Today I want to review Activities for Very Young Learners by Herbert Puchta and Karen Elliott.
Herbert Puchta is considered an authority in teaching Young Learners and Very Young Learners, and he’s the author of several popular English courses.
The book itself is organised into sections, which cover each of the major skills or ares involved in teaching VYLs. They include, games and activities, crafts, storytelling, songs, chants, pronunciation, and more. The procedure for each activity described is broken down into simple steps, so you can easily try them out in your classes. Many also have suggestions for variations to the activity. This information can be useful for you to start to learn how to adapt your own activities.
The book itself contains a good variety of activities. Even where the activity may not be of interest for your particular situation, you can still learn from the techniques the authors have used, and apply those into your lessons. And, like any book, you’ll likely find things in there that you don’t agree with, or don’t fit with your teaching style.
At the front of the book there is a very useful introductory section on general principles and ideas for teaching Very Young Learners, and references for further reading. The introductory chapter also includes ideas for structuring your lesson, storytelling, classroom management, observation techniques, and more. In addition, you’ll find useful templates for a VYL lesson plan, and a home-school connection letter.
I would love to have seen this section expanded further.
At the moment, there really isn’t any book on teaching very young learners that has real depth on areas like storytelling, classroom management, and so on. I realise that with VYLs there is a limit to what’s possible in terms of topics like story telling or teaching grammar, however, I think many teachers yearn for a greater depth of information about teaching this exciting age group.
Throughout the book there are many useful photocopiables and printables that are designed to go with the activities described. You also get a registration code at the front of the book to download PDF copies of those printables at the Cambridge website. This is a useful addition, because it means that you can get a quality photocopy of the printable for your classroom.
Overall, Activities for Very Young Leaners by Herbert Puchta and Karen Elliott is an excellent book. It is more than just a cookbook of activities and games. There are plenty of useful tools, techniques, and ideas to reflect upon that will improve your teaching practice. It is one of the few books that should be on every kindergarten English or VYL teacher’s bookshelves.
