Using LearnEnglish Kids - British Council


	Young children will really like the story of the Princess and the Dragon. Use the story flashcards to help your child understand the story.

more tips

kings and queens

Find ideas for activities about the topic of kings and queens on the Language Assistant website.

Using Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are a rich source of motivating learning content for our younger learners. Look at how you can exploit the 'fairy tale' resources on the British Council/BBC website Teaching English.

	using learnenglish kids with your child


	Fantasy animals

You’ll find resources on the theme of fantasy animals here:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-topics-fantasy-animals.htm

			With these activities your child can:
			learn the names of animals and their body parts
			compare real and mythical creatures
			read about mythical creatures and then test their knowledge in a quiz
			sing along to a song about mythical creatures
			read and listen to a story called The Princess and the Dragon. Your child can choose the ending of the story.
			learn about the history behind some mythical creatures
			create their own fantasy animal

These activities are for all ages and levels. Younger children will enjoy the song, the story and playing Animal Maker, while older children with a higher level of English will learn new language and the history of some mythical creatures with the online quiz.

You can use these materials to practise English with your child. On this page you'll find an idea for an activity you can try with your child. On the left you'll also see a list of links to resources about this topic on teaching websites that you may find useful.

SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOUR CHILD

The Princess and the Dragon is a story that will appeal to younger children. You will find the story here:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-dragon.htm

Before you read and listen to the story together print out a set of the story cards and cut them out.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-flashcards-dragon-story1.pdf
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-flashcards-dragon-story2.pdf
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-flashcards-dragon-story3.pdf

Mix up the cards and put them face up on a table. Ask your child to match the word and the picture cards. Practise saying the words aloud, as you do this. ‘It’s a castle (she selects the picture card) and castle (selecting the word card)’ Now, play a game of ‘memory’. Put the picture cards and the word cards face down on the table. Take it in turns to select two cards, always saying out loud what’s on the card. When you find a matching pair, have another turn until you run out of cards and have a winner.

Tell your child that all the words from the cards appear in the story you’re going to listen to. What do they think the story is going to be about? Listen to their ideas then read and listen to the story together. At the end of the story let your child choose the ending they prefer. They may want to see all three endings to the story.

If you like, your child can now do an on-line activity to put the story in order.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-games-reordering-dragon.htm

Now you are going to create your own story together. Put the story picture cards out facing up on the table and invent a simple story to tell to your child using some of the items on the cards. As you incorporate one of the words into your story put the picture in a line on the table. If your child is able to do so, encourage them to think up the next part of the story and select a story card as they use it. When you finish the story you will have all the key words in a line of picture cards. Now, ask your child to draw a comic strip of the story you created together. They can add speech bubbles or write a sentence underneath each picture to explain the story.