Helping your toddler learn English can be a daunting task. Yes, even if you have done it before.
You could be making progress today, but wake up the next day and feel like you are back to square one. But do you quit? No, that’s never an option.
You soldier on and try songs, books, or even a select list of the best Udemy English courses for kids that give them a full grasp of the English language, but more details about all these later.
Eventually, your child catches on, and oh! The satisfaction that comes with that is out of this world! For anyone looking for fresh and exciting teach kid to speak English solutions that work, these seven will help.
Songs
Music works wonders, especially in language acquisition. The good thing is that kids see them as a fun activity, especially if you incorporate dance moves, which not only better their motor skills, but also teach them how to express themselves from a young age.
Remember, the goal is to get your toddler to sing the songs repeatedly to trigger
memorization. Luckily, you can find thousands of songs on the Internet for the little ones to enjoy on repeat without getting bored.
An excellent place to look for songs to teach a child a new language is YouTube and Netflix for kids.
Courses
Want your youngster to master English? There’s a professional out there who’s
thoroughly trained to help them understand the meaning of thousands of essential
words, idioms, and expressions and how to use them.
If you are worried that private lessons will be too expensive, virtual classes will be the perfect alternative. In addition to saving you money, they give you access to a wide range of online courses and professionals, as well as other perks such as easy
registration, free trials, and flexible timetables.
Books
Look for books with tips on how to teach kids english. Find the right book, and you will become not only a teaching ace but also learn vital skills, such as getting your child to concentrate, which can be challenging.
Besides adult tutoring books, you can find simple, engrossing ones for toddlers learning English. These work best if you start reading to them early, introducing them to book language, which is more expressive and structurally correct than regular conversations.
Who knows? You might even nurture a lifelong reading culture in them.
Related Post: How to Teach Toddler to Read: Building Early Reading Skills
Let them Learn Another Language if they Want to
As much as you want your little one to learn English, do not discourage them from
learning other languages. That’s especially when they are living around people who
might mix languages from time to time.
Why? Well, by discouraging them, you will be suppressing their learning ability, thus decelerating their English learning process.
And yes, learning multiple languages can confuse learners sometimes. But the pros
outweigh the cons in that they can translate between the languages and even compare sentence structures after some time. In the long run, they gain a better understanding of both languages.
Utilize visuals
Kids learn better with visuals. Luckily, there are so many options when it comes to
these. One of the best visual learning tools you can use is glove puppetry.
You do not have to be a ventriloquist to use a puppet effectively. Just use your voice to interact with the kid and see how fascinated they will be.
Go ahead and put their eagerness to open up by posing simple questions such as “Hello?”, “How are you doing?”, “Are you hungry?” etc. At the end of the glove puppetry session, utilize different ways of saying goodbye, such as “see you later!” or “until next time!” and make it clear that you expect a response.
Besides puppets, you can also use toddler learning boards, picture books,
and videos.
The Little Things Matter as Well
Although they might not seem a big deal, some actions can accelerate English learning.
Let’s say your kids are watching a show or movie, for instance. Make sure that you set the subtitles to English.
Speaking of shows, you can also play the “guess which kidshows these characters are from” game. The same case with the games they might have on their tablets. Set English as the language on the UI.
Positive reinforcement
Whatever they are learning, always praise your kid when they make progress. It helps boost their esteem, which heightens their enthusiasm to keep at it.
There are so many phrases you can use to encourage your toddler. Some of them include “you are on the right track!” and “high-five!” to mention a few.
Conclusion
The suggestions we discussed here are effective ways how to teach english to
children. But remember, cognitive science has proven that kids can be different in the classroom.
It is up to you to understand the limits and capabilities of your child. In other words, do not get frustrated if you can’t get them to learn something. There’s always enough time!
