How do children learn? This article explains the different factors affecting how children learn, and how this helps you to best work with your child.
Your child is an individual and different from all others. The way your child learns best depends on many factors: age, learning style and personality. Read the notes below, and think about your child. This will help you to choose activities and methods that will suit your child best.
Children can usually only concentrate for short periods of time. Make sure that you stop or change activity when your child is bored or restless. This might be after only a few minutes.
Children respond well to praise and encouragement – let your child know when they have done something well. Don't criticise them too much when they make a mistake. It's natural to make mistakes when learning a language. Don't correct every grammatical mistake – encourage your child to use English to communicate.
Many parents would like to teach their children English at home, but don’t know how to start. Read our suggestions to find out!
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.
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.
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.
There are many other types of games you can play with your children to help them practise English.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
Young children are natural language acquirers; they are self-motivated to pick up language without conscious learning, unlike adolescents and adults. They have the ability to imitate pronunciation and work out the rules for themselves. Any idea that learning to talk in English is difficult does not occur to them unless it’s suggested by adults, who themselves probably learned English academically at a later age through grammar-based text books.
Read the notes below about young children learning English as another language.
Spoken language comes naturally before reading and writing.
Silent period
When
babies learn their home language, there is a ‘silent period’, when they
look and listen and communicate through facial expression or gestures
before they begin to speak. When young children learn English, there may
be a similar ‘silent period’ when communication and understanding may
take place before they actually speak any English words.
During
this time parents should not force children to take part in spoken
dialogue by making them repeat words. Spoken dialogues should be
one-sided, the adult’s talk providing useful opportunities for the child
to pick up language. Where the adult uses parentese (an adjusted form
of speech) to facilitate learning, the child may use many of the same
strategies they used in learning their home language.
Beginning to talk
After
some time, depending on the frequency of English sessions, each child
begins to say single words (‘cat’, ‘house’) or ready-made short phrases
(‘What’s that?’, ‘It’s my book’, ‘I can’t’, ‘That’s a car’, ‘Time to go
home’) in dialogues or as unexpected statements. The child has memorised
them, imitating the pronunciation exactly without realising that some
may consist of more than one word. This stage continues for some time as
they child picks up more language using it as a short cut to dialogue
before they are ready to create their own phrases.
Building up English language
Gradually
children build up phrases consisting of a single memorised word to
which they add words from their vocabulary (‘a dog’, ‘a brown dog’, ‘a
brown and black dog’) or a single memorised language to which they add
their own input (‘That’s my chair’, ‘Time to play’). Depending on the
frequency of exposure to English and the quality of experience, children
gradually begin to create whole sentences.
Understanding is always greater than speaking and young children’s ability to comprehend should not be underestimated, as they are used to understanding their home language from a variety of context clues. Though they may not understand everything they hear in their home language, children grasp the gist – that is they understand a few important words and decipher the rest using different clues to interpret the meaning. With encouragement they soon transfer their ‘gist’ understanding skills to interpret meaning in English.
After the initial novelty of English sessions, some young children become frustrated by their inability to express their thoughts in English. Others want to speak quickly in English as they can in their home language. Frustration can often be overcome by providing children with ‘performance’ pieces like ‘I can count to 12 in English’ or very simple rhymes, which consist of ready-made phrases.
Children should not be told they have made a mistake because any correction immediately demotivates. Mistakes may be part of the process of working out grammar rules of English or they may be a fault in pronunciation. ‘I goed’ soon becomes ‘went’ if the child hears the adult repeat back ‘yes, you went’; or if the adult hears ‘zee bus’ and repeats ‘the bus’. As in learning their home language, if children have an opportunity to hear the adult repeat the same piece of language correctly, they will self-correct in their own time.
Young children find it more difficult to pick up English if they are not provided with the right type of experiences, accompanied by adult support using ‘parentese’ techniques.
Children who can already read in their home language generally want to find out how to read in English. They already know how to decode words in their home language to get meaning from text and, if not helped to decode in English, may transfer their home language-decoding techniques and end up reading English with the home language accent.
