Love for English - all ages are submissive. But still, many linguists and psychologists insist that it is better to learn a foreign language from childhood. Why and at what age it is worth starting to learn English with a child - we will tell you in more detail.
The increased interest in learning foreign languages is increasingly causing many parents to ask themselves the question “At what age can you start learning English?”. Someone began to learn the language from the first grade of a comprehensive school, someone seriously took up this lesson already at the institute, someone decided to add English to the treasury of knowledge and skills for the sake of professional improvement. Many English language courses are starting to offer the service "English for children from 2 years old". We have already talked about which way of learning a language is best for your child. Now let's answer the question, at what age can a child be taught English.
The age at which children can learn English is a conditional concept. Everyone has his own, unambiguous answer to the question "At what age can children memorize foreign languages?" no and cannot be. And yet, educators, linguists and psychologists are increasingly saying that there is an optimal age for learning English. That's just for every psychologist, teacher, parent and any other researcher on the issue of learning English by children, this age is different. The main thing that everyone focuses on is that the child should like the process of learning a language. Use fairy tales, English counting rhymes, finger games and other interesting forms of language learning.
And yet, at what age can one take the first steps into the world of the English language?
From the first days of life
Of course, you will not be able to send your baby to an English school or courses at that age. Moreover, even inviting a tutor is not a good option. The child learns the world, comes into contact with it, recognizes the parents who are trying to create a special atmosphere around him. It is unlikely that you want to invite anyone to this cozy little world. Therefore, if you want to start learning English with a child from the first days of his life, count only on your level of language proficiency. Lullabies in English are an excellent option for a child's first acquaintance with a foreign language.
From 1.5 - 2 years
In this case, you have a ghostly chance that some English school will still take your tiny child to study. Some schools recruit even two-year-olds into groups. True, such classes, as a rule, are held in the presence of parents and have a number of other features. The main thing is to take into account the wishes of the child, use those forms of language learning that he likes.
From 3 to 5 years old
Most educators and psychologists insist that this is the most optimal age to start in the world of the English language. Moreover, in the process of learning a language, you can develop a child's fine motor skills, attention, perseverance, imagination and many other skills.
The difference in development between a three-year-old and a five-year-old child is huge. And yet there are some common age features, thanks to which we combined kids with a two-year age difference into one group:
- this age is considered preschool
- the pronoun "I" appears in the child's speech
- self-esteem develops: the child wants to meet the requirements of adults, which means that he can be motivated to devote more time to classes
- children actively play role-playing games, which can also be used in the process of learning the language; the game becomes an important element of knowledge of the world
- At this age, children need motivation for their activities.
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From 5–7 years old
At this age, the vocabulary of the native language is very quickly enriched in the child, children actively communicate with their peers, learn to listen to them. That is why at this age the most acceptable option for learning English is in a group. The child has a fairly large stock of knowledge about the world around him. There are no difficulties in learning new words of the English language if the child already has an idea about this subject or concept. The attention of the child becomes more concentrated. At this age, the baby can be engaged in uninteresting emu business for 20-25 minutes under the guidance of an adult. But this does not mean that the teacher now does not have to turn the English lesson into an exciting adventure. English for preschoolers from 5 to 7 years old should be taught in a fun, interesting, bright, colorful way.
English courses for children
If your child has already reached the age of 7, you can start learning English at any time. Moreover, if at an early age you could resort to the help of a tutor or English teachers in a language school only occasionally, then from the age of seven you can enroll your child in full-fledged English courses.
You can study earlier - from the age of 3: many early childhood development centers offer such a service. But before enrolling your kid in English courses for children, it is worth attending a trial lesson, think about whether your child will be able to get used to an unfamiliar environment, and find out in what form the classes take place. Sometimes a child may perceive even an offer to color a picture as a task, and not as a fun game. And this means that interest in the lesson in particular and in the process of learning the language in general will be lost. When should I send my child to English courses? This will depend on the nature of the courses. There are schools that offer exciting classes, workshops, master classes and theater studios in English. In such a school, the kid will study with great pleasure from the age of 3.
