Young children actively explore the space around them, the world, taste everything in the literal and figurative sense. The baby does not know how to talk, but by the age of one he is able to pronounce the first few words, and he will understand what they mean. We do not think about how to teach a child their native language, but we worry about how to teach a child English. Although the principles are very similar.
A child does not need motivation to start talking, asking for something from their parents, or chatting with friends in the sandbox. The main motivation of children is development. Language development occurs regardless of whether the parents are engaged in this purposefully, or the child simply communicates within the family. This is usually enough to speak and understand the speech of others without an interpreter.
When the child is already talking, can answer questions and formulate his speech into sentences, it's time to start learning a second language. According to domestic and foreign experts, the best age for this is five years. If language learning is active and successful, parents have every chance to raise a bilingual.
Today there are many programs for learning English for the little ones. Literally three months. There is no exact data yet on how useful it is and whether it is more effective to start training at the age of five. And, of course, we are not talking about children who do not live in a Russian-speaking country or whose relatives communicate in another language.
Many teachers, experts in child development and speech therapists believe that it is better to start learning a second language when the child already speaks Russian well, pronounces most sounds, and also has a sufficiently developed phonemic ear.
How to teach a child English
A lot depends on how the education of a five-year-old child will be organized. At this age, children are restless, the main thing is to keep their attention. This is unlikely to succeed if the classes are uninteresting. In addition, the child quickly gets tired. Therefore, lessons should be short.
The program cannot be similar to the program that adults would study. For example, it is useless for a five-year-old child to explain the principles of constructing sentences, since at this age he does not know such subtleties about his native language, which does not interfere with speaking it.
Therefore, before school, the best thing is just to expand your vocabulary. To do this, you can listen to songs, look at english cartoons, read simple books. Use the rule"minus two": for a seven-year-old child, use English books designed for five years, for a five-year-old - for three years.
The older the child gets, the more difficult the program should become.
Communicative
Its essence is communication. The more the child hears English speech, all the better. Try to give this opportunity to your child. And it is important not only to listen, but also to speak.
The principle of differentiation
You can show your child the difference between oral and written speech, between listening to speech and pronouncing English words.
Integration principle
This principle says that it is necessary to combine all the main components of the language - grammar, phonetics and vocabulary.
Bilingual principle
Its main idea is to provide the child with constant communication in two languages at once. English in this case will become as familiar and easy to understand as native Russian.
Whatever principle you choose as the main one, it is important that the classes take place in a playful way. Don't force yourself to study. But to look for motivation so that the child learns with pleasure, on the contrary, is worth it.
It is good if the child understands why he needs to learn the language. If for one of the parents English is the native language, then there is no need to look for motivation. But you can learn English to read your favorite books or watch cartoons that are not in Russian translation.
How to teach a child English at different ages
5-6 years
Focus on playing learning methods. It will be easy for a child to learn English if he can study in the lessons the world. Classes should be interesting and useful not only for learning the language. If the child enjoys them, then in the future English lessons will be associated with pleasure.
7-11 years old
In elementary school, classes can become more difficult, but they must remain, above all, interesting. And at this age, the child can perform mostly creative activities.
At this age, children go to school, but very rarely the teacher manages to adapt school curriculum for this age, combine play and learning.Since the student elementary school gets used to learning, does not get tired so quickly, you can arrange a child for good language courses. Also a great option for this age group is online schools. This is very convenient, since there is no need to waste time on the road after classes, and parents will be able to control the course of classes. Many online schools, such as Genius English, have programs for children.
Over 12 years old
Start adolescence changes the interests of the child. A teenager has favorite artists, music, films. If you use it for training, then motivation will definitely not go anywhere.
Blockbusters in English are more interesting than documentaries, and the lyrics of your favorite songs are more interesting to translate than texts about the history of London.It is good if the parents, teacher or teachers at the language school understand this and think about how to bring pleasure to the teenager's studies.
Children easily master everything new. If you learn English from childhood, the results can exceed all expectations.Use the principle of immersion in the language environment and speak English yourself. You might want to brush up on your knowledge. This will not only be an example for the child, you will be able to study together.
Be sure to create a lesson plan, find quality resources and ways to learn the language. If you choose courses, make sure they use correct system repetition of the past. According to statistics, after a month, 80% of new material is forgotten, and only 20% remains in long-term memory.
It is unlikely that you will find free courses that will teach you to speak English really well. Good language courses and online schools will give you much more than just knowing the language. Learning English is still the best investment in the future.
