When is the best time to teach your child English. When to start teaching English to your child? Advice for parents who do not speak English themselves. Teaching English on courses

When learning a foreign language, a child will have to master someone else's speech. BUT at the age of 1-2 years also, the native is not formed to the extent that it should be. Yes, you can enroll your child in a foreign language club. He will have fun dancing there to a new song, clap his hands while reading the alphabet and meet a funny Teddy bear. But these activities by themselves will not bring absolutely any effect. With the same success, a child can be taken to dancing or gymnastics from an early age - the main thing is that it is fun there.

At school age (6-8 years old) the moment when it is better to start learning English for a child has already been missed. Your child is charged with studying. Doing homework, getting good grades, assimilation of material in various subjects, games and communication with classmates - the child's brain is loaded with new information so much that foreign language there is no longer a proper place.

And if the kid does not feel interest, love for learning English and, moreover, does not have the ability to master someone else's speech, all your arguments that English is now needed everywhere will not find a response in the soul of a student. At best it is like additional classes to a language school and raise the level a little.

At what age is it better for children to learn English?

According to experts, the best age to start learning English is 3-5 years.

At this age, almost all babies have developed speech. They absorb any new information like a sponge. At this age, their brain mechanisms develop their flexibility so much that mastering a foreign language is easier for a child than it would be, for example, at 10-11 years old. In addition, a 3-6 year old toddler demonstrates a unique ability to memorize. foreign words, although their reproduction is rather automatic and unconscious.

However, there is one contraindication for learning English at such an early age - speech defects. A kid cannot be taught a foreign language if there are gross violations of sound pronunciation in his native speech, a poor vocabulary and a confused meanings of words. In other words, any speech therapy problems are a strict contraindication. First, solve them and only then begin to instill in the child the basics of foreign speech.

The ideal age from which you can learn English to a child without speech defects and lag in the development of speech is from 4 to 6 years.

Flexible memory, special work of brain mechanisms - all this will help the little polyglot.

3 main rules for learning English for a child aged 3-6

If there are no physiological contraindications for learning the language, feel free to send your baby to a language school or study with him at home on your own. In both cases, however, there are 3 points to consider.

1. Immersion in the language environment... Introducing a kid to a foreign language and culture at home is permissible only if you are able to create a language environment in the house, speak English at a decent level, have good pronunciation and know how to use the game methodology when teaching. In bilingual families, a native speaker governess becomes the main assistant in this matter. If it is impossible to create such conditions for a kid at home, it is better to start learning English with him in a language school or circle. After all, it is easier to teach well right away than to retrain later. As practice shows, mistakes made at the very beginning of training in the future are very difficult to correct, and sometimes even impossible.
2. Experienced teachers... Teaching your child English at an early age is not an easy task. Only a teacher with experience in preschool preparation of children and knowledge of game techniques can cope with it. That is why it is important to choose the right language school, get to know the teacher, his work experience and even sit in the classroom. Otherwise, little experience, excessive workload, improperly selected methodology and other pedagogical errors are fraught, at best, with a loss of interest in the child's activities, at worst, with serious ones. psychological problems... A child, failing to live up to the dreams of his parents about a polyglot prodigy, can withdraw into himself, and low self-esteem will slow down his social development.
3. Dynamism... Teaching a child aged 3-6 years old English is necessary in a dynamic, interactive, game form... During the lesson should alternate different types activities. In this case, the interest in classes will not wane, and soon you will notice the success of the crumbs in mastering a foreign language. Please note that at an early age, teaching a child English is more about acquaintance with the language than cramming grammar and vocabulary. The focus is on general development.

Of course, no one forbids an older child to study English in depth in addition to school curriculum... If you have the desire and ability, take action. After all, the main thing is the child's personal motivation.

So, we found out at what age the most effective training English language child, well, we will consider in the next article.

Have you already thought that it's time for the kid to get acquainted with a foreign speech? At what age do you plan to teach a child a foreign language?

There is an opinion that young children are easily able to master foreign languages. Moms and dads with ambitious plans for the future of their children are looking for good courses in developing schools. Most often they choose English as the most common language for international communication. But another equally important question arises: "At what age to start learning?"

Different points of view of parents on the age aspect

From one to three

Many parents are inclined to believe that this good occupation can be carried away from one year old, well, in extreme cases, from three years old. Due to physiological development at this stage, the brain of babies is most susceptible to language perception and easily assimilates any information.