Advice for parents "How to start learning English at home with children?"
Ivacheva Yuliya Alekseevna, English teacher, State Enterprise "Nursery-garden "Bobek", Kazakhstan, Shchuchinsk.Description: This material will help parents in teaching their children English at home.
Target: help parents find an approach to teaching English to children at home, captivate, create an environment.
Many parents would like to start teaching their children English at home on their own, but don't know how to start. If your English is not perfect - this is not a reason to refuse to study. The main thing here is your enthusiasm and support.
Don't worry if your child doesn't immediately repeat or memorize words. He needs time to understand, remember and apply them in the future. Be patient and your child will start speaking English words in their free time.
Set up an exercise routine.
Pick a time to practice. It is best if these are several short-term classes (10-15 minutes) during the day. You can gradually increase the time of classes, as the child gets older, more diligent. Let the lessons be short, but interesting, fun, informative. Try to do certain activities at the same time each day. Children feel comfortable and confident when they know what to expect. For example, you play an English game every day after kindergarten or school, or you read an English story to your child before bed.
If you have free space at home, create in it English corner, where you'll store everything related to learning English, such as books, games, DVDs, or things the kids have made.
Play.
Children learn easily when they are having fun. Picture cards are the best way to learn words. There are many games that you can play using cards. It is also possible to play English games on the computer.
Use everyday situations.
The advantage of learning English at home is that you can use everyday situations and real things in the house to practice the language freely. For example: talking about clothes when the child is getting dressed, or when you are putting away toys. Study the vocabulary on the topic "Food". When you go to the store, give your child a list of things to find (use flashcards or words depending on age). Repeat the words as you sort through the purchases at home.
Read fairy tales, discuss.
Children love brightly colored books with attractive illustrations. Look at the pictures together and name them in English. Then ask the child to show what you called in English “Where is the cat?” . Ask your child to describe the item using simple adjectives “a big cat”. Read a short story in English, you can pick up a poem in English, consisting of simple phrases “Little Mouse, Little Mouse, where is your house? I'm a poor Mouse, I have no house.” Ask your child what familiar words they heard when you read the story to them. Listening to English speech, the child will learn the sounds and rhythm of the English language.
Use songs.
Songs is a really effective way to learn new words and improve your pronunciation. Action songs are especially good for very young children as they can participate even if they can't sing the song yet. The meaning of the words in a song can be shown through movement.
What about grammar?
There is no strong need for young children to learn the rules of grammar, instead they need to be taught to listen and use different grammatical structures in context, such as “Have got” when talking about someone’s appearance, or, “Must/mustn’t” when saying about their school rules. Hearing grammar used in context from an early age will help your child use it fluently and correctly when they are older.
Older children are more interested in learning English with their siblings or other family members. You can come up with a situation that requires a dialogue between children, organize a competition or a role-playing game.
What words and phrases should be learned first?
Consider your child's interests and personality, decide which topics to explore, and let your child help you choose. You can start with some of these topics:
numbers (1-10; 10-20; 20-100)
colors
adjectives (e.g. big, small, tall, happy, sad, tired)
body
toys
clothes
animals (e.g. pets, wild animals)
food
It is also important for your child to get used to the English time mode. Use the same phrases with your child every time, such as “English time! Let's sit down. thank you; Can I have …?; Where is...?; Point to...; What color is it?; It's...; I like...; I don't like…. This is a…”.
When teaching your child, remember that the key is to relax, have fun and make learning English an enjoyable experience for you and your child.
Greetings to all parents concerned about the upbringing and education of their children!
So, we, adults, could not tear our children away from the game ... They were so passionate about these truly educational toys that I came up with the idea to find the same ones so that my daughter would be happy with them, and I would have free time.
By the way, these toys can be safely used at the initial stage of your baby's acquaintance with the English language. How? Read my article and find out!
Today, more and more parents want their children to know a foreign language. It's even better if they learn it as early as possible. As a mother, I perfectly understand this desire and support it with my arms and legs! And as a teacher, more and more often I hear doubts, worries and hundreds of questions from familiar mothers about what to do, how to do it, when to start, how to get interested, and many, many others.