Now it is very popular and even fashionable early development of children, in particular, early learning of foreign languages. Quite often, young mothers begin to teach languages (especially English) to one and a half year old and even three month old (!) babies - they show them cards with English words, put on cartoons in English, etc.
At first glance, it's a total benefit. But is it?
From a linguistic standpoint, no. Judge for yourself.
Problem one. The sounds in English and Russian are very different. In English, th is this, think is the norm. And in Russian - thima (winter) and thlisten (listen) - the norm? Of course not.
A child who has not yet mastered the sounds mother tongue, from the cradle is accustomed to the wrong sounds in their native language, but the correct ones in English! And then the visits to speech therapists begin... Even the classics wrote that it is impossible to learn foreign languages without first mastering the native language well.
The second problem. First words English child and Russian differ in the number of syllables. Compare: cat - cat, go - let's go, book - book. In this regard, English children are lucky - their first words are mostly one-syllable, while in Russian - two or more syllables.
And what is easier to say to a child: apple or apple-lo-ko? Of course, apple! Parents rejoice: the daughter pointed to an apple and said: "apple". What is there to rejoice here? The child chose a convenient option for himself, while in general he should say just "apple". The child still does not speak his native language well enough, and the parents, without realizing it, push back his speech development even further!
Problem three. Children will definitely confuse English and Russian words.
The situation is different if we are talking about a bilingual family - where one parent speaks Russian, and the other, for example, French. If the house is constantly - I emphasize, constantly! - both languages \u200b\u200bare heard, then the child will not confuse them (of course, there are exceptions here, but basically this is the case), since this situation will be natural for him, he will “cook” in it from birth.
The situation is the same with a Russian-speaking family who moved, for example, to Germany: at home they speak Russian, but all social life, everything outside the home, takes place only in German. Children in this case also quickly learn the language and do not confuse languages, as they use both of them constantly, every day.
Thus, if you want your child to learn the language and not confuse words, you will have to speak with him, for example, only in English, and dad in Russian.
Of course, without foreign languages now nowhere, they are very important for children. Of course they need to be trained. But is it worth doing it in a year or two or three?
I am a linguist, teacher of English and French, and many people ask me: "Well, are you going to teach your children English and French from the cradle?"
"No way," I reply.
After all, the child will still have time to learn them. You can start at five, six years old, if you really want to do it early, before school, but not in a year or three!
The school will also study languages, already from the first grade in many schools there are two languages, and then three. You can always improve your knowledge with the help of courses, tutors, of which there are a great many now, choose - I don’t want to.
Why start learning languages at such a tender age? Wouldn't it be better to pay closer attention to the general development of his speech, attention, memory, physical development?
Personally, only one thing comes to my mind - now all this, unfortunately, is not fashionable ... It sounds much nicer because it sounds: "My Petenka already speaks English at the age of 4!" Or: "I have been studying English with Anechka since she was two years old!".
Parents are just feeding their egos. Perhaps they themselves were deprived of the opportunity to learn languages in childhood, or they think that learning languages early guarantees better language skills, who knows.
But think about it, are you doing your child a disservice with this?
Discussion
We live in Germany, our daughter was born here, we speak Russian at home, naturally everyone speaks German in the kindergarten, our daughter is now 2 years old, she understands everything in both languages, she says something in German in a mix, something in Russian. Our grandmother tells us all the time that the child somehow speaks very little (no long sentences), I explain it precisely that the child is a duolingo. Let's see how it will be further, there are plans to send to a kindergarten with the study of English from the age of 4, in this kindergarten we were advised that English will be only once a week and in a playful way, there are also many children in the kindergarten for whom English is a third language . I also know about the wonderful Lexilize Flashcards mobile application, but this is for older children for schoolchildren, where you can directly fill in your words that the child goes through in the lesson and teach them with games. I myself learn German with this app, maybe someone is looking for something similar.
English is of course the priority. But it is easier to superimpose other foreign languages on German, as the teacher explained to us. German was easy for us, we began to study in the 1st grade, when the child's interest in learning appeared. Now he speaks it easily, sometimes even unconsciously starts in German, they are encouraged to do this in the courses) We go to school all the time, even when we are sick, we just study via Skype. We go to the school of foreign languages Linguist-I.
