Small children have amazing feature: quickly perceive and remember the received new information. Data and information that are difficult to remember and are given to an adult are “grasped on the fly” by little boys and girls.
Foreign language for modern successful person plays an important role. It is for this reason that parents strive to ensure that they acquire knowledge of English, French or German at an early age.
For classes to be effective, it is necessary to arouse sincere interest in a son or daughter. Only in this case, the lessons will give the desired result.
Helpful information
For school-age children, a foreign language is just another subject at school, where only formal learning takes place. The child feels the need to study in the same way as solving mathematical problems or writing an essay. Therefore, students do not feel enthusiastic and are not interested in learning English, French or another language. The formal atmosphere provokes low efficiency from the educational process.
It should be noted that according to official data and studies, young students learn knowledge better at the age of three to ten years. It is during this period that their right hemisphere develops. How, at this age, to arouse interest in foreign language?
1. Tutors. It is advisable to use the services of tutors who offer lessons according to specially developed methods for young students. It is individual lessons that will help to get the desired result, as the teacher develops special program taking into account the abilities of the future student and other important factors.
It is very important that the selected teacher has extensive experience working with a children's audience, for example, has experience at school. When choosing, you need to pay attention to the reviews of former students and their parents.
German, French and English via Skype is a great modern distance learning option that saves time and money.
2. Communication. It is very important to immerse children in the language environment. To consolidate the knowledge received from the tutor, you need to regularly watch cartoons and videos together with him, which are interesting to the “young child prodigy”. When viewing, you need to communicate: ask questions or answer them.
3. Create an active language environment. If parents speak a foreign language, then you should try to constantly communicate in it. Children like to look “smart”, so you can ask them how this or that object, thing or product will sound in French, German or English, pretending that you do not know the correct answer.
4. Game. Any kid masters foreign speech several times better if learning takes place in a playful way. Therefore, it is important that both the tutor and the parents convey the necessary knowledge with the help of toys, etc.
5. Sincere interest. The child often does not show that something is not working out for him, and because of this, complexes may arise that will greatly interfere in the future. Parents often see this, but in certain situations they do not notice. Therefore, it is very important to carefully ask your daughter or son: what does he fail to do, what is difficult, what problems does he have when teaching a foreign language. Under no circumstances should you raise your voice or swear. This will lead to negative impact on the child's psyche and closeness.
An experienced tutor, regular watching of cartoons and listening to children's songs in English, German or French, active participation of parents in the learning process will lead to the desired result.
The answer is very simple: don't force it. In fact, it is almost impossible to force a child to learn an unfamiliar language. The school approach to teaching English often comes down to memorizing rules, texts (while the child often does not even understand their essence), doing tedious written exercises in the classroom, and the worst thing is to intimidating assessment: don’t you understand? you do not know? - sit down, two. It is hardly worth scolding a child for the lack of any interest in a foreign language. And even more so in most cases, the child is not at all to blame for the lack of elementary conscious knowledge. That is, some knowledge will most likely be hammered into him, thanks to perseverance and frightening threats, to take him to the director, put a deuce, call his parents, etc. But this knowledge will be limited to a gentleman's set standard phrases, pronounced with a terrible accent “May name from Vasya. Ai Liv in Ukraine…” Well, then you yourself know.
Hence the conclusion. The child needs to create conditions under which he himself wants to learn a foreign language. After all, you can learn English words, phrases, reading rules and grammar with interest - in games, entertaining and creative tasks, interesting exercises, such as crossword puzzles, riddles and much more. Some parents may find this very difficult or even impossible. However, sometimes it is not difficult at all. After all, all children are naturally inquisitive, open to everything new, and without exception, everyone loves to play and have fun. And therefore, weaving English into a fun game, into another active cognitive activity will give you the opportunity to interest the child.
Of course, it is better to leave such work to professionals. If you have the opportunity, send your child to good English courses. Approach the choice of courses thoroughly and carefully. Ask carefully about the methodology used in the courses. Ruthlessly discard courses where they can not tell you anything about teaching methods, but only answer: "We have experienced certified teachers."
When it comes to educating your child, don't put money at the forefront. If you do not have enough money for good (and good does not mean the most expensive!) Courses, then we advise you to postpone the learning process until better times, because. unfortunate teachers will only add fuel to the fire of hatred for the English language, kindled by the school system of teaching, and forever discourage the child from learning the language sometime in the future.
