Making a caterpillar
Another simple but useful for children`s development craft. Follow all the steps and make it with your child. Don`t forget to read our advises about setting an English language environment.
Read our advices about how to set an English language environment while making crafts
To bring to life this idea you need:
1. Some pieces of modeling clay different colors
2. A plastic knife
Lesson plan:
1. Introduction
2. Main part
3. Sum up
Flashcards
Part 1
A detailed plan of classes at home with your child. Follow the plan and get results. If you do not know a foreign language well, then your task is to pronounce keywords and sentences in a foreign language. For clarity, perform tasks together with the child at the same time, so that he will understand you better and will not need to translate what is said. At the initial stage of training, the child may not understand what you are saying to him. In this case, you can explain what was said in your native language, so that the child does not close himself in. This is absolutely normal, after a few sessions, he will definitely get used to it. To make it easier for them, do not immerse them with unnecessary information that this is a different language, that they need to learn it, and so on. Use the following example to make it easier for the child to understand: show the child a ball and ask what it is, and then tell them that people who live in other countries came up with a different name for it, they decided to call it “ball”, so to understand them, we learn these names, and they learn ours.
Key words:
Caterpillar, yellow, red, blue, green, orange, black, clay, knife, ball shape, eye, ear, nose, mouth, big, small.
Key sentences:
I like yellow. Show me… (clay). Take… . Make…. . Cut… . Let`s make a ball shape. It`s… What color is it?
P/T: “Good morning, dear! Today we are going to make a caterpillar. Are you ready?"
Child: " Ready!"
P/T: “Nice. Let`s watch a short video!"
After watching the video show the card with the caterpillar and ask in your native language what kind of insect your child sees. He will answer that it is a caterpillar. Your task is to explain to the child that we call this insect this way, but it has another name.
P/T: “Repeat after me: caterpillar”
Holding the card, repeat with the child this word 3 times.
P/T: “Very well! Now let`s make a sentence: it`s a caterpillar!”
Your child may not be able to say the whole thing at once. However, repeat this sentence with him 3 times. You do not need to ask the child to repeat until they are blue in the face. After a while, he will succeed. Children in 3-4 years quickly learn and remember. Do not forget to praise the child even if he does not succeed, because he sincerely tries, but not everything turns out because of lack of experience.
P/T: “Great job! Before we start we have to check if we have everything we need. Let`s have a look!
P/T: “Number 1: clay. Do we have enough clay? Yes or no?
Show the card with the desired word and ask the child to show this item.
P/T: “Nice! What about knife?
Show the card with the desired word and ask the child to show this item. When you ask to find colors, only name them in English. When you ask to find the desired color, show a card with this color.
P/T: “Excellent! Now let`s choose colors: show me yellow” ….”Nice! Show me red”….”Very good! Show me green” ….”Fantastic! Show me blue”…..”Wonderful! Show me orange”……”Well done! Show me black” ….”Great!”
P/T: “Hmm…I like yellow! And you?
Ask the child about their favorite color, building a sentence the same you.
Part 2
P/T: “Now we are ready to start. Take yellow clay and follow me”
When the child finds the desired color, give the following command:
P/T: “Take a knife and cut a small piece.”
Take the card with the picture of the ball and follow the next step:
P/T: “Let`s make a ball shape.”
We do these actions with each color, so we put the required knowledge in your child. Without knowing it, he will remember all or almost all the words from the lesson. At the end of the lesson, you will be able to check this, and also offer to play on our simulators to remember the necessary words. Use the following expressions while making balls:
P/T: “Perfect! Take…”
P/T: “Cool! Take…”
P/T: “Nice! Take…”
P/T: “Super! Take…”
P/T: “I like it! Let`s put all the parts together!
Connect all the parts together.
P/T: “Fantastic!”
Find out with your child what is missing on the caterpillar. Give him the idea that it needs eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. In this lesson, the words on the topic of body parts are additional, the child just gets acquainted with them, when you pass the topic of body parts, he will learn them. Calling the word do not forget to show the card or on yourself.
P/T: “Let`s make eyes first. Take black clay and follow me.”
P/T: “Excellent! Make ears!”
P/T: “So nice! Make a nose!”
P/T: “Good job! Make a mouth! Take red clay.”
P/T: “Let`s stick all the parts.”
P/T: “Fantastic! You did a great job! Now it`s completed.”
Part 3
The last part is very important. It shows whether your child likes it or not, which words memorizes, he or she can express his or her feelings about all that and you can see if your child is motivated to keep learning or not.
If he answers using a only a word you can correct carefully. Don`t pay much attention and don`t show if there is something wrong. He will definitely start making sentences in a while. Just don`t push too much in the beginning. Don`t forget to praise your child, do it as much as you can! If he can`t answer the word you can say the first sound of the word. In this case children usually answer immediately. But don`t worry if he or she did not start speaking on the first lesson, everyone can start speaking but everyone needs a certain time to get used to it.
This is one of the lessons you can teach your child on your own! The first advantage of these lessons is for both parent and child. While teaching you can learn English both as well. The second is - your child develops not only language skills such as listening and speaking but also creativity, imagination, ability to think and other mental process. He learns to do lots of things and English at the same time and all the children will be easily involved in the process of learning language doing these exciting lessons. All the children will easily memorize new words and sentences because it`s interesting and unusual, they don`t think that somebody pushing them to learn something, because it`s just a game for them and we know it very well that all the children learn by playing games!
Review all the words for the lesson one more time and you can also discuss your lesson together speaking your native language.
Questions for summarizing:
P/T: “Do you like it? Yes or no? Answers: Yes/No
P/T: “ Is it big or small?”
For clarity, show what is big and small, so that the child can understand the meaning of these words without translation. They can respond with a single word or sentence: “It's big/small.”
P/T: “What color is it?”
Review the colors in English. In addition to these questions, find out whether your child liked to mold, whether it was difficult for him/her, what he/she liked more, find out what he / she thinks about this activity, and so on. The more he/she tells, the better he/she will remember what he/she has passed, the child learns to think, correctly build his/her speech. During these sessions, the child uses both hemispheres, which contributes to full development.
P/T: “That`s all for today. I`m proud of you!”
Thank you for reading! To keep learning press HERE!
