Toddler foreign language: Teaching Toddlers a Second Language
Teaching Toddlers a Second Language
Wednesday, 23rd January 2019
The question, ‘when is the best time to learn a language?’ is one that we get asked time and time again. Although there is no right or wrong answer to this query, most experts say that it’s a case of the younger the better when learning a second, third or fourth language.
According to Dr Patricia Kuhl, Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences and co-director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, by the age of three, a child’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s brain, making them the perfect candidate to learn new skills, including adding a foreign language to their repertoire. There are a number of advantages to learning a new language as a young child, with toddlers and preschoolers regularly achieving fluency in a second language with the right guidance.
At Lingoo, we cater to language learners of all ages, from young children and teens to adults. For parents looking to raise bilingual or even multilingual children, starting their education as a toddler is a good way to go. Discover our top tips for teaching a toddler a second language.
Make learning a part of their everyday
The success of language learning, as with any form of learning, comes down to repetition. Whether you’re opting for traditional classroom-based learning or are going down the immersive route, active engagement on a daily basis is key.
With toddlers, activities that involve the learning of their native language and a second language work well. Experts recommend doing the English-based activity and then repeating the same activity using the target second language two or three days later for maximum effectiveness.
Introduce them to native speakers
Casual learning environments tend to work better for young children, including toddlers, when learning a second language.Francois Thibaut, director of the Language Workshop for Children, suggests introducing children to native speakers, whether that’s yourself, your partner, a family member, or friend, to accelerate the language learning process:
“The best way for a child to learn to understand a new language is for him to hear people speaking it fluently, says Thibaut.
If he’s exposed to conversations, he’ll begin to pick up the sounds and the natural accent. Choose a language that is spoken in your neighborhood, on a television show your child can watch regularly, or one that is offered in classes or playgroups in your area.”
Hire a language au pair or book a homestay
Another great way to expose your child to native speakers is by hiring a language au pair or booking a family language homestay. Language learning is far more than just repeating a list of foreign words and phrases. Experiencing the culture that goes hand-in-hand with a new language will help your toddler and the wider family learn more about the country from which these words originate.
If the second language you are teaching your child is your native language, a well-timed family language homestay or exchange holiday could help