Cedarwood Primary School

1. Learn together
Grab this opportunity to master the basics of a foreign language with your child.

Don’t be embarrassed and don’t hold back: your goal is, first and foremost, to help your child, and you know you are ready to do anything for them. In addition, this is also an opportunity for you to learn the basics of a foreign language, so use it. Think of this as a great opportunity to spend quality time with your child doing something useful and constructive. 

We will tell you a secret: 

Children learn through observation and models, i.e. they imitate examples from their environment. This way, you will teach your child much more than the knowledge of language – you will imbue them with a positive attitude toward learning. 

Namely, when your child sees that learning is something you do with pleasure, they will understand that it is a positive activity people practice all their lives, and that this activity can be fun and will bring them closer to their parents, which is the ultimate desire of every child. 

If your child adopts a positive attitude toward learning at an early age, they will cultivate it throughout their life, and this means that you will not have the problem most parents face. You will not have to force your child to study, because they will acquire good work habits and develop a responsibility toward learning from an early age. 

2. Play games in a foreign language 

When they are young, children learn spontaneously about the world around them – through everyday activities. However, one of the best and most efficient forms of learning is through their favourite activity – play.

Learning through play is a proven method for the acquisition of a foreign language. For example, playing hide-and-seek with children can be a great way to teach them to count in that language. Also, the use of educational technology gives excellent results in foreign language learning at an early age. 

You can find a number of interesting games or applications online, such as interactive puzzles that can help your child to learn the names of colours, animals and shapes in different languages. This way, apart from adopting words of a foreign language, the child will simultaneously acquire other important knowledge about the world. 

3. Play cartoons and children’s shows in a foreign language 

When learning a foreign language, you must take the following into account – there is a big difference between language exposure and language learning. 

Usually, when we talk about language learning, we mean learning the grammar rules, memorizing words and drills. However, the most important thing for young children is to be exposed to the sounds, rhythm and melody of a language. And one of the best ways to do it is playing cartoons and children’s shows.

At a young age, children master speech by listening, repeating and associating words with certain actions. This is why many children are able to master a foreign language simply by watching cartoons in that language. 

Also, many cartoons and TV shows are designed specifically for language learning where children are introduced to the meaning and pronunciation of words through the adventures of the cartoon heroes. 

Exposure to a foreign language from an early age has another great effect on your child. It will make their pronunciation similar or indistinguishable from the pronunciation of a native speaker. 

Simply, children are great imitators and adopt new things easily at an early age, including pronunciation, unlike older students who almost always retain their native accent. 

4. Singing songs in a foreign language 

Children love songs, and melody helps them memorize a number of words, which is why songs are a great memorization and learning technique. Singing songs in the target language is a great and efficient way to help your child master a foreign language, but also a great opportunity to spend some time together and have fun. Find children’s songs on YouTube that your child may like and don’t be afraid to sing along. Before you know it, your child will learn the song by heart. 

5. Read books in a foreign language 

You will find a number of specialized books for learning different languages from an early age in bookstores. With your help in reading, writing and meaning of words, your child will soon master the meaning and pronunciation of foreign words. You can also read simple bedtime stories in a foreign language. Such stories usually contain common phrases so the child will easily memorize them. 

6. Include a foreign language into your daily activities 

In early childhood, children absorb everything like sponges, so you don’t need any special aids for learning. Simply, go to the park, shop, or the playroom and play a game by first naming the objects, shapes and colours you encounter in your native language, and then in the target language. This is the best way for a child to learn words of the target language, because they will associate them with the objects and phenomena in their surroundings, and thus they will be able to actually use them when necessary. 

This way, in addition to the foreign language, the child will also unconsciously strengthen their native language through play. 

7. Learn a foreign language online 

If your child has a second language at school, adopting a language in another, less formal way is a welcome distraction from classes, and a desirable and effective learning strategy. Learning a foreign language online is not only fun and often free, but also a good way for your child to further advance their language skills.  

The great thing about learning a foreign language online is that it is completely in line with the children’s lifestyle: lessons are short and include tests, and children can solve these tests on their phone anywhere, between other activities. 

Acquiring a second language broadens our horizons, introduces us to other cultures and represents a valuable tool in our formation as a personality, and in our professional life. Parents have an important role in this process, just like school does. We hope the tips from this text will help you make the foreign language more relatable to your child.