What Parents Should Know About Teaching Children a Second Language - Whitney Flemming

Do not miss the best time of your child's life to teach them a second language.

Here is a quick breakdown of a young learner's development stages:

0-2 years - the child is learning at an incredible speed daily but much is still in a processing phase and your efforts with language wont pay off till later;

2-4 years - the child will be mimicking what they observe. The best learning environment will be with people the child knows best, such as parents.

3-6 years - the child is at the optimal age for learning languages. During this stage the vocal organs are also in their final stages of development so learning several languages can also improve the vocal organs elasticity and flexibility. Further, frequent pronunciation training can improve the flexibility of the child's articulation. Countries such as Singapore and Canada believe in bilingual education from infancy and have found that basic understanding of multiple languages is easily accomplished and can increase learning abilities.

However learning a second language at any age is possible and always worthwhile. The best way to teach children is through games and activities that are natural and fun. We believe that to create an effective learning environment the child must be challenged but also must be rewarded for their hard work.

Do not try and educate your children at home only.

Some parents of young learners have excellent English speaking skills themselves and think they can simply teach them from home but this can pose problems educationally. Some might employ similar teaching methods to the way they learned "repeat after me: Apple" and the child will not be offered appropriate methods for deeply understanding the language they are being taught.

Taking up a special class to learn English will allow the child to grasp not just the word but also the concept of the word and how it works in the language. It will also allow the child to hear the pronunciation from a native speaker. This exposure is essential for the child to become a fluent speaker.

The parents can help a great deal at home also by adopting the teacher's methods. For example: instead of them simply repeating the word apple back to you, ask them to get you an apple from the fruit bowl or when you are eating an apple use the word in the sentence so they make the connection between the fruit and word. This is the best way to give your child a well-rounded education. It is very important that your child has exposure to a native English speaker as their accents and teaching methods are different from the Chinese way. Although words can be translated easily to truly grasp the context of a language is much more complex. Parents have to remember that children ages 3-6 have short attention spans and it can be hard to engage them in rigorous learning environments. The teachers will create a continuous and stimulating learning environment where the child might not even realize they are learning. For example, the teacher might say "The boy wearing a blue shirt can wash his hands". The children will be looking and figuring out who is wearing the color blue. This kind of integrated learning technique needs to take place in a classroom with other peers and simple home study can not offer this.

The teachers will base the lessons on Oxford English education methods; creating opportunities for the children to read out loud, play games, do arts and crafts and introduce them to technology. The teachers will also use inspiration from the child's daily life to create lessons and activities that engage the young learners and get them excited about learning English.

When choosing English textbooks we make sure that the stories are appropriate and also complex in sentence structure to help the children learn more. We also have our native English teachers choose our books so we are able to provide high quality and best selling children's books.

Experts suggest that parents should read books with their children that have simple and vivid story lines so you can help your child learn at home. Not only will this greatly incase their pronunciation and grammatical understanding it will also promote a healthy bond between the parent and child.

The truth is to give your child the best English education you have to have a great and engaging teacher and simulating learning environment at home. Many people think if they studied English and have great grammar well then they can make a great teacher, but many fail. Why? Studying English makes you a good student, not a good teacher. To become a good teacher is a whole other skill set that must be studied and learned.

Kindergarten English teachers also need qualifications. For example, a teacher has a young learner who is very passionate and is always striving for their approval but when they made a mistake the teacher did not reward because the outcome was incorrect. This greatly upset the student because the teacher also failed to see the effort that was put into the process of learning and thus this teacher ends up damaging the child's self esteem instead.

It really is best if the parents provide positive encouragement instead of belittling or failing to acknowledge the young learners efforts. Once momentum to learn English is lost it can be very hard to get back.

Tips for keeping your children engaged in learning English.

1. Do not overload the children with vocabulary and new concepts. Take it easy and allow lessons and words to sink in as they progress.

2. Find a program or class that works with English more than just once a week. Once a week is not enough for your child to gain true depth of the language and experience a native English teacher.

Reasons to send a child to an English class instead of simply educating at home.

1) Their pronunciation will dramatically increase with a native English teacher and time will not be lost on correcting years of mistakes.

2) The teacher will be less biased with your child and solely focus on education in English.

3) Teaching is like any other profession that must be studied and learned. As a parent you are not familiar with the learning process and a teacher will be able to lay the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy and enjoyable study habits.

Common mistakes parents make that decrease your child's desire to learn English

Teachers have found that parents can have a negative influence of the child's enthusiasm for learning English. Here are three common mistakes parents make often:

1) Continually asking your child: "What did you do in school today?"

Some parents will anxiously ask the child to tell them everything they learned and ask them questions like "did you learn a new month? How about new words? Can you count higher today?" This kind of pressure often leads the child to stress out and shut down. Parents need to remember that learning English is a process and everyone has a different pace. Trying to rush or hurry the learning process will only jeopardize the young learner's enthusiasm for school. They need encouragement and to be remind that the efforts they are making are good.

2) Check their homework right away.

I once had a very angry father approach me and say "I asked my child to say yellow and he did not know how. I do not want him to sound like a fool! I am worried about what he is learning from your teachers."

Later that day I saw the student coloring and I joined him at the table. I took a box of canyons out and he said, "Please give me the yellow one". I handed it to him. I then pulled out a red crayon and asked, "What color is this?" Without hesitation he replied "red". The father was watching and came over and congratulated the boy and apologized to me.

This is a wonderful example of how a trained teacher can create a relaxed and natural learning environment that will encourage the children to learn at their own pace in a comfortable and effortless way. Many parents will try and "test" their children and this kind of direct questioning can be stressful and counterproductive to their learning environment.

If the child seems to be learning slower than their classmates or does not have the performance the parent is hoping for perhaps they should reflect on the pressure they are placing on the child. A little support and encouragement can greatly increase the young student's drive and focus.

3) Parents should not only value test results and final outcomes.

What we strive for from the parents of our preschool students is "less evaluation, more support; Light result, heavy process." Pre-school education is meant to inspire children to be interested and excited about learning and to protect the child's creativity. We want learning to be an enjoyable activity for everyone, not a task that students, teachers and parents feel is a heavy burden. Parents should not consider themselves "hopeful" if they are just putting pressure on their children. Remember it is more than just a test score. You want your child to learn to love learning. If we create a supportive and exciting English learning environment this will have a far greater impact on the student that will likely last a lifetime, much longer than a mere test score.