At the age of 7–8, children naturally discover that English is not just about vocabulary, but above all about being able to communicate in it, say something and understand others. In our lessons, we therefore combine playful activities with tasks that motivate them to use English actively.

For young schoolchildren, we prepare activities that are age-appropriate whilst also giving them the opportunity to think, create and communicate in English.

In our lessons, we combine games, stories, songs, movement and interactive activities, puzzles, creative tasks and simple communication scenarios. In this way, children gradually expand their vocabulary, learn useful phrases and learn to use them in the correct context. The activities are tailored to the children’s age so as to motivate them, whilst also developing them appropriately and encouraging their independence.

We place great emphasis on listening, comprehension and the active use of English. Children learn to respond to questions, instructions and simple situations; they gradually formulate their own answers and gain greater confidence in communicating. Mistakes are a natural part of learning – the important thing is that children are not afraid to use English and gradually build up the confidence to communicate.

The lesson topics are based on the world that children are familiar with, whilst at the same time naturally guiding them to discover new words and ways of expressing themselves. For example, we work with topics such as family, friends, school, leisure, animals, food, travel, the weather and everyday situations. We link individual topics to stories, tasks, games and conversation activities so that children can immediately put their new language skills into practice.

A playful approach remains an important part of our teaching, but for younger primary school pupils we combine it with activities that encourage independent thinking, cooperation, concentration and the ability to express their own thoughts in English. We want children to leave the lesson feeling that they have enjoyed learning English – whilst also realising that they are now able to communicate a little better in English.