Monday, August 9, 2021
10 TIPS ON HOW TO INTRODUCE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO MY CHILDREN? WHERE TO START?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
It is undeniable that English language is one of the most used language in the world. It has become the second language to many countries and is spoken by many these days. In Malaysia, English has become the second language for most of the people. This can be seen where English language has become of the compulsory language to be learned as early as in the pre-school, primary and secondary school. However, not every household use English as their first language. Unless if the parents have decided to make English as the first language, then it is another different story.
As for me, Malay language is my native language. I speak Malay as I grow up and it is my go to language to talk to with my family and friends. However, in my family, my father is the who encouraged us to speak in English and he speaks in English to us from time to time. This is due to the need of his job in dealing with his International colleagues and superiors and the main languages are Malay and English. Hence, to have us siblings be exposed to English in our early age. For me, I didn't find it awkward to switch the language as I read both English and Malay books extensively, I watch English and Malay programs and I speak well in both languages.
When I first had Fateh, I already have this in mind where I would like to speak English with Fateh at home and teach him Malay language when necessary during his school years later. The children absorbs new knowledge like a sponge and I have experienced it firsthand when I teach Fateh both languages up until today.
Where to start?
1. For mothers, during the pregnancy, make it as a routine to read aloud while caressing your stomach. The babies hear and when they move, it is indescribable feeling that we mothers could not explain. Read to them.
2. Parents, you can start by buying flashcards first. Any kinds will do be it about alphabets, animals, fruits, or vehicles. One word flashcards would be better and to start flashing the cards to them every day and put it as your daily routines.
3. Use simple one words, example "eat, drink, sit, hug". This is to implant those words in their memories so that they can use it later. Avoid saying long words to them. Instead, use short sentences when speaking. For example, "Let's take a bath", "Let's have breakfast", "Let's take a nap". Avoid using baby language which is unclear and this will lead to confusion on the words to the children later.
4. Have a lot of conversations with your children. When I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Talk to them as if you are talking to adults. What I mean here is talking in a clear and proper sentences. Because from there, the kids will learn how to use the language. They learn fast believe me. If you want to talk about something that has happened in the past, use past tense. Do not worry if you are scared that your children will not understand. They will understand later and when they ask, you can explain to them. The key here is to start familiarizing to the children about the language and the structure that you are using.
5. Make a habit of pinpointing to any things found inside and outside of the house and let them know the words. This is to increase and encourage the children on the use of vocabulary.
6. Avoid letting your children to have their screen time on their own. This is a BIG NO. Screen time for kids is just a one-way communication and this is not healthy for their brain development, speech and communication. There are a lot of studies on this topics so parents, do some readings. What we do is, when it is time for them to have their screen time, watch together with them and have two-ways communication with your children. Some of the questions that you can ask:
- Can you name me the colours that you see?
- How many cartoon characters are there?
- Is the tree yellow in colour?
Once the screen time has ended, allow your children to express their feelings and thoughts about what they have just watched. Let them tell you their story and get engaged with them. It is a very good exercise to do this every time as it will not just build their confidence, but also allowing them to present themselves, to express their thoughts and to be able to have active and healthy conversations. This will also help in their vocabulary development.
7. Once in a while, let them teach you instead of you teaching them. When you have a role-play of the children teaching us, it will allow them to prepare themselves on what to teach and this can boost their memories of everything that they have learned. Instead of using lots of books with the children in teaching English language at an early age, hands-on activities are the best for the children. Then slowly, you can start introducing them to exercise books as a tool to see their knowledge and understanding of the language.
8. The most important key here is to enjoy the learning process. Parents, please do not stress yourselves out over teaching a language with worry that your children are late bloomers and etc. No, never have this kind of mentality in you. Trust your children. You know them better and let them be free and have fun in learning. When the children are enjoying themselves, they will be happier and are looking forward to learn more from you.
9. The teachers are the parent's support system. Remember, it takes a village to raise a kid. So, let the teachers do their work in teaching the methods, and we the parents, to continue supporting our children in the process of learning consistently. If you only rely on the teachers, it will not be really helpful in your children's development.
10. This however do not only apply to English language, I believe these steps that I have shared based on my experience are also applied to other languages that you would want your children to master and even to you, yourselves.
THE DON'TS
1. DO NOT PUT ANY EXPECTATIONS TO YOUR CHILDREN. Expectation kills. When it does, it may stresses you out and this is not good for your children as well. It is good to have goals instead and break it into small goals and share it with your children so they can look forward to more interesting new knowledge every single day.
2. As your children grow older, DO NOT LET THEM WATCH CARTOONS WITH LESSER VOCABULARY. It is wise as parents to choose and see which cartoons that are suitable for your children especially on the language used. The language must be clear and do not contain any vulgar words. This can also helps with more extensive vocabulary for your children to explore.
Thank you for your time reading. InshaaAllah see you in the next post!
Love always,
AliahMazli
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Salam !
Writing is a way that I can express myself and be connected with other people. Thank you for taking some of your time here--my blog, my space. I hope you benefit something from it.
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