Before they can decode English, young children need to know the 26 alphabet letter names and sounds. As English has 26 letters but on average 44 sounds (in standard English), introducing the remaining sounds is better left until children have more experience in using language and reading,
Beginning reading in English goes easily if young children already know the language they are trying to read. Many children work out by themselves how to read in English if they have shared picture books with adults or learned rhymes, as they are likely to have memorised the language. Reading what they know by heart is an important step in learning to read as it gives children opportunities to work out how to decode simple words by themselves. Once children have built up a bank of words they can read, they feel confident and are then ready for a more structured approach.
Children need to feel that they are making progress. They need continual encouragement as well as praise for good performance, as any success motivates. Parents are in an ideal position to motivate and so help their children learn, even if they have only basic English themselves and are learning alongside their young children.
By sharing, parents can not only bring their child’s language and activities into family life, but can also influence their young children’s attitudes to language learning and other cultures. It is now generally accepted that most lifelong attitudes are formed by the age of eight or nine.
Many parents are worried about letting their child use the internet. On the LearnEnglish Kids website we take child protection very seriously. Only children can comment on the kids section of the site and all comments are checked before we publish them. Below you will find some tips to help your child use computers and the internet safely.
Every year thousands of children’s picture books are published in the UK. Children’s corners in bookshops offer a bewildering choice of new and old favourites, illustrated by some of the best artists working in Britain today. Native-speaker children have many opportunities to enjoy these picture books; there is no reason why young children learning English as an additional language should not enjoy them, too.
From the very first introduction to listening to English, children can enjoy carefully selected picture books. Young learners soon pick up the short text of a picture book, if initially it is shared with an adult who brings the pages alive.
Children are already familiar with stories. From a very young age they talk in narrative style. It is through their stories of everyday experiences that they define themselves: expressing their ideas, hopes and emotions in language as well as in drawing and imaginative play.
Many children are already used to decoding stories and information from television or film in their home language, while others may have already enjoyed the interaction of sharing a picture book. Most children, if guided by a parent, soon work out how to transfer their individual decoding skills to get meaning from picture books in English.
Sharing picture books is not only about picking up another language, it is also about giving children a wider window on the world, guided by their parents. The one-to-one interaction of sharing picture books gives children added opportunities to develop holistically at their own speed and level, knowing that their parents are encouraging them. As children share more and more books their self-confidence develops. This can often be seen in the way they approach unfamiliar English and new experiences.
Picture books provide parents and children with an obvious reason for switching from their home language to speaking English. Parents who lack confidence in English find that the fixed text of a picture book is a useful prop. Apart from providing text to read and share, a picture book can be the basis for interaction, which parents can adjust to their child’s developing needs, interests and attainments.
Some parents may be concerned that introducing picture books will not fit in with their child’s school syllabus or text book. Sharing a picture book is an additional English learning experience that bonds families and helps children realise that speaking English at home is fun. Many families enjoy slipping English phrases picked up from picture books into everyday home language conversations. ‘Not now, Bernard’ is quite a favourite!
It takes time to build up a child’s readiness to talk about picture books in English. Children’s silence, however, does not mean that they are not listening and learning. Children usually understand more than they can say in words and, if the book experience is focused and fun, they usually want to pick up the new English at their own speed. Children are busy exploring their world and most are keen to find out something new, particularly if it is presented in an encouraging and attractive way.
Parents can underestimate their children’s ability to pick up more text each time a picture book is shared. Many are surprised to see how keen their children are to join in ‘reading’ if they are encouraged to finish off a sentence or say a stressed word like ‘No’ each time it occurs. Once children work out how to join in, they gradually extend their skills to pick up whole short sentences until, eventually, they can recite most of a text as they turn the pages to match it to the illustrations. Many a busy parent purposely skipping a little text has had their ‘mistake’ pointed out by their child!
Young children’s boredom threshold differs from adults’. Many may ask for the same book to be read and re-read. Parents need to respond positively to these requests as re-readings provide the natural repetition children may need for making meaning or picking up new language as well as confirming and refining language they have already acquired.
