When learning a foreign language, the child has to master someone else's speech. BUT at the age of 1-2 years also, the native one is not formed to the extent it should be. Yes, you can enroll your child in a foreign language circle. It will be fun for him to dance there to a new song, clap his hands while reading the alphabet and get to know the funny Teddy bear. But these exercises by themselves will not bring absolutely no effect. With the same success, a child can be taken to dances or gymnastics from an early age - the main thing is that it should be fun there.

At school age (6-8 years old) best time to start learning English language child, already missed. Your child is in charge of learning. Doing homework, getting good grades, mastering material in various subjects, playing games and communicating with classmates - the child's brain is loaded with new information so much that a foreign language is no longer given its due place there.

And if the kid does not feel interest, love to learn 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 the student. At best, it is like extra classes in a language school and will slightly raise the level.

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 old.

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 baby than it would be, for example, at 10-11 years old. In addition, a 3-6-year-old baby 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 child cannot be taught a foreign language if there are gross violations of sound pronunciation in his native speech, a poor vocabulary and confusion in the meanings of words. In other words, any speech therapy problems are a strict contraindication. First, solve them and only then begin to instill in your child the basics of foreign speech.

The ideal age from which you can teach English to a child without speech defects and a 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 years

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

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

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

So, we found out at what age it is most effective to teach a child English, and we will consider it in the next article.

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

Each of us knows that knowledge of foreign languages ​​is the key to success in the future. Therefore, parents often think about sending their son or daughter to special courses, motivate children to learn modern English online, etc. But at what age to learn english? Opinions on this issue are rather contradictory. Someone is afraid to be late, someone, on the contrary, does not want to take away childhood from a child? Who is right? We propose to look into this issue together.

At what age to learn English: the sooner the better

AT last years some strange fashion appeared among the parents. They try to immerse the child in a foreign language environment from an early age. But is it really worth trying to teach English to a two-year-old? Supporters of this position argue that the child will learn the language by imitating his teacher. That is, he will unconsciously repeat foreign words until they are deposited in his memory. But this is possible only when children are in a foreign language environment every day for a long time. That is, you will have to spend a considerable amount of money in order to hire a foreign governess for your son or daughter. However, this is unlikely to bring the desired results: the above behavior of the baby definitely cannot be called conscious language learning.

Or maybe wait until 4-8 years?

Experienced psychologists and educators are supporters of this opinion. By the age of 4-5, the child already has a sufficient vocabulary, gets acquainted with the structure of his native language. However, classes should not be too long. 35-40 minutes is enough for the initial stages of training. A good English school for children will offer to enroll a child in a group of 8-10 people so that the teacher can pay attention to each kid and find an individual approach. If your child is diligent enough and can already concentrate on a certain subject, feel free to send him to the courses.

By the age of 7-8, the baby is already completely ready to conquer the granite of science. Even if you did not start learning English at an earlier age, in a few years your child will catch up with his peers who started classes when they were still preschoolers.

middle school age

There are also those people who believe that it is worth starting learning a foreign language only when the child approaches this issue consciously. That is, at 10-11 years old. However, in the end, parents can be very disappointed. By the end of school, your son or daughter is unlikely to be well prepared for the foreign language exam. And, if you dream of your child continuing his studies abroad in the future, forget about this option altogether.

So, nevertheless, at what age to learn English? Do not rush to stuff the child with knowledge from early childhood, because this really will not be of any use. But it’s not worth delaying the start of training too much. The optimal age to start learning foreign languages ​​is 4-8 years old, depending on the individual characteristics of the child. If you are still in doubt when to send your son or daughter to English courses in St. Petersburg, consult with a specialist.

Every parent wants the best for their child. And many adults believe that children definitely need to learn foreign languages ​​- this will bring great benefits. Moreover, some parents are simply obsessed with the idea of ​​​​starting training as early as possible. In this article, we will tell you from what age, where and how to start teaching your child English, as well as how to do it right at home.

At what age should a child be taught English?

When is the best time to start teaching your child English? To put it bluntly, there is no exact answer to this question. Each child is individual, so it is almost impossible to designate a “universal age” for starting education. We will look at two options, their pros and cons. In addition, you will see the expert opinions of our teachers on this issue, they are based on their personal experience, because these teachers are mothers themselves. You know your child well, so you can decide which of these options is right for you.