7 years

The other half of mums and dads prefer to give the child the opportunity to determine which language he wants to learn and for what purpose. Only after that it is suggested to start training. It is approximately seven years old. Perhaps the interest in the English language in a son or daughter will appear later.

Age does not matter

The most prudent guardians believe that the most important thing is to find the use of the learned language in the future. Therefore, age does not make a fundamental difference.

Opinion of teachers and psychologists

Teachers believe that a young child easily absorbs new information and reproduces it with incredible accuracy. He easily learns to pronounce non-native sounds and words, quickly memorizes expressions.

But if, after graduating from English courses, the kid does not use the language, then after a couple of months, not even half of his knowledge will remain.

Parents must create the necessary language environment (speak English with the child), maintain and develop the acquired knowledge.

Teaching children under three years of age has its own nuances. The information that the seven-year-olds will learn in two lessons, their younger brothers will learn in four. English for young children should be simple, fun, playful. Early learning should be a preparatory stage for effective language perception at an older age. A lot will be familiar by then, making it easier to learn English.

English courses for children

The opinion that the English language has been learned for many years is wrong. Because of this, by the way, many parents tend to start learning as early as possible. Modern techniques allow you to learn a foreign language in a year and a half.

For little kids

English courses for children are developed special programs taking into account their age. For younger students, everything is done in a playful way. It is here that the necessary language environment is created, where everything from greeting to farewell to the teacher is pronounced in a foreign language.

For easy perception, it is used didactic material in the form of pictures, figures, songs, etc. If your kid said that he wants to learn English, and you were skeptical about this, then take the opportunity to attend a trial lesson. This option is available in many foreign courses. However, it is necessary to sign up for a lesson in advance. This approach will allow you to demonstrate to the child how interesting and exciting the training is, and the mom or dad will be able to see how the child is behaving in class. By the way, after the first lesson he will be able to say something in English.

For teenagers

For adolescents aged fourteen, there are special programs for the study of a foreign language in the applied field as an alternative to a second foreign language.

Let's sum up

English courses will allow a toddler, preschooler or schoolchild to easily learn to speak, read, write and understand speech in just one year. And this base in terms of volume will in no way be inferior to the long-term schooling... Language courses from the first lesson will orient the child to the fact that by responsibly completing tasks and carefully perceiving the material received, he will easily master the language.

When a child is born in a family, parents immediately begin to make plans for his future. In their dreams, the kid will grow up to be an extraordinary person, but for this he needs to be given the best education ..

Many are ready to start immediately: learn to swim, paint, dance, read, write and speak a foreign language. Of course, in our time, without English, German or French - nowhere. However, is the child ready to perceive someone else's speech, not yet knowing his own? Perhaps it's better to wait?

Not so long ago, they began to study English from the fifth grade, that is, from the age of 11. Now - from the first grade. And parents are happy to pay extra for English or French classes even when the child is attending kindergarten.

At what age should a child learn English?

- Modern researchers have come to the conclusion that learning English at an early and preschool age not only possible, but necessary. Children who, from childhood, began to learn a language unfamiliar to them, in the future develop better and perceive information, learn the material faster. And later, during school years, it is easier for them to study, and they show better results. And not only in learning languages, but also in communication. Such children are better socialized, easier to operate with mathematical concepts, even better at drawing and the like. According to classical teachers, two years of teaching a child a foreign language at preschool age gives a better result than seven years of studying it during school years. Therefore, it can be argued that mastering the basics of a foreign language in the preschool period is beneficial.

The biggest controversy is about when to start teaching a child another language or languages?

There are several opinions on this, but the main ones are two polar theories. According to the first, it is possible to start learning English only when the child has more or less mastered his native language. That is, she not only speaks, but fully understands and thinks in her native language, she has practically no mistakes in pronunciation. If we talk about age, then it is about 5 years.

Another theory is that the sooner you start your English classes, the better your results will be. Learning a foreign language early will even prevent an accent in pronunciation. I belong to the experts who share this very idea, since practice confirms this.

Does this mean that the child is too stressed from an early age?

In no case. If you approach the classes correctly (through the game, give the kid interesting tasks), then there will be no overload. On the contrary, the child will grow up with a greater thirst for knowledge. She will want to know, see and know. Therefore, the sooner there is an opportunity to start acquaintance with a foreign language, the better. It is possible from six months of age.