I gave my daughter at the age of 4 here to the British kindergarten ILA Aspec. I liked the program taught to children. Plus good conditions training, meals, a rich program in summer, because kids can be sent to summer camp. Our truth will go to the camp only in a year, they recruit there from the age of 5. We decided that we would send it to the complex, which is located on the border with Germany. And the child will visit, as it were, not in Russia, new impressions
We decided that the child would study English from the age of three, but we approached the choice of courses very thoroughly. We chose such courses where the child would be comfortable and interesting and found it. The child is immersed in an English-speaking atmosphere, and learning takes place in the form of a game. Groups for classes are not large, so training is given easily and naturally.
Training should begin even during pregnancy - proven in a number of countries. In Russia, teaching methods from the period of pregnancy and from birth, as well as at the age of 5-6 years, are implemented in the MIR system of the child, short for: "Methods intellectual development child."
obsolete, traditional methods training is not suitable ... The author of the article belongs to their number and you cannot believe a single word of the article: this throws parents back centuries into the past. Children from mobile families, regardless of material wealth, almost always, if their parents do not limit them in communicating with foreign language peers, for example, easily learn several languages without any recourse to traditional teachers and speech therapists.
The standard in the Tyulenev system is as follows:
- 3 years: five foreign languages;
- 5 years: ten foreign. languages;
- 10 years - up to 20 languages.
Training is carried out within the framework of the so-called "Journalist" program at home or in other conditions, simultaneously with the development of all the languages studied:
- geography,
- stories,
- cultures, etc.
with the study of culture
See, for example, in GOOGLe: "Integrated programs of the MIR-1 system", etc.
It seems to me that such articles, by anti-specialists specifically in early development, should not be placed in the Conference "Early Development" - there are, it seems, or there were - about ten years ago - more truthful articles. :)
At, my daughter from 4 years old went to English. I was not satisfied! Throwing money down the drain!
There are classes from 3 years old. I speak English myself, so from the first year I began to acquaint my baby with new words.
It is best to start learning foreign languages at the age of 5-6. when the child has already mastered his native language well and he will not have confusion in his head.
Please do not confuse bilingual families, where from birth they speak two languages with the baby. There are completely different laws.
If possible, as early as possible, but not in the sense of teaching, but in the sense of immersion in the environment, from the age of 3 the child went abroad with us, heard English, then sent her at 9 years old to an English-speaking camp, and 12 I just started studying with a repeater for years, I don’t know if it’s right or not, but now at the age of 15 my daughter has an intermediate
Strange, but the author did not say the most important thing that is connected with teaching a child a second language. One even gets the feeling that the author herself, although she teaches languages, does not really speak any other language except Russian, and therefore does not know the most important thing.
The fact is that language differs from language primarily not in a set of words, but in the structure of a sentence and, in general, in the whole manner of thinking. This is all the more important if the languages belong to different language groups, such as Russian and English. And if a parent who is trying to teach his child English does not himself own this other way of constructing his thoughts, then the child will not learn either, that is, he will receive a completely distorted idea of English and will then speak English brokenly all his life, even when he grows up.
But if the parent speaks a foreign language normally, builds phrases in compliance with all tense forms (not at all the same as in Russian), correctly arranges verbs and verb prefixes (also not at all like in Russian), correctly uses articles (which are not in general in Russian). Russian) - well, then the child is very lucky, because from childhood he will learn several ways of thinking at once, several logics at once. And in this case, nothing bad that the author frightens will happen to the child - bilingual children do not confuse and do not mix phonemes in speech different languages, the author of the article simply composes horror stories. That is, a child can, of course, say "an apple" instead of "apple", but many adults also say "content" instead of "content" or "OK" instead of "yes, okay."
However, the assimilation of two different ways thinking - this can really become a painful process for a child. By the way, here the author was slightly mistaken when she said that language acquisition is easy for children abroad. For example, my family and I moved to Germany when my son was 2 years old and he had just started speaking Russian. That is, up to two years he absorbed the logic and rhythm of the Russian language, by two he finally began to express himself. And when in Germany we sent him to a kindergarten, and he suddenly heard a completely new speech, which was spoken by everyone around (except us, parents) - and the boy generally fell silent. Silent for two years. We were even frightened, but whether he speaks with us in principle. But at the age of 4, he spoke in long, full phrases, easily and without hesitation - exclusively in German. We, the parents, addressed him only in Russian (well, do not speak with the child in broken German sentences, stumbling on every word), and he answered us only in the local language. And he categorically refused to speak Russian, because the Russian language in its construction is not as logical as German.
Such was the story.
But to say that this withdrawal was harmful to the child - no, it would probably not be true. It was a difficult process, yes, but by no means harmful.