Theory number 1. The child should be taught English as early as possible

Adherents of this theory say that children from birth to 5-6 years old easily learn any language. They learn their native language in a natural way, without any schools, so they can learn English in the same way.

Advantages of this approach:

1. Child learns language unconsciously
   Parents believe that kids learn English as a native language, that is, they simply listen passively, and then reproduce words and phrases in their own speech. By the age of 7, any child is fluent in Russian, despite the fact that he does not understand what “subject”, “noun”, “present tense”, etc. no rules.
2. The kid is not afraid to speak
   A child at this age is less afraid of making a mistake than an adult, so children are more courageous in using the language they are learning. Babies do not have a language barrier, because they are more direct and less clamped than adults. They just say what they want, regardless of their pronunciation or mistakes in speech. Adults correct these mistakes, and gradually the child gets used to speaking in correct sentences.
3. Children have a good memory
   There is a theory that by the age of 5, everyone has above average language abilities because children memorize words and phrases faster. They, like parrots, repeat everything they hear, and literally grasp new words for themselves on the fly. Remember, probably, every adult had such an embarrassment: you say some not very good word in front of a child, and he (well, as luck would have it!) instantly remembers it and begins to use it in his speech. If, instead of bad words in Russian, a child is offered good ones in English, he will remember them just as quickly.
4. It is easier for the child to develop good pronunciation
   There is also an opinion that it is easier for a child to learn to pronounce the sounds of English speech correctly, because the onomatopoeic abilities of children are at an increased level. A child quickly learns to pronounce all the sounds of his native language as an adult speaks. Similarly, he will learn to pronounce the sounds of English speech: quickly and correctly.

Drawbacks of this approach:

1. Need a language environment
   Learning "naturally" is possible only if you create a suitable language environment or stay in it. That is, the child must hear English speech from others every day. This is possible if he lives abroad, one of the parents constantly speaks English or the child has an English-speaking nanny. Remember, in the XVIII-XIX centuries. in Russia, representatives of the high society knew French even better than Russian. And all because in those days it was customary to invite governesses and tutors from France.
2. The danger of rote learning
   The kid still does not know his native language well, he pronounces sentences on the "machine", but does not understand how the words "work" with each other. In addition, many kids have a small vocabulary of the Russian language, and if a child does not understand what a “kite” or “lilac” is in their native language, then they will not understand it in English either. Rote English phrases- not the most effective method of learning a language. Think about it, maybe it's worth waiting until the child grows up and learns English consciously.
3. Difficulty creating the right mood
   For a preschool child, the right attitude is important both at home and in the classroom, and creating it is not easy. So, the child learns by playing, so at home you will need to “play English”. In addition, you will need to find a teacher who will be able to teach the child through the game and instill in him a love for learning the language. This is not easy to do: not every teacher knows how to teach children, and some teachers even discourage learning foreign languages ​​for a long time.
4. The risk of spoiling the pronunciation of Russian sounds
   Some speech therapists believe that learning English sounds can cause poor pronunciation of Russians. That is, speech therapists do not recommend learning English until the child has a good pronunciation of the sounds of his native language.

The opinions of our teachers on the question "At what age is it better to teach English to a child?"

Experience as a teacher: 9 years

Experience with Englex: 4 years

I would say that a child can start learning English from birth, if mom and dad are of different nationalities and, accordingly, initially the family speaks two (and sometimes three) languages.

My daughter began to show interest in various videos with songs and rhymes in English from the age of 2.5 (naturally, it was I who chose and offered them for her). She immediately chose certain ones and then simply demanded to turn them on 20-30 times in a row. Just a couple of weeks later, I started singing them. At this age, children are able to absorb new words and pronunciation at an astonishing rate. But, naturally, the time came when she got tired of all her favorite videos in English, she became interested in cartoons in Russian, and the viewing time, of course, increased. And now, when she is already 5, I tried to turn on the same videos for her, she immediately recognized the picture, the motive and even sang excerpts, but she could no longer reproduce completely, as before. Which again confirms a well-known fact for everyone: without constant practice, the language is forgotten.

