Making English Stick: Fiona Hunter on Crafts, Stories and Emotional Learning

Fiona Hunter has been teaching English to children for decades, and she knows how to make learning feel alive. Nearly ten years ago, she founded Kids Club English, an online platform that provides printable craft-based resources, storytelling activities, and a supportive community for ESL teachers around the world. What began as Fiona developing her own structured, play-based approach to teaching young learners has grown into a platform where teachers share ideas, adapt resources, and strengthen their practice together.

“Children remember language best when it’s tied to meaningful experience — something they’ve created, acted out, or emotionally connected to. I call that emotional anchoring, but it’s not just about feelings — it’s about purposeful, repeated language use in context.”

Even before our interview began, Fiona’s warmth and humour were evident. Based in Cádiz but having lived and taught in many other parts of the world, she brings an international perspective to her teaching and resources. Normally, she’s the one conducting interviews, so being on the other side of the questions was a fun change of pace. We talked about storms whipping across the Cádiz coastline and the wild winds along her local beach. Her quick wit and genuine warmth reminded us why she’s so effective with young learners: she knows how to turn surprises into teachable moments and make children feel connected, engaged, and curious.

"I wanted to create a space that offered practical, story-based resources, but also professional support."

Q1. You’ve taught English to children for many years. What experiences have most shaped the way you work with young learners today? When I first started teaching, I realised that many materials focused on isolated vocabulary rather than meaningful use. Early on, I saw that language doesn’t stick when children just sit and observe. It sticks when they’re doing something with it — building, moving, retelling, interacting. That experience gives language context and purpose, which is what supports acquisition.

"Sometimes innovation means slowing down — revisiting language through different mediums instead of rushing from one new thing to the next. "

Q2. What first motivated you to create Kids Club English? I realised other teachers were probably in the same boat — spending far too long hunting for activities that actually worked. I wanted to create a space that offered practical, story-based resources, but also professional support. Not just printable activities, but a way to structure lessons around stories, crafts and play while staying clear about language goals.

Emotional anchoring is part of that — but so is intentional planning: being clear about what language you want children to use explicitly, and what you want them to absorb through repeated exposure.

Q3. People talk a lot about “innovation” in language teaching. What does innovation mean to you? Innovation isn’t about gadgets or apps. It’s about creating experiences that make English feel real and worth engaging with. Through stories, songs, crafts, drama and games, we can spark curiosity and give children reasons to want more encounters with English. Sometimes innovation means slowing down — revisiting language through different mediums instead of rushing from one new thing to the next. Depth and meaningful interaction matter far more than novelty.

Q4. Storytelling is central to your work. What do stories offer young learners that other approaches don’t? Stories create context and connection. Children aren’t just learning language — they’re exploring feelings, relationships and ideas about the world. Through stories, they develop social and emotional awareness, empathy and even intercultural understanding. At the same time, stories provide meaningful language in context. It’s that combination of human depth and linguistic richness that makes them so powerful.

"They’re mostly simple paper-based crafts and games, but they’re designed to create repeated, meaningful interaction with language."

Q5. Your resources combine English with craft. Why is hands-on learning so powerful? Craft invites ownership and interaction. While children are making, they’re listening, responding, matching, asking, retelling. The craft isn’t an add-on — it becomes a medium for repeated language use. That physical involvement lowers pressure and creates more opportunities for meaningful communication.

Q6. How do your materials support teachers? I originally created the materials for my own classes, so they’ve grown out of real classroom practice. They’re mostly simple paper-based crafts and games, but they’re designed to create repeated, meaningful interaction with language. While children are making or playing, they’re listening, responding, matching, asking and retelling.

Each resource includes flexible activity suggestions to show how it might be used at different stages of a lesson or with different levels. The aim is to make planning feel lighter, while still giving teachers space to adapt things to their own learners.

Q7. Looking ahead, what do young learners of English need more of — and less of? More meaningful encounters with English — experiences that help children see it as something alive in the world, connected to stories, music, ideas and other people. When children feel they can participate in English, not just study it, their motivation changes. Less focus on ticking off isolated learning points, and more focus on creating principled, playful experiences that build both confidence and competence.