I’ve done a lot of research on how parents can help younger kids learn English, but actually teaching 2 and 3 year olds is not something I know that much amount. But I get asked the question a lot especially as my 0-6 year old Kids English set isn’t available overseas. So here’s a brief intro I did a while back:
 Teaching 2-3 year olds is one of the hot topics at the moment, mainly because there aren’t many good systems out there to teach with. The best thing to do is to just play with the kids, do like a parent back home would with a 2 or 3 year old, but structure your lessons to include lots of repetition of the English. Basic things to think about would be manners like “please” and “thank you”, simple colours, actions and motions, reading story books or themes like getting dressed, things that the kids do everyday. Keep it really simple. If you can, try and hang out with some friends who have babies and see how they interact with their kids. Then with the students you are teaching just watch them play normally for a while, and find out what toys, games and activities they like. Then use those in your “lessons”. Practical things like child proofing the classroom should be given some thought as well! You could try some English teaching type games, but usually just general playing is best. |
Similarly songs can be useful, but don’t expect the kids to sing along, just listen and do actions or gestures. Ask your parents what they used to do with you at that age might help as well!Recently I’ve also heard lots of good things about Baby Sign language (here’s my song) and Eurhythmics which you might want to check out.
With regards to the Kids English set, yes we really are putting the price up to 220,000 yen next week. It’s still 62,790 yen until September 30th (next Tuesday), but we’re putting the price up so as to better compete with the Disney and other systems that cost sometimes 3 times as much! In fact the original price for our set was 45 man yen! I thought we were helping people out with the lower price point, but the parents didn’t seem to agree. It certainly does seem to be true that the more people pay for something the better they use it as those children were getting really good with it, I was so impressed. If you want to take advantage of the lower price then now is the time to order!
Anyway, what are your tips for teaching younger kids?
Here is my point exactly.
Trying to make a little extra money
for the next flight home, eh?
You sure are a money grabber
aren’t you?
I thought I’d let this comment through as it’s one of the less vicious negative comments I get!
Hi Edwardo, the aim of Genki English is to improve education, and doing a for-profit selling products method is the way I’ve chosen to do this. It certainly beats filling out grant applications or asking for donations. If you don’t like it, that’s fair enough and that’s how the system works, you can simply use something else or spend the time making your own materials.
The Kids English set is expensive, because there’s a lot in it and it was very expensive to make (the artists for the picture books are all top level artists, all the actors are professionals etc.). But as was proved when we lowered the price, sales fell, hence the increase in price.
If it’s all about how much your time is worth, then if you buy a book for $10 and it saves you an hours worth of time, that’s probably a good deal. Similarly if you buy something that’s more expensive like one of the 600,000 yen sets and that saves you the corresponding amount of time then that’s a good investment.
Similarly if you have more time than money, then it does make sense to make things yourself.
On the other hand, I could never have made as good as materials on my own as I can with Genki English. As far as education goes I’d always go with the materials and methods that get the best results from the kids, even if they cost a lot more.
But it’s a free market, and I think that’s the best way as it gives us all more choices. It’s easy to see what people need, because that’s what they buy, and the extra revenue helps build better and better future materials. Plus it also means I have space to help out schools in other situations. There’s no way I could support all the developing world projects that I do if the material development costs weren’t paid for by people being kind enough to buy and use the GE materials.
Anyway, I just thought I’d reply to this email, although I will delete it in a little while.
Oh, and by the way whenever anyone sends a message on the internet your computer “signs it” even if you don’t put an email address! : )
Be genki,
Richard
Fair enough.
Still think English Language materials
are overly priced. My school and I try
to make material whenever we can.
Cost is a huge factor for all of my schools.
Hi Edwardo,
Thanks for that reply, it is very much appreciated.
Whereabouts are you teaching? I know how hard the budget constraints can be, in our India schools it’s amazing how they manage to squeeze every last cent to make it count. But I do have programmes for certain areas where we can subsidise the materials. If you’re interested, then let me know.
I too am amazed at how much materials do cost in places like Korea or Japan, parents often take out massive loans to pay for them, which is crazy. But then again if it works for the kids then I suppose it’s fair enough.
be genki,
Richard
I wanted to comment on the issue of 2 to 3 year olds and not cost. However!!! I understand budgets etc. I must say that GE is such good value. Since I bought my CD pack so much has been added. I just could not imagine complaining. The cost is as Richard said much less than many other companies. The quality and quantity of resources is wonderful. I for example subscribe to a couple of other sites. I have to pay an annual fee. I would say I get more from GE than these other sites as they rarely add anything new!!!
I have taught 3 – 5 yrs using GE. It works so well. I have had my groups for over 18 months and use the worksheets,picture books, games, cards,songs etc etc etc!!. The mums do actually stay so that works well too. The songs are invaluable and the children just love jumping about!! The one thing I find is to keep things short and keep changing. I also stop if it isnt working, like I would with any student.
I also teach a two year old one to one. Some weeks we play lots of games and get great results. Other week he may be tired and just want to run around his living room!! His mum is fine with that and we just see how the mood takes him. I use the small picture cards and we put them on to corresponding paper plates. I have a picture stuck to the middle. He then takes a card says the word and places it on the correct plate. He loves stories so again the picture books are great.
Keep up the good work Richard. I know the money you make gets put straight back into GE and thats why it is so successful. What would so many of us do without GE????????????
Best wishes
Flossy
dear richard,
the other day, I thought I have to stop reading and answering this blog, because I have three kids next to my job, and need to spend more time in the kitchen. But it’s so hard, because, there are so many ideas and so much to take out; so I just have a look every other day, trying to to comment too much.
But the thought that you are a “money grabber” seems ridiculous.
I really wonder where Edwardo, you are coming from. Here in Japan even 220 000yen for a set like the kids set is really cheap, and many schools force their students to buy sets (more expensive) before the students can start studying at the place.
Still this doesn’t mean that Japanese are wealthy or so rich. The way of thinking is different from other countries, and the money people put into education privately is a lot.
And this for I’m really happy that there is somebody like Richard, who sets up really fair prices, fair conditions. There is soooo much on the Genki English site for free.
I myself knew this site a while before I got the teachers set, and the reason I got the teachers set was NOT that I wanted more, but that I thought: I got sooooo much for free, that I could plan so many lessons, I want to give something back. For that what I had gotten allready about 20000Yen was really really cheap.
Well, well, let’s forget a comment like that one; it’s really not good for education to get negative energy.
Thank you. 🙂
You just have to look at the previous blog entry to see how committed and generous Richard is, providing for free a card that somebody requested. How many websites do that for you and so speedily too?
It does seem a paradox that Richard has tried to sell his product at a fair price only to find people think it’s inferior because of the low price and only when the price is raised do people think they’re getting value for money but that is a standard practice in business, finding the right level of price for the product.
I too am always having to watch the pennies and find Richard has always been helpful in providing this service. Richard has taken a real strain both financially and educationally from my shoulders through his products and by offering practically a 24-hour helpline for all kinds of problems. He is a genuinely kind, caring guy and I don’t begrudge him making a profit from it at all, especially when you see the help he gives to underprivileged countries.
I suspect it’s not the price you mind but the fact he’s making a living from it, isn’t it and admits it?
May I add?
A money grabber is an expensive language school which is teaching English in the way students never make progress so that they stay longer and pay more money.
Kids who are learning English with Genki English make progress, so Genki English is not moeny oriented.
Richard is returning the profit to make better and better teaching materials which are offered in low prices or free online.
Everything is done for kids, especially now for kids in poor areas.