Picture books, sometimes referred to as ‘real books’, to distinguish them from graded text books, expose children to a range of language structures and vocabulary familiar to native-speaker children.
Illustrations in real picture books are not merely supporting understanding of language, as might be the case in many text books. The different styles of artwork naturally broaden children’s visual experiences. One of the delights of sharing picture books with children is that, on first viewing, children tend to look at an illustration as a whole but with repeated reading of the book, details and subtleties usually emerge.
The illustrations may be by well-known artists, pictures may be photographs or the books may contain 3D novelty paper sculptures. How exciting it is for children to hold art in their hands. There is no doubt that exposure to picture books increases visual decoding skills and over time influences creativity and the ability to appreciate design and illustration.
Picture books also help children find meaning within their own life. Children can pore over emotional situations contained within picture books that may help to relieve personal frustrations, or they can encounter exciting and imaginative experiences way beyond their own environment or even their dreams. Imagine the power a child feels as he or she firmly shuts a book and says, ‘GOODBYE Giant!’
Picture books may be:
Parents need to select books that they enjoy and feel they can read confidently – enthusiasm is infectious! Before they introduce a book, they need to plan how they are going to read the text and, each time they re-read, follow the same plan. Children find it more difficult to pick up language if the reading differs each time.
In the early stages it is vital to select books with short texts, if children are to pick up language successfully and in a way that self-motivates. Children can measure their own success and this, together with merited adult praise, contributes to a positive feeling about sharing English picture books.
Where a simple text is slightly longer, it is generally advisable to limit the first reading to the essential story language. Once this is understood, the descriptions can be gradually added using parentese language.
Most books should be selected to include some language a little beyond a child’s level in English, so the child can start from familiar language and move on to some new language.
Once children have shared several books successfully, the habit of ‘reading’ together regularly in the family in English is likely to be established.
Ideally a book should include some words or phrases that can be transferred to children’s everyday English, so giving them opportunities to use their innate skills to transfer language to different situations.
Some story books are sold with an attached CD-ROM or DVD. These offer children a different, less intimate and more passive experience than sharing picture books. For profound learning, it is best to share the book until children know most of the text by heart before exposing them to either the CD-ROM or DVD.
Apart from the wealth of all-round experiences that come from sharing, children may not be ready, before they are familiar with the text, to cope with a voice and even accent that is different from their parents’.
By this time children are likely to have found out how to enjoy the picture book, and may even want to read by themselves.
For successful sharing it is important to set the scene for regular book times. Children need to know that this is when they can snuggle up to parents and feel confident that their parents will focus only on them and sharing the book.
Book time may be a single session or part of a larger English session which includes other activities in English. Ideally there needs to be an ‘English book time’ every day or at least every weekday at about the same time, as frequent short exposure is more effective than fewer, longer sessions. Length can vary from ten minutes to longer periods to match children’s readiness to learn and mood on the actual day. Regularity gives a feeling of security and something to which children can look forward.
It is a good idea to share the choice of books to be read, as children’s requests may hide emotional or language needs. A new book is best introduced once children are beginning to ‘read’ the other books successfully. Presentation of a new book should be saved for a day when both parents and children ‘feel good’.
In the initial stages children are dependent on the parent’s reading and interaction for input and picking up language. The role gradually changes as children begin to share a little of the reading. As children’s reading ability increases, the role of the parent gradually diminishes.
By the time children know the text by heart and are capable of ‘reading’ the book aloud to themselves or to others, the parent’s role is reduced to re-phrasing mistakes and praising successes.
Throughout this time the parent is managing the experiences and tuning into their child to find out what stage they have reached and where they need added support. This cycle repeats each time a new book is introduced, but as children learn more English the cycle takes less time.
Book browsing is a form of play where children enjoy books by themselves, in their own time, turning the pages when they want. Like all self-initiated play, it is an important part of learning, as it gives children time to revisit what they want and consolidate their learning at their own level and speed and not that of the parent.
