It could seem to be daunting going into a class of 25 three to six years-old children. Early childhood education is about far more than learning language. Big challenge? However, teaching VYL is so rewarding, they are so joyful and prone to learn. Everyday they bring surprises and excitement towards learning.

Perhaps more than any other age group, teaching VYLs may leave a lifelong impact on them. Given that, we always want to do the best job we can, right?! Let's make our lessons relaxed & fun having a safe and stress-free environment while teaching English!

In today’s educational world, gamification has been attracting attention from teachers worldwide, as it offers a variety of benefits linked to learning outcomes. But what about introducing it to a class where students aren’t able to understand the language and they are not independent enough to follow the game sequence? Ever wondered how to bring gamification to a classroom of VYL? Is it even possible? This is your chance to get to know a little more about some real experiences that have proved to be useful.

First, we will explore briefly some of the key characteristics, needs and strengths of the very young learners and then we will go on sharing inspiration, tips and useful tasks that we as VYL teachers have tried while gamifying our lessons successfully. From this virtual workshop you will be provided with ideas and some advice. Besides, we will offer a variety of games and even a breakout.

Let the game begin! Are you ready?

Keywords: Gamification, VYL, breakout, pre-primary, infant education.