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We, adults, learn English for a long time and painfully. We are looking for a suitable way, trying to put the rules of a different linguistic system in our heads, “re-educating” our articulatory apparatus for other sounds.
It is much easier for a child to learn English from scratch: children literally absorb it! Those grammatical constructions that we diligently memorize, they instantly “absorb”. Without analysis, which they are not yet capable of, but just like that.
The child can speak both two and three languages. The main thing is to constantly deal with it. Therefore, dear adults (current and future parents), we are getting ready to raise English-speaking kids! And we will help you with this.
So, on the agenda (the table of contents of the article):
How to start learning English with a child on your own: the “immersion” technique
Recently, our whole country was conquered by a baby named Bella Devyatkina. This girl, at the age of 4, speaks 7 (besides her native) languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Arabic.
In fact, a child can learn more languages, because, as Masaru Ibuka wrote in the sensational book “After three it's too late”:
“…the brain of a child can accommodate an unlimited amount of information…”
So, if in a family the mother is Russian, the father is English-speaking, and the nanny, say, is German, then the child will speak all three languages without any difficulties. And there will be no “mixing” of languages (as many skeptics say). Just a mother will have a baby for "The Forest Raised a Christmas Tree" and dad for ABC songs. 🙂
But Bella's parents are Russian! How then is this possible? It turns out that her mother spoke to her only in English since childhood(that is, the conditions for bilingualism were created artificially). After her parents noticed her interest in languages, they hired native tutors for her - and that's how the little polyglot turned out.
And this example is not the only one. Masaru Ibuka also talks about such bilingual children in his work (by the way, read this book - it is amazing).
If you you speak English very well and feel confident enough to speak only it, then no theory and articles like “how to start learning English with a child from scratch” will not need. Just speak to your baby in English. That's all.
Note: in this case, you will not be able to talk to the preschooler in Russian. Other family members speak Russian to him, but you ONLY speak English.
But What should parents do who are not so confident in their English? After all, in this case, learning according to the “immersion in the language environment” method will be impossible (unless you hire a native speaker as a nanny). We will answer this question in the article.
At what age should you start learning English with a child?
Regarding this issue, a whole discussion unfolded between teachers: when is it better to start, is it worth learning English with kids or not? Our answer is yes, it is. But the main thing is to wait until the child completes the process of forming his native language. That is, he will have a clear sound pronunciation and a properly developed coherent speech. Since each child develops differently, it is impossible to name any exact time frame. But minimum ≈ from 2.5 years(Not earlier).
How to learn English with a child on your own - where to start?
The best thing send the child to a special language nursery if possible. Then you will not have to take on such a serious responsibility, besides, the child will have the same “separation of languages” in his mind (at home - Russian, in the nursery - English). And you yourself can support the interest and progress of the child with games, cartoons, songs, etc.
If you still want to learn English with your child on your own, then you can motivate him with an “English doll”. You get a doll (you can use a glove doll) and introduce her to the baby, saying that she does not understand anything in Russian. To communicate with the “Englishwoman”, he will have to learn a new, but very interesting language. Well, then you play with this doll, watch cartoons, learn songs and poems ... all this will be discussed below.
For example, characters from Sesame Street are perfect as a doll.
What language skills can be developed in preschoolers?
Of course, no grammar, spelling, etc. child in preschool age maybe:
- listen to speech,
- speak myself
- read (together with the parent, and then study / look at the book on their own if it interests them).
I.e the child will learn all the same skills English as Russian at this age.
By the way, you don’t have to worry much about “speaking” and the correct pronunciation of English sounds. It is we, adults, who are rebuilding our articulatory apparatus after the Russian sounds familiar to us. BUT the child will learn the correct pronunciation much faster.
To develop this skill best to sing songs and learn Nursery Rhymes for an English-speaking announcer: children's “monkeyness” and unique children's hearing will do their job. If there are still some shortcomings, then just correct the baby, but without any complicated explanations.
We invite you to understand the English sounds yourself. Read articles:
How to teach English with children from the very beginning: 5 concrete ways
1. Watch cartoons in English with your child. Do you think he will not understand? You are mistaken 🙂 Children at this age have an incredible linguistic intuition. They may not understand the words, but the emotions in the voices of the characters and on their painted “faces” will help them, the music will help them, etc. You will be surprised, but after watching the cartoon, he may begin to repeat the words from it, sing songs.
Also use special Russian-language cartoons to learn the language.
2. “Learn” English words and phrases with him(the first word is not just taken in quotation marks). These are not lessons or training sessions. This is your daily communication with your child, during which you speak English vocabulary to him.
