Teaching this way is organic. Aristotle said it best: “The soul does not think without a picture.” 2. 3M reports that visual aids in the classroom improve learning by 400%. We like to see a picture, not just hear a word. We remember pictures long after words have left us. We retain the stories in speeches more than the words. But to improve pictures, you will often want to move the subject away from the center of the picture. If you don’t want a blurred picture, you’ll need to first lock the focus with the subject in the middle and then recompose the picture so the subject is away from the middle.

Here’s everything you need to learn for teaching English to complete beginners, including lessons, ideas, games, and more!

Teaching Techniques for Communicative English is a gem full of practical ideas and techniques to bridge the gap between the language of the classroom and the world outside. Lively activities give learners a chance to experiment creatively with newly-acquired language so they can communicate meaningfully in real-life situations.

Here are five classroom activities involving gesture and mime. These activities are important because, as award-winning author Jane Revell puts it, they ‘are intended to incorporate non-verbal aspects of communication into the teaching programme by giving students an opportunity to learn and practise gestures, facial expressions and other paralinguistic ways of communicating’.

These are just some of the many practical and creative activities in Teaching Techniques for Communicative English. We hope you’ll have fun trying them out with your students!

1 Mime a message

Students must get a message across to a person on the other side of the room, without using any words, as if they were at a crowded and noisy party. The teacher gives a card with a message on it to a student, who must then use nothing but gesture and mime to make him/herself understood. The other student(s) must interpret the message, which could be something like:

It’s time to go.

Can I borrow your mobile?

You’ve got a ladder in your tights.

I’m having a terrible time.

I need something to eat.

2 What’s my job?

One student mimes an action that is typical of the job they do. The other students must then find out exactly what that job is by asking questions to which the student can only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. They are allowed only ten questions. Cues can be put on the blackboard to help the students:

Uniform?

Regular hours?

Outside?

Common job?

Normally done by men?

Well-paid?

‘This is the job I had last year’ will elicit questions in the past tense, just as ‘This is the job I’ve just been offered’ will elicit questions in the future tense, if the teacher wants to focus on a particular tense. ‘Have (got) to’ is another structure which can easily be practised in playing this game.

3 Pass the parcel

The students sit in a circle. The teacher gives every other student a card with the name of an object (always the same object). This imaginary object is then passed around the circle. The half of the class who know what the object is must give the other half of the class visual and verbal clues (without actually naming the object) so that they can guess what it is. They must, for example, hold it in a certain way, and say things like: ‘Careful! Don’t squeeze it!’ or ‘It’s still a bit hot’ or ‘If you hold her like that, she’ll scratch you!’

4 Guess what the guest means!

Students are divided into groups of four or five. One, a guest staying at a hotel, is given a card on which is written something they want or need. The guest has a very bad cold and has lost their voice, so s/he must make him/herself understood to the others in the group – the collective hotel receptionist – entirely by the use of mime.

For elementary students it is enough that they grasp the general idea of what the hotel guest is trying to get across. More advanced students could be asked to produce the exact words written on the card, forcing them to find synonyms for words and to search for different ways of saying the same thing.[2:1]

In trying to guess ‘Could you tell me how to get to the cathedral?’ for example, the students might well come up with any of the following things:

Where’s the cathedral, please?

Which way is the cathedral?

What’s the best way to get to the cathedral?

Could you tell me the way to the cathedral?

I’m looking for the cathedral. Can you help me?

Do you know the way to the cathedral?

I wonder if you could tell me where the cathedral is?

etc.

Some suggestions are given below for the sorts of things that might be written on cards:

Where is the nearest underground station?

Could you call me at 7.15 tomorrow, please?

Is there a cheap Indian restaurant near here?

I was very cold last night.

Could I possibly have an extra blanket tonight?

My room is too noisy.

Do you sell postcards?

Is it possible to make a phone call to Ireland from here?

The hot tap in my room isn’t working.

Is there a doctor in the hotel?

Could you tell me how to get to the cathedral?

5 Auditions

Students are told that the director of a play is looking for a cast. They need, for example, a grumpy old man, an

elegant lady, a shy parish priest, a neurotic chain-smoking poet, a sulky teenager etc. Students have to audition for the different parts using both speech and mime, and the class decides who should be given each one.

Is your child at the age when they are preparing to enter elementary school? Are you worried about him/her having trouble socializing and making friends?