What might such activities look like?

It is advisable to simply introduce a foreign language into the child's life and make it interesting. For example, include children's songs in a foreign language, special educational programs for children, cartoons, and the like. You will see that the children are interested, so they will hear something new. It doesn't matter that at first she won't understand anything. The main thing is that the child will hear and perceive a foreign language. In addition, the mother can speak to the child in a foreign language the name of toys and surrounding objects, give commands in English or another language: “come”, “bring ...”, “draw ...”, “give me a thing of a certain color”. If a child from an early age hears a foreign language, he will subconsciously get used to the idea that this is part of life, and not something that needs to be learned and remembered.

Parents, perhaps, would like to try, there is a fear that there will be a porridge of native and foreign words in the child's head.

It just seems. In fact, children are very smart and cunning. In childhood, they primarily use words that are lighter (in short, with which there are no problems with pronunciation) or those that immediately come to mind. This is the easiest way. It happens that the child just liked a certain command or words. This creates the illusion that they are the only ones in the child's head. In fact, at the physiological level, in the heads of babies, each language seems to fit into a separate "box". And when there is an accumulation of words and experience, when the child is more conscious about communication, then she can consciously open one or another "box".

Thus, in reality, words from different languages do not mix. However, it is important for parents to reinforce their skills in using them. This can be, for example, a person in a family communicating with a child in a certain language. Then the child distinguishes for himself: with dad or grandmother I speak, say, in English, and with mom - in Ukrainian. This will help place restrictions between languages. The child will quickly stop mixing words from different languages.

How many languages ​​can a child be offered at the same time for acquaintance?

- If one of the parents speaks, say, English (that is, they have the opportunity to regularly communicate in this language with the child), and the grandfather speaks German at a sufficient level (and wants to work with the child in such a way that she would be interested ), then there may be two foreign languages, except for the native one. If there is a grandmother who speaks Russian and regularly comes to the kids, then let there be a fourth as well. This will be a natural communication situation for the child. However, if parents want their son or daughter to learn three languages ​​and hire three teachers to do this, then there will be no sense. Actually, this option threatens the child with overload and loss of interest in the new language in general, because there cannot be several artificial linguistic environments. In addition, you need to study with teachers for a certain time and complete assignments.

What advice would you give to parents who want their child to learn one or more foreign languages?

The main thing is to make the child feel like a winner. Set tasks that allow him to overpower himself a little, to do a little more difficult work than she usually does. Then the child will have many positive emotions and, accordingly, will gladly accept any next task... Do not forget that all tasks must be in the form of a game, play is the key to success.

It is necessary to surround the child more English words... For example, offer food, put the bear to sleep, show a flower, count clouds, and the like. It is important that the child constantly hears foreign words, then later for her the foreign language will not be a subject of learning, but will become a means of communication.

Many parents dream that their child would grow up bilingual and speak both Russian and English with equal ease. The desire is understandable and reasonable - today knowledge of English is considered a significant plus, and in 10-15 years it will become a mandatory requirement for an educated person. International relations are developing, and the Internet allows you to study in foreign universities and work in foreign companies without leaving your hometown.

The earlier a person starts to learn a foreign language, the better he or she speaks it. But when should you start learning English?

Teachers and psychologists say that children absorb knowledge most actively from 1.5 to 9 years old. This is exactly the age when the child's basic speech skills are formed and his brain perceives and memorizes the sound of foreign speech best of all. Later, the structures of the brain responsible for the development of speech become less flexible. That is why learning a foreign language is much more difficult for adults.

Children are able to learn English very quickly, but on one condition - this process should be enjoyable. Therefore, training in different age categories has its own characteristics.

From birth to 1.5 years

At this moment, the foundation is laid - children hear and remember sounds that very soon will take on meaning for them and become words. A good option for introducing kids to English is lullabies, rhymes, active games in English.

1.5 to 2 years old

Some linguistic schools begin to teach children from two years old... This is a rather favorable period in the development of a child, when all brain activity is directed towards learning the language. Learning is carried out in a playful way, since play is the main way of knowing the world for any child. During this period, you can use any games that the baby likes, the main thing is not to force him, otherwise English will begin to be associated with something unpleasant.

