Using Songs to Teach English: TEFL Techniques That Engage All Ages

🎵 Introduction:

Looking for a fun and effective way to boost engagement in your classroom? Songs can improve listening, vocabulary, and pronunciation — and they work for kids, teens, and adults alike.

🎶 Why Songs Work for ESL Learners

• Repetition builds memory

• Rhythm helps with intonation and sentence stress

• Lyrics provide natural language context

• It reduces anxiety in shy learners

  
  

🧩 How to Use Songs Effectively

1. Pre-Listening: Introduce keywords or context

2. While Listening: Use gap fills, sequencing, or lyric match-ups

3. Post-Listening: Group discussion, vocabulary games, or creative rewrites

   
   

🎧 Song Selection Tips

• Choose age-appropriate themes

• Use clear and clean recordings

• Match song content to your lesson goal (e.g., conditionals, past tense, idioms)

  
  

From nursery rhymes to pop hits, songs make your lessons memorable — and they’re an easy way to add energy and variety to your classroom.