If for some reason you do not want to give your child into the hands of teachers, but you are still concerned about instilling in your child a love for the English language, simple “home” measures will help:
Hang a map of the world in English in your child's room.
Buy him a "cool" poster with his favorite singer, actor or cartoon character with inscriptions in English.
Draw your child's attention to English phrases on clothes, stationery, sporting goods.
Ask the child to translate English phrase on his favorite T-shirt. Let him then brag to his friends that he knows what is written on his chest or on his back.
Now cards with pictures and words or phrases in English are very popular. These cards are hung in prominent places in the apartment, so that the eye certainly falls on these cards from time to time. Of course, this is a good way to remember English words and phrases. But one should not hope that such passive memorization will make it possible to feel a living language, will allow you to speak it and understand foreign speech.
In the end, you can give your child an interesting educational book (of course with pictures) in English. Let him see that the process of learning a language can be really fun!
While the child is small, his education is in your hands. You can choose different ways of teaching English: take your child to a private teacher, find suitable foreign language courses for him, study with your child on your own, or rely on the school for everything. You choose. It is important that you approach this issue thoughtfully and be guided by the ancient principle: "Do no harm!"
This and many other articles on the topic "Teaching English to Children" can be found on the website [link-1]
You rightly noticed: "good →
You rightly noticed: "a good teacher." As a teacher-methodologist involved in teacher training, I can say that most teachers give little thought to the real motivation of children. When I ask teachers why they give a child this or that exercise (or task), in most cases I hear the answer: "To work out the article" (or something else). I doubt that the child will show interest in the task, the purpose of which is to work out some grammatical material. Therefore, children approach all kinds of filler exercises purely formally, they perform them without straining.
And about the work, I think you are a little bent. Even an adult cannot always be forced to do what he is not interested in and the meaning of which is poorly understood by him. And let's not even talk about children!
12/23/2011 04:21:42 PM, Vigilante
So it’s the teachers who know the task, and → So it’s the teachers who know the task, but the children don’t need it (a lot of knowledge, a lot of sorrows :)), it’s just that over time, the quantity turns into quality, doesn’t it? And all these fillers work at the level of reflexes. And that doesn't change the motivation. 12/24/2011 19:33:27, Lisa Patrikeevna
The child does not need to know why he is doing → The child does not need to know why he does pointless exercises! Well, such a statement is a complete disrespect for the child and disbelief in him. I remember how my son in the second grade quickly completed all the filler tasks from the textbook (I think it was Blue Skies, although it does not matter at all - it could have been anyone else in his place), but when I asked him what these sentences, he had no idea. I also did not understand the meaning of the structures. Everything was just done, as you say, at the level of reflexes. What is the point? Quantity does not always translate into quality here. A child, like an adult, must understand in what situations words and structures will be used, otherwise all these "work-outs" are dead weight. Unfortunately, in my 20 years of teaching English, I have seen many children and adults who were superbly trained for fill-in tests or "selections", but they showed a striking lack of understanding of the essence of the structures and did not know how to use them on their own in practice. 25.12.2011 15:48:05,
AT last month Before school, parents still have a chance to change their child's attitude towards English. We will tell you what needs to be done now so that foreign language lessons in the new year bring only pleasure, and do not hang like a sword of Damocles over an annoyed child.
1. Looking for practical application of the language now, not in the future
A common misconception is to expect a child to be inspired by stories about how many opportunities English will open up for him in the future: travel around the world, high-paying jobs, free communication with foreigners. Of course, this is important! Only all these “goodies” will be sometime later, but you need to sit down for cramming and break away from your favorite things for the sake of it now.
So you have to work with what you have. Maybe your child is a fan of foreign musicians: he constantly listens to the songs of his favorite bands, decorates the room with posters with their images and dreams of going to a concert? Then you can't do without English. After all, only knowing him well, you can enjoy the play on words in the lyrics or watch the interview in the original. Or maybe he watches TV shows and cartoons for days and is looking forward to the release of new seasons? It takes a long time to wait for dubbing into Russian, so it's easier to start watching everything in the original.