So today I decided to do an absolutely practical lesson. I want to answer every question I've ever been asked in the simplest possible way, and give you dozens of great tips for you and your baby to choose your path of learning.
Everything is clear, understandable and on the shelves!
Shall we start?
- The sooner the better! Scientists say that children remember information much faster than adults aged 2 to 9 years. From here you can easily answer the question of when to start teaching English to a child! The answer is simple - as soon as possible! From as early as possible, teach your child to speak English (). There are hundreds of ways to do this. Look for those that will work with your baby and the result will not keep you waiting! And how to teach children English - read on!
- Divide the roles! Do you know how in Western countries children are made bilingual (that is, those who speak 2 languages at once)? Parents share roles. If someone in the family can speak a foreign language, great, do it. Let the child get used to 2 languages at once from childhood (). If no one in your family knows a foreign language, then this is another question. Well, then we will use other methods.
- Include English in your daily life! In the event that you yourself do not speak English fluently, you can still learn a few phrases to help your baby at an early stage. For example, you can start saying " good morning' instead of 'Good morning', ' good night" instead of "Good night", give him a toy and call it in English. Try to do this as often as possible. You will not have time to look back, as your child will begin to say to a passing car, “ a car».
- Play with them. Girls' favorite game is "daughters-mothers", so imagine that the dolls came from another country and speak only English. Or a bunny jumped in to visit you (a helicopter flew in, a car from cartoons like "Robocar" arrived), which needs to be told what toys you have.
- Interest! What I repeat from time to time: children should be interested! Get them interested in interesting stories. Your baby probably does not even understand why he needs it at all, why someone can speak a different language, why he needs to do this. Explain it in an interesting way. Come up with a fairy tale about how countries and languages were created. For example:
There were several wizard brothers. The brothers went in different directions, found land for themselves and began to settle there. They built houses for children, created various children's parks, invented new games that others did not have. Yes, they worked so hard that they forgot that they spoke the same language. And each brother appeared in the country with his own language. But millions of children from different countries wanted to come to the country of their uncles. And therefore, to make it easier for them there, they learned the language of this country ...
Come up with such different fairy tales that will explain to the baby why he needs to learn something. Make it interesting for him and then you don't have to torment him and put pressure on him to study.
If you are a caring parent and interested in the development of your child, then you may like one of my finds, which is not related to English, but can be a cool tool in class with your fidgets. This is name book ! It is printed individually for your child, and the idea in it is simply amazing, in my opinion! And what do you think?
The most common mistakes!
We all make mistakes. And in teaching our children too. Try to eliminate the possibility of these errors.
- Unwillingness to understand your baby.
If you see that your child does not really want to do something, does it through whims and tears - change tactics. Listen to your kids. Let me remind you that the most important thing is to generate interest! If learning for him is tears and screams - you are unlikely to be on the right track!- Lessons from time to time.
This is where persistence is needed. You can not work out once a week for 10 minutes and postpone everything “for later”. So nothing will work. But here's my advice to you: allocate 40 minutes 2 times a week, but still somehow connect the rest of the time with English. The main thing is not to be lazy and take small steps every day!- You press!
Children are very receptive at any age, so do not put pressure on them. Don't expect them to abruptly repeat everything after you. Don't expect instant results. Learning is a long and not the easiest process. But it is in our power to make this process enjoyable for our beloved kids.- Don't criticize!
Fixing bugs is fine. But you need to do it in such a way as not to kill the child's desire to learn. Point out mistakes, but don't focus on them. Praise your children. Rejoice in their accomplishments with them. Be their friend who helps them, not a strict teacher with a pointer at the ready!Dear ones, I tried to close as many questions as possible today, but I am sure that you still have (or will have) more! So don't wait for the answer to come by itself. I will be glad to help you. Leave your questions in the comments, share your experience of how you teach your children! And I, in turn, will be very glad to help you if you get lost along the way.
I recently created a special section "". There I tried to collect all the materials you need to start your journey to the country of the English language. Use them for your health. Write your wishes or questions in the comments!
