Jobs in English for children (Pre-A1, ages 5–8): “Is she a teacher?” with he, she and short answers

Seven people who help: the words

Start with people your child really sees. Each card above has audio: let your child listen and point first, and say the word later.

Two of the seven are not jobs. A pupil is a child at school (Americans usually say “student”), so your child can say “I’m a pupil.” “Housewife” is an older word for a woman who looks after the home; today many people say “stay-at-home parent”.

• teacher: works at a school
• pupil: a child at school
• housewife: looks after the home
• fireman: puts out fires (today usually “firefighter”)
• pilot: flies a plane
• farmer: grows food
• postman: brings letters and parcels (in the US, “mail carrier”)

“He’s a pilot.” “She’s a farmer.”: naming a job

English needs three pieces: he or she, ’s (short for “is”) and “a” before the job. Only he or she changes; the job word stays the same: “He’s a teacher.” “She’s a teacher.”

Before a vowel sound, “a” becomes “an”: “She’s an artist.” None of the seven words needs it, but new jobs soon will.

• He’s a pilot.
• She’s a farmer.

Making a guess: “Is she a teacher?”

For a question, move “is” to the front: “She is a farmer.” becomes “Is she a farmer?” The answer is short and repeats he or she: “Yes, she is.” or “No, she isn’t.”

Then teach your child to add the right job after a no. That correction is the heart of this topic: it turns a wrong guess into new English.

• Is she a farmer? Yes, she is.
• Is he a pilot? No, he isn’t. He’s a postman.

Listen: two wrong guesses, two corrections

In this short scene, two guesses are wrong and each answer gives the right job. Listen together and point at the cards; then pause after each question so your child answers first.

It ends with a “Thank you!”, often the first English a child says to a real helper.

Sounds to play with: p and m

P and m are both made with closed lips: for p, they pop open with a puff of air; for m, they stay closed and hum. Paper test: hold a strip of paper in front of your mouth and say “pen”, and it moves; say “mum”, and it stays still. Also watch “pilot”: it sounds like “PIE-lut”.

• p: pilot, postman, pupil, pen
• m: mum, farmer, fireman

Three five-minute games at home

Short and often beats one long session. Stop while your child still wants more.

• Wrong guess: point to a person in a picture book or to a toy figure and guess wrong on purpose: “Is he a teacher?” Your child corrects you: “No, he isn’t. He’s a pilot!” Children love catching a grown-up out.
• Mime and guess: act out a job without words: fly a plane, pull up carrots, post a letter. Your child guesses, and you answer in a full sentence: “Yes! I’m a pilot.” Then swap.
• My helper page: your child draws someone from the family, and you write together: “This is my mum. She is a doctor.” Check the capital letters and full stops; younger children can just say it.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

These slips are normal. Don’t stop the game; just say the right version back.

• “She’s farmer.”: add the “a” with a little stress: “She’s a farmer.”
• “Yes, she’s.”: use the full word: “Yes, she is.”
• Mixing up he and she: point at the person. If your child says “He’s a farmer.” about a woman, answer “Yes! She’s a farmer.”
• “No, she not.”: say “No, she isn’t.”

What comes next

When yes and no come easily, let your child ask while you answer. Then try an open question: “What’s her job?” “She’s a doctor.” Add new helpers, such as nurse, police officer and zookeeper, and talk about your own family: “This is my dad. He’s a cook.”