It seems to me that the earlier a child is at least simply introduced to a new language (and this is the task of parents initially), the easier it will be for him to learn it in the future. The desire of the child himself is also very important, parents need to catch the moment when the child himself becomes interested and asks. And do not try to impose at an early age what they are not interested in, because then the result will be negative.

As for the direct study of the language as an activity, then, probably, from the age of 3-4, children can be sent to courses, but always in a group, and not individually (this is my subjective opinion, of course). At the same time, it is worth weighing all the pros and cons very well, given the nature of the child, his readiness to learn and communicate with new peers and the teacher. The first experience is the most important!

Experience as a teacher: 8 years

Experience with Englex: 1 year

I can not say that I am an expert, but this topic is close to me. My first education is a teacher elementary school, specialization - English. In addition, my son is now 1 year and 9 months old, so the development of speech is an important topic for us.

You can start teaching a language from the cradle, because that's what happens in bilingual families. And the result is magnificent - the child speaks two languages, as if they were native. But this, of course, is an exceptional option. I chose “do no harm” as the most important principle for myself, that is:

• not to torture the child and not cause negativity in relation to the language;
• not to disturb the psyche and the process of speech development in the native language.

Therefore, until recently, the son did not come into contact with English in any special way. Only when my son was about one and a half and I was convinced that he was developed, sociable, cheerful and already speaking phrases in his native language, I allowed myself to add nursery rhymes, cartoons and songs in English to our “diet”. All this he still perceives very positively! This is from personal experience.

If we return to the general, then I would advise parents, in addition to the principle “do no harm”, to find an opportunity for the child to come into contact with the language in approximately the same way as it happens with the native, that is, at first passively and naturally. Up to 6-8 years old, I would recommend only counting rhymes, songs, cartoons and games with parents or in language clubs. It is also important to remember that the pronunciation in these audio and video or the teacher must be at the level. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to correct the memorized! Naturally, there can be no question of any writing and grammar with such crumbs.

When can one begin to teach a child a language consciously, albeit fun, but still systematically and with some kind of analytical techniques? - an individual question. There are children who are more assiduous and less assiduous, someone begins to talk at the age of one and a half, and someone at three is laconic. There are many nuances, and first of all, parents themselves need to carefully assess what their child is now ready for.

Thus, teaching a child English from infancy is worth it if:

1. You live or are going to live in an English-speaking country, and the child simply needs to know the language to communicate with others.
2. At home, someone constantly speaks English: one of the parents, grandmother, nanny. In this case, the child will also realize why he needs to learn something - to talk with this person.
3. You know how to unobtrusively and interestingly present knowledge to the baby without harm to your native language or you have found a tutor who knows how to do this.

Theory number 2. The child should be taught English no earlier than from the age of 7

Adherents of this opinion believe that foreign languages ​​​​should be taught at a conscious age, and not torment the baby with words incomprehensible to him. Supporters of learning from the age of 7 agree that a child up to 5-6 years old easily learns the language that he constantly hears, that is, Russian. If the child is not in English speaking country or his parents don't speak English as often as they do Russian, then foreign language will not be able to assimilate “on its own”, so it makes no sense to teach it earlier than 7-8 years.

Advantages of this approach:

1. The child gets used to learning
   At the age of 7 and older, the child is already getting used to the regime, because he goes to school. Children become more organized and able to study, do homework, listen to the teacher, etc.
2. The child is already fluent in his native language
   School-age children have a wide vocabulary and are fluent in Russian. For example, a child understands that when meeting, one must greet, introduce himself, ask a stranger to introduce himself, so such phrases in English will not raise questions for him. In addition, the child knows a lot of Russian words, so these words in English will be clear to him.
3. The child usually has a pronunciation
   By the age of 7, the child will already have formed the pronunciation of the sounds of his native language, so he will not confuse them with English sounds. Moreover, at this age, the child still has good phonemic abilities, so he can quickly learn how to pronounce the sounds of foreign speech correctly.
4. Children are easier to motivate
   At this age, children are already acquiring their first hobbies and interests, so you can offer your child an exciting “bonus system” for which he will learn the language. In addition, at this age, you can already find advantages for your child in learning English: the ability to watch cartoons in the original, read interesting fairy tales and stories, play online games in English, etc. Find something that will captivate your child. child, and you do not have to drag him to the next English class by force.
5. There are many courses for children
   Finding courses for children from 7 years old will be quite simple: they are already used to focusing on the subject being studied, again, the child has interests, the teacher can build lessons based on them. With children under 7 years old, it is a little more difficult: it is not easy to attract and hold the attention of a small child, it is even more difficult to get him to do something consciously. Finding the right approach to teaching a baby is very difficult, not every teacher will be able to do this, so you can spend a lot of time looking for the “right” teacher.
6. It is easy for a child to overcome the language barrier
   Children at this age are not afraid to make mistakes, they willingly carry on a dialogue with the teacher, they do not think about the accent. That is, at 7-8 years old it is not at all too late to start learning a foreign language - you will have time to prevent the appearance of a language barrier.

