Table of contents:
- 1. Talk more
- 2. Involve your child in the process
- 3. Choose a native speaker
- 4. Apply elements of the game
- 5. Use media
- 6. Choose an online format
- 7. Don't waste time
2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
If you start learning on time and find the right methods, a foreign language will become almost a native language for a child.
Immersion in a language environment is the best way to learn a foreign language at any age. And it is not at all necessary to send your child to foreign language courses from an early age. Organize the same language environment for him at home, and by the first grade your child will not only speak fluently, but also think in a foreign language.
I spoke with my son in English since six months. Now he is seven years old, he is in the first grade, and English is like a native language for him.
Let's talk about how to raise a bilingual child and what is needed for this.
1. Talk more
It is not enough to hear words, you need to understand what it is about. Passive viewing of cartoons and films in English does not bring results. We need a dialogue, only then will we learn to think in a foreign language.
Established The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3, that in three years a child must hear 45 million words in order to master the language well. This flow of information needs to be controlled, the ratio "native language / foreign" should be approximately 50/50. In real life, 20-25% of foreign speech is enough. If you don't know English yourself, find a babysitter with a good language skills or a school with younger children.
2. Involve your child in the process
Children are extremely curious, they are very receptive to any information, and this can be used for positive purposes. Always consider the wishes and interests of the child. Indeed, in the process of playing and other favorite activities, language learning is much faster.
3. Choose a native speaker
Cramming rules, grammar and individual words will never bring the expected result. It is practice with a native speaker that will teach you how to speak English. Choose a school or online courses that have carefully selected teachers. I did it the second time. The first time I chose a school near my home, but the teacher had no experience of working with children, and his son had no eagerness to run to lessons. I had to look further.
It was arranged by the American Elizabeth, an English teacher at an online school, with vast experience in working with children and knowledge of game techniques. In addition, she supports Yaroslav's interest in biology and other sciences.
4. Apply elements of the game
Play is a natural activity for a child, and it will help in learning English. Find an online school where teachers are proficient in play techniques. If the lesson resembles an exciting quest and charges you with positive emotions, it is simply impossible not to speak!
5. Use media
Sometimes parents are too conservative in their approach to language learning - school lessons, a tutor. It is important for the child to be interested and to study with pleasure. Pick up a variety of books, films, podcasts - whatever interests him.
If you're unsure where to start, here are some proven options:
- NPR podcasts: Brains On !, Wow in the World and more. Experiment, explore different topics, and find a nice speaker.
- BBC TV Series: Planet Earth, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. The episodes can be found in online cinemas.
- For parents, I recommend books: Cat in the Hat and others in this series, books by Gulia Donaldson Gruffalo, Tiddler and others, poems by Shel Silverstein. Poems are, in my opinion, a great tool for language learning. When there is a rhyme, words are memorized much faster.
6. Choose an online format
Modern children are overwhelmed. If you can not go to the tutor, but "turn on" him online (I mean not recording, but lessons via the Internet) why not use this opportunity? Technologies are widely used in teaching - an interactive format, a virtual blackboard, the ability to draw with a mouse and track the effectiveness of mastering the material in real time. All this contributes to the rapid achievement of the result.
Do not get carried away by mobile applications for learning foreign words, they will not replace lessons. Cramming words is ineffective without context, you need to feel the difference in the use of synonyms and learn to use them in colloquial speech.
7. Don't waste time
Learning a language is a long-term process, it is associated with the gradual development of the child. It will take several years for a child to speak a foreign language fluently. The sooner you start learning, the better. But if you didn't manage to start at preschool age, do not be discouraged. Don't postpone your studies, find a native speaker and enjoy the first results in a few months!
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