As a parent, you must wonder how you can teach your children English in a non-obtrusive way, but you are just not sure on how to begin. One obstacle that we at the Sharp Learner (SL) observe is that though enthusiastic about it, some parents are hesitant due to their own proficiency of the language. Command of the language aside, the most important thing is to constantly give encouragement and praise when you teach your children. Remember this is crucial as your enthusiasm will rub off on them. One thing to note however, is never get impatient with their learning process, as each child will have their own pace when they learn English. Here are some tips for you to adopt.

Make Use of Daily Situations

You can make use of the opportunity of working from home during this period to teach your children. Using everyday situations and household items in context is a good way to start. For example, you can talk about common household chores such as dressing up to go out (“Let’s put on your green T-shirt, “Would you like to wear your pink socks today?”, etc.). In addition, you can widen your children’s vocabulary when you are out shopping with them, give them a list of things to find in a departmental store. Have a revision of the words when you are arranging the shopping items at home.

Songs and Stories

Singing songs is an effective way in helping children learn English, as they are expanding their vocabulary and improving on their pronunciation. If you are wondering on how to start teaching reading, you can also take this opportunity to read the lyrics together with them. As for stories, get books that are vividly illustrated. Children adore books with bright colours and cute pictures. Point at the pictures and text as you teach your children to say the words. Subsequently, you can ask your children to point at different things, for example, “Where is the fish?”. After some time test them by asking ‘What is that?’. Listening and looking at pictures when reading and singing to your children will help them develop language comprehension by associating words with people, objects, and events in their daily life.

Play Games With Them

When children have fun, they also learn, which is why playing games with them is a very good way to have your kids learning English. One good method would be flashcards, as playing flashcard games helps them remember new words. As we all know, there are many types of learners, thus flashcard games will help those who are better at learning visually. Flashcards that are bright and colourful will make a lasting impression on them. As for children who are of reading age, pictorial flashcards should be used in conjunction with text-based flashcards. Text-based flashcards should always be introduced after the pictorial ones for word association and pronunciation practise.

At Sharp Learners (SL), we believe that there is nothing more effective than for parents to help their children put in more effort to learn English, as English is the most widely spoken language in Singapore. Furthermore, it is the main medium of instruction in schools, government organisations and businesses. Thus, the importance of knowing how to speak and write in English is important, as this will ensure that your children are able to survive in an increasingly globalised world.

If you want your child to communicate better in English, you can sign them up for our English classes at Hougang, The Midtown. Here at SL, we offer a wide range of English classes at Hougang that are suitable for children of all levels. Visit our website to find out more today.