Young children also need opportunities to ‘read’ to the extended family, as it is natural for them to want to demonstrate their achievements; it is also a form of play. Successes motivate and help to confirm in children’s minds that reading a book in English is what the family expects and finds fun. Young children want to please their parents and also share fun times with them.
Books that children already know well need to be stored in an available place so that, when they feel like it, they can take a book and ‘read’ it aloud to themselves. At this stage most children are not capable of silent reading.
Ideally books should be stored with the front cover facing outwards – looking at a book’s spine is less likely to motivate browsing at this age.
Books should not be added to the home library before children know quite a lot of the text language. If children find they cannot read a text of a book in the home library, they are most likely to be demotivated. Keeping the feeling ‘I can’ is important in the initial stages. Any ‘I can’t’ feelings take time and encouragement to change.
The amount of parentese language parents need to use depends on children’s language level in both their home language and English.
In the first few sharings of a new book, parents need to remember the following:
Young children are busy decoding their own surroundings and making sense of their home language, which often includes a lot of new language, if they are not talking about daily routines. Children are very good at understanding the gist of what is said to them and responding to it. Unlike many adults learning another language, children do not wait to understand every word. They pick out words they understand and fill in the rest of the meaning from context clues and the speaker’s body language, eyes or facial expressions. In sharing picture books, the child can get additional clues from the picture.
Initially, in order to facilitate quicker understanding, parents may feel happier translating a word or phrase. However, it is better to translate once only, using a whisper that indicates it is a translation and not part of the text. Children easily understand from a quick translation. If they know that parents are going to continue giving translations each book time, they do not make the effort to acquire the English.
Picture books illustrated by British-trained artists tend to reflect environments and cultural habits typical of British society. Where these are very different from the child’s world, parents need to be prepared to give added explanation in the home language.
Parents may be concerned when children who can already read in their home language want to decode words in picture books. Parents think any reading might interfere with the school’s structured programme of learning to read in English. Formal teaching of reading should not be confused with the experience of reading picture books for pleasure. If children show interest in teaching themselves to read, parents should encourage their enthusiasm and help them informally.
They can begin by introducing the small letters of the alphabet using their sounds, not their letter names. The consonant letters (for example b, d, m, t) are the simplest. Once children know some of the letter sounds, point out these letters at the beginning of words, stressing the initial letter sounds (dog).
As children become more familiar with the small letter sounds (consonants and simple vowels), introduce the capital letters by the side of the small letters, repeating their sounds.
Children soon begin to recognise the shape of simple words as they already know the text by heart, and therefore know where to look for them. Ask them to look for the same word in other parts of the text and expand this game.
Many children who are already reading in their home language soon understand how simple decoding works and continue by themselves to recognise other short words in the text. To help their decoding, however, parents need to tell them how to read short, but difficult words to decode, like ‘the’.
If parents sing an alphabet song, explain that letters have a name that is different from the sound it makes and in most alphabet songs we sing the names of the letters.
Some children teach themselves to read a text they already know orally, especially if it is rhyme. They use a number of strategies to decode the text and a little guessing to fill in until they know the text by heart. Many children have been using these strategies from an early age to ‘read’ logos of well-known products. Praise their efforts to read the text, but realise that this is restricted reading based on a text they know orally.
However, being able to read a text motivates and is an important step on the journey to becoming a fluent reader. Any reading done in an enjoyable, non-pressured way at this young age, when lifelong attitudes are being formed, is likely to contribute to a later love of language and books.
Have you ever wondered how you can motivate your child to practise their English? Follow our ten tips for success!
Be enthusiastic about the language yourself. If your child sees you reading, watching films and speaking in English, they will be inspired to do the same. Actively involve yourself in your child’s English learning experience, rather than expecting them to study on their own. Giving your child lots of praise, encouragement and support will increase their self-confidence and motivation.
Learning
a language should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Try to
incorporate an element of fun into activities. Children naturally like
to play and love games for practising speaking and learning new
vocabulary or grammar. Try card games such as Memory, action games such as Simon says, or board games such as Snakes and ladders.
Use
your child’s sense of competition as a motivator, for example the child
who uses their first language least during the game is allowed to
choose the next game.
