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TeachingEnglish Young Learners Activity Book
Activities
Notes
Although it is time-consuming to create the doll, wardrobe and clothes, if you can laminate all
the paper items and use blu tac or sticky tape to stick rather than glue, then the materials can
be re-used for this activity, with a different text, and for other activities.
Alternatives
• Give the children a list of the relevant items of clothing, ask them to find pictures and cut them
out. This could be done as a homework activity.
• You could also describe the closet to the children and ask them to draw it as part of the activity.
• This activity can be extended to a writing activity by asking the children to draw a picture and
write a description of their own closet.
• It can also be a listening activity if you choose to read the text out loud rather than giving it to
the children.
• Jelena also suggests another activity which can be done with paper dolls. This activity is called
My Nutty Family.
1. Model the activity by presenting the imaginary character. Use a doll, picture or drawing to
present the character and to say something about their life.
2. Give out a slip of paper with the name of a family member to each child or pair of children.
Give each child or pair a paper doll and a selection of accessories.
3. The children think of the background story to their character – who they are, what they do,
where they live and so on. They then dress their paper doll according to the character they
have invented. Encourage them to be creative and funny.
4. The children take it in turns to come to the front and talk about their character using the
first person. Encourage them to make connections with what others have said before them
to link the characters together.
• Geneviève Parrain (France) suggests using a paper doll or puppet to introduce the class to
a new class member.
1. On slips of paper (one for each child) write a piece of information about the new class
member. For example, ‘I am 10 years old’, ‘I like apples’, ‘I live in a small house’, ‘I have two
brothers and two sisters’, and so on.
2. Introduce the doll as the new class member.
3. Explain to the children they are each going to get one piece of information about the new
class member. They have to memorise the information and then remember information that
their classmates tell them.
4. The children walk around the class and exchange information about the new class member.
They then sit down and write as much as they can remember about the new classmate.
The child who remembers most is the winner.
No resources?
Do this as a whole class activity with one set of clothes. Children take it in turns to put the clothes
away and say/write where they have put the clothes. Or ask the children to imagine their closet/
shelf at home and to say where things are.
© British Council 2012
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