Teaching English to Pre-Schoolers Using Tongue Twisters

Abstract

This article examines different possibilities of using tongue-twisters for pre-school children as a method of teaching a foreign language. Various rhymes such as tongue-twisters are rather important in terms of developing pre-school children’s communication language skills in the process of studying any foreign language. A concept of child and his world view and perception are characterized. The developmental peculiarities of preschool children such as movement, social, cognitive and personal areas are discovered. Communication being the essential part in forming communication skills and the approaches for the development of communication skills are determined. Key points of improving communication skills of preschoolers are specified. The genre of tongue-twisters as a separate genre of folk arts that is used not only for enjoyment but also for studying foreign languages is revealed. The article mostly focuses on the practical application of tongue-twisters in teaching English to preschool-aged children. The research was conducted in order to establish the importance and benefits of tongue-twisters in foreign language acquisition. Different types of preparative, text and conclusive level exercises that are based on tongue-twisters as a part of learning are offered. The paper concludes that the method of learning foreign language through rhymes in the process of teaching preschool-aged children can be both an enjoyable and an effective method of studying. Like all texts rhymes play an essential role in children’s world cognition and should be examined as a key method of teaching foreign language to preschool-agers.