In most cases, it is parents who teach children how to speak their very first language. In the first two years of life, it is often the mother’s voice, tone, and unique phrasing that helps her child learn the fundamentals of verbal communication.
When it comes to learning English as a second language, parents still have a very important role to play in supporting their child’s acquisition of new vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills. Even if the parent is also an English learner (and feels concerned about making mistakes or passing on ‘bad’ habits), rest assured there are simple ways to help kids apply their growing language skills at home.
Use these three practical strategies to help strengthen and accelerate your child’s English language skills – and maybe even your own!
1. Practicing English Conversation Over a Family Meal
One of the reasons home conversation practice works so well for kids is because parents can fit little chats into even the busiest family schedule. You don’t need to speak exclusively in English, but you can devote a little time each day to practice.
Try using English conversation during meal times. This approach gives children the opportunity to answer typical questions like “What did you do today?” using the level of English they currently possess. As they become more comfortable, the answers will get longer and more elaborate. Parents can also encourage their children to make basic requests in English at the table, such as “May I please have something to drink?”, and “Would you please pass the ___?”
Combining home practice with after school English courses will help kids feel more natural speaking English in an everyday social environment. They will build confidence, which in turn may prompt them to speak out more at school, accelerating the overall language-building process.
2. Use Technology to Build Language Skills
Children of all ages are naturally drawn toward technology and multimedia, and usually spend quite a bit of their spare time using tablets and smartphones and watching television. Why not leverage this interest to encourage English language learning at home? Here are a few ideas for combining technology with language acquisition:
For early readers and young ESL students, focus on educational TV shows that include lessons in phonics for kids
Instead of choosing a dubbed copy, try watching a movie in English with your child and afterward, discuss your favourite scenes or characters (in English)
Your child probably knows a few pop songs in English. Once and a while, ask him or her to explain a song’s storyline to you in English. Teaching others often helps ESL students learn faster and more deeply themselves.
3. Cultivate English Speaking Friendships
If you’re new to Vancouver, chances are you would love to see your child make some new local friends. How about encouraging some social time with neighbours who speak English as a first language?
Inviting a family in the neighbourhood over, or arranging a play date at the park is an excellent way to help your child make a new friend and practice their English in a new social setting. This will help them develop adaptation skills as other children join in, the subject matter shifts, and they are called upon to apply the techniques they have been taught in class.
Whether your child is learning the basics or pursuing enriched ESL college prep courses, applying the English language skills at home and in new social settings lays a strong foundation for faster, more effective acquisition.
Beyond Grammar: Language Skills Kids Need to Succeed at School (and Life!)