Speaking a foreign language is such a valuable skill. People who speak more than one language can strive both professionally and personally. This is why children should start learning a language other than their native, in the earliest stages of their childhood. Plus, when they’re younger, they have the power to acquire a language faster and more easily than in the later years.

1.             Memory Games

Memory games are kids’ favorite, especially when played in larger groups. And, they’re brilliant for language learning as well.

Here’s a fun memory game for a group of children in a class or a birthday party:

• everyone sits in a circle
• you decide on a topic e.g. grocery shopping
• the first person to start says: ”I need to buy eggs.”
• the next person repeats this grocery and adds one more ”I need to buy eggs and ice cream.”

This continues around the circle, with everyone adding one grocery item to the list. In case someone is unfamiliar with the vocabulary used, the game can pause for the teacher or parent to explain the meaning.

2.             Picture Storytelling

Kids have a wild imagination. Use it to make language learning productive and fun through picture storytelling.

All you need is a couple of pictures or illustrations to show the kids. Then, ask them to come up with a story behind the pictures.

For instance, give them a portrait of an old man looking at the sky and have them invent his life story. It’s fun, creative, and will boost their language learning process.

They’ll enjoy this writing assignment. Who knows, it might inspire them to become professional writers working for an  online dissertation writing service, like the ones I use to  type my essay.

Memory games are kids’ favorite, especially when played in larger groups. And, they’re brilliant for language learning as well.

3.             Body Numbers

If you’re looking for a simple beginner’s activity for kids, this may be the perfect match. Most kids enjoy activities that are designed for kinesthetic learning.

For this activity, have kids work in small groups of three or four. Go over the numbers you want to learn- first verbally or in writing. Then, start the activity:

• say a number the kids are in the process of learning
• have them shape this number using their bodies
• assign a point to a group that did the best job or was the fastest to succeed

This activity involves physical effort, teamwork, and competitiveness which is everything the kids love. You can do the same with other types of vocabulary, and have them put together a house, a cloud, or a horse!

4.             Touch Game

Touch is an icebreaker game for shy learners who need a bit more time to relax when speaking a foreign language.

The game is simple. The teacher or the activity facilitator gives commands. The command is for the student to find and touch something of a certain characteristic. Here’s a couple of examples:

• Touch something rusty.
• Touch something cold.
• Touch something made of wood.

Students need to look for the nearest object with such characteristics and touch it. Plus, if they’re not sure what the command means, they can look around and see what the others are touching.

This is a truly fun game that kids love playing. All it takes is as many different hats as you can find.

5.             Finding Something in Common

This language learning activity is great for bringing the kids closer together and encouraging them to be friends.

The goal of the game is for the kids to learn about each other. Here’s how it works:

• write down some questions on the blackboard or a piece of paper
• have everyone answer those questions individually, in writing
• have the students walk around the classroom, comparing answers, and finding something in common

The questions can vary from simple like ‘‘What’s your favorite color” to more complex like ‘‘What was your favorite summer vacation?”. It’s great for building writing and speaking skills in kids. They’ll practice simple conversations in the foreign language and even improvise while talking to each other.

6.             The Hat Game

This is a truly fun game that kids love playing. All it takes is as many different hats as you can find. Give each kid one of the hats and ask them to act like the person that’s most likely to be wearing such a hat.

For instance, a student puts on a shabby old winter hat. So, they start acting like an old lady walking slowly on a cold winter day, saying: “Back in my days, winters used to be way worse! “.

Final Thoughts

Learning language through fun games and activities is a great idea. You can teach kids a foreign language using the activities listed above and ensure they’re all participating and enjoying.

Choose your favorite activity and give it a shot today!

About the author: Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger at Valuablewriters. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun.

The post How to Teach Kids a Foreign Language with Activities appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

Speaking a foreign language is such a valuable skill. People who speak more than one language can strive both professionally and personally. This is why children should start learning a language other than their native, in the earliest stages of their childhood. Plus, when they’re younger, they have the power to acquire a language faster and more easily than in the later years.

1.             Memory Games

Memory games are kids’ favorite, especially when played in larger groups. And, they’re brilliant for language learning as well.

Here’s a fun memory game for a group of children in a class or a birthday party:

• everyone sits in a circle
• you decide on a topic e.g. grocery shopping
• the first person to start says: ”I need to buy eggs.”
• the next person repeats this grocery and adds one more ”I need to buy eggs and ice cream.”

