How many new words can children learn each lesson?

[inchina]

This has really been bugging me of late. There’s no real science on how many words in a foreign language a kid can learn. I know in a native language, a 6 year old can learn up to 20 new words a day, but we all know learning a foreign language, via flash cards, is totally different. For 3-6 year olds. Based on observing the children progress, I’ve always had a rule of 4-5 new words and 1 sentence every two lessons.

My kindergarten have asked me to teach 23 words and 5 sentences per month to a class of 5-6 year old. They have asked me to teach the content in 3 weeks and then review them in week 4. I told them 9.33 words a week is too much.For context, I teach them 3 times per week, 30 mins per class.

[MariaL]

It depends ln the children themselves and also on their age. There is a wide range between a 3 year old who may be struggling with her mother tongue and a clever 6 year old. And it depends whether they want you to teach 23 words or do they want all the kids to learn 23 words...

[inchina]

Thanks. They test the children every month, so ideally they want all the children to memorise all words/sentences. I must follow the protocol anyway, which is fine, but I am just curious in general, for my own personal growth :)

[Emily Ifsits]

Hi,

Wow! If you have managed to teach kindergarten children vocabulary at that rate I want to know your secrets please!

I teacher kindergarten ESL lessons in Austria and have just added a new entry on my blog which shares my Topic Plan for the year. Here I have all of the vocabulary listed that I teach the children in my English Owls kindergarten classes.

Check out my website and blog at www.theearlyenglishclub.com.

I hope that it is useful to you.

Best Wishes,

Emily.

[iufor23]

Hi
For 5-6-year-olds, learning 23 words and 5 sentences in a month might be challenging, especially in a foreign language setting. Typically, children this age can manage around 4-5 new words and one sentence every two lessons to retain and understand the vocabulary effectively. Teaching 9-10 words weekly, even with review sessions, might overwhelm them and impact long-term retention.

[LarryDixon]

It could be difficult for children aged 5 to 6 to learn 23 words and 5 phrases in a month, particularly in a foreign language environment. In order to adequately retain and comprehend the vocabulary, children of this age canwatermelon game often handle four to five new words and one sentence every two lessons. Even with review sessions, teaching 9–10 words each week could overload kids and affect their long-term memory.