teacher should prepare good materials which include interesting activities that can motivate them to learn.
There are also other characteristics of young learner. Brewster Ellis 2002:27 also state that most children are emotionally excitable. They have a
wide range of emotional needs. Furthermore, they tend to be self-oriented and pre- occupied with their own worlds. Therefore, they tend to have high ego.
Although there are many characteristics of young learners, the young learners are really different with the adults. Brewster Ellis 2002: 27 state that
the young children are not yet in control of their lives. They still have a great deal to learn in their own language, as well as learn another one. Furthermore, they do
not have special foreign language needs, although some may be under pressure, usually from their parents or school system, to pass English language
examinations. Teaching English for children is different with teaching adult or adolescence
which has longer concentration than them. They tend to get bored easily when teacher explains grammar. Children lose their interest quickly on difficult task
Cameron 2001: 1. He also states that children are often more enthusiastic and lively as
learners. They will have got an activity even when they do not quite understand why or how. He also states that children often seem less embarrassed than adults
at talking in a new language, and their lack of inhibition seems to help them get more native-like accent.
Considering the characteristics above, it can be concluded that children have various characteristics that differ from the adults. They have their own worlds.
They want to learn something that is presented interestingly and involve them in the activities.
It aims at avoiding the boredom because the children get bored easily and they are physically active. It is also important for the teacher to use teaching
media in the form of real objects or pictures to attract children’ attention and motivate them to learn.
2. Teaching English to Children
Brown 2000: 1 states that teacher needs to find appropriate methods, techniques, and approaches in which can lead children to obtain the goal of the
language learning. Moreover, Scott and Ytreberg 1990: 10 state that children need to be settled in the language lesson in order to make them get better output.
There are some considerations in selecting activities to teach a foreign language in the early stage. To be successful in teaching a foreign language for
children, an English teacher requires specific skills that differ from those appropriate for adult teaching. Brown 2001: 87-90 states five categories to guide
teaching English for children. Those are as follows: 1
Intellectual development As children up to the age of about eleven are in the ‘concrete operation’
stage, they cannot remember abstract rules. In addition, they are not aware of correctness. That is why teachers need to teach abstract concepts of the language
within much caution.
2 Attention span
Children have a short attention span. It means that they have limited duration when dealing with learning activities. The duration can be lengthened
when the activity is interesting and fun to them. 3
Sensory input Children need to have five senses stimulated. In relation this, the teachers
need to design activities to achieve the optimum results of teaching and learning process.
4 Affective factors
Children are often innovative in language forms but still have a great many inhibitions. However, children are much more fragile than adults. Their egos are
still being shaped, and therefore the slightest nuances of communications can be negatively interpreted. The teachers need to help them to overcome such potential
barriers to learning. The teachers also should generate children confidents and self-esteems, and should make them ignore anything which can interrupt their
minds when learning language and doing activities in the language lesson. 5
Authentic, meaningful language Children are focused on immediate needs. It means that they have much
concern with something ‘here and now’. That is why teachers need to provide the children with language that is relatively tangible to the children. Teachers should
avoid presenting language without context in isolated forms. Based on the principles, there are some considerations for the teachers
before conducting the teaching and learning process. The first is the children
