Most children have a natural aptitude for learning languages. Young learners have certain innate characteristics that make them great learners, including a desire to communicate, a strong sense of curiosity, and a certain fearlessness when it comes to making mistakes. Combined with these natural characteristics, the following tips to learn English for kids make teaching the new language at home easy and effective.
Children have a strong aptitude for learning but generally have short attention spans. To keep children engaged in their English lessons, including multi-sensory activities that involve hearing, seeing, and touching in addition to speaking. Rotating movement activities with those that require sitting still and drawing or writing introduces variety and keeps the child-focused on the task at hand.
Young children often learn most easily when dealing with concrete objects and ideas. Grammatical explanations and abstract concepts can be difficult for children to grasp and should be avoided. One of the best tips to learn English for kids is to use household objects to teach vocabulary and include common phrases, such as “Have a nice day,” regularly in conversation. These ritual phrases have practical value and also reinforce grammar rules without explicitly explaining them.
Playing is a way of learning and exploring for children. Through games, they learn to construct different realities, take on new roles and engage in new experiences. Children can use games, like role-playing, to practice their English skills. They may pretend to be doctors, explorers, teachers, tourists or any other type of person and acquire new language skills at the same time.
Children are generally less afraid of making mistakes than adult learners. They are less likely to feel embarrassed or stupid if they pronounce a word incorrectly or make a grammar mistake. This is a natural characteristic of children, but parents can reinforce it by giving positive, gentle feedback and focusing on the content of what the child is communicating rather than the form.
Finally, parents teaching the language at home should take advantage of the easy access to English materials available around the world. Children should be introduced to English-language books, movies, television shows, music, newspapers, magazines, comics, and computer programs. These are all tools for learning that can teach children pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar while keeping their interest and introducing them to the culture of the English-speaking world. Parents can make these materials more effective by experiencing them with their children. They may read aloud, act out stories from books or sing along to the music to make the experience more interactive.