3-5 years old

Many experts are sure that this is the most suitable age: speech skills have already developed, and the brain is still flexible and active enough to easily learn everything new. During this period, the study of English also works for general development: memory, thinking, perception, imagination improve. But more importantly, children at this age do not have a fear of using the language, and if they start learning it before the age of 5, they will never face a language barrier.

Bella Devyatkina at the age of 4 already spoke 7 languages. Watch her performance on The Amazing People Show.

5 to 10 years old

At this age it is not too late to start learning English - it is still possible to learn a foreign language quickly and efficiently. But be prepared for difficulties. At this time, the child already has social expectations and fear of error, and this significantly complicates learning. Therefore, the most important thing during this period is to organize training so that the child does not have a chance to make a mistake, and to show that the language is needed primarily for communication.

10 and older

Every year the craving for knowledge of the world among children decreases, and the opinion of others becomes more and more important. Teenagers and adults, even knowing a foreign language, are afraid to speak it. They try to follow the rules of grammar and think that they need to speak at the level of the native speaker - or not speak at all. Before they say something, they mentally say a word or phrase. This makes it difficult to quickly overcome the language barrier.

Teaching children English from a very early age is not only possible, but also desirable. It helps to develop speech skills, thinking and memory. Therefore, it is so important to lay a foundation that will help you learn the language at an older age. But, most importantly, it will teach the child to treat English (and any other foreign language) not as a fortress, which must be taken with a fight, but as a useful tool for communication.

More and more modern people strive to teach children foreign language. No one doubts the need to know a foreign language. It is considered especially fashionable today to learn English. The reason for this desire of parents is clear, because if earlier children who did not have the opportunity to travel abroad did not particularly need to know a foreign language, the situation has changed a lot today. A child needs to know the language in order to watch films in English, communicate in English on Skype and, of course, in order to get a prestigious job in the future.

Without knowledge of a foreign language to kid it will be more difficult to adapt to a world in which it will soon be impossible to imagine not only a normal free existence without English, but also a vacation abroad. Considering this and wanting to give their child something that will definitely come in handy in the future, many parents try to teach their baby English from birth. Well, if the parent himself can speak English fluently, then he has the opportunity to teach the kid English himself at no extra cost. For example, talking or listening to music in English. But what about those parents who themselves cannot say anything in English. How and when should they start teaching the child English?

Many scientists believe that you need to start learning English before the age of 3. According to recent studies, it is by this age that the development of brain cells is completed by 70-80%. It turns out that if parents speak two languages ​​with a child from birth, he will quickly and speak two languages, if - in three, then your future genius will know three languages. The period when a baby's brain is growing is the most productive period for a child's learning. As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that if you do not teach a child a foreign language up to 9 years old, then in the future the brain mechanisms of speech become less flexible and it is very difficult for the child to master English.

Many parents they do not look very seriously at teaching their children the English language, believing that they themselves do not know English perfectly, so there is no need to strain the child. They say they will teach you at school, and before that you shouldn't think about teaching English. In fact, this behavior of parents indicates their unwillingness to engage in the development of their children. According to scientists, the giftedness of children from birth is an invention of parents who themselves do not want or know how to develop their children. Abilities and talents by themselves never manifest, they must be developed from the very birth of a child.

Toddlers up to 3 years of age are ready to comprehend whatever they like. If the child does not like something, then he flatly refuses to do it. Consequently, a child of this age can learn English only by hiring a teacher who knows how to create a play situation and involve the child in it. Through the game you can convey to little man any knowledge. There are many methods of teaching English today and each teacher chooses his own way of learning. If your child is attending kindergarten, the situation is easier. Indeed, in many children's institutions today they offer to teach the child the English language, in this case, parents should not hesitate, they just need to choose those activities that will really be useful to your child.

In no case should you force the little one baby speak English no matter where he teaches English at home or in the kindergarten. At this age, the child must accumulate vocabulary. It is necessary to teach a child English in an atmosphere of love and responsiveness.

The task of the parents of the baby is to instill up to 3 years old age sense of language and everything else can be developed later. At this age, it is necessary to develop perception english kid, and for this, listen to music in English, watch cartoons and so on. An ideal option for teaching English, if the parents themselves begin to learn English with their child at this time.

If the parents themselves own two languages, then be sure to teach your child his native language from birth. Knowledge native language opens up new layers in the consciousness of the child and strengthens his mind colossally. No English teacher can achieve this, except when you hire a governess to teach English, who takes care of the child around the clock.