The first ten lessons: ages 5–6
Twenty-five minutes each, ending in a sentence rather than a word
- Ages 5–6
Ten lessons that take a five-year-old from naming things to saying something about them. Each one has a topic, a goal in a single line, a full plan you can open and print, a game and a sheet — and every lesson from the fourth onward ends with a sentence, not a word.
The pattern is deliberate: the first three lessons build the nouns, and everything after that reuses the same sentence frame with new words in it. Changing one thing at a time is what makes the frame stick.
Before lesson one
- Choose your sentence frame now and write it where you can see it: It's a…, I've got…, I like… You will use all three, but only one at a time and only in this order.
- Set the classroom-language habit from the first minute: sit down, look, listen, your turn. Say them in English from lesson one and never translate them again after week two.
- Agree a signal for "we are finishing this activity". A five-year-old who is warned takes the change happily; one who is surprised does not.
Lesson 1–10
- 1
Colours25 min
Six colours named on sight, and one sentence attempted: "It's red."
- 2
Numbers25 min
One to ten, then counting real objects in the room. "How many?" asked and answered.
- 3
Animals25 min
Eight animals, each answered with the full frame: "It's a cat." Never just "cat".
- 4
Animals25 min
The same eight animals, now with a colour attached: "It's a brown bear." Two known words, one new idea.
- 5
Family25 min
Six family words and the second frame: "This is my sister." True sentences about real people.
- 6
My body25 min
Body words plus numbers: "I've got two eyes." The third frame, and the first plural.
- 7
School25 min
Eight classroom objects, taught by using them: "Give me the pencil, please."
- 8
Clothes25 min
Clothes with colours: "a red shirt", "blue shoes". Adjective before noun, without saying the word adjective.
- 9
Food25 min
Ten foods and the first opinion: "I like pizza. I don't like soup." Expect volume.
- 10
At home25 min
Rooms and where things are: "in the kitchen", "on the table". Prepositions as places, never as a rule.
After lesson ten
Add letter sounds. Ten lessons of vocabulary is exactly the foundation phonics needs — now the sounds have words to land on, which is the order that works.
Then continue with the full age path: it carries the sequence to twelve topics and sets a weekly rhythm around them.
Teaching English to 5–6 year olds
The year words become sounds, and answers become sentencesThe full path for this ageReady lesson plans for this age
A ready-to-teach 25-minute lesson for each of these topics, in teaching order: warm-up, six new words, a game, speaking and a calm finish. Beside each one, the topic's full word list.
Common questions
My group is mixed, five and six. Does this still work?
Yes — keep the words identical and change only the job. The six-year-olds answer in the full sentence, the five-year-olds answer with the noun, and nobody notices they were given different tasks.
Should I teach the alphabet in these ten lessons?
No. Vocabulary first, sounds after — a child who knows sixty words learns letter sounds in a fortnight, and a child who knows none takes months and dislikes it.
How much English should I speak in class?
As much as they can follow, and no more. Instructions in English from day one because they repeat every lesson; explanations in their own language until the explanation itself becomes teachable in English.
What if a lesson takes longer than 25 minutes?
Cut the last activity, not the first. The ending matters more than the content — a lesson that stopped while everyone was still enjoying it is the one they come back to.
Related resources
Teaching Guide
Teaching English to 3–4 year olds
A free, ordered path for children aged 3–4: twelve topics in teaching order, 3–6 minute activities, the games that fit, and a weekly rhythm you can keep.
Teaching Guide
Pre-A1 Starters, explained
What Pre-A1 Starters actually asks of a child, in plain language: the themes it covers, which of our free topic packs match, and the gaps we do not cover.
Worksheet
On the Phone
Two friends make a plan on the phone: cartoons, a dog, and playing at four o'clock.
Lesson Plan · 45 min
My Town Unit: Extra ESL Activities for Kids
Shops, parks and the way to school: children build a town on the board and guide each other through it.