Preschool Circle Time Rules in French and Spanish
When I teach languages to preschoolers, there’s always excitement, fun, and surprises! But all of the wackiness is packaged within predictable structure. I’m not overly fond of the words “structure” and “rules,” but as a Mommy to two active boys, I know that they are absolutely necessary and that children need them. So do I if I want to do any real teaching. My motto is “Structure with a Smile.”
My foreign language circle time follows the same basic pattern every day:
- Hello Song
- Rules Rhyme
- Greetings/Finger Play
- New Language (story, felt board, TPR, language pattern, etc.)
- Fun & Games
- Goodbye Song
Yup . . . every day, like clockwork! You can read more about my lesson plan format here:
Whenever I begin teaching French to a new group, I take the time to model and teach the behavior I expect. For young children, this means acting out and gesturing rules such as raising hands, listening, and sitting properly. For example, my kids’ preschool teachers give reminders to sit “Criss-Cross Applesauce.” And I love the little rhymes in English that end with hands in laps, like this one:
Open them, shut them
Give a little clap
Open them, shut them
Put them in your lap.
So, here’s what my preschoolers gesture and say in unison each day right after our Bonjour song:
Je lève la main
Je parle français
Je regarde
J’écoute
Et je m’assieds.
On that last line, hands go together and into laps in a big motion. I just love it! The other week, I was helping a friend come up with a little reminder rhyme or song in Spanish. I’m not a Spanish speaker, but I think this works. It’s to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”:
Hola amigos
Yo hablo espanol
Yo escucho y
Me siento
Establish structure and rules in the target language, and then pull out your bag of tricks for a few surprises and a lot of fun!
Photo Credit: By Abigail Arabit at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/591080
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love the french rules chant! What tune do you use?