Drawbacks of this approach:

1. Difficulty remembering new words
   Compared to toddlers, children over the age of 7 have a slightly more difficult time memorizing new words. On the other hand, at this age the child learns everything consciously, that is, he understands well what this or that word means and how it can be used.
2. Less time to learn a language
   Some students are loaded with large amounts of homework, so there is very little time left for English. However, you can also find a way out of this situation: enroll your child in courses where they give very little homework, and the training takes place in a playful way - so your child will take a break from school.

The opinions of our teachers on the question "At what age should a child be taught English?"

Experience as a teacher: 9 years

Experience with Englex: 2 years

I think that from the age of 7 you can start teaching a child, because at this age children very quickly enrich their vocabulary of their native language, they actively communicate with their peers, learn to listen to them. The child already has a fairly large stock of knowledge about the world around him. Therefore, there are no difficulties in learning new words of the English language if the child already has an idea about this subject or concept.

Experience as a teacher: 12 years

Experience with Englex: 2 years

My personal conclusion: if there is time and opportunity, then why not send the child to a language studio from an early age. However, do not wait for him to suddenly speak. This is a general development, a liability that can shoot in the future. If it is worth highlighting priority classes, I would give preference to the development of motor skills, music, aesthetic and physical development, and from the age of 6-7 I connected the study of languages. I now mean the majority of children who learn the language in "artificial" conditions, without constant daily contact with it, regular immersion in the environment while traveling, etc.

I see many examples of early language learning. The examples are really different. There are children who come after many years of training from the age of 3, and they do not hold a group lesson with children of their age, with whom we have been working for the second year. It happens that in the process they adapt quite quickly and surpass the rest. And it happens that they lag behind or simply remain at the level of other students.

As you can see, we found more advantages in the second approach, but it should be remembered that this is not a hard and fast rule. Each child is individual, so the final decision on at what age it is better to teach English to a child is up to you.

Where to teach English to a child

So, you have made the decision to start teaching your child English. What to choose: homeschooling, courses or private lessons? Let's figure it out.

Home schooling

Home schooling with a parent is the best option for a child. Therefore, if your child is not yet 4-5 years old, try to teach him at home. At the end of the article we will tell you how to do it.

However, you can teach your child English at home only on the condition that you yourself know the language at least at an intermediate level and use fun learning methods. The child is just beginning to get acquainted with a new language, so it is important that this acquaintance is pleasant and interesting. You do not know English? You can try this option: you go to courses and begin to transfer your knowledge to the child. In this case, not only the child will benefit, but also you yourself. In our school, many adults learn the language for just this purpose: they want to teach children English, help with homework, etc. In addition, this allows us not to spend money on expensive tutors.

Teaching English in courses

At the age of 3-4 years, the child can be sent to a special Kindergarten or an early development center with English lessons, and after 7 years - for children's courses. At this age, it is important for children not only to learn English, but also to communicate with their peers at the same time, expand their social circle, and perform interesting tasks in a competitive environment.

The main point that you should consider is the level of knowledge of the children in the group. It is important that all children know English in approximately the same way, otherwise the child may be uncomfortable in the classroom.

After the child reaches an average level of English, you can try to send him to a special language camp. This will be a great encouragement and good motivation to further study English, and it will also allow the child to make friends from different parts of the world.

Individual training

We do not recommend starting individual education for children under the age of 7. Firstly, it will be difficult for a stranger to attract and hold the attention of the baby. Secondly, a child may not be interested in such activities: it is one thing to learn a language with the same kids, and quite another - alone with someone else's aunt.