If so, then you can use this as an opportunity for teaching social skills that will help your kid get along with others easily. Awkward children face a variety of obstacles with interactions, and your teachings can help them address multiple problems at once.

With our knowledge of childcare and education, you can help your kid overcome social issues and gradually make friends that can make school a fun experience for them.

Here are seven tips for teaching social skills to your child so that they are comfortable at school.

1. Determine the Issue(s)

Part of helping your child develop social skills is figuring out what exactly is holding them back from making friends. Some kids may have trouble with small talk, while others aren’t good at understanding other people’s perspectives.

We recommend not throwing a large amount of needed social skills at him/her at once. Address the issues that you notice primarily and schedule a time of day to work on them.

Once you’ve practiced these skills and they report success after school, you can move on to skills that they might not struggle with but could benefit from learning. Show them how to apply these skills in everyday interactions, and they can rely on a small number of skills to get positive attention when applied correctly.

2. Consider Family Interactions

Is your son or daughter an awkward kid at school but has no trouble interacting with relatives or at home? If so, then they can apply those practices to situations outside the house where they experience social anxiety.

You can encourage your child to approach other kids in class or on the playground the same way they do with people at home. They can ask you or their grandparents how they made friends when they were his/her age.

Kids can also learn how interacting with other children is different from talking to relatives. This will allow them to make good first impressions and avoid awkward initiations.

3. Focus on Strengths

Instead of looking at what your kid does wrong in social interactions, using something positive to start with their teachings. This will reduce the chances of your son or daughter feeling bad about being an awkward child.

Help your child focus on their strengths, such as subjects they do good in. This can help them find other kids who also like science or history and discuss their ideas in these fields.

If your kid excels at certain sports and activities, then he can try to make friends during recess when everyone is playing kickball or dodgeball. Kids with musical talents can also interact with kids who play the same instruments and those who can teach him/her how to play other ones.

4. Don’t Focus on Deficits

Another way that you can avoid approaching this challenge in a negative way is by not treating your child’s social issues as a deficit. Adults have an easy time assuming that kids who struggle socially have something wrong with them.

Kids who have a hard time making friends can face confusion and stress in their attempts. Treating their challenges as a deficit could put extra pressure on them and affect their mindset in a negative way.

Instead, present these lessons to your child as a fun challenge. Tell them that its ok if some of their interactions don’t work out, as they offer a way to approach other people in new ways that can lead to friendships.

5. Practice in Other Environments

If you want your kid to become a social child, then you can use more than your home to help them practice. It helps to take your kid to other environments with large amounts of people and chances to interact.

You can your child can people watch on a bench at the local park to see how people of different ages approach each other. He/she can learn what they should avoid as well as what new things they can say to start conversations.

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After watching other examples, you can have the kid approach other children who are playing together to practice what they’ve learned. Whatever they experience can be applied on their first day of elementary school.

6. Stay Calm

Teaching social skills requires that you make your child feel eager and less pressured to improve their ability to communicate. How you act when they face setbacks or don’t catch on to your lessons affects their progress.

Most kids are less understanding and can even be unkind about others’ issues, so you need to make them feel less ashamed of their challenges. Don’t get mad or raise your voice when your kid doesn’t understand what you’re teaching them.

You can also stay calm and make lessons easier for your child by not interfering in their interactions. This can help them feel more comfortable in starting over and think that you are confident in them enough to do it right the next time.

7. Prepare Them for New Situations

While you should approach one social scenario at a time to get your kid used to interactions, there is always a new situation around the corner. You need to encourage your child to keep learning how what they say can affect them in different dilemmas at school.

The statements and questions your kid asks other students may not apply in conversations with teachers. Your child can learn how to manage different emotions so that other people can understand them.

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Over time, your kid can learn about negotiations, assertiveness, non-communication, and conflict resolution. This will prepare them for interacting with older kids as they move up in grades.

Our Take on Teaching Social Skills

Teaching social skills to your child can be a fun and rewarding experience for both of you if approached correctly. You’ll need to understand what specific issues your kid has and how they can use their strengths to overcome them.

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It’s also important to take your time and help them avoid pressure and stigma so that they can look at improving social skills as an opportunity instead of a chore. You can also show them how other people interact so that they can pick up new skills

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With these tips, your child will be able to make friends, impress teachers, and leave a positive impression on people over time.

For more of our educational expertise, check out our guides today to help your kid(s) get the most out of school.