The feat of training children to pronounce l/n correctly

From outside, entering Quang Thanh Kindergarten (Kinh Mon), we clearly heard a very loud sound from a classroom with the nursery rhyme "On the first day of the lunar month, a conical hat, on the second day, a rice leaf, on the third day, a sickle, on the fourth day, a sickle, on the fifth day, a reaping sickle...".

Ms. Hoang Thi Luong, Principal of Quang Thanh Kindergarten, said that this is just one of the measures that teachers in the school have been applying to practice correct pronunciation of l/n for children. In addition to nursery rhymes, teachers also practice pronunciation for children through songs and poems combined with vibrant background music. Nursery rhymes, songs, and poems have many words containing the sounds "n" and "l" for children to practice natural pronunciation. Teachers also guide children to retell short stories, integrate pronunciation into everyday situations, and emphasize words containing the sounds "n" and "l".

Create habits for children

At Le Loi Kindergarten (Gia Loc), teachers also encourage children to self-detect and correct their friends' pronunciation. For example, while reading a nursery rhyme or poem, if a child is found mispronouncing the l/n sound, the teacher pauses and asks the child to reread it for the friends to comment on the pronunciation. By doing this many times, the children have formed the habit of detecting and reminding their friends to correct their mistakes.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Loan, Principal of Le Loi Kindergarten, said that teachers also create their own poems and train children in pronunciation through electronic lessons designed with static and dynamic games combined with videos and watching images on TV. To help children recognize letters and learn anytime, anywhere, the school has decorated and arranged inside and outside the classroom with many intuitive and vivid l/n letters.

“All educational methods are applied very softly and flexibly with the common goal of creating a child-centered educational environment. Teachers create learning-while-playing and playing-while-learning activities, so children are very interested and excited to participate,” said teacher Loan.

Ngoc Son Kindergarten (Hai Duong City) used available materials to create products containing the letter l/n to decorate the study corners in the classroom so that children can easily review and practice correct pronunciation. The unit also designed a "Library Corner" for children to get acquainted with how to open, read, and look at storybooks, find the letter l/n, and pronounce the letters.

Outside the classroom, on tree trunks and flower pots, teachers integrate the letters l/n, add toys and tools, and decorate visible areas to help children recognize letter activities such as stairs, hallways, and playgrounds.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Principal of Ngoc Son Kindergarten, said that teachers also actively evaluate children's progress through simple exercises, acknowledge progress and encourage children when they do well. The school actively coordinates with parents to find ways to practice pronunciation for children at home.

“After a period of applying the measures, children have naturally learned to pronounce the consonant l/n correctly when reading. Their pronunciation and expression ability have improved day by day,” said teacher Huong.

Teacher perseverance

Ms. Hoang Thi Hung, Head of the Preschool Education Department, Department of Education and Training, said that the incorrect pronunciation of the consonants "l" and "n" has existed for a long time, not only in Hai Duong province. The pronunciation of preschool children is not complete, while adults still pronounce incorrectly, so children will learn from them, including teachers. This situation not only affects the purity of Vietnamese but also causes negative feelings in communication, and needs to be overcome soon.

Identifying this as a key task for the 2024-2025 school year, the Department of Education and Training has directed the district-level Departments of Education and Training to synchronously deploy to all preschools the topic "Practice pronunciation of the consonant l/n for preschool children, period 2024-2026". Accordingly, the departments are taking turns organizing district-level topics for schools to exchange, share, learn and gain experience.

Mr. Vu Hong Hai, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Kinh Mon town, said that up to now, all kindergartens in the town have developed plans and implemented solutions to implement the topic.

To effectively implement this topic, the first thing is that teachers must pronounce correctly. Accordingly, schools have surveyed and evaluated teachers who do not pronounce the l/n sound correctly in order to have measures to direct and encourage teachers to improve themselves.

Young teacher Tran Thi Oanh, Quang Thanh Kindergarten, said she has been persistent in practicing how to place her tongue in the correct position when pronouncing. “I pronounce slowly, then gradually speed up. At first, I pronounce each phoneme, then alternate l/n, n/l. I spent a lot of time standing in front of the mirror to practice this pronunciation,” said teacher Oanh.

In addition, teacher Oanh also persistently practices reading texts, singing songs with words and phrases that have the initial consonant l/n; and practicing pronunciation through daily communication activities, especially with those who pronounce correctly. Up to now, teacher Oanh confidently said that she has improved, reaching about 90%.