- Mom, look - a car!
Yes, it is indeed a car. Do you know how it would be in English? car! This is a car.
Main rules:
- Words to be used in the context of the situation: during lunch we talk about food, while walking around the zoo - about animals, etc.
- Accordingly, we master only those words that are associated with the current life of the child: family, colors, clothes, animals, fruits, etc.
- Any word should immediately back up visually: for the word “dog” is a toy, a picture / photograph or a shaggy and barking dog next to you 🙂
Such a visual image will help you easily learn new words.
One more: so that the child immediately “masters” English grammar (again in quotation marks), tell him whole phrases. After all, if you tell him individual words, he will repeat the words, and if you tell him whole sentences, he will use sentences.
– Dog!
– This is a dog!
Also, to learn new words, you can use various games, handouts (coloring books, tasks, etc.), with which the child will get great pleasure!
3. Learn children's songs and rhymes with him. You can find them on the sites below (or search in Yandex and Google). It is best to present the verse to the child in the form of a small “staging”, because many rhymes have a certain plot under them and are easily played out (live or on puppets).
The kid can ask to translate the verse into Russian - you translate, and then again you play the “staging” in front of him. The main rule: DO NOT ask the child to repeat after you. Your the task is to interest him in this incomprehensible language. Many children can at first just listen and listen and listen, and then suddenly start “spoofing” these verses by heart 🙂
For example, the song "Old Macdonald had a farm" is played in many different cartoons. The lyrics are .
Stages of work on the verse:
- First, you yourself study the content of a poem or song, work out your pronunciation (sounds in words, intonation, rhythm).
- Then you train to read it expressively and think over a visual support for the child: a performance with toys, some kind of dance ... in general, turn on your imagination!
- Now you can submit your work to the court of the baby. After that, discuss the performance with the child: what he understood, what moment he liked the most.
- Then invite the child to “join” your production and prepare a joint act for other family members. But for this, the baby will have to learn this rhyme (so motivation will appear).
- You can also find (or invent) a finger or gesture game based on this rhyme. Then you can periodically offer the child to play it in any suitable situations (of course, if he wants to).
4. Read books in English with your child. You can start when he already knows individual words. Simple plots will be quite clear to children, and pictures will explain the incomprehensible.
If any book really interests him, then he will take it on his own and look at it, study it (this will create motivation to learn to read). In addition, the child will “photograph” the words with his eyes and memorize them. appearance. It turns out, your task is to interest him in reading.
Systematic learning to read begins only at the age of 4-5 according to the principle from simple to complex:
An amazing site will help you teach your child to readwww.starfall.com . For example, go to this section and learn to read words with a short sound / a / (æ) with your baby. Each sound is pronounced in a cheerful children's voice and is accompanied by an explanatory animation. Just a find!
Where can I find books to read in English:
And remember that all the same The e-book is not the same as the real one., which you can touch, and then flip through with enthusiasm. Therefore, be sure to buy some colorful English books for your library!
5. Play fun games with your baby! And he will not even notice that during this game you are teaching him something. When the child is very young, organize joint games. An older “student” can be offered online games to learn English. Below you will find a list of both.
Learning English words for kids - games
The classic way to learn new vocabulary is vocabulary cards(i.e. word + translation + picture). By the way, our blog has a whole .
Examples of vocabulary cards from Lingualeo. Full list located .
But it will be even better if you create them with your child. Pick up pictures together, stick them to pieces of paper or cardboard, etc. Then, already during the preparation for the “games in English”, the child will learn something. What to do next with the cards? Here are some options:
1. Cards can be used to play mime. First you tell the kid English word(and show it on the card), and the child must depict this word with gestures. Then you can play “reverse” pantomime - the child (or you) depicts an animal, an action, an object that he pulled out, and the rest of the participants guess.
2. The game "Show me". Put several cards in front of the child, and then name one word from this list - the child must touch the desired card.
3. Yes-No game. You show cards and say the words right or wrong (showing a hippopotamus, say "tiger"). The child answers "Yes" or "No".
Is it a tiger? – No!!!
4. The game “What’s missing”. Lay out a row of cards (4-5 pieces). Look at them with your baby and pronounce the words. The child closes his eyes, and you remove one word. Tell me what's missing?
5. The game "Jump to ...". You lay out the cards in a vertical row on the floor and give the child the task of jumping to a word (perfect if the baby is bored).