Think about your child’s personality, interests and things that they like when suggesting ways for them to practise English. Very active children may like to play action games, quieter children may prefer word games or card games. If your child likes sport, they will enjoy stories, vocabulary games, etc. about sport.
Being part of the choosing process is a great motivator. It also allows your child to pick situations, subjects, etc. which they feel comfortable with in English. For example, you can encourage your child to read in English by choosing English books together at a local library or bookshop, or online.
Try to choose the right time to encourage your child to practise their English. They should be receptive and alert rather than tired and grumpy. Putting your child under pressure to work on their English will make them feel stressed. If, after starting an activity, you notice that your child is not receptive, it is better to try again later rather than forcing them to continue.
Children
love role-playing and using their imagination. Suggest some situations,
such as at the toyshop, on the bus, at the restaurant, etc., and ask
your child to choose. Take turns playing the different roles, e.g.
customer and shopkeeper, and give language support as necessary. If they
use phrases in their first language, repeat what they have said in
English. Gradually your child will produce more of the speaking parts in
the dialogues.
Make-believing the situation creates an immediate
need to use English for your child, and their motivation will be high.
Make the situation more meaningful by using real objects, e.g. toys for
the toyshop; arrange chairs to make a bus; set a table for a restaurant.
Making tickets, price tags, menus, etc. increases their involvement in
the game. The more enthusiastically you play your role, the more
motivated your child will be!
Children
are often reluctant to do their homework or study for school tests.
Establish a regular homework routine, allowing your child some choice in
what time and where they study. Provide help, and try to be supportive
and encouraging. Praise your child for any effort they make, rather than
criticise or threaten them. This will help your child to develop
self-confidence and a positive attitude. A child who enjoys English will
be intrinsically motivated to practise, improve and study.
Don’t be afraid to talk to their teacher – they will be happy to advise you on how to support your child’s learning.
Sharing
the learning experience with family and friends will motivate your
child. Encourage older children to help their younger siblings practise
their English. Having a role of responsibility is highly motivational.
Why
not let your child choose an English film and invite some friends or
family to watch it? Arrange chairs to turn your living room into a
cinema! Making invitations and tickets provides an opportunity to practise writing and makes the experience more fun.
Many children enjoy performing. Suggest that they put on a play or puppet show or sing some English songs for the family.
Young children learn English differently from
most adults. Most have an innate ability to pick up English while taking
part in activities, by making sense of what they are doing and picking
up the adult’s language that accompanies the activity.
You can plan regular sessions which will usually take place:
These are more informal and can take place:
As your child’s English ability increases, short English sessions tend to occur more frequently. Once your child understands more English, you may include an English phrase in a home language conversation.
Planning English sessions
Programmes
should follow the same structure each time, as knowing what to expect
lightens stress and enables children to concentrate their efforts on
picking up English.
Basic programme
Introducing new materials or games
Effectiveness
of materials depends on how you bring them to life. Adapt them and
personalise them to match your child’s needs and interests, which makes
it easier for your child to absorb the new language.
Home-made or
customised materials are often more effective as they fit language needs
better, especially in the early stages of learning. Making materials
together at home adds something special, including a feeling of
achievement.
Records
Keep a written record of
your sessions together, as it helps you to see what you have done, what
you can plan for the next one and evaluate what you have done over a
period of time.
Keeping it going
If your
child says ‘it’s too difficult, I don’t want to do it’, don’t give in
and don’t switch into home language. Quietly change to an easy-to-play
game you know they have enjoyed. Have fun and if possible make sure your
child wins. It is important that the English session ends with your
child ‘feeling good’ about him or herself and learning English.
Later,
it may be good to discuss with your child why they found it difficult.
Consider what you could change next time, such as the amount of new
material or how it was presented. In the meantime, go back to using
easier materials for several sessions to help them regain their
confidence.
An English corner (or table) provides a focus for anything related to English sessions. It is the display and storage place for:
Craft activities tend to be best when they have a purpose:
Switching to use English for family activities works well if your child feels there is a reason to use English - packing a bag for a holiday or making a typical English dish copying a recipe from an English cookbook. Try decorating some biscuits with different faces.