2. Learning English in a playful way
You don't even need to think of anything! Just remember what you liked to play with your child when he was little: who will name more words with the letter "A", the game of antonyms, I know five names of trees - all these games are great to play in English. Such entertainment is especially relevant in traffic jams, queues or other situations of forced idleness.
In addition, you can buy home board games in English and gather everyone at the big table.
It is not only useful educational occupation, but also a good occasion to spend time with family and friends, which is no less important!
3. We arrange competitions and encourage the winners
Children sometimes like participating in competitions even more than playing games. They bring excitement, and learning English becomes more fun! Who will master the new grammar rules faster? How many new words can you learn in a day? Who will have learned more poems in English by September? Of course, the winner should be waiting for an award for which you want to compete. And for the rest of the participants, it is worth providing for consolation prizes.
4. Let English help your child become more confident
Create situations in which the child can apply knowledge in practice: ask him to translate the instruction to new technology or help you find information on foreign sites that you need for work. Only do it for real when you really need it. Do not invent such tasks artificially. Children read falsehood and may perceive it as manipulation.
5. Looking for good teachers and language environment
The teacher strongly influences the desire or unwillingness to learn. English is not the easiest subject, and how the material is presented greatly depends on the enthusiasm for it. Agree, when they explain the rule to you, and you feel that you didn’t understand either the first or the tenth time, then most often this causes anger and a desire to quit your studies. Some people are, of course, pissed off. But still, let's not create unnecessary barriers and take care to find a teacher whose lessons are understandable and interesting.
You should also pay attention to language clubs where they gather in an informal setting to chat, discuss a new film or, for example, play mafia.
Almost everyone will agree that the level of teaching English to children at school usually leaves much to be desired. Indeed, most of the adults who studied the language at school have practically zero knowledge. Perhaps it is the negative experience gained as a result of learning English by children that leaves an imprint on the rest of their lives: even when traveling abroad, adults do not strive to remember words.
Before every parent sooner or later the question arises: how to teach a child English? After all, it is the methodology of teaching English to children that lays the foundation for further study. The problem of school teaching lies in the strict system of examinations and curricula that must be adhered to. And a slightly different approach is required, because what to interest children if not in games and entertainment, which may just be the basis for stimulating language acquisition.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is use of television andcomputer programs . Of course, it is difficult to replace a live conversation with these means, but when teaching English to children, these methods are widely used due to their availability. Make daily TV viewing not only entertainment, but also learning for your child. For example, try watching cartoons in English. This will help you improve your pronunciation skills. When watching a cartoon, the child will cling to the words already known to him in order to catch the meaning, thus, you will consolidate the already mastered vocabulary. A computer also very attractive to all children: no association in the tedious learning process, all actions are perceived easily, as they take place in the form of a game.
The number of specially created educational programs will remove the question of how to teach a child English. They already contain certain techniques, and you will only need to observe the frequency and do not forget to stir up the child's interest. Well, for lovers of live communication, classes on Skype. The main thing is to know what your child is more inclined towards and use these tools and methods in learning the language.
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Every educated modern man must know English language. And this is not a wish, but a necessity, because today many organizations no longer hire specialists who do not speak English. However, not everyone can find the time to attend specialized English courses. It is for such people that a truly convenient way of learning has been developed that will save money and time - we are talking about teaching English via Skype.
19.10.2009
Proficiency in English makes it possible to Additional information from foreign sources. Nowadays information is great value. Therefore, the possibility of wider access to it is one of the most important advantages of knowing English. Directly useful for study or career, English may not be for everyone. Not every person, at least once in his life, goes abroad, although there are now a lot of people traveling during their holidays, and there are more and more of them. But these are not the only motives for learning English.
19.10.2009
The prevailing idea that learning a language is hard and painstaking work needs to be changed. Otherwise, you will only harm yourself, you yourself, without realizing it, will resist learning the language. Simplify learning by using the above approaches. This will allow you to properly use the resources of your brain.
19.10.2009
On the mother tongue we talk without thinking, the words fly out by themselves. In English, some advise learning to think in order to speak it. Is this true? Let's face the question of how we think. Do we think in sentences, words or images? Russian psychologists-linguists conducted an interesting experiment that showed that if we thought in words or sentences, it would take clearly more time than it actually does. It turned out that we think not in words, but in images that are not related to any language. This has been proven easy. A group of people were shown an image of various objects for a few seconds and asked to describe in writing what they saw. It got pretty long. They were asked to write a shorter description. Then the scientists themselves processed the notes, removing the unnecessary and leaving only words that directly point to objects.
