Abstract:

The preschool period covers a critical period when children's language learning abilities are at their highest level. During this period, the foundations of children's language development are laid, so preschool foreign language education is of great importance. This research focused on how different teaching methods affect foreign language learning at an early age. The study aimed to provide preschool 6-year-old students with German vocabulary teaching through communicative approaches. In this context, German vocabulary was taught to two different classes with different communicative activities, such as "painting and singing" and "painting and playing". In order to achieve the research objectives, a quasi-experimental design was used, involving a pre-test and post-test model with two groups that were not entirely equalized in terms of comparison. With the pre-test, the student's knowledge of German was determined, and then research groups were formed. The research was limited to 15 students in each class, and a total of 30 students were taught German vocabulary. A two-dimensional vocabulary test was used to assess different aspects of language development. 69-word cards were prepared to measure expressive aspects, and 5-word groups containing 28 cards in total were used to evaluate receptive aspects. The data shows that game and activity-based foreign language teaching has positive effects on children's language development. These methods can make language learning more effective and enjoyable due to their compatibility with children's natural learning processes. At the same time, learning a foreign language at an early age can increase children's ability to communicate fluently and make connections between different languages.

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