There are significant drawbacks to individual learning: you will need to take your child to a tutor or invite a teacher to your home, which creates certain inconveniences. However, they can be avoided, because there is an alternative - from the age of 9, the guys successfully begin to study. If you want your child to try this way of learning, sign them up for a free trial lesson. You will be present at this lesson and will be able to understand whether this way of learning is suitable for the child.

How to teach your child English at home

If you have at least an average knowledge of English and a great desire to teach your child English at home, you can try to study with him without the help of a teacher. We cannot recommend this method of teaching as the best, because only an experienced teacher knows how and in what sequence to present the material so that the lessons are effective. However, if you are going to teach the baby, then this is really the right decision: he will be more comfortable with his mother than with a cheerful, but still someone else's aunt. Recommendations on how to start learning English with a child:

1. Favorite thing

It depends on you whether the child will love English or whether each lesson will be perceived as hard labor. Therefore, do not impose anything on the child, find such exercises that he will perform with pleasure. Use a game form of learning, not lessons from textbooks. If you can't get your kid interested in learning a language, then try to wait until he grows up.

2. Proper motivation

Adults talk about motivation all the time, but when it comes to teaching children, only the rule “the child will need this in the future, he’s just too young to understand it” is taken into account. Would you do anything if you were pointed to a vague future? And the child is all the more uninterested in hearing about some kind of “good education”, “career heights” and “prestigious jobs”. He wants to watch cartoons and eat ice cream with condensed milk. So define a learning goal that is appropriate for your child's age. For example, watch the most interesting cartoons and play games in English, read the newest English-language fairy tales that are not translated into Russian, etc. You will find more material on this topic, as well as the main motivation mistakes, in the article "".

3. Short lessons

It is difficult for a small student to sit out 45-60 minutes while studying English, so break the lesson into small "portions" of 10-15 minutes. A variety of exercises related to movements will also come to the rescue, for example, you pronounce a word in English, and the child performs the indicated action. Also, change your activities: study words for 10 minutes, watch a cartoon for 10 minutes, sing a song for 5 minutes, etc.

4. Visual pictures

Surely young mothers have heard about Glen Doman's cards, and many have already used them. They are cardboard or plastic cards with drawn and signed objects. Exactly the same cards can be used to learn English words. You can write English words on ready-made Russian cards, or you can make a training set yourself. Find beautiful images of fruits, vegetables, animals, etc. on the Internet, print and sign. Children usually remember words easily by associating them with a picture. In addition, you can use the ready-made online dictionary in pictures on the site anglomaniacy.pl. You can also play vocabulary games at vocabulary.co.il. The child will love the bright pictures and the game form of learning.

5. Useful games

How to teach a child English at home effortlessly? Today, even 2-year-olds are easy to manage with a tablet or laptop. They enjoy playing simple games and coloring pages. Such entertainment can be turned into a mini-lesson in English, just go to learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org and invite the child to play one of the proposed mini-games. This will not take much time and will allow you to learn a couple of useful words.

8. Favorite songs

It is probably difficult to find a kid who would not like to sing. The texts of children's songs "work" in the same way as poems: the child has fun, develops memory, and remembers useful words. Many simple songs for kids with lyrics and translations can be found on the websites kidsenglish.ru and english4kids.russianblogger.ru. If your child is still small, you can simply include these songs for him to listen to. In this case, children can listen to them without delving into the words and meaning of the text. So the baby will get used to the sound of foreign speech from childhood, and some psychologists believe that in this way the baby can even unconsciously memorize some words.

9. Tutorial videos

Educational videos for children are bright and interesting video lessons for the baby. Today on YouTube you can find dozens of channels with exciting and educational videos. We can recommend KidsTV123 and Busy Beavers.

10. Reading Rules

If your child already reads well in Russian, then it's time to move from passive listening to materials in English to reading. To begin with, you should teach the child the basic rules of reading, then he will have fewer questions about how to read a particular word.

Older children can already be offered to complete simple tasks, tests. It is important that the exercises are not too difficult and are presented as a game, then the child will not perceive them as another boring homework. Have him do the exercises at englishexercises.org or easygrammar4kids.