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Good luck on your journey of language learning with your little ones.
See you soon!
Motivation is the reason that motivates a person to do something and spend precious time. Therefore, before starting a long and important business, you need to find your “guiding star”, and maybe several. So why do kids need to learn English? First of all, this is another way of communication, the same as communication in the native language. At preschool age, the emphasis is on developing the ability to perceive, understand and reproduce the sounds of not only native speech, but also other languages. This will help in the future to learn languages more easily, to feel at ease in the company of people who speak other languages. In addition, pronunciation is a kind of articulatory gymnastics that develops the organs of speech.
From what age?
The sooner you start with your child, the more realistic your goals will become. After all, even Glenn Doman, an American educator and psychologist, in his research came to the conclusion that a child under the age of 3 years is able to show amazing results in matters of learning. And if your baby is not yet a year old, consider yourself lucky: you are at the ideal age from the point of view of linguists to start teaching your baby a foreign language. But if it so happened that the child gets acquainted with the language at the age of 4-5, this is also normal, perhaps something will go even easier. The main thing is that he likes it.
How?
At each lesson, a specific lexical topic will be discussed (for example, "The World of Animals" or "Learning to greet each other"), on the basis of which you will be able to get acquainted in the form of training with useful techniques for memorizing and activating your knowledge in the future. In other words, you will learn how to better and more effectively memorize and apply the acquired knowledge in practice. The main thing is to practice on a regular basis and believe in success. So, to business!
Lesson 1.
The first lesson we will devote to getting to know the English alphabet. We offer you a series of exercises and fun games aimed at effectively memorizing and automating speaking skills. You and your baby will be able to apply the acquired knowledge on your next trip abroad.
Alphabet
The English alphabet is the basis of knowledge. It is not for nothing that first-graders at school begin to study their native Russian language precisely from the alphabet. The English alphabet consists of 26 letters, which is slightly less than the Russian one.
To memorize the alphabet, we can use the following hint: the song "ABC Song" (Song about the alphabet, [hey bc son]). Thanks to the wonderful melody and accentuation of certain letters in the voice, the alphabet is easy to remember. You can find this song on the Internet, or try to read the alphabet in such a way that the letters marked in bold are sung a little longer than the rest. So let's try:
Hey, bi, si, di, and,
ef, ji-i-i,
H, ai, jay, kay, el, uh, en, ooh, pee,
Q, ar, es, tee,
yu and vee-ee-ee,
Da-a-abl yu, ex,
wye and zi-i-i.
Nau ah know may
hey bc:
Tuenti syks letaz
frome tu zi.
It looks like a short poem in English:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P,
Q, R, S, T, U and V,
W, X, Y and Z.
Now I know my ABC:
Twenty-six letters
from A to Z.
(Now I know the whole alphabet: all 26 letters from A to Z.)
Read the alphabet first yourself, then find the melody on the Internet, listen to it several times with your child. Then you can already sing the song together. Invite your baby's favorite toys to your home concert: sit a soft cat or bear next to an imaginary stage, take the child by the hand and sing a song about the alphabet together for your audience.
If mom is a needlewoman, then she will be able to make a beautiful typesetting canvas with multi-colored pockets where letters are inserted. The canvas can be made in such a way that the number of letters in a row corresponds to the number of letters in the song "ABC Song" - then the baby will be able to fill in the typesetting canvas with musical accompaniment. Both fun and educational!
You can also make cards with letters. Take a thick cardboard, write the letters with a red and blue felt-tip pen (blue for consonants, red for vowels). The optimal card size is 10x10cm. When the child is in a good mood and does not mind doing a little work (do not force him, he must have a desire, otherwise you will not achieve the result), let him take a place next to you, and you will start showing him the cards with the alphabet, loudly and clearly naming each letter. We show the card quickly, call it, remove it, change the card to another one. The one second rule applies here: one card per second.
Thus, the child learns not only to quickly “grasp” information and concentrate, but also successfully develops the so-called photographic memory.
