Activities to Evaluate Speaking Skills

 

Here is a list of activities that you can use to evaluate your very young learners speaking skills:

·         Show and Tell:

o   Children bring a favorite item from home and talk about it in English. This activity assesses their ability to speak about familiar topics.

·         Picture Description:

o   Show children a picture and ask them to describe what they see. This can range from simple single-word answers to more complex sentences, depending on their level.

·         Role-Playing:

o   Set up simple role-play scenarios (like shopping, going to the doctor, or playing at the park) that encourage children to use English in real-life contexts.

·         Storytelling from a Picture Book:

o   Use a picture book without words and ask children to create their own story based on the images. This assesses their creative use of language.

·         Puppet Conversations:

o   Have a conversation with the children using puppets. This playful approach can make children more comfortable speaking in English.

·         Singing Songs:

o   Sing English songs and encourage children to sing along. Afterwards, ask questions about the song to assess comprehension and verbal expression.

·         Simple Interviews:

o   Have children pair up and interview each other using predetermined questions. This can assess their ability to ask and answer simple questions.

·         Describing a Process:

o   Ask children to describe a simple process, like how they get ready for school in the morning, which can assess both vocabulary and the ability to form coherent sentences.

·         Memory Game:

o   Describe a series of objects or actions and then ask children to repeat them back. This assesses both memory and speech.

·         Classroom Instructions:

o   Give children the opportunity to be the 'teacher' and instruct the class in a simple activity. This assesses their ability to give directions and use imperative forms.

·         Guessing Games:

o   Play games where children describe an object without naming it, and others guess what it is. This assesses descriptive language skills.

·         Weather Reporting:

o   Set up a mock weather station and have children report the weather. This can include using weather-related vocabulary and forming sentences.

·         Food Tasting:

o   Have a tasting session with different kinds of fruits or snacks, and ask children to describe the taste, color, and texture.

·         Colour and Shape Hunt:

o   Ask children to find objects of a certain colour or shape in the classroom and describe them.

·         Daily Recap:

o   At the end of the day, have a circle time where each child talks about their favorite part of the day or something they learned.

These activities not only evaluate the speaking skills of very young learners but also enhance their confidence and comfort in using English in a variety of contexts.