12. Simple tales and stories

Well, what child would refuse a bedtime story?! If you yourself speak English at least at an average level, you can read simple books to your child on your own, for example, kind and fascinating stories about Paddington Bear are written in simple language. And if you want the child to listen to the exemplary English pronunciation, you can try turning on the audiobook. There are free materials for kids at bookbox.com and storynory.com.

13. Good tutorial

So that the child does not associate the word “textbook” with a boring book, select materials suitable for his age and interests. Authentic manuals are best suited, that is, textbooks by English-speaking authors are completely in English. They are always logical, easy to use and designed in a visual and bright way to keep kids interested. Our teachers have developed a detailed table that will allow you to choose a textbook that is suitable for your child by age.

(*.pdf, 218 Kb)

We hope that our article on how to teach a child English was useful to you and you have already decided at what age and where to teach children foreign languages. Choose those exercises and materials that are interesting for your baby, and go for it. We wish you exciting and effective activities with your baby!

No matter how old you are, you are reading an article on the English language school blog right now. So you have some kind of motivation. And this is commendable. If your question sounds like “at what age and until what can you start learning English”, then we will answer directly in the first paragraph. In any. From infancy to old age. After all, it's never too late to learn. If this answer was enough for you, we are glad that we could inspire you to learn :)

But now let's look at the features of language learning at different ages. What should be considered, who will be easier, and who will have to make more effort.

Cognitive Flexibility

Let's dive into science a bit. When is a person most trainable?

Any of our skills, any information in memory or association is a neural connection in the brain. A kind of wiring that connects one part of the brain to another. When we learn something new, a new wiring is formed.

In the first months of life, these connections are very few. Up to a year, the very structure of the brain is still being formed in a child, and starting from the year one can talk about learning. The human brain can be thought of as clay. In childhood and young age, it is soft, you can sculpt anything from it without making any effort. Over time, it hardens. And in adulthood, you can still change shape, but you will have to try.

But it all depends on the person himself, how strong is his motivation to learn. How less people strains his cranium, the faster it "dries up", and with constant stress and continuous craving for learning new things, it will remain plastic longer.

Features of learning English for preschoolers

What is the best age to learn English? The earlier the better. But it is important to consider that young children do not learn the way we are used to. By the age of six, a child is just beginning to develop speech. At this age, he is most susceptible to memorizing new words, listening to them, and reproducing them. This is the age when a child is able to understand most of the language intuitively, without any explanation. Just as children learn to speak their mother tongue from their parents, so they can learn one more or even more given an example.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, children hired French-speaking nannies for their children to learn French at native level. And as a result, these children had two native languages.

Therefore, at this age, there is no need to explain grammar, learn words from pictures, come up with some games to learn the language and train pronunciation. The child himself will be able to understand it all. The main thing is that he hears speech in the language we need. Parents can either speak English with him (but then he will also borrow the accent from his parents), or invite a native to communicate. English cartoons are also good, but in themselves they are ineffective, since there is no opportunity to practice.

English for elementary school

The first years of school are the period when the child's speech has already formed. Now he can only learn English as an additional language, and not as a second mother tongue. But this is not a problem, because the elementary school student is still receptive to receiving new information.

The main thing here is to find a way. After all, perseverance and the desire to study for hours is definitely not about kids. English is already included in the school curriculum, and the task of parents at this stage is to help them learn the proposed material. Do homework with him, help with grammar, prompt. But you should not be limited to one only school program.

Watch educational cartoons, films with your child, study with interactive children's textbooks, send your child to nurseries language clubs. We wrote more about this in this article. Concerning teaching aids, you need to be extremely scrupulous in their choice. Not all of them are effective. You can find a huge number of educational cartoons on YouTube, but for the most part they only help to learn counting, animals, colors, and so on, but do not provide comprehensive knowledge.

English for children 10-15 years old

At this age, the character has already been finally formed, life priorities, values ​​​​appear, in general, it is already possible to communicate with the child on an equal footing. And it depends on the parents at this stage how conscious their child will be in adulthood.

If you force a child to learn and constantly control him, then he will become insecure and dependent. But if you manage to interest the child, to convey to him that learning English is important for him, this will be good.