Rhymes exist in most cultures and from a very young age most children seem to be able to pick them up and enjoy saying them aloud, especially when they are supported and encouraged.
You will also find a selection of rhymes to listen to.
You can use rhymes within your English sessions:
Rhyme cards
In
the early stages of learning it is fun to make rhyme cards of rhymes
your child knows. Write out or print out the rhyme on a card and let
your child decorate it. Store it in the English corner so that, in their
own time, they can take it out and look at it as they say the rhyme
aloud to themselves.
Rhyme books
When you have
made five or six rhyme cards, photocopy them to make a book of rhymes
for your child. A book is easy to carry around and they may want to take
it in the car, to school, to bed or to show it to others.
Songs
Introduce
new songs in English sessions. You can gradually build up a selection
of songs you can sing together, along with a CD or MP3 player.
Many
traditional songs can be adapted to fit different activities and
circumstances. Adapting is fairly easy to do once children know the
tune. For example, ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ can be changed to
‘If you’re hungry and you know it, eat an apple’ or ‘If you’re dirty and
you know it, wash your hands’. Adaptations like these can add fun to
daily home routines. You can also use actions or props to help bring a
song to life.
When
selecting picture books to share with your child, focus on those with
limited, clear text that are engaging and fun to read.
Selecting books
When you are selecting books ask yourself:
Reading aloud
Making your own story books
After your child has shared many books with you, they might like to make their own story book:
1. Staple together some paper to make a short blank book.
2. Discuss the possible content – theme, characters, location, etc, but ensure that the book is created from their ideas.
3. Ask them to draw some pictures and tell you the story and you can then write the text if they are not confident doing this.
4. Add their book to your collection and read and enjoy it together.
Playing games adds excitement and fun to learning English and supports children’s holistic learning and development. Playing games may even change the attitudes of some children who find learning English difficult as it gives them a chance to win. In playing games, unlike in many other activities in English, success is not only measured by how well you can speak English.
Types of games
Games can be loosely grouped into:
These are quick to organise and get a result. They may need no equipment and can be played almost anywhere. Rhyme games help with saying sounds and gaining fluency.
Rhyme starting games
Counting between two people or around the circle. One count to each word. The last person counted wins:
Red, white and blue.
All out but YOU!
Counting
out around the circle using one count to each word. The last child
counted is out and it begins again from the next person. The remaining
person wins:
Acker backer soda cracker
Acker backer boo!
Acker backer soda cracker
Out goes you!
Alphabet starting games
Counting between two people or around the circle. One count to each word. The last person counted wins:
A E I O U You!
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U You are it.
Simon says
Make sure your child knows the names of parts of the face and later the parts of the body.
You are Simon and give instructions. Your child has to listen and do exactly what ‘Simon says’.
1. If you say ‘Simon says touch your nose’, your child touches their nose.
2. If you say ‘Simon says don’t touch your mouth’, your child freezes where they are and does not touch their mouth.
3. If your child makes a mistake and touches their mouth, they lose one of their three points.
4. When they have lost all three points, they are out and the game finishes.
Where’s the bear?
Introduce
a soft toy like a teddy bear or similar. Make sure your child knows
‘on’, ‘in’, ‘behind’ and the names of some furniture.
1. While your child shuts their eyes and you both count to five or ten, you hide the bear under a chair.
2. After counting, say ‘Open your eyes. Where’s the bear?’
3.
You can then talk to your child as they look for the bear using words
such as ‘on’, ‘under’ and ‘behind’ and name furniture in the room.
4. When the bear is found, you can swap roles.
Farmer, farmer, can I cross the water?
1. Players ask this question while standing on a pretend river bank, wanting to cross the river to the other side.
2. The farmer replies ‘Yes, if you have got something yellow.’
3. Anyone with something yellow replies ‘Yes, I have got something yellow’ and walks across the river.
4. Anyone who has not got something of the right colour, races across trying not to be caught.
5. Anyone caught has to drop out and wait until the farmer has caught everyone.
6. The game restarts and each time the farmer selects another colour.
7. When everyone has been caught the farmer then selects the next farmer and the game restarts.
What’s the time Mr Wolf?
