The realities of today's world show that fluency in any language at the proper level, except for the native one, gives a person the advantages of career growth, increases opportunities in understanding the world, makes it possible to travel and find contact with other people more easily.
Given the above, "caring" moms and dads are eager to introduce the baby to the second language almost diapers. Let's consider at what age it is worth starting teaching a child English, how to organize the process most effectively and how not to turn it into a banal vocabulary cramming.
The first question is regarding the start of training. Here the opinions of experts differ, some say that the sooner the better, given the amazing ability of young children to learn. Like, everything is given to children incomparably easier, and in the future they have a high reaction rate, a good memory, they express their thoughts more logically, smarter.
Others argue that such heavy loads on an unformed organism can lead to overload. Studies, of course, show the opposite, but no one guarantees that this will not cause adverse consequences and rejection of the language in your child. After all, reality is often far from practice.
Therefore, the decision depends on which method you prefer.
But still, when should you start learning English?
If we are talking about learning at home, when parents will speak English with the child at home (or hire a specially trained person for this - a governess), start even today. There are no age restrictions.
If you will take a child to a group, then this should be done no earlier than 4-5 years old, the minimum age is 3 years. Not earlier than the child will form a sufficient vocabulary and language picture of the native language.
It is useless to explain to a child that a kitty is a cat, and a dog is a dog if he does not know these animals. The effectiveness of such a lesson is zero.
In relation to young children (from harmless), the following can be advised: help form the correct phonemic hearing, which is laid before reaching 3 years of age. This means that it will be easier for him to reproduce in speech those sounds that he often hears at this age. Let the babies still not catch the meaning, your voice is just pleasant to him. Sing songs and read fairy tales to your child.
METHODOLOGIES AND WAYS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN AT HOME AND IN GROUPS
English for children today is represented by a wide variety of methods. Let's arrange them depending on what age it is designed for.
Doman cards (for babies and up to school age). The technique focuses on visual memory. The child is shown cards with words and pictures in the hope that he will remember them. It is believed that this facilitates further learning to read and write. Recommendations for making cards can be found in the author's books. Personally, my opinion is that the child is interested in the first few lessons.
Game technique - suitable for children from 1 year old, aimed at developing speech, understanding the basics of grammar and spelling. Very effective and children like it: the material is given in the form of a game.
Zaitsev's technique - for three-year-olds. English letters appeared on Zaitsev's cubes not so long ago.
Project methodology for children aged 4-5 years . Choose a topic to which you devote several classes. Through various activities, the child gets acquainted with the topic. Knowledge is consolidated by independent work and a ready-made creative project on the topic (for their age, the project should be large-scale).
All of these techniques can be combined at your discretion and according to the mood of the child at a particular moment: learn words, play games, learn songs. The more diverse the training is, the easier it is to interest the baby, he will never be bored.
Watching cartoons in the original language and reading fairy tales in English will also be useful. It’s good to start with those that are already familiar to the baby. For example,
The Ugly Duckling - The
Ugly Duckling, Little Red Riding Hood -
Jack and the Beanstalk,
Cinderella - Cinderella,
Beauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast,
The Three Little Pigs - The Three Little Pigs.
These fairy tales are in collections of English for the little ones .
But, alas, you will not be able to achieve success if you cannot completely immerse the baby in a “foreign” atmosphere, at least for the period of classes. Naturally, the language is mastered in the process of communication, if the child treats it as a communication tool.
This can be achieved in two ways:
1. Communication with parents at home
If you have chosen this option for yourself, English should be heard in your apartment every day: during exercise, breakfast, brushing your teeth, while walking. Once language has become an integral part of your life, your child will naturally “absorb” it. Accompany all your creative lessons (sculpting, drawing, fine motor skills games) with comments in English. When different types of memory are involved, new words are more easily fixed in practice.
Make sure your child speaks a foreign language. Why would a child need to know the meaning of a word that he is unable to apply?
Use the following techniques:
a) every day one of the parents speaks English, the second - in Russian.
b) alternate days - today the family communicates in their native language, tomorrow - only in English.
And let it be the simplest phrases, start with this! c) choose a topic and talk on this topic exclusively in English today.
There is an opinion that bilingual children mix languages, cling to each other. This is true, in the beginning, when expressing their thoughts and constructing sentences, they will give preference to easier words (choose either short ones or with simple sounds). It passes. The main thing is to be patient, give the child a language role model. Then he will quickly understand what is required of him.
This method is possible when mom or dad is fluent in English (or ideally is its native speaker). Alas, I personally know only two families in which one of the parents speaks good English. Are you sure you will give your child the correct pronunciation? This is where the second option comes in.
2. Learning with a native speaker
Perhaps the most suitable option for learning a language, but also the most expensive. Remember how in Pushkin's time noble families invited governesses from France. The situation is similar: it can be an English teacher or a native speaker, a nanny for a couple of hours a day, for example, a student of INYAZ….
Natural learning will not cause rejection in the child. Immerse your baby in the language in his native environment. He will learn how to correctly form his own thoughts and compose phrases, and, importantly, to adequately respond in English to what is happening around.
If it is possible to organize communication with a native speaker, give preference to this option. He will put the child the correct pronunciation and intonation. It is very difficult to later get rid of the accent acquired in childhood.
The article was prepared specifically for the site shop-ultra.ru
