Top Tips for Helping Your Child Learn a New Language
Modern foreign languages in schools teach students how to read, write, speak, and listen in the
target language. They also develop a sense of cultural awareness, become more confident in their
ability to communicate in both their mother tongue and the new language, and are provided with a
range of new travel and social opportunities. There are ways you can support your child with
learning a second language, even if you do not understand it yourself. Here are some tips for helping your child to learn a new language from an independent school in Surrey.
AD -This post is a guest post and may contain links for which I will have been compensated. These thoughts and opinions are in line with my own personal beliefs.
No Time Like the Present
The sooner you explore a second language with your child, the easier it will be for them to grasp the
distinctive sounds and phonetic pronunciation. With that said, there’s no time like the present to
create a learning environment for your child in which they are exposed to the target language in a
causal, unintimidating way. Encourage them to listen to foreign music, watch foreign TV shows and
read foreign books.
Label Everything
Use stick-it notes to label frequently used items around the house in the target language so that
your child is exposed to the vocabulary on a regular basis. Encourage them to read the notes aloud
when they see them, rather than just ignoring them. Practise makes perfect!
Cue Cards
Cue cards work in the same way as the labels, because they will allow your child to become familiar
with certain words and phrases. Together, you can prepare a pile of cue cards with the English
translation on one side and the foreign translation on the other. Hold them up for your child so that
they can only see one side and ask them if they know what the translation is. The more often you do
this, the more likely your child will be to remember them.
Little and Often
It’s a good idea to encourage your child to practise the language in frequent short bursts, rather than
one large slog once a week. Even ten minutes of exposure to the language each day will be better
than practising for one hour on a Monday night, because by the following Monday your child will
probably have forgotten much of what they learnt.
I would love to hear in the comments below what language you would like your child to learn in the near future. Please do share your own experiences of helping your child learn a new language so I can share some more top tips on what works for you!
Leave a Reply