19.10.2009
It is difficult to say how many words there are in modern English. No source answers this question. Some sources indicate the figure of 500,000, others - about 1 million words. An ordinary large English-Russian and Russian-English dictionary usually contains about 300,000 words. There are more than 600,000 word forms in dictionaries published by Oxford University Press (www.oed.com). Of course, these forms include numerous scientific and technical terms. To read ordinary newspapers and magazines, you can get by with two thousand words; to read books, you usually need to know up to 3000 words. How many English words do you need to learn at the initial stage?
19.10.2009
Some people have a good ability for logical thinking, excellent memory, the ability to compare and analyze. But at the same time they do not have good hearing and the ability to imitate. Or vice versa, some hear well and imitate, others are not able to think logically. These people can be advised Special attention give to the development of their missing abilities. Those who have difficulty distinguishing sounds need to listen more. You can watch movies, listen to language courses. This is good for both, but some need to do this more, while others need less. On the contrary, people who successfully master the language by ear, imitating foreign speech well, will find it useful to read more English books and articles in English. But for both, loud reading aloud in a foreign language, pronunciation of phrases several times, always aloud and loudly, is necessary.
19.10.2009
Various miraculous methods are now being widely advertised, with the help of which you can allegedly learn a language in 3, 2, or even 1 month. In fact, the peculiarities of human memory are such that such terms for learning a language are completely unrealistic. These notorious methods are listed below. 1) Sleep learning method 2) Frame 25 method. 3) Pilot method.
19.10.2009
Despite the fact that there are currently many different courses and methods, many people fail to learn English to such a level that they can communicate in English or get a job where knowledge of English is required. It used to be a common belief that learning a foreign language requires a special talent or ability to learn the language. In addition, people who know English well are often successful in life. It seems that achieving success and learning a language go hand in hand. Those who are successful in life will easily learn the language. Many people think so, but is it true? Successful people sometimes also fail to learn a language well. What actually helps us in learning a language. Let's try to answer this question.
Confident and Fluency English can give many advantages: the ability to watch films and read literature in the original, the freedom to communicate with different people opportunity to get acquainted with cultural and ethnic traditions. However, all this awaits the guys in the distant future, and at the beginning it makes sense to learn English from simple events that are short in duration. Even a one-year-old baby can happen nursery rhymes, melodic songs, fairy tales in English. Keep in mind that the connection between parents and the child is very strong - even babies at the subconscious level are able to "absorb" the melody of speech - so parents must pronounce and intotone words correctly.
If family members know English, then they can work with the child on their own, unobtrusively and carefully developing interest in classes. English for children is initially a pleasant and exciting pastime, and it makes sense to acquire new skills and knowledge in the form of a game. Learning will be most successful only when the child is in a positive mood. But if you force a child to learn English, impose your position on him, then this can cause a lot of negative emotions that create a barrier to learning English.
The game acts as the main activity of children - the more interesting it is for the child, the more time he will play it. Parents have the opportunity to diversify the child's game, try to introduce new educational elements there. Here, entertainment and fun are perfect, similar to those in which the child played, learning to speak Russian, memorizing the first verses, etc. For example, a child will remember English designation words faster if he has a visual connection (for example, he calls a part of the face in English and shows cheeks, eyes, nose in the picture). Also, the English language will be clearer and closer for the child if you call English words objects that surround him in everyday life - interior items, clothes, toys, dishes and much more.
It should not be forgotten that children have visual-figurative thinking. In the course of English classes, you need to use colorful illustrations and other options for demonstration material. In this case, toys should encourage the game, attract interest - it is very good if they are characters from cartoons and fairy tales. Big effect will have the use of a single video sequence with dubbing in English and Russian.
According to experts, there are fundamentally important methods that parents must follow in the course of teaching a foreign language. First of all, naturalness. Correctly organized events and interactive methods ensure the absence of negativity, stress, ease. The second principle is the obvious sequence from simple things to complex ones. The third is perseverance, patience and discipline. If some technique was perceived by the child sharply negatively, then it makes sense to take a break in the classroom, and then apply another option that can be of greater interest to preschoolers.
