Revista simpozionului Eficiență și calitate în educație - 19 mai 2017 Eficiență și calitate în educație | Page 13

In conclusion songs allow pupils to hear English in context, naturally, to listen
repeatedly, to enjoy learning, to be more involved with TPR (total physical response), to be
focused and motivated and remember language more easily and for longer. Songs also
help with classroom management.
The importance of games in teaching vocabulary to young learners
”A game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun. There are two kinds
of games: Competitive games, in which players or teams race to be the first to reach the
goal, and co-operative games, in which players or teams work together towards a common
goal. The emphasis in the games is on successful communication rather than on
correctness of language” (Toth 1995: 5).
Young learners are often willing to take part in a given activity based on a game so
their level of motivation is high. Furthermore, games also have a didactic function.
If we refer to the structure of games we might distinguish various types depending on the
tools and materials used in order to play it. Such a classification is put forward by Lewis
and Bedson (1999: 17), who distinguished the following types of games:
- board games
-card games – games based on assembling cards, guessing, disclosing, exchanging,
sorting, and counting them. As a result, learners can develop associations between the
names of the activities in English, the pictures and the subsequent movement.
- dice games
- drawing games
- guessing games
- role -play games - they make use of the child’s imagination and constitute tests of real
communication and simulation.
- movement games - students are physically active, they are not bored and this kind of
game enables them to learn through application
The benefits of teaching English through games:
1. Rapid acquisition of the language
Games are very effective because they absorb a language rather than learning it.
2. More control in classroom
Any class means children with different abilities, mood changes or attention spans. By
changing the activity, by using different games the vocabulary learning moment is
presented in a different way.
3. Games improve cooperation between classmates
The benefit of taking turns, sharing or accepting rules in a constructive and not a
competitive way is a thing to be learnt by the young learners. Words combined with action
are remembered quicker, as children learn words best in a meaningful context.
4. They also improve the relationship between teacher and student
Pre-schoolers want to please, they seek approval and praise from the new adult in their
lives. The interaction provided by games will create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere
during the lessons.
Examples of games for Grade 0:
Hot Potatoes
The class is divided into two groups. We have to elect one person from each team to sit in
the Hot Seat, facing the classroom with the board behind them. Then, the teacher draws/
shows a picture of an object, but the student on the chair will not see it. Each team will
have two minute after signing the beginning of the game. The other students are allowed
to use words/sentences so that their seated teammate can guess the word drawn on the
13