These are just a few mechanics using cards. By turning on the fantasy, you can come up with even more variations of games. And we will go further. What other games can be used?
5. The game “Is it. …?”. You gradually draw some object, and the child tries to guess it. For example, draw half a circle, and the child wonders:
– Is it a ball? Is it the Sun?
– No, (continue to draw)
Is it an apple?
– Yes!🙂
6. Another version of the game “Is it. …?” - a card with a hole. Cut a hole in a piece of fabric (or a sheet of paper) and put it on a vocabulary card. Move the hole in the picture, and the child guesses what is hidden there.
7. Magic bag. Put different objects in a bag, and the baby takes them out and names them. An even more interesting option: he puts his hand into the bag and guesses the contents by touch.
8. The game “Touch your…nose, leg, hand…” (generally body parts).
“Touch your mouth,” you say, and the baby touches his mouth.
9. Games will help children learn English colors easily. For example, you give him objects of different colors and ask him to find and select from them things of a certain color (by the way, the same task may concern words that begin with some letter, etc.).
10. Another example of playing with colors– “Find something…. in the room".
“Find something red in the room!”, - and the child is looking for something of the indicated color.
11. How to learn verbs. Perform some action with the baby and say what exactly you are doing:
- Fly! We are flying,” and pretend to be flying.
– “Let's sing! We are singing!” and hold an imaginary microphone in your hands.
– Jump! Jump!” and jump around the room merrily.
Don't forget about role-playing games. For example, play “shop”. The task of the child is to buy products from an English-speaking saleswoman (that's you). Before that, you remember the words and phrases that will be useful to him in the store, and then the child plays out this situation. Such a game can be cranked out with any fictitious conditions.
And be sure act out plays, fairy tales etc. For example, invite your child to make a video or film! The girls will definitely be delighted. 🙂
Useful sites. Learn English from scratch for kids: games, alphabet, videos, printables
When the child has grown up, you can invite him to play online games. Particularly when you need free time to do household chores.
1. Online games for kids: learn English alphabet and words
www.vocabulary.co.il
This site has already been mentioned above when it was about the game "Gallows". It has a huge number of online word games. For example, Whack a mole game helps to repeat the alphabet in a fun way: you need to hit the letters with a hammer and collect the correct sequence of the alphabet.
We aim and hit with a hammer on the desired letter
Or the game Word paths, where children must collect words from the available letters with a certain vowel sound. As you can see, the games are designed for different ages, which means the site will help your children for many years.
www.eslgamesplus.com
Another great site with online games for kids. For example, this game, where hidden behind emoticons:
- verb,
- picture for this verb.
The challenge is to match. With each attempt, the words are voiced. Playing is a pleasure.
A game Pirate Waters Board Game also deserves special attention. First, choose a topic that is already known to the child (for example, parts of the body). Then you throw the dice (to do this, click on the image of the cube) and walk along the board. You are asked a question and you choose an answer. If it is given correctly, you roll the dice again.
If you get on a pirate - start over. In this case the child will repeat the correct construction several times while the game is running. The only drawback is that there is no voice acting for the correct answer (which would develop listening skills). Therefore, advice: for the first time, play with your child in order to:
- help him deal with the conditions of the game (then you can’t drag him by the ears),
- teach him to pronounce the correct answer on his own every time (so that the constructions are deposited in memory).
www.mes-english.com
This site also has printables (+ ability to make your own worksheets), and videos, and games. Let's focus on the games. For example, there is a great online vocabulary game. First, we go to the Vocabulary column and listen-memorize the words. Then we go to the Question and answer section and listen to the question and answer:
- What's this?
– It's a Lion!
And then in the Question only column, where you already need to answer with the baby.
supersimplelearning.com
This site also has cartoons, songs and games. For example, interactive alphabet games which are suitable for beginners. Choose a set of letters and a level (Level 1 first).
Next, click on the letter (for example, “a”) and listen to the pronunciation of this letter (or rather, the sound, of course, but kids don’t need to know such difficulties) and the word that begins with it. All this action is supplied with a cheerful picture. 
The voice acting and animation of the game are just great!
At the next level, you are asked to choose a letter from the word you heard. At the third level - only by sound.
learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org
Another super-useful site (it's not surprising - it's the British Council). For example, word games where you need to match the word and picture. Or Trolley Dash game, where you need to quickly buy all the products from the shopping list (verified: very exciting!)
www.englishexercises.org
A large number of tasks (online and for download). For example, you need watch the video and fill in the blanks the right words (for older kids).
