Why Pets Make Perfect First Words: Building K1 Vocabulary Thematically 🇭🇰 點解「寵物」最啱做K1第一批詞彙？主題式學習令小朋友更快開口

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Morning lessons work best when children can understand before they analyse. A pets theme gives K1 learners concrete words, clear actions, and sounds they love—prime conditions for early vocabulary growth and confident speaking.
What we built today
Vocabulary set: dog, cat, rabbit, turtle, fish (+ big/small, fast/slow)
Sound–action links: woof/meow/hop/swim/slow walk
Participation frames: “It’s a ___.” “I see a ___.” “I like ___.”
Listening habits: eyes on teacher, point, show, say
Why thematic vocabulary first?
Depth over scatter: 5–7 connected words beat a long random list.
Memory hooks: picture + gesture + sound = durable recall.
Bridge to sentences: themes make it easy to swap words inside a stable frame.
Transfer: the same frames work next week with “farm,” “transport,” etc.
Our routine

Reveal the theme with visuals and a quick story spark
Move and mimic: TPR for each pet
Point and say: “It’s a ___” with picture cards
Choice time: “I like ___ because it’s fast/soft.”
Review game: fast/slow, big/small, count the pets

Try it at home
Picture walk: in any book, “Point to a pet. It’s a ___.”
Action swap: parent says the word, child does the action; then switch roles.
Preference talk at tidy‑up: “I like the rabbit. It’s soft.”
Join us
Curious about English FUNdation Level 1? Book a friendly trial—see how thematic vocabulary jump‑starts understanding and speech.

Tags: action songs, big small fast slow, Circle Time, dog cat rabbit turtle fish, early vocabulary, early years English, English FUNdation, ESL kids, first phrases, gentle immersion, Hong Kong kindergarten, I like sentence, I see sentence, K1, kindergarten english, pets vocabulary, picture cues, play based learning, thematic teaching, toddler ESL, TPR activities

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Fun to Learn English

We are Fun to Learn English - the most engaging, fun-focused, and community-driven English learning centre for kids in Hong Kong. We observed early on that inside the boring and traditional school system and the pressure to achieve the expectations to "be the BEST", learning for kids has become an experience that most students dread instead of enjoy. From our highly demanded English Phonics courses and Grammar and Creative Writing courses to interactive English Chat Rooms, we have built a family-oriented and community-driven Learning Centre for kids that feels like home and delivers trans-formative outcomes. So contact us today to learn more about our courses and start your child on the path to success!