Nobody needs to explain the importance of English as a worldwide language and lingua franca in the year 2021. After WWII, the French were replaced by English, which is now the official language of the United Kingdom. You can’t deny that English fluency is one of the most in-demand abilities in today’s industry and that it is no longer a luxury but a need. It is also a critical aspect in the development of today’s children’s personalities. It’s understandable that parents want their children to be able to communicate well in English. The goal is to instill such confidence in them in English that it serves as a springboard for future achievement. Teaching a language to someone who does not speak it as their first language may appear to be a difficult endeavor. Children, on the other hand, are quick to pick up new information. Their minds are like wet clay, and they may be molded readily during their formative years. Many parents now make the mistake of attempting to teach this new language to their children in the same formal manner that they would teach an adult. And this is where it becomes a time-consuming procedure for both the youngster and the parent. Continue reading to learn ways to make this procedure less dull for children so that they are more interested in grasping it.
Make it enjoyable.
Allow children to become familiar with the language without feeling obligated to learn it. When teaching anything to anyone, not just youngsters, the enjoyable manner is the way to go. It becomes less of a chore and more of a pleasant thing to complete that isn’t boring, and your children will be inspired to do it without your prodding. Make it into a game, a painting or art project, or a fun movie reciting a poem or song that you can share with family and friends. However, everything is written in English. The fact that this is an element of learning will go unnoticed by the children.
Incorporate reading into your routine.
Reading boosts a child’s language exposure. It’s also an effective language learning strategy for sneaking in some vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures. Students who read are more likely to talk fluently than those who do not. Start by reading bedtime stories to them, then get them their favorite comic books, visual storybooks, or even newspaper and magazine subscriptions; anything they choose to read. Reading instills a habit in a child that grows exponentially as they become older. All you have to do now is get them started.
Consumption of entertainment
Everyone enjoys watching television shows and films. The importance of entertainment in one’s life cannot be overstated. Given how much time we spend doing this, it seems simple to transform it into a vehicle for developing language skills while keeping the kids entertained. Consuming English-language content exposes youngsters to fresh components of language in a natural way that we can’t force them to learn, such as pronunciations, intonations, and tones. Cartoons, songs, movies, TV shows, and documentaries are all available. Just make sure they’re appropriate for your child’s age and have been checked.
Encourage instead than discouraging.
Make it a habit for your children to communicate in English at home. So many basic but interesting conversations take place in the comfort of one’s own home. You can involve your child in it by changing the language to English. This will help students improve their conversation skills and eventually get the confidence to speak the language in public. Also, refrain from forcefully correcting them. It’s a learning process, and they’ll make a lot of mistakes at first. However, if you correct your child every time he or she makes a mistake while trying to speak or write English, they may get embarrassed and perhaps deterred from trying again. They will become irritated and demotivated as a result. As a parent, it is your obligation to discipline them without disturbing them.
Playing Word Games
This is an amazing technique to instill English in the minds of children in an entertaining way. This will improve vocabulary because youngsters will actively search out terms as part of the game. What am I?, Pictionary, Taboo, Scrabble, Boggle, and many more. You don’t have to play a pre-existing game; readout name plates-boards you see on a car/train travel; research names of ingredients in a recipe you’re cooking; point out names of birds-insects-trees on a nature walk. These kinds of engaging activities allow students to study in a calm environment without feeling obligated to learn while also satisfying their curiosity.
Less grammatical errors
You don’t acquire the grammar initially while acquiring a language naturally, such as your mother tongue. You learn a language by repeating and hearing similar words and basic sentence patterns over and over again, and the same is true for learning English. When students are able to grasp technicalities, they will be taught grammar at school. So don’t worry about correcting their grammar at first; instead, focus on using the correct grammar in front of them so they grasp what sounds more natural in general. Also, instead of continuously pointing out their faults forcefully, you might attempt quietly correcting children who are learning grammar at school. You don’t want to constantly bring your youngster with grammar instruction; otherwise, they will begin to dislike it, which would be detrimental to everyone.
Psychological foundations
Exposure to certain things has an effect on you that you don’t even realize. Why not use this method to instill the English language in children? This may not appear to be a standard method for learning a new language from a textbook. However, if you think about it, you’ll see that it makes a lot of sense. To be honest, the amazing way our brain functions is mind-boggling. When your youngster is present, all you have to do is play English radio, podcasts, songs, rhymes, or poems in the background. It’s even possible to use an audio recipe while you’re making something together.
In English, technology
Every type of technology nowadays comes with language customization possibilities. Make English your primary operating language for all gadgets and technologies, including the television, iPad, laptops, cell phones, and so on. This may appear to be completely inconsequential but think of it as unintentionally making contact with the language. And nowadays, toddlers learn devices so quickly out of curiosity that their goal will be achieved in no time. It can certainly serve as a starting point.
Screen-time
Screen time is frequently regarded as a waste of time. However, if you view it as a means of instilling English language abilities in your child, you have struck gold. For inquiring brains, videos can be highly fascinating. Even without parental supervision, children’s channels can be watched. YouTube contains fantastic entertainment for kids, but it’s best to view it with parental supervision. Overdoing something isn’t good, but moderation can be beneficial.
You can also do it yourself.
Children imitate your actions. What better way to show them the path than to lead by example? It’s also a terrific way to spend quality time with your children while instilling a good attitude toward learning English. To come up with games, activities, and methods in which you and your children can learn new features of this delightful language together and grow as a family in everyday life.
Provide a safe environment for your children where they are not humiliated or afraid of making errors. They must understand that when learning a new language, they will make mistakes and will learn from those mistakes. Make it clear to your children that they are not under any obligation to be correct, and that they are free to practice and explore the language in whatever way they see fit. Let them know that making mistakes is a normal and necessary part of learning anything, including the English language. After all, practice makes perfect, and each individual learns at their own pace. So don’t rush them through the process; instead, allow them to take their time; every child learns at a different rate; all you have to do is encourage them. And, when your child begins to develop his or her English skills, praise and encourage them for their efforts. This will work as a motivator for the children to accomplish more and better in the future.