This continues around the circle, with everyone adding one grocery item to the list. In case someone is unfamiliar with the vocabulary used, the game can pause for the teacher or parent to explain the meaning.

2.             Picture Storytelling

Kids have a wild imagination. Use it to make language learning productive and fun through picture storytelling.

All you need is a couple of pictures or illustrations to show the kids. Then, ask them to come up with a story behind the pictures.

For instance, give them a portrait of an old man looking at the sky and have them invent his life story. It’s fun, creative, and will boost their language learning process.

They’ll enjoy this writing assignment. Who knows, it might inspire them to become professional writers working for an  online dissertation writing service, like the ones I use to  type my essay.

Memory games are kids’ favorite, especially when played in larger groups. And, they’re brilliant for language learning as well.

3.             Body Numbers

If you’re looking for a simple beginner’s activity for kids, this may be the perfect match. Most kids enjoy activities that are designed for kinesthetic learning.

For this activity, have kids work in small groups of three or four. Go over the numbers you want to learn- first verbally or in writing. Then, start the activity:

• say a number the kids are in the process of learning
• have them shape this number using their bodies
• assign a point to a group that did the best job or was the fastest to succeed

This activity involves physical effort, teamwork, and competitiveness which is everything the kids love. You can do the same with other types of vocabulary, and have them put together a house, a cloud, or a horse!

4.             Touch Game

Touch is an icebreaker game for shy learners who need a bit more time to relax when speaking a foreign language.

The game is simple. The teacher or the activity facilitator gives commands. The command is for the student to find and touch something of a certain characteristic. Here’s a couple of examples:

• Touch something rusty.
• Touch something cold.
• Touch something made of wood.

Students need to look for the nearest object with such characteristics and touch it. Plus, if they’re not sure what the command means, they can look around and see what the others are touching.

This is a truly fun game that kids love playing. All it takes is as many different hats as you can find.

5.             Finding Something in Common

This language learning activity is great for bringing the kids closer together and encouraging them to be friends.

The goal of the game is for the kids to learn about each other. Here’s how it works:

• write down some questions on the blackboard or a piece of paper
• have everyone answer those questions individually, in writing
• have the students walk around the classroom, comparing answers, and finding something in common

The questions can vary from simple like ‘‘What’s your favorite color” to more complex like ‘‘What was your favorite summer vacation?”. It’s great for building writing and speaking skills in kids. They’ll practice simple conversations in the foreign language and even improvise while talking to each other.

6.             The Hat Game

This is a truly fun game that kids love playing. All it takes is as many different hats as you can find. Give each kid one of the hats and ask them to act like the person that’s most likely to be wearing such a hat.

For instance, a student puts on a shabby old winter hat. So, they start acting like an old lady walking slowly on a cold winter day, saying: “Back in my days, winters used to be way worse! “.

Final Thoughts

Learning language through fun games and activities is a great idea. You can teach kids a foreign language using the activities listed above and ensure they’re all participating and enjoying.

Choose your favorite activity and give it a shot today!

About the author: Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger at Valuablewriters. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun.

The post How to Teach Kids a Foreign Language with Activities appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

It was a gloomy Wednesday morning, but our team was working in full force. Novak’s birthday campaign was coming up, we were preparing for the Walk a Mile for a Smile, and at the same time, we were working on an opening of… Well, we’ll leave that last one as a surprise! However, besides all those new projects, Marko, our project manager, also decided to revisit an old one. In February this year, the Novak Djokovic Foundation in cooperation with local authorities, opened the first kindergarten in the village near Sabac. Marko wanted to see how the kids and teachers settled in and to bring them some additional gifts. He decided to bring you all with him and give you an exclusive insight into our work. You can watch Marko’s full field trip in Prnjavor right here.

So, let’s start from the beginning – why do we invest in early childhood development?

James Heckman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and an expert in the economics of human development, has proved that quality early childhood development heavily influences health, economic and social outcomes for individuals and society at large. He said:

“A solid body of research shows the cost-effectiveness of early childhood development in helping to prevent achievement gaps, boost school achievement, promote better health outcomes, improve our workforce, increase productivity, and reduce the need for costly social spending.”