More modern people willing to teach children foreign language. No one doubts the need for knowledge of a foreign language. It is considered especially fashionable today to learn English. The reason for this desire of parents is clear, because if earlier children who did not have the opportunity to go abroad did not particularly need to know a foreign language, the situation today has changed a lot. A child needs to know the language in order to watch films in English, communicate in English via Skype, and of course, in order to get a prestigious job in the future.
Without knowledge of a foreign language to kid it will be more difficult to adapt in a world in which it will probably soon be impossible to imagine without English not only a normal free existence, but also a holiday abroad. Given this and wanting to give their child something that will definitely come in handy in the future, many parents try to teach their baby English from birth. Well, if the parent himself can speak English fluently, then he has the opportunity to teach the baby English himself at no extra cost. For example, speaking or listening to music in English. But what about those parents who themselves cannot say anything in English. How and when should they start teaching their child English?
Many scientists believe that you need to start learning English before the age of 3. According to recent studies, it is by this age that the development of brain cells is completed by 70-80%. It turns out that if parents speak two languages with a child from birth, he will quickly speak two languages, if - three, then your future genius will know three languages. The period when the baby's brain is growing is the most productive period for the child's learning. As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that if a child is not taught a foreign language before the age of 9, then in the future the brain mechanisms of speech become less flexible and it is very difficult for a child to learn English.
Many parents they do not look very seriously at teaching their children English, believing that they themselves do not know English perfectly, so there is no need to strain the child. Like, they will teach you at school, but before that you should not think about teaching English. In fact, this behavior of parents indicates their unwillingness to engage in the development of their children. According to scientists, the giftedness of children from birth is an invention of parents who themselves do not want or do not know how to develop their children. Abilities and talents never appear on their own, they must be developed from the very birth of a child.
kids up to 3 years of age, they are ready to comprehend everything that they like. If the child does not like something, then he flatly refuses to do it. Therefore, a child of this age can learn English only by hiring a teacher who knows how to create a game situation and involve the child in it. Through the game, you can convey any knowledge to a small person. Today there are many methods of teaching English, and each teacher chooses his own way of learning. If your child attends kindergarten, the situation is getting better. Indeed, in many children's institutions today they offer to teach a child English, in this case, parents should not think about it, you just need to choose those classes that will really be useful to your child.
In no case should you force a small child speak English, no matter where he learns English at home or in kindergarten. At this age, the child should accumulate vocabulary. It is necessary to teach a child English in an atmosphere of love and responsiveness.
The task of the parents of the baby is to instill up to 3 years age sense of language, and everything else can be developed later. At this age, it is necessary to develop perception English child, and for this, listen to music in English, watch cartoons and so on. Perfect option learning English, if the parents themselves at this time begin to learn English together with the child.
If the parents own two languages, then be sure to teach your child their native language from birth. Knowledge of the native language opens up new layers in the mind of the child and tremendously strengthens his mind. No English teacher can achieve this, except when you hire an English governess who takes care of the child around the clock.
Daria Popova
Everyone who wondered when to start was sure to meet the answer of specialists - the sooner the better. However, many parents still doubt whether English is needed before school? Common myths and "confusion" of facts are used. Today we will take a closer look at why it is more correct to start English classes in early age.
What are the pros and cons early learning of a foreign language?
Arguments "FOR" early teaching English to children
1. Hemispheric trap
The brain of a child is constantly growing and changing rapidly. At the beginning of a child's life, there is no strong difference in the activity of the right and left hemispheres. But the child begins to grow up, and the two halves begin to strictly distribute responsibilities, including those related to speech.
The left hemisphere is conscious and verbal. It is "the main thing" in speech. His responsibilities include:
- storing the meaning of a word
- logics
- grammar
- reading
- letter
The right hemisphere is unconscious and creative. In speech, it is responsible for:
- pronunciation
- intonation
- facial expressions
- gestures
- and most importantly - a linguistic guess
Thus, the right hemisphere is responsible for the unconscious understanding of the meaning of an unknown phrase from the context, "judging by what is happening."
Up to 7 years, the perception of speech by a child, including foreign speech, causes activity in both hemispheres of the brain, from 7 to 9 years, excitation in the right hemisphere fades, and from 10 years, foreign speech is recorded only in the left.
Thus, a child who has begun to study foreign language at 8 years old, as our school suggests, it’s not just difficult, but unnatural to the nature of the brain, the ability to easily distinguish foreign words, foreign intonations and linguistic guess, that is, understanding the basic essence of what was said, even if you don’t know the meaning of some words.
