English for children: at which age is it appropriate to start learning English?
Do you dream of sipping on tea in Oxford while your child fluently converses in English about local cuisine with the waiter? Small children learn foreign languages intuitively and naturally. At what age should they begin learning to achieve near perfect knowledge?
English is currently vital for everyday life. This is something you are bound to know even if you are not familiar with the language. This is why it is important to motivate your children to start attending a course of English for children and begin their language education at an early age.
When should your children begin with language education?
Until the age of seven, our brain is in the early phases of programming, all the information and knowledge is getting stored smoothly and quickly. Small children perceive everything more intensely. Although speech starts a little later, sounds and meanings are perceived already at a very young age. It is therefore ideal to begin learning as soon as possible.
What are the advantages of an early start?
English for Children offers several benefits:
- Small children employ their own natural strategies when learning their native language. At a young age, they can use these same strategies for learning English as well.
- They have the time to learn through fun activities. First, they figure out the activity itself and then they can focus on the linguistic substance thereof.
- The minds of children are not crammed with information and facts; they are able to store a new language more efficiently.
- They have no homework yet or school duties; they do not experience the stress of having to meet a certain standard during their learning.
- Learning a foreign language at an early age facilitates the learning of other foreign languages later in life.
- Small children have a better pronunciation as well as the feeling for language and culture.
How is English for children run?
English for kids is taught in a fun, approachable way, in order to maintain the attention of children. Children are learning through games, experiences, songs or poems. They are not obliged to remember words, there is no pressure exerted on them, they learn naturally and smoothly.
Understanding
It is a well-known fact that a person learns to speak before they learn to read or write. English for Children stems from exactly this principle. Children can understand a language and this ability should not be underestimated. Although they may not understand the meaning of a particular subject immediately, if they have not come across it in their native language, they can easily make the link later on.Frustration and mistakes
Children can be impatient sometimes. Especially in cases when they cannot express their thoughts in English as they would like to. Teachers avoid such situations and give children various segments of knowledge in the form of songs, rhymes, performances that are easy to remember. Children should not be interrupted and corrected for their sentence structure or pronunciation. This could demotivate and turn them away from learning. It is sufficient if the teacher repeats the correct phrase, the children will correct themselves and adapt the correct pronunciation soon enough.
In conclusion
Of course, it is never too late to begin learning English. Various courses exist, for children in pre-school or school age, but also for adults. Perhaps it is a little tougher to do when you have other responsibilities and duties in life, but that is no reason to give in. Innovative methods, experienced teachers and an enthusiasm for learning will take you all the way to the top of language learning perfection.English for young learners