Play with your child by hiding one of the letters. You can immediately ask in English: “Where is letter C?” /Where is the letter si?/ [uea from lete si?] For the first lesson, it will be natural if you translate the question into Russian, then the translation will no longer be needed: when you start the letter search game, the child will situationally understand what is required of him. Look for the letter together, beat the moment of finding it.
If there are cubes with letters of the English alphabet at home, they can be included in your games: build towers and houses. Have your child build the house first using only the letters from the first line of "ABC Song" and then add the blocks that represent the letters from the second line of the song. Let him name each letter when he takes the right cube. When the house is "built", sing the song again!
Exercises to consolidate the material
Task number 1: Write English letters. The artist was in such a hurry that he forgot to complete them. Help him.
Task number 2: You have just learned the letters of the English alphabet. Look carefully and say what letters of the English alphabet these Russian letters look like. Say how they are pronounced in English and Russian.
Today it is customary to introduce children to the study of foreign languages, and especially English, as early as possible. But what is the best age to start? What do English lessons give to kids? Why do many schools teach a foreign language not from the first, but from the second grade? And if a beginner is 10-11 years old, is that bad? Yulia Boyun, specialist of Preply.com, an international marketplace for finding tutors, tells.
Once upon a time, the philosopher and teacher Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the pages of the novel "Emile, or On Education" ranked a foreign language at preschool age as useless. He explained this point of view by the fact that the immature child's mind cannot master the second system of thinking, since the first has not yet been formed.
Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi also talked about the possible dangers of early education, believing that proper upbringing requires maturation, and many requirements for children are of dubious value. The master of Russian pedagogy, Konstantin Ushinsky, did not even consider the option of teaching a foreign language until the age of 7. However, modern experience shows that such lessons are not always useless or harmful.
Lucky for children growing up in a bilingual family: they learn the language through regular live interaction: communication, reading, commenting on pictures. But is it worth taking a preschooler from 3-4 years old to English classes, where kids learn the language through the game? If the child does not experience negative emotions, you should not refuse such lessons. But we must be aware that this is not teaching English yet, but only acquaintance with the language and the general development of the child.
In addition, it is important to take into account the individual characteristics of the child - especially if the baby has speech defects. If the speech therapist believes that the child's speech development deviates from generally accepted norms, then the additional load in the form of a foreign language may interfere with the speech correction process. Violation of sound pronunciation in native speech ("yba" or "lyba" instead of "fish") should not be aggravated by a foreign language. Experts recommend postponing English classes while the child visits a speech therapist, because while the speech therapist puts the sound in their native speech, the English teacher can fix another sound that is defective for the native language.
English at school: from the first grade or later?
For many children, the start of school is stressful, with the child facing a series of demands that seem impossible to meet. The stressful state of a first grader can develop into emotional tension, anxiety and fear. This makes you think: is it advisable to start learning a foreign language from the first days at school?
It will not be superfluous to remember yourself in the first grade. A new role is a schoolboy, the teacher requires understanding and memorizing, in the lessons and the break you need to behave in a certain way. Added to the growing flow of material are difficulties in dealing with classmates or teachers. Learning English or another foreign language in such a situation leads to an increase in the workload of both schoolchildren and their parents. There is no question of creating positive motivation or at least interest.
That is why many Russian schools introduce a foreign language from the second grade, when the student has managed to adapt to the educational process. But this does not mean at all that the second language from the first grade is taboo. The secret is in the high quality of teaching - accessible, interesting and without pressure.
Foreign language from 10–11 years old
People often experience nostalgia for the Soviet education system. But a skeptic's eye can find a lot of flaws in it. For example, it would seem that everyone learned the language, but only a few speak today. Why is that? Because the study of a foreign language began in the 4th grade? Rather, because the goal was not too impressive: reading special literature with a margin of a thousand words. In the USSR, it was believed that a foreign language would not be useful anyway.
In reality, the age of 10-11 years is ideal for learning a new language, as the relationship with the mother tongue is already established. It is easier for the parents of a 10-year-old child to understand whether he has a penchant for learning languages, or if they are in front of an obvious "techie". That is, it is useful to start at this time, you just need to choose a more modern approach and program. A good result will be achieved with an intensive and serious course. This age allows you to use adult manuals, as well as translate and memorize your favorite songs, thereby encouraging interest in music.
