This article is about learning English
as a second language by children. Children learn language naturally and
unconsciously. They are natural language learners and children are motivated to
learn English unlike teenagers and adults. Young children use their own
individual and innate strategies to learn the original language and soon
realize that they can use these strategies to learn English as well.
Children learn better
Children prefer recreational
activities such as watching cartoons to learn English. They can also learn the
language by participating in an activity that is shared even with an adult.
Children first see and understand an activity and then receive the
corresponding English phrase from the common language of adults. They have more
time to fit English into their daily schedule and also have less stress and
worry.
silent period
When children learn English, they may
have a "silent period" where communication and understanding may
occur before they speak any English words. During this period, parents should
not force children to participate in conversations or repeat their words.
Conversations should be one-way. Adult conversations provide useful
opportunities for children to understand language. Parents can use many of the
same strategies in learning their mother tongue.
start talking
After a while, each child (girls often
faster than boys) begins to say single words (cat, house) or short phrases.
Expressions like: this is my book, this is a car and etc. Children use these
words and phrases in their dialogues or as unexpected sentences, which
continues for some time.
Strengthening the English language
Gradually, children make phrases that
include a fixed word and add words from their vocabulary to it. Words like: (a
dog, a brown dog, a brown and black dog). Depending on the frequency of
exposure to English, children gradually begin to construct complete sentences.
Understanding
Understanding is always more than
speaking and children's ability to understand should not be underestimated.
Children understand the gist of the matter. That is, they understand a few
important words and decode the rest using different clues.
Disappointment
In the early stages, some children get
frustrated because of their inability to express their thoughts in English.
Others also want children to speak English quickly. As much as they can speak
their native language. Frustration can often be overcome with very simple
rhymes made up of ready-made phrases.
mistakes
Children should not be told that they
have made a mistake because it is immediately demotivating. Mistakes may be
part of the process of working out the rules of English grammar. When you hear
the wrong word or phrase from children, it is better to repeat that word or
phrase correctly so that the child can pronounce them correctly. In other
words, if children have a chance to hear the same phrase correctly, they will
correct it over time.
Gender differences
Boys' brains develop differently than
girls, and this affects how boys understand and use language. Therefore, their
achievements should not be compared with girls.
Language learning environments
Children need to feel safe and know
that there is a clear reason for using English. The activities and environment
in which the child learns English should be fun, interesting and of interest to
the child and focus on concepts that children already understand in their
mother tongue.
Read
Children who can already read in their
mother tongue usually want to know how to read in English. Once children have
learned a set of words well enough to read, they feel confident and then ready
for a more structured approach.
Parental support
Children should feel good about their progress in learning English. They need constant encouragement as well as praise for good performance. Because every success motivates. Parents play an important role in motivating and helping their children to learn English. Even if they only have basic English and are learning alongside their young child. By sharing, parents can not only bring their child's language and activities into family life, but can also influence their child's attitude towards language learning and other cultures. We suggest you to read this article: How parents deal with a bilingual Kid
Result
Children learn language through
interaction not only with their parents and other adults but also with other
children. Therefore, try to regularly do activities with your child that help
him learn and grow. These activities include: games, watching cartoons in the
original language, and talking with the child. All normal children who grow up
in normal families and in a conversational environment will learn the language
used around them.
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