A Fun Experience -Teaching English to Remote Indigenous Communities in Jambi

The indigenous people from the Suku Anak Delam Senami in Jambi are a secluded community that is rarely able to gain access to anything that could truly benefit their children and set them up for a better life.

When Tanoto Scholars arrived on the scene, however, mothers promptly called their children, knowing that they were in for a real treat. The Tanoto Foundation has organized an “English Fun Day”, during which they committed to teaching the children of the community English, using a variety of fun games and tasks.

Fun Games and Activities for Teaching Children English

The Tanoto Foundation already has a good history with the people of Suku Anak Delam Senami, having visited them in the past as part of various educational and aid programs. The new “English Fun Day” is one of the more recent efforts that the foundation has employed, with beneficiaries from its scholarships seeking to give something back to the community by helping young children improve their education.

The activities started out with great enthusiasm, and although the Tanoto Scholars had had some difficulty in teaching them, the little ones have proven that they are very motivated to learn as much as possible.

Some of the activities were more like games, such as the “Step on the Alphabet” game, which sought to teach children the English alphabet, while also making the activity a fun and engaging one – and helping them improve their motor skills as well.

Singing activities and various other educational tasks were also involved, and the children have managed to pick up some of the words very well, while having difficulty in pronouncing others.

The effort put into this endeavor by the Tanoto Scholars was extensive, but it was also extremely worthwhile, and many of them have admitted that they had just as much fun as the children when taking part in the various activities and learning a lot about the joys and challenges of teaching.

The Social Impact of the Visit

Although the children had some trouble focusing and the Tanoto Foundation representatives had to come up with new creative methods of keeping them focused on the tasks at hand, the whole day was a remarkable success.

One child’s remark on how Foundation workers haven’t visited them for a long time, however, has touched the hearts of the Tanoto Scholars, and they promised to be back again soon.

Despite the fact that they are a part of a remote community, the children have shown a great degree of interest towards learning new things, and, with renewed efforts from the Tanoto Foundation, they may soon be able to achieve far better opportunities for the future than what their parents could normally provide.