At this age, children tend to “light up” something, but they can also lose interest just as quickly. At 10-15 years old, the child himself can take the initiative, look for opportunities for learning, if he is interested. For example, study in online schools or go to language courses. The task of parents is to support motivation and help.

Learning a language at 15-20 years old

This is the most effective age. The teenager already knows what he wants and consciously learns English. Here, the same methods are suitable as for adults; it makes no sense to select something adapted at the age of 16 or at the age of 18.

By the way, according to scientists from the Netherlands, in the period of 17-20 years, it is easiest for a person to assimilate new information. They came to this conclusion after measuring brain activity in more than 200 people of different ages.

Another bonus is that at this age you can fully concentrate on learning. There is enough free time, work and family are not as tiring as at a later age. Learning is easy, as long as you have the will.

English as an adult

If suddenly it so happened that in childhood you did not learn English, then it is never too late. Let's say that at school you had a different foreign language, or you had English, but you didn't learn it well. Now is the time to start, especially since this is an extremely useful skill in the modern world. Any serious position in any company now requires knowledge of English at least at the Intermediate level.

There are special courses in which you can start learning the language from scratch. You can sign up for group classes in your city, or if you want to save time, you can study online. EnglishDom has several courses for different levels: Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate. Classes are held one-on-one with a teacher via Skype. Sign up for the first introductory lesson can be free.

There are many examples of how people started learning a language at the age of 25-30 and achieved success in this. Therefore, you will succeed.

Learning English in old age

After retirement, life does not end. For example, in Europe, pensioners lead a very active lifestyle: they travel, learn new hobbies, play sports for the soul. Age is not a hindrance.

First, it's kind of a hobby. Learning English in retirement is like a hobby that helps keep you occupied and pass your free time. And it is very motivating to see that there is progress. Secondly, it is good for the body. The sedentary lifestyle of many older people is very unhealthy. And learning something new will help keep your brain sharp. And although it is really more difficult to learn something new in old age, this is not an excuse to do nothing.

Conclusion

How old can you learn English via Skype - from birth. Until how many years - you can learn at least a hundred. Just go to your goal!

EnglishDom #we inspire to learn

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

Many are ready to start immediately: learn to swim, draw, 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, English began to be studied from the fifth grade, that is, from the age of 11. Now same - with the first class. And parents are happy to pay extra for English or French classes even when the child attends 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 is not only possible, but also 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, in 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 in school years. Therefore, it can be argued that mastering the basics of a foreign language in the preschool period is useful.

The biggest debate is about at what age 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 does not just speak, but fully understands and thinks in her native language, she has practically no errors in pronunciation. If we talk about age, then it is about 5 years.

According to another theory, the sooner you start English classes, the better the results will be. Early learning a foreign language will even prevent the occurrence of an accent in pronunciation. I belong to the specialists who share precisely this idea, since practice confirms this.

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

In no case. If you approach the classes correctly (through the game, give the baby 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 you have the opportunity to start getting acquainted with a foreign language, the better. It is possible from the age of six months.

What might such activities look like?

It is advisable to simply introduce a foreign language into the life of a child 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 will be interested, so they will hear something new. And it does not matter that at first she does not 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 hears a foreign language from an early age, 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 mess of native and foreign words in the child's head.

Yes, it just seems. In fact, children are very smart and cunning. In childhood, they primarily use words that are easier (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 word. This creates the illusion that the child has only them settled in the head. In fact, at the physiological level in the head of babies, each language fits into a separate “box”. And when the accumulation of words and experience occurs, when the child is more conscious of communication, then she can already consciously open one or another “box”.

Thus, in reality, words from different languages ​​do not mix. However, it is important for parents to reinforce the skills to use them. It can be, for example, a person in the family who communicates with the child in a certain language. Then the child distinguishes for himself: with my father or grandmother, I speak, say, in English, and with my mother - in Ukrainian. This will help put restrictions between languages. The child will quickly stop mixing words from different languages.

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

- 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 study with the child in such a way that she would be interested ), then there may be two foreign languages, in addition to the native one. If there is a grandmother who speaks Russian and regularly comes to the kids, then let there be a fourth. 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 for 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 language 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 let 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 a lot of positive emotions and, accordingly, will gladly accept any next task. Do not forget that all tasks should be in the form of a game, the game is the key to success.

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