The first ten lessons: ages 3–4
Twenty minutes each, in the order that makes each one easier
Ten lessons, one topic each, in an order chosen so that the second lesson can lean on the first. Each row gives you the goal in one line, a full lesson plan you can open and print, the game to play and the sheet to print — nothing to prepare beyond pressing the links.
Run them once a week and you have a term. Run them twice a week and repeat each topic in the second session rather than adding a new one — at three, the repeat is where the learning actually happens.
🧺 Before lesson one
- Pick a hello song and a goodbye song and never change them. The routine is what tells a three-year-old that the lesson has started and that they are safe in it.
- Print nothing for the first lesson except one set of flashcards. A tidy table with one thing on it holds attention better than a table covered in resources.
- Decide in advance where the lesson happens and sit there every time. Place is a memory hook at this age, and it is free.
📚 Lesson 1–10
- 1
🌈 Colours20 min
Name three colours on sight: red, blue, yellow. Three is the whole target — resist the other nine.
- 2
🌈 Colours20 min
The same three colours plus green, now found in the room rather than on a card.
- 3
🦊 Animals20 min
Six animals, each with its sound. The sound is what makes the word stick at three.
- 4
🦊 Animals20 min
Point at the right animal when they hear it — listening proved without a word being spoken.
- 5
🔢 Numbers20 min
Count to five on fingers, out loud, with you. Counting together beats counting alone this week.
- 6
👨👩👧👦 Family20 min
Mother, father, baby — pointed at in a real photo of their own family.
- 7
🧸 Toys & fun20 min
Five toys, named while holding the actual toy. Bring the real objects if you possibly can.
- 8
🖐️ My body20 min
Touch your nose, your ears, your head on command. A whole lesson that never asks them to sit down.
- 9
🍓 Fruits20 min
Apple, banana, orange — said, then eaten. Bring the snack and let the lesson end in it.
- 10
🏃 Actions20 min
Run, jump, sleep — done, not explained. End the first ten with the loudest lesson of the set.
➡️ After lesson ten
Do not start eleven new topics. Go back to lesson one and run the same ten again with different games — the second pass is where a three-year-old's vocabulary actually settles.
Then pick up the full age path, which carries the sequence on to twelve topics and sets the weekly rhythm around them.
Teaching English to 3–4 year olds
The first year: listening, naming, and staying happy about it
❓ Common questions
What if my child will not sit down?
Then teach standing up. Lessons 8 and 10 are built for it, and there is no rule that says English happens at a table. A child who is moving is still listening.
Can I do two lessons in one day?
You can, but do the same lesson twice rather than two different ones. Two new topics in a day at this age usually leaves the child with neither.
Do I need to print the sheets?
No. Every game on this list plays on a screen, and the printables are there for the days when you would rather nobody looked at one. Both routes teach the same words.
How do I know a lesson worked?
Ask for one word at the door on the way out. One word, said cheerfully, is a successful lesson at three — and it is a fairer test than any quiz.