Sometimes the need to start learning a second foreign language at the age of 11 arises when changing schools. For example, a child studied French until the fifth grade, and English is needed at a new school. How to be? Refuse transfer to a good school or catch up? More than one discussion on forums and in public on social networks is devoted to this issue, since this is stressful not only for children, but also for parents.
There are special intensive courses, many English tutors are ready to develop a strong individual program for the student. Parents, in turn, can write an application with a request to postpone certification in a new language for six months. It is also important to maintain the first foreign language so that the first four years of learning it are not wasted.
Discussion
The eldest has been learning English since the age of 5, she really likes it
I wonder if this only applies to English?
children in noble families were taught French from early childhood, but then there was no research :))
Something from the age of five is already possible.
We have been learning since the age of 6.
Regarding the harm of early learning English with speech therapy problems, this is a big myth. There is no scientific study that has been done on this topic.
In general, some kind of empty article. About nothing. If someone is interested in this topic, the link is my ancient article on this topic.
Comment on the article "At what age should children learn English?"
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Section: Learning foreign languages (children learn 2 foreign languages - is this normal?) he was a second language. I taught at school from 5th to 7th grades.
At what age should children learn English? English textbook for 1st grade. English, Grade 2, etc. "School of Russia". Why don't you want to go to Lyceum 1571? It's not far from 1551. It's really good at the lyceum, we have many children we know there ...
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English is taught at school for the first year 3 lessons per week. In my opinion, they are going slowly, they have been learning and writing the alphabet for half a year. It may be more interesting to work with children in a group than with a tutor. I don’t know if a native speaker is needed at this age.
It is important not to start at any age, but how. You can dive into the environment from the age of four. This is when the child hears only carriers. I agree on this: according to the experience of two children, it is better to start learning a language a year before studying it at school. But not at an early age 12/15/2011 13...
at what age to learn English?. Learning foreign languages. Adult education. I want to find a teacher who would teach them English in an accessible way. Just so that the language is pleasant and the children can easily communicate on everyday topics.
I believe that the more languages a child begins to learn in childhood, the better. That is why it is so important to start learning a language from childhood. Has anyone else learned a foreign language on their own? I remembered and smiled: my friend taught on her own in the 90s ...
At what age should children learn English? Why do many schools teach a foreign language not from the first, but from the second grade? The second language was German, but for a couple of years (from the 5th grade). Then the teacher went on maternity leave, there was no further German.
Child and foreign languages: when to start learning? Perhaps they themselves were deprived of the opportunity to learn languages in childhood, or it seems to them that early learning of languages guarantees that it is best to start learning foreign languages at 5-6 years old. when the child is...
At what age should children learn English? English from the 2nd grade in a regular school (well, that is, the entire 2nd grade was taught the alphabet, the entire 3rd grade English began to be taught in the 1st grade in a group, I planned to take German as a second from the 5th at school English for children ...
From what grade is English required? School. Child from 7 to 10. From what grade is English required? We have a nuisance in our class (grade 4) - two quit at once. At what age should children learn English? We send the child to a foreign school.
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The thing is that teaching a language is traditional and teaching a language as a means of communication are two different things. Children here begin to speak after repeated listening, when the correct image has already been created in the head and the child is ready to say it.
See other discussions: Child and foreign languages: when to start learning? For children from 6 years old, a developing course "German with Bunny Hans" has been developed. Teaching English from the cradle. Learning two languages playfully: English for children under 3 years old.
If your daughter wants to learn Oriental, it's better to start with Chinese, and then Japanese, it's easier. for me, in all this, the main thing now is that the child has no language barrier at all Section: Learning foreign languages (children learn 2 foreign languages - is this normal?)
At what age is it most effective to learn a foreign language? 03/22/2003 11:21:32 AM, Juju. If the benefits of early language learning lie in the fact that children learn it without hesitation, accepting everything. I studied at a regular school, and always thought that I was wasting time in English.
