English for Kids

By Jo Blackmore, LearnEnglish Kids team How do I start teaching my kids English at home? Many parents would like to teach their children English at home, but don’t know how to start. It doesn’t matter if your own English is not perfect. The most important thing is that you are enthusiastic and that you give your children lots of encouragement and praise. Your child will pick up on your enthusiasm for the language. Don’t worry if your child doesn’t start speaking English immediately. They will need a certain amount of time to absorb the language. Be patient, and they will begin to speak English in their own time. Establishing a routine Establish a routine for your English time at home. It is better to have short, frequent sessions than long, infrequent ones. Fifteen minutes is enough for very young children. You can gradually make sessions longer as your child gets older and their concentration span increases. Keep the activities short and varied in order to hold your child’s attention. Try to do certain activities at the same time every day. Children feel more comfortable and confident when they know what to expect. For example, you could play an English game every day after school, or read an English story with your children before bedtime. If you have space at home, you can create an English corner where you keep anything connected to English, for example books, games, DVDs or things that your children have made. Repetition is essential – children often need to hear words and phrases many times before they feel ready to produce them themselves. Playing games Children learn naturally when they are having fun. Flashcards are a great way to teach and revise vocabulary and there are many different games which you can play with flashcards, such as Memory, Kim’s game, Snap or Happy Families. You can find free downloadable flashcards on a wide range of topics on our website. There are many other types of games you can play with your children to help them practise English. 

Action games – for example Simon says, Charades, What’s the time Mr Wolf?

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Board games – Snakes and ladders, other traditional games

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Word games – e.g. I spy, Hangman

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Online games – you could finish your English time with an online game from LearnEnglish Kids.

Using everyday situations

The advantage of teaching English at home is that you can use everyday situations and real objects from around the house to practise the language naturally and in context. For example: 

Talk about clothes when your child is getting dressed, or when you are sorting laundry (‘Let’s put on your blue socks’, ‘It’s Dad’s T-shirt’, etc.).

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Practise vocabulary for toys and furniture when you are helping your child to tidy their bedroom (‘Let’s put your teddy bear on the bed!’, ‘Where is the blue car?’).

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Teach food vocabulary when you are cooking or going shopping. When you go to the supermarket, give your child a list of things to find (use pictures or words depending on their age). Revise the vocabulary when you put the shopping away at home.

Using stories Younger children love books with bright colours and attractive illustrations. Look at the pictures together and say the words as you point to the pictures. Later you can ask your child to point to different things, e.g. ‘Where's the cat?’ After a while encourage them to say the words by asking ‘What's that?’ Listening to stories will get your child used to the sounds and rhythms of English. The animated stories on LearnEnglish Kids are an excellent way for children to develop listening and reading skills. Older children can complete the accompanying downloadable activities to check understanding. Using songs Songs are a really effective way to learn new words and improve pronunciation. Songs with actions are particularly good for very young children as they are able to join in even if they are not yet able to sing the song. The actions often demonstrate the meaning of the words in the song. There are many fun, animated songs on LearnEnglish Kids which you can listen to with your children. Teaching grammar With younger children, there is no need to explicitly teach grammar rules, but instead get them used to hearing and using different grammatical structures in context, for example ‘have got’ when you are talking about someone’s appearance, or ‘must/mustn’t’ when talking about their school rules. Hearing the grammar being used in context from an early age will help your child to use it naturally and correctly when they are older. For older children, you can use the grammar section on LearnEnglish Kids. Videos, quizzes and games help kids to learn in a fun, relaxed way. It can be very useful for older children to teach their siblings or other family members. Explaining how to use grammar to someone else helps you to master it yourself.

Which words and phrases should I teach first? Consider your child’s interests and personality when deciding which topics to teach, and let your child help you to choose. You may like to start with some of these topics: 

numbers (1–10; 10–20; 20–100)

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colours

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adjectives (e.g. big, small, tall, happy, sad, tired)

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the body

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toys

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clothes

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animals (e.g. pets, farm animals, wild animals)

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food

You can find lots of fun activities on a huge range of topics on LearnEnglish Kids. It is also important for your child to get used to ‘English time’ language, so use the same phrases with your child each time, e.g. ‘It’s English time! Let’s sit down. Which song shall we start with today?’ Children will soon pick up phrases such as please; thank you; Can I have …?; Where is …?; Point to …; What colour is it?; It’s …; I like …; I don’t like ….

Whatever your approach, the most important thing is to relax, have fun and make learning English an enjoyable experience for both you and your child. Toddler English Teaching Toddlers are natural sponges when it comes to language; they are ready to learn whatever language you want to teach them. Thankfully, with younger children, you don't have to sit around with flashcards and a translation dictionary as you might with an older child. According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, toddlers, even those who have never heard a word of English before, will learn English as long as you speak and read to them regularly. Items you will need 

Toddler board books

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Stroll

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Toy phone

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Play kitchen

Teach English to Toddlers Step 1

Narrate the day in English. If your toddler is used to hearing another language from you, you may want to use both languages at first to help him make the connection. If you're not bilingual yourself, that's okay. Step 2 Label the environment in English. When you're not talking to your child about what you two are doing, talk to her about what you two are seeing. This is especially effective on walks, when you can name all the objects in your neighborhood. Step 3 Read in English. Toddler board books, with their simple texts and pictures, are an effective way for anyone to develop a strong English vocabulary. Start by reading books that highlight simple concepts like colors or household objects. Then move on to ones with simple stories. Step 4 Play together in English. Toddlers learn a lot through play; language is no exception. Pretending to talk on the phone or do another familiar activity, like making dinner in a play kitchen, is helpful for language practice. Step 5 Be prepared for the silent period. A toddler who has never heard English before may undergo a silent period where he doesn't say much in his original language or in English for up to several months. This is normal and you shouldn't try to force him to speak to you. Instead, keep talking to him as you have been doing. Sponsored Links Learning english worksheet Exercises, Lesson Plans, Flashcards Ready To Print Materials, Join Now! www.esllibrary.com Improve English For Free Improve Spoken English For Free. Get The Free Course Now. Sign Up! www.deepenglish.com/LearnEnglish Spanish verbs lesson Throw the verb chart away This makes Spanish verbs easy synergyspanishsystems.com/blog ESL Lesson Plans PDF lesson plans for ESL teachers. Free samples. Membership $29. esl-lounge.com Tip

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Videos and TV shows that are bilingual are fine for entertainment purposes, but they are not as effective in teaching English as reading or talking to your child.

Warning 

If your child's silent period lasts more than a few months, or she is not reaching language milestones in either language, talk to your pediatrician.

References 

Science Daily: A Second Language Gives Toddlers An Edge

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American Speech-Language Hearing Association: Learning Two Languages

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Center for Applied Linguistics: Raising Bilingual Children

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PBS Parents: Learning Two Languages

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British Council: Learn English Kids

About the Author Jennifer Zimmerman is a former preschool and elementary teacher who has been writing professionally since 2007. She has written numerous articles for The Bump, Band Back Together, Prefab and other websites, and has edited scripts and reports for DWJ Television and Inversion Productions. She is a graduate of Boston University and Lewis and Clark College.