some cultures it is considered rude for a child to look an adult in the eyes. While it may seem strange to you, it is simply a cultural difference you will need to accept. Forcing a child to look you in the eye if they come from a culture where it’s not the norm will only confuse the child and frustrate you.

Which Language Should We Encourage Families to Speak at Home?

Sometimes parents mistakenly think they are helping their children by banning their native language in the home, forcing them to speak English only. However, this only results in children who have no native language or cultural identity which can lead to problems later in life.

Social Learning & Peer Interaction for Preschool & Kindergarten English Language Learners

My ESL students are extremely shy and never interact with any of their peers, what can I do?

The buddy system is a great way to help your ESL students adjust to their new classroom and school. Buddy your new student up with an English speaking classmate. The native English speaker acts as a shadow and a helper so you don’t have to worry about the new student getting lost on the way to the bathroom or wandering away during recess etc. Of course, you have to choose your native English speaking “buddy” carefully.

Communicating With Parents Who Don’t Speak English

How can I communicate with the parents of my ESL students? They don’t speak English!

I feel that it’s as important to communicate with the parents of my ESL students as it is to communicate with the students themselves. In your weekly newsletter use lots of clipart for visuals and break the info up into small bites. Provide lots of real visuals at parent orientation and conferences. To explain that a backpack is required, I hold up an actual backpack, and for our “no flip-flop” policy I hold up a pair of real flip-flops and shake my head in the no motion and show a thumbs down sign.

Preschool Activities for Preschool and Pre-k Dual Language Learners

Using Visuals Cues With English Language Learners

My students just don’t understand me, it’s so frustrating for us both! Is there anything I can do to help my dual language learners understand what I’m trying to say?

Just like all young children, your dual language learners will benefit from the use of visuals and props to better understand words. For example, try using classroom rules with pictures and a visual daily schedule to provide visual cues.

When you sing songs try to use a prop or puppet. For example, when singing Five Green and Speckled Frogs, try to have five frog props (printed and glued to craft sticks, stuffed animals, or puppets) to help your young English Language Learners better understand the meaning of the words.

Oral Language Activities for ELLs

Word Wacker
For each theme I created a thematic word wall using Microsoft clip art. Just insert the clip art into a word document and size it to fit your needs, next print it out, cut, and glue the pictures to a poster board. I suggest laminating the poster board for durability. Cut out the middle of the fly swatter with scissors or an Exacto knife, the hole will act as a “frame” for the pictures on the word wall. Next, place the thematic word wall in your large group area and review the words daily with your class. We do our daily vocabulary review by playing a game I call “Word Whacker”. I have my “Leader of the Day” come to the front and choose either the fly swatter or the plastic microphone. The leader gives the other to a friend, whoever has the microphone is the “caller” and whoever has the fly swatter is the “whacker”. The caller calls out a word from the word wall and the whacker has to hit the correct picture with the fly swatter. I leave this game out during centers and they line up to play it. The picture above shows two of my students playing Word Whacker during center time.

Pass the Microphone Game

This game is super simple and a great oral language developer. I select a question to ask that is related to what we are learning about, for example I might ask “Do you like cookies?” after we read the story “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. I ask the question to my Leader of the Day into the plastic microphone, and the leader must answer “Yes, I like cookies” or “No, I don’t like cookies”; then he asks the question to the person sitting next to him. Every student gets a turn to ask and answer the question and the person who is very last gets to ask the teacher- they think this is great fun and always laugh no matter what my response. This game gives students practice in asking and answering questions, using complete sentences, and sentence structure. The later in the year it is the more complex the questions become. For example, the last week of school I ask the children “What will you do this summer?” which requires more knowledge and vocabulary to answer. We also play this game after every major vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break, it gives them a chance to get back into the routine of speaking English and to share, which all young children love to do.

Celebrating American Holidays With English Language Learners

Second Language Learners and Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a perfect example of the need for extra communication. This holiday causes great stress and grief in my classroom as it’s a holiday that most other countries don’t celebrate. The concept of little boxes of school Valentine cards is completely foreign to them. I stand outside the classroom door beginning a week or two before Valentine’s Day and hold up sample boxes of school Valentine cards. I also copy the front and back of several boxes as examples and send a short note home telling parents where to buy the cards and how to address them. I strongly suggest you buy several boxes of school Valentine cards at the after Valentine’s Day sales each year because there are always a few families who still don’t get it. Also, be prepared for students who bring in packages of cards for baby showers or birthday invitations because their parents just don’t understand the concept no matter how hard you tried. Always be accepting of these situations and never scold the child or demand the parent send in the correct cards. I save these cards and put them in my art center the following year rather than send them home and embarrass the family.

More Teaching Tips from Pre-K Pages

Classroom Rules
a picture of 3 different daily schedules printed on colorful paper and laying flat on a table with colorful markers
[Image: How to prevent kids from biting]
calendar time tips
multisensory activities
a colorful collage of 6 photos showing different fine motor activities
Cutting Practice Ideas for Preschool
Movement Songs for Preschoolers


7 thoughts on “Teaching Strategies for Preschool & Pre-k English Language Learners”

  1. Pingback: Teaching Toddlers | Teaching EFL

  2. Ana Sanchez-Denny

    You have some great information for ESL teachers working with younger students. I appreciate you sharing your ideas.

  3. Thank you! I love your ideas, especially as they are the first I’ve found that seem appropriate for very young children and very beginning learners. And they are adaptable and fun enough to grow with them.

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