2. The opinion of the English coach
For me, the question is “When to start teaching English?” sounds exactly like “When should a child start exercising?”. The thing is that most parents perceive English as physics or chemistry, that is, a set of knowledge that needs to be understood and applied where necessary. In fact, English is not mathematics, it is physical education.
You can know a lot about the technique and strategy of playing basketball, but never learn how to play it. Teaching English in Russian school, as a rule, comes down to learning how to jump and run, but not jumping and running. Now think about how successfully your child will be able to master the ball game if you give him this sports item only at the age of 8?
Remember English is not taught. He is being trained. And the earlier the training starts, the more perfect the skill.
3. Smart barrier does not jump over. He does not create
The best way to overcome the language barrier - not to form it. In children who began to learn English at least at the age of 5, or even earlier, the language barrier is very rarely formed. First of all, this is due to the fact that from the very beginning they have experience of success in English. Language tasks are so simple that children can easily cope with them. Moreover, than younger child, the less he feels the difference in success between native and foreign speech.
Kids don’t understand all the words in Russian either, so the situation when they don’t know the meaning of what was said, but guess - is natural, daily and does not present much stress.
The very same native speech of children is not yet replete with sophistication and complexity. And the first dialogues that children learn to build in English are, in essence, a foreign copy of their usual daily role playing to daughters-mothers, doctors or shops.
5. Transfusion from dictionary to dictionary
Usually for parents, the main result teaching English to children is how many words the child knows on it. In fact, it is much more important not how many words the child says (active vocabulary), but how much he understands in the speech of the interlocutor ( passive vocabulary).
In an adult, as a rule, these dictionaries are almost the same. But in babies, a passive one is first formed (remember how long the child pronounces only a few words, but already understands almost everything that you say to him), and then the words from it pass into an active dictionary, that is, into speech. It’s the same with English - preschool children, when properly trained, form a huge passive vocabulary, which then saves a lot of time on learning new words (they just pour into active speech over time)
6 Sponge Memory
It is known that children absorb everything like sponges. But few people think that the sponge dries easily if you do not keep it constantly in water.
The child's memory is indeed capable of absorbing a huge layer of foreign language material, but only on condition that the baby is regularly immersed in the language environment (hears foreign speech, tries to speak it, understand what they are talking about).
Have you already guessed that with age, memory loses its sponginess?
7. Difficulties in translation when teaching English to children
An adult thinks in words. Children from 7 to 12 years old are mostly pictures or images, but verbal thinking is already gaining momentum. From 3 to 7 years old - children think in pictures, images.
When a preschooler meets foreign word, he first of all associates it not with translation, as an adult does, but with a picture, a toy, an action, a property of an object, that is, something real. Thus, preschoolers do not have intermediary translators in the form of Russian words between English and reality (with the correct organization of classes, of course).
To be successful in English, you need to learn how to think in it, and not think in Russian, and then translate what happened into a foreign language.
It is much easier for a child to learn to think in English than for an adult, because a child thinks like this:
Before school:
- The child thinks "cat" = the child imagines a cat.
- The child thinks "a cat" = the child imagines a cat.
From 7 years on the rise:
- The child thinks "cat" = the child imagines a cat and remembers its properties (animal, 4 paws, loves mice, etc.)
- The child thinks "a cat" = the child remembers that this translates as "cat" = perhaps then he will imagine a cat.
But to teach preschoolers to translate is a difficult task. For them, this is a double job: to remember what the word means, and then remember what it is called in Russian.
Arguments "AGAINST" early teaching English to children
However, despite the convincing arguments in favor of early learning a foreign language, the arguments “AGAINST” are no less convincing:
- Children confuse languages. English interferes with the development of native speech.
- Bilingualism creates such confusion in a child's head that it interferes with the development of his intellect.
- Children confuse the letters of Russian and English. English interferes with learning to read Russian.
- English is difficult. Children still do not understand grammar rules. Do not deprive the child of childhood.
- For a speech therapy child (and there are a lot of these now, unfortunately), English interferes with the correct pronunciation.
- There is little sense from English to school. Then, at school, everyone evens out anyway.
- English needs to be learned “correctly”: from the cradle or with a native speaker (a person who was born and raised in an English-speaking country), and immerse yourself in English for several hours a day, then the child will master English like a native. And everything else is just “toys” before school.
Do you recognize your point of view at some point? Congratulations on debunking another misconception! All these arguments are based only on myths and "confusion" of facts. But about this -
