Last reviewed: 27 October 2026

Teaching English to very young learners aged three to six works best through play, songs, movement, stories and strong routines rather than explanation. Keep each activity to a few minutes, use the same opening and closing rituals every lesson, repeat language many times in different ways, and expect children to understand far more than they can say.

Key takeaways

• Children aged three to six learn English through doing, hearing and repeating, not through rules or written exercises.
• Plan activities in short blocks of a few minutes, alternating lively “stirrers” with calm “settlers”.
• Routines, such as a hello song, circle time and a goodbye song, make children feel safe and save you time.
• Puppets, picture books, flashcard games and action songs are the core toolkit.
• Expect a long silent period. Understanding comes well before speaking at this age.
• Safeguarding matters. Know your school’s child protection policy, and get vetted or obtain a police certificate as required.

What makes teaching three to six year olds different?

Teaching three to six year olds is different because they cannot yet sit still for long, most cannot read, and they are still developing their first language. They learn English the way they learn everything else at that age: through play, movement, repetition and the people they trust.

Teachers who come from older classes often find the first day a shock. Sheona Gilmour, writing for the British Council, describes how overwhelming her first visit to a kindergarten felt after teaching older children at desks, and notes that expecting very young children to pay attention for long stretches in a teacher-centred lesson leads to frustration and behaviour problems. The good news is that a few simple principles change everything.

First, meaning comes from the situation, not translation: a child understands “sit down” because you sit down. Second, repetition is not boring to a four year old; the fifth time through a song is often the best. Third, emotions drive learning. A child who feels safe and has fun will learn; an anxious child will shut down, however good your materials.

What does a very young learner English lesson look like?

A very young learner English lesson is a chain of short, varied activities held together by a familiar routine. Lessons are commonly 30 to 45 minutes, and no single activity should last much more than five to eight minutes before you change the energy.

The shape stays the same every lesson, which helps children know what is coming. The content changes: this week animals, next week colours, then food. The table shows a typical 40 minute lesson.

Plan more activities than you think you need. With very young children, an activity planned for eight minutes can collapse in two, and a calm backup, such as a familiar song or a quick flashcard game, saves the lesson.

Which activities work best with very young learners?

The activities that work best with very young learners combine language with movement, rhythm or a story. Five belong in every teacher’s toolkit.

Action songs and chants. Songs give children the rhythm of English and let them join in before they can speak alone. Add a gesture for every key word, and use the same songs for weeks.

Total physical response. Give an instruction, model it, and let the children do it: stand up, touch your nose, jump three times. Children show understanding through their bodies long before they can answer in words.

Puppets. A puppet that only speaks English, makes mistakes for children to correct and whispers secrets to the teacher is worth more than any app. Shy children will often talk to a puppet when they will not talk to you.

Stories with repetition. Choose picture books with a repeated line, act the story out, and read it again next week. Children love knowing what comes next.

Flashcard games. What is missing?, point to, slow reveal and run and touch all recycle the same words in different ways, which is exactly what this age group needs.

Crafts can work too, but only with a clear language aim. The British Council’s TeachingEnglish team warns that very young learner classrooms can become disorganised when a craft is too hard or has no clear learning objective. Keep crafts short, prepare them fully in advance and attach language to every step.

How do you manage a class of three to six year olds?

Manage a class of three to six year olds through routine, clear signals and positive attention rather than rules and warnings. Children of this age behave best when they know exactly what happens next and get noticed for doing the right thing.

Use the same signals every lesson: a song or clap pattern to tidy up, a quiet hand to stop, a special spot on the floor for circle time. Give one instruction at a time, show rather than tell, and praise the behaviour you want (“Look at Leo sitting beautifully”). Transitions between activities are when classes fall apart, so make them part of the routine with a short song or a counting game.

Expect a silent period. Many children will understand a great deal before they say a word of English, and pushing them to speak too early can make them anxious. Let them answer with actions, pointing or one word, and celebrate any English at all. Use the children’s first language sparingly if the school allows it, for example to comfort an upset child, but keep the lesson itself in English.

One graduate’s honest account of teaching in Thailand, one of the many countries where English classes for young children are a big part of the job.

Where do very young learner teaching jobs come from?

Very young learner teaching jobs come mainly from English kindergartens and preschools, private language academies running children’s classes, summer camps and online platforms for children. Demand is strongest where parents start English early, which includes much of East Asia and many European countries.

In South Korea, English kindergartens and hagwons, the private academies, hire foreign teachers for young children; our comparison of EPIK and hagwons explains how those jobs differ from public school roles. In Spain and Italy, academies often run classes for four and five year olds in the afternoons. Summer camps are a good way to try the age group first; see our guide to TEFL summer camp jobs.

Seasonal lessons are a big part of the job at this age. Our guide to bringing Halloween into the TEFL classroom includes ideas that work with young children, and our list of free TEFL resources points to songs, flashcards and stories you can use straight away.

What do you need to know about safeguarding?

Anyone teaching young children needs to understand safeguarding: the policies and habits that keep children safe from harm. In Ireland, this is set out in Children First, the national guidance explained on gov.ie, which also notes that organisations working with children should have child safeguarding policies in place. Tusla offers free online Children First training that is worth completing before you apply.

Abroad, schools have their own rules, and you will usually need a police certificate. Our Hire Wire issue on the Garda certificate Irish teachers actually need explains which document to get. In the classroom, follow your school’s policy on photos, physical contact and being alone with a child, and report any concern through the proper channel, never informally.

Ready to teach the youngest learners?

Very young learners need a different toolkit from teens or adults, and training makes a real difference in your first weeks. Our 30 hour Teaching Young Learners course covers how children learn, lesson planning and classroom management for younger age groups. If you are new to TEFL, start with our accredited 120 hour TEFL course and add the specialism after.

Frequently asked questions