1. Mr Wolf stands in his house in a marked corner.
2. The players, who are sheep, approach Mr Wolf and ask him ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’
3. Mr Wolf replies ‘One o’clock.’
4. The sheep get a little closer to Mr Wolf’s house and ask again ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’
5. Mr Wolf replies ‘Two o’clock.’
6. The game continues until the sheep are quite close and then Mr Wolf replies ‘dinner time,’ and chases the sheep.
7. Any sheep caught stay in Mr Wolf’s house for one turn.
I went on safari
Make 12 cards featuring animals you might see on safari – or any other animals.
1.
Each person, in turn, has to say ‘I went on Safari and I saw [they turn
over a card and say what is on the card] an elephant.’
2. They put the card, picture down, on another pile.
3. The next player says ‘I went on Safari and I saw an elephant and [turns a card and adds the name of the animal] a parrot.’
4. Each player, in turn, adds the name of an animal.
5. If they forget any of the animals in the list, they are out of the game.
6. If the list grows to more than 12 animals, the game begins again and anyone, who is already out, can re-join.
Memory game
Make 12 pairs of identical picture cards of the same items and place them face-down on a flat surface.
1. The first player turns over a card and says ‘a bus’, then turns a second card.
2. If it is the same they say and ‘a bus, two buses’ and keeps the two cards.
3. If the card is different they replace both cards from where they took them.
4. The aim is to find two cards (a pair) with the same picture.
5. When no more cards are left, count the pairs.
6. Add more items to these cards, once your child knows the names and plurals of the first 12 cards.
7. Later change the theme of the cards; for example, to clothing (a pair of socks, a red T-shirt, etc.).
Board games such as snakes and ladders or ludo are easy to make and provide lots of opportunities for sharing English together. You can make them to match your child’s ability and needs.
Learners are often worried about pronunciation, but you do not need to sound like a native English speaker to be able to communicate in English. There are different accents in the United Kingdom and other countries where English is spoken as a first language. English is also widely used in countries like India and Singapore, and is increasingly used as a global language. There are many different varieties of English – you've probably discovered this yourself. Don't worry if your child does not speak with 'perfect' English pronunciation. Let your child play with and discover sounds – this is an important stage in learning languages.
There are lots of activities you can do with your child to practise pronunciation. Choose the activities that you think your child will like best. Try to make the activities as fun as possible, and stop when your child has had enough.
Songs and rhymes
Songs, nursery rhymes and chants are a great way to introduce younger children to the sounds of English. Many chants and nursery rhymes are repetitive and easy to remember, and your child will not need to be able to read or write English. Listen to the songs, learn them together and sing the rhymes wherever and whenever you like – in the car, on the way to school, at bathtime!
Listening to stories
Listening to somebody reading aloud while following a text is a good way for children to pick up how words sound, and also to learn what words sound like in sentences. If you don't feel confident enough to read aloud to your child then there are stories you can listen to together on LearnEnglish Kids. You could also borrow books with CDs from the library if that's possible, or buy some. Perhaps you could share books and CDs with friends and make your own library?
Games
Say words silently to your child. Can they guess what words you are
saying by looking at your mouth? This will make them concentrate on the
shapes the mouth makes for different sounds. When your child understands
the game, they can silently say some words to you.
Create a character with a name which starts with the sound you want to
focus on, like /dz/ which is the sound of the 'J' in 'Jack'. Ask your
child to draw Jack and then think of all the things that Jack likes that
start with the same sound, for example juggling, jam, Japanese food,
etc. Now draw these things around the picture of Jack.
Play a rhyming game by choosing one word, for example, chair. Ask your
child to draw the word, and next to the picture write (or draw) words
that have the same sound, for example hair, hare, wear, pear.
Tongue twisters
Try some tongue twisters. This can be a fun way to practise sounds with older children. Here are some popular English tongue twisters.