In 2014, UNICEF research showed that, in Serbia, only 50% of children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in a preschool program. In rural areas, this percentage drops down to 22%.   So, we pledged to change these statistics for the better. To us, every child is a champion and deserves a chance to make all of his dreams come true. We wanted to give every child in Serbia a quality start that would help him develop all of his potentials. We wanted that not only for the benefit of him and his family – but, for the benefit of all of us as.

Kid playing with his new toys in the kindergarten in the village of Macvan Prnjavor.

Until now we have built or reconstructed 43 kindergartens, supported 980 families, trained around 1.575 teachers and helped around 22.000 children. But, how did we achieve that?

The key ingredient of our work is that we only invest in sustainable, long-term projects.

After unloading some gifts from the van (a couple of carpets that are perfect for children’s play), Marko explained how the opening of kindergarten in Prnjavor was an endeavor that will result in many long term benefits.

“We first mapped different parts of Serbia and scanned for economically challenged rural areas that require preschool education.   Prnjavor was chosen because, among the 4,000 people living here, there were many parents with children aged three to six who didn’t have a chance to attend kindergarten. We realized the importance of investing in this area and signed the cooperation agreement with the town of Sabac. We worked with the local authorities that helped us find this building. They also helped us resolve all technical documentation and install new carpentry on the building.

 This kindergarten was actually an old Health Centre before, that we managed to reconstruct with the help of our partners. We changed all the installations and equipped it with modern furniture, toys, books, didactic material, etc. We also built two playgrounds. The result is this modern facility that provides more than 100 children with early quality education“, explained Marko while proudly strolling down kindergarten hallways.

Kindergarten in Prnjavor before and after the reconstruction by the Novak Djokovic Foundation.

 So, the major part of our achievements is our close cooperation with local authorities.

They help us find a building that we can refurbish or a piece of land on which we can build a kindergarten. They also provide us with all necessary technical documentation so we could obtain all permits and building licenses. By working with local authorities, the kindergartens become a powerful part of the community. While children receive the quality education they deserve, at the same time the whole community receives a long term benefit that can cross generations. By opening a kindergarten in these rural areas, we invest in their economies.

Namely, if there are no quality schools, families have to move to cities in search of a better future for their children. That further contributes to the centralization of Serbia and impoverishment of rural areas. However, when we open a kindergarten, we give an incentive to the families to stay in their villages. That also inspires the Serbian government to further invest in the early development which additionally contributes to the sustainability of our projects.

But besides toys and books, what do we all remember when we daydream about our kindergarten days? Our teachers.

Teachers are the heartbeat of a school. That is why we are passionate about training and encouraging our teachers. Again, by working with local authorities, we educate, train, and empower teachers. That way we ensure that all future generations living in these rural areas receive quality early education.

The kindergarten in Prnjavor was no exception – there we have provided accredited programs for 30 educators. We continually check in with our teachers and offer them ongoing guidance and support. So, Marko sat down with Branka, one of the teachers in Prnjavor to talk about how everyone got accustomed to the kindergarten.

“Kids love to mix among themselves and to visit other groups. Recently they started creating theater plays on their own! Their parents are very satisfied, which you can tell by the number of enrolled children – over 100! Also, thanks to all the training the teachers received, including me, now we can implement some modern teaching methods”, said Branka.

Branka, the teacher (left), Jelena Djokovic (center) and Marko Kovacevic (right) playing with kids during the opening of the kindergarten.

And that is the final part of our projects – modern teaching methods.

Our schools focus on each child as an individual and as a member of society as a whole. We use an up-to-date curriculum because we believe that each child has the right to discover their own limitless potential so that as they grow they can contribute to the world in positive ways. In the kindergartens and preschools we build, we promote healthy lifestyles. Children learn the importance of healthy nutrition, exercise, sports, and quality leisure time.

However, when we open a kindergarten we do not stop there. We continue to invest in projects that build a complete support network for children in those areas.

Through our project called “Support, not perfection  “,  we also support their parents. Parents go through an educative, interactive and motivational cycle of workshops. They receive professional support for resolving all their potential parenthood dilemmas. They are given space where they can share their problems, experience, and feelings with other parents and learn something new.

