Spring Break is quickly approaching. What are your plans for your child?
It is important to have a plan, otherwise, time will fly by, and nothing will be accomplished! If your child can take advantage of the two weeks of school break by making a plan to improve his or her language ability, he or she will achieve a far greater success by year-end report card time. Below are some specific ways to improve English over Spring Break.
Prepare for spring break
Make an attitude adjustment.
It is essential that you help your child to get into a positive mindset and build passion for English. Make sure to get in mind why it’s important to improve English. Maybe it’s to get out of ESL, or to make more friends, to get into the university your child always dreamed of attending, or to get into the career he or she aim for. Letting your child know how much his or her life will change for the better is the first step in improving!
Choose plan of action
Are you planning to register for the Little Mountain Spring Break Intensive Program for your child, or going on a vacation with your family? If you and your child are going on a vacation, you can certainly make use of some of the tips below for home study practice for your kid. If you are planning to enrol your child into the Little Mountain Intensive Program, be sure to register soon, as spaces are filling up fast!
Prepare study area for the tasks
Psych your child up by adding some quotes about achievement, and adding a picture of their English-speaking hero to get him or her in a positive frame of mind. Make sure a plan or checklist is in sight along with a calendar to check off the days. Pick up a few supplies such as a nice new journal and pen to inspire your child. Now’s your child’s chance to prove that he or she can set fabulous goals and meet them, while having fun in the process!
Getting Down to Business: To-do Tasks for the Spring Break
Watch English TV shows
Many studies show that listening to more English is the most important strategy for improving vocabulary, structure, and pronunciation. If your child finds a good sit-com, he or she will also enjoy listening task more. Sitcoms also give your child an opportunity to use more natural English such as slang, idioms, and culture. This will help your child to improve his or her conversational English so much better. Some examples of good sitcoms for teens to learn English by are: Friends, Ugly Betty, Glee, and That 70s show.
Read English books
For reading practice, try something fun. Read for about 45 minutes a day during the spring break. Help your son or daughter pick something that suits his or her interests and reading level from the book list (click here). While your child is reading, try to encourage him or her to understand the full picture even if your son or daughter encounters some words that he or she doesn’t understand. Try not to rely on dictionary heavily as contextual learning would facilitate the formation of integrative neural connection rather than segmentation.
Go out and speak English in public
Improving spoken English requires taking more risks. So take the spring break as an opportunity to encourage your child to get out of his or her comfort zone and do something new! Ask your child to try and order some food at a restaurant, speak to someone at a tourist information centre or just start chatting to a native speaker on the street. Invite some of his or her friends over for lunch and make sure to speak English the entire time. Let your son or daughter know that he or she doesn’t have to be afraid of making mistakes.
Record your child’s voice then correct the errors
Help your child record his or her voice while he or she is reading a script. Play it back, and listen to his or her pronunciation. Practice pronouncing individual words, and also check his or her sentence level intonation. Encourage your child to work on blending words together while reading sentences, rather than sounding out each word individually. This is a great way to improve English speaking to sound more natural.
Write a personal journal in English
Choose a nice pen and a paper journal for your child, so he or she can also practice handwriting/printing in English. Do journaling at the same time each evening, at a quiet and distraction-free time. Try and stay away from writing basic sentences, by challenging your child to use new structures or vocabulary that he or she encountered through the day. Challenge your son or daughter to use variety of words and sentences while writing, and take a bit of time after he or she have completed his or her journal entry to edit it for spelling or grammar errors.
Make use of Little Mountain Learning Academy Spring Break Intensive
If you want your child to get out of the house while improving their English in a fun learning environment, be sure to sign up for Spring Break Intensive Program at Little Mountain Learning Academy. Especially if your child needs extra guidance and expertise, along with the opportunity to make some new friends!
Now go for it!
For information about Little Mountain Spring Break Intensive Program, please click here.
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