Can movement help children learn new words? Ideas for English at home

What researchers investigated

Thirty French kindergarten children aged five to six learned ten new words through two approaches: reproducing gestures and looking at pictures.

Researchers assessed several aspects of learning, including recognising words, recalling or naming them, and explaining their meanings.

The findings varied according to the task. For the definition task, the benefit of gestures depended on children’s starting vocabulary level. The results do not support a simple claim that movement always works better than pictures for every child.

What this means—and what it does not

This was a small, preliminary study about learning words in children’s first language. It did not directly test English lessons at home, children throughout the full 4–10 age range, or ADAVELA’s teaching.

Our practical takeaway is to offer different ways to explore a word and notice how the child responds.

Try a tiny animal adventure

Here is an ADAVELA activity suggestion, rather than the experiment used in the study.

Choose a toy rabbit and a toy bird. Give them a little adventure: the rabbit can “jump”, and the bird can “fly”. Say the action, demonstrate it and invite your child to help the animal move.

Next, let your child decide what happens. Does the rabbit jump over a bridge? Does the bird fly home? If your child prefers moving the toys to moving their own body, follow that interest.

Keep the exchange playful. You can offer the word again without requiring your child to perform or repeat it immediately.

Choosing English activities for your child

When discussing lessons with a teacher, ask how they adapt activities when a child needs more support, wants a different challenge or prefers another way to participate.

At ADAVELA, children aged 4–10 explore English through conversation, stories, purposeful play, movement and making things. Activities are adapted to the child’s interests and understanding.