Therefore, by building new and fully equipped kindergartens, working closely with local authorities, providing modern methods of teaching and supporting teachers and parents – we invest in long-term, sustainable projects that will benefit all future generations. When we nurture and encourage our children through quality early development, we first and foremost contribute to our future society. “It’s amazing to see how everyone made this kindergarten as their little home. I am so eager to see it blossom years to come”, said Marko and went to enjoy the music performance children prepared for him.

The post Why is sustainability an essential ingredient of our projects? appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

After I receive my Ph.D. in preschool pedagogy, I hope to inspire and mobilize key players in the field of early childhood to empower children to live their dreams and equip them with knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

Jelena Stojkovic is a first-year doctoral student in Preschool Pedagogy at the Department of Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. Since September 2017, she has been a deputy secretary at the Department of Pedagogy and Andragogy, where she earned her bachelor and master degree, researching the topic “How Digital Communication Impacts Relationships among Young People and Risks They Face Online”.

Thanks to the Novak Djokovic Foundation scholarship, Jelena now attends a Ph.D. programme at the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Pedagogy and Andragogy. If you want to find out more about Djokovic Scholars, read our published interview with Nevena Mitranic.

• When you think about your childhood, how would you describe it?

I grew up in a small village called Troponje, near a town called Svilajnac in central Serbia, in one of those close-knit communities where people know each other well and function as one big family. I finished primary and secondary school in Svilajnac. This town and my home village remind me of the excitement of the first school days, falling in love for the first time and the joy of playing outdoor games with dear friends. We spent many happy hours together, exploring our micro world shaped by beautiful nature and rural life. I also enjoyed reading and reciting poems and taking dance lessons.

• What are the things you remember the most regarding your early learning?

When I was a child, everyone addressed me as “doctor Jelena”. I liked that very much because I dreamed of helping people. However, finding my way was not easy at all. It took me a while to define my interests and aspirations and choose the career to match my passion for early childhood education and care. I had no idea that in the end I would be actually studying to earn a doctoral degree in pedagogy, instead of in medicine. In pedagogy, I ultimately found my inner self and got everything I ever wanted.   My childhood dream still came true, even though I don’t work in a hospital and wear the white coat as I initially imagined.

I’m glad that I have a chance to empower children and to help them get the most of their learning. It’s a pleasure to  work together with educators to bring the best practices of teaching to preschools.

Jelena Stojkovic, Djokovic Scholar, class 2018 – 2022

• How did you set your mind on getting a university degree in pedagogy?

Based on the knowledge I gained in high school by studying philosophy, sociology, and psychology, I became interested in examining how young children learn and discover the world around them. They encouraged me to put the theories of early childhood education and development to practice and further research these areas. Eventually, I knew that my goal and mission were to support children to reach their full potential.

I decided to study pedagogy because I realized that by working with kids I would be doing something really important for the whole society. But at the same time, I would be able to preserve the little girl within who is a significant part of my identity.

More importantly, pedagogue’s job goes beyond the academic field. It’s about being a practitioner and making a difference in the education and upbringing of young children. My focus has always been on children – the way they perceive the world and their place in it, face challenges, how they communicate with peers and adults, express their emotions and show empathy for others.  

• Your research and doctoral dissertation are focused on digital technologies. Why did you choose this topic?

Digital technologies are increasingly acknowledged as an important aspect of contemporary early childhood education. Children grow up in media-rich homes. They like using digital technologies for learning, playing, communicating and creating. Therefore, I’m particularly interested in understanding the role that digital technologies play in young children’s lives.

Instead of seeing digital technologies only as challenging in terms of their control and regulation, we should guide and empower children to participate effectively in this digital world and stay safe online.

• What are the ways to improve preschool education in Serbia?

Primarily by increased support for preschool education and investment in high-quality preschool programs. I think the dialogue between early childhood educators, parents and policymakers is crucial in order to make a breakthrough in the development of preschool education in our country.

Every adult has a stake in the education of children. That’s why teachers, childcare experts, and professionals must reach out to parents, local communities, leaders, and work together for the well-being of the youngest and their better future.

In 2018, the Novak Djokovic Foundation started cooperation with the Faculty of Philosophy, University  of Belgrade with the goal to create a new generation of leaders in the field of ECE and ECD – academic change agents who conduct cutting-edge research, translate and communicate research into policy and practice related to quality preschool education in Serbia.

The post Jelena Stojkovic : Empowering children to live their dreams should be our top priority appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.