5 Unconventional ways to improve your child’s English language skills
English. The all-encompassing language that has the potential to make or break connections. The English language has become the thread that binds different nations together; it is a language that resounds in the hearts of everyone. Whether you are a native English speaker or teaching your child English language, we can certainly agree that English is a tricky language, after all, we have all struggled with ‘put’ and ‘cut’, haven’t we?
Apart from the efforts put in by teachers at school, it is necessary to put in the extra effort to hone the English language skills of your child and in the process yourself as well. Whether you are a parent, a private tutor or an older sibling teaching the child in your care the nuances of English language, the following unconventional methods will surely help the child not just learn English but understand it as well.
1. Dissecting new words
Our everyday conversations are filled with multiple new words. A child might just come up to you and ask you the meaning of a particular word and in such a scenario, it is not just about explaining the meaning, it is also a bit of deconstructing, guiding the child to actually understand the word. You can start with dissecting the prefixes and suffixes of the word and that can extremely advantageous to improving your child’s English skills.
For example, if a child asks you the meaning of inconsistent then the best way to explain is to first focus on the prefix ‘in’ and then explain the meaning of consistent. Once you do so, ask them to conjoin the word and they will conclude that it means “not consistent.”
2. Focus on phrases
This goes hand in hand with dissecting new words. New words and understanding them certainly gives way to learning common, everyday phrases in English. Something as simple as “pleased to meet you” can set the foundation of better English for your child. Studying these phrases will actually give you an arsenal of words that you can conjugate together to create dialogues and weave them in everyday conversations.
3. Track the learning curve
In psychological terms, this refers to the graphical representation of the progress made while learning something new. And the best way to learn something new that would ultimately help with improving your child’s English is repetition.
Repetition helps them fully grasp the meaning and context of words while at the same time becoming efficient in the same. The progress that your child makes in learning English can be represented in the form of a graph. The bottom of the graph will have a slow beginning. But as you keep on repeating the words, your child’s brain will start adjusting to the new knowledge gained and slowly and steadily his learning curve will steep upwards. You can learn more about the learning curve and how to use it to your child’s English learning advantage on the flash learner.
4. Read, read and read
By now it is already clear to you the unconventional method of teaching English to your child involves a good grasp of the vocabulary. But how do you come about this? It is not enough to just have a textbook knowledge of the words. The only way to have a bank of words and phrases is by pushing the boundaries of learning.
The best source of exposure to the English language is through books, especially fictional ones by famous authors, old as well as modern. Apart from that you also need to develop in your child, the habit of reading newspaper and magazine advertisements as it is mostly written in a colloquial and easy to understand texts. As unconventional and tedious as it sounds, if you want your child to be fluent in English, then you need to turn them into a bookworm into the formative years itself.
5. Grammar is essential
While teaching your child English, it is not just enough to make them learn new words and phrases. They also need to learn the context of using the words, which words are verbs, which are adjectives, nouns, pronouns etc. This might seem like a daunting task, but in the long run, it is proper knowledge of grammar that will actually help your child go high up in the learning curve and make heads and tails of English language. Learning the basics of English language starts with grammar and it is only when the concepts are entrenched in your child’s brain that they can move forward.
These are of course some of the best ways to teach English to your child while at the same time honing your own skills. And to actually make sure your child has learnt English the way you want them to, you need to do a constant review. Review, because what they learnt yesterday is as important as what they learnt today and your child can’t move forward if they forget the one of the other. The constant review helps your memory remember every vocabulary learnt and combined with the correct grammatical practices, it will actually become a part of your child’s long term memory.
Talentnook English Bridge Program
As someone involved in the process of teaching English, it is necessary to lay the foundation of good English in the middle school itself. And to help you achieve this feat, Talentnook brings to you the English Reading and Writing Program for 6th Graders.
Aimed at addressing English language learning gaps when transitioning from primary to middle school, the English bridge program will help your child build and strengthen their grasp of the basics of the English language. A strong foundation of English in middle school can pave a path of confident communication and academic success for your child.
The English Bridge program features expert guidance by renowned vocabulary counselors and linguists, it will ensure that your child develops the best of literary practices while improving their overall vocabulary for impactful conversations.
