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5 ways to motivate your child to learn English
Though the global situation is constantly changing, English is still the international language. Many parents believe that teaching their children English as a second language secures their future, education, and success in life. From this post you’ll learn how to motivate your children to learn English!
Get involved!
Your children often care about things that you care about. Won’t your child be eager to follow you if they see you forcing yourself to do something? Allow yourself to be entertained and have fun using your language skills. Try watching a film in English, playing an English-language video game that’d interest your child or listening to an audiobook. Curiosity, along with a dash of jealousy, is the most powerful motivator.
Seriously, though, you should actively participate in the process of learning English with children. Your children will be influenced by your efforts and won’t study without examples and motivation. Be sure to participate in the lesson, if possible, ask them about their progress, and – very importantly – reward them for their efforts. The more love and support they receive, the more eager they will be to improve.
Use English whenever possible
Use English in your daily life whenever you can! If you play video games with your children, you might set the user interface to English, or view English-language movies with subtitles together. If your offspring agrees – you shouldn’t force them – you can change the language on their cellphone, so that they learn some phrases from the context.
Some parents might even occasionally talk with their children in English, such as asking them to do the dishes or whether if they want ice cream. This can be very effective, but be careful to not isolate them. Believe in your language skills and talk with them naturally. Some children love role-playing and can act-out specific situation. You can act out real-life scenarios with them, if they approve.
Learn together
Of course, if you can comprehend the article, chances are that you already speak reasonably good English, so trying to improve together with your child might not be the best idea. However, you can also try to learn another, new language – perhaps using our online language courses. One of the most effective methods to encourage a child is to do it yourself.
This is also a great opportunity to teach your child how to learn effectively. If you are keen on using cue cards, show them to your offspring and explain how useful they are. You can even have a healthy competition on who can master more words or write more. More importantly, this will show them they are not alone and will allow you to better understand your children and what they are going through.
Create study groups
Since learning English together with your child can be fun, why not try it with friends and family? Learning English in public and private schools is always governed by rules and programs. But small community groups are free to explore things that really interest the youngsters. You can ask friends of your child to come over and, for instance, try to work out a board game with English instructions – and you’ll help them only if they are dedicated to using the foreign language.
If you have relatives, friends or coworkers who are native English speakers, you could ask them to communicate with your child – even on-line. You can arrange a meeting where you’ll introduce your foreign friend to your children. Try to find some hook, a reason why would they talk with your friend – perhaps that person shares some of your child’s interests?
You know what to do
As a parent you have the most valuable advantage any teacher could ask for: you know your children better than anybody else. You know what they’re interested in and what they enjoy. You can try and find activities that appeal to them: some children might prefer to learn using movement and exercising studying, while others might love board games. You have the unique power of using your knowledge to identify problems.
However, keep in mind that learning a language takes time and effort. Many students, understandably, complain that they are learning too much grammar in their English lessons and not enough vocabulary or speaking. Grammar and constant practice are also essential. Ask the teacher of your child what are their primary problems, and ask yourself a question “how can I help them using my own skills?”.
And above all, keep in mind that no one can learn anything if they don’t want to. Your children need to want to learn. And you, as parent, should be able to understand why they shut down if they do, and work together to inspire them.