【講師コラム】デイジー講師No.14～Selecting Appropriate Materials to Aid in English Language Learning for Kids～

As Robert John Meehan, a famous author and American educator said “Every child has a different learning style and pace. Each child is unique, not only capable of learning but also capable of succeeding.” It is thus very important to factor in the age, capability and learning style of the kid in selecting the appropriate material for his / her English language studies. Nowadays, we have tons of helpful ESL resources online to aid us in teaching English. We are lucky that we can take advantage of technology to find excellent ESL teaching tools that are appropriate for the kid’s level.

For both parents and teachers, picking out the best learning material for kids can be both exciting and challenging at the same time. Of course, we always want what is best for the child. Our goal is to find educational and developmentally appropriate materials that the kids would also love. Selecting the right learning materials that are appropriate for the kids can have a positive effect on the overall learning environment. There are a variety of factors that we should consider when picking out materials for the kids to use depending on the child’s interest and capability. The materials must be engaging to the students in order to sustain their attention.

Younger kids and beginners often love colorful materials, illustrations and items that support multisensory play and learning. Books that meet this criterion will certainly capture younger kid’s attention. Some examples are Raz Kids stories, particularly Reading Level A to D. Some kids also love to read Peppa Pig Books, Pete the Cat stories and other visually stimulating books with colorful drawings. Once the learning material catches the child’s attention, it’s also important that they are able to retain their interest over time. Thus, the flow of the story must be easily understandable and the characters must be familiar to them.

On the other hand, students in the upper intermediate to advanced level would prefer intellectually stimulating materials such as Breaking New English Articles, Raz Kids advanced Levels and Informative books. Simple stories may bore them in class. They learn best when they are challenged and encouraged to speak their minds especially involving topics that are interesting for them. It is therefore very important to give them the freedom to choose the category of articles that they want to read in class. In sum, choosing learning materials that are developmentally appropriate and supportive of children’s learning is crucial in English language studies.