By Jo Blackmore, LearnEnglish Kids team

How do I start teaching my kids English at home?

Many parents would like to teach their children English at home, but dont
know how to start. It doesnt 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. Dont worry if your child doesnt 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.
Establishing a routine
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 childs 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.
Playing games
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, Kims game, Snap or
Happy Families.
You can find free downloadable flashcards on a wide range of topics on our
website.
There are many other types of games you can play with your children to
help them practise English.

Action games for example Simon says, Charades, Whats the time
Mr Wolf?

Board games Snakes and ladders, other traditional games

Word games e.g. I spy, Hangman

Online games you could finish your English time with an online
game from LearnEnglish Kids.

Using everyday situations

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:

Talk about clothes when your child is getting dressed, or when you are
sorting laundry (Lets put on your blue socks, Its Dads T-shirt,
etc.).

Practise vocabulary for toys and furniture when you are helping your
child to tidy their bedroom (Lets put your teddy bear on the bed!,
Where is the blue car?).

Teach food vocabulary when you are cooking or going shopping.

When you go to the supermarket, give your child a list of things to
find (use pictures or words depending on their age). Revise the
vocabulary when you put the shopping away at home.

Using stories
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.
The animated stories on LearnEnglish Kids are an excellent way for children
to develop listening and reading skills. Older children can complete the
accompanying downloadable activities to check understanding.
Using songs
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.
There are many fun, animated songs on LearnEnglish Kids which you can
listen to with your children.
Teaching grammar
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
someones appearance, or must/mustnt 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.
For older children, you can use the grammar section on LearnEnglish Kids.
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.

Which words and phrases should I teach first?

Consider your childs 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:

numbers (110; 1020; 20100)

colours

adjectives (e.g. big, small, tall, happy, sad, tired)

the body

toys

clothes

animals (e.g. pets, farm animals, wild animals)

food

You can find lots of fun activities on a huge range of topics on LearnEnglish
Kids.
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. Its English time! Lets
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?; Its ; I like ; I dont 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.
Toddler English Teaching
Toddlers are natural sponges when it comes to language; they are ready to
learn whatever language you want to teach them. Thankfully, with younger
children, you don't have to sit around with flashcards and a translation
dictionary as you might with an older child. According to the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association, toddlers, even those who have never
heard a word of English before, will learn English as long as you speak and
read to them regularly.
Items you will need

Toddler board books

Stroll

Toy phone

Play kitchen

Teach English to Toddlers

Step 1

Narrate the day in English. If your toddler is used to hearing another

language from you, you may want to use both languages at first to help him
make the connection. If you're not bilingual yourself, that's okay.
Step 2
Label the environment in English. When you're not talking to your child
about what you two are doing, talk to her about what you two are seeing.
This is especially effective on walks, when you can name all the objects in
your neighborhood.
Step 3
Read in English. Toddler board books, with their simple texts and pictures,
are an effective way for anyone to develop a strong English vocabulary.
Start by reading books that highlight simple concepts like colors or
household objects. Then move on to ones with simple stories.
Step 4
Play together in English. Toddlers learn a lot through play; language is no
exception. Pretending to talk on the phone or do another familiar activity,
like making dinner in a play kitchen, is helpful for language practice.
Step 5
Be prepared for the silent period. A toddler who has never heard English
before may undergo a silent period where he doesn't say much in his
original language or in English for up to several months. This is normal and
you shouldn't try to force him to speak to you. Instead, keep talking to him
as you have been doing.
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Tip

Videos and TV shows that are bilingual are fine for entertainment
purposes, but they are not as effective in teaching English as reading
or talking to your child.

Warning

If your child's silent period lasts more than a few months, or she is not
reaching language milestones in either language, talk to your
pediatrician.

References

Science Daily: A Second Language Gives Toddlers An Edge

American Speech-Language Hearing Association: Learning Two

Languages

Center for Applied Linguistics: Raising Bilingual Children

PBS Parents: Learning Two Languages

British Council: Learn English Kids

About the Author

Jennifer Zimmerman is a former preschool and elementary teacher who has
been writing professionally since 2007. She has written numerous articles
for The Bump, Band Back Together, Prefab and other websites, and has
edited scripts and reports for DWJ Television and Inversion Productions. She
is a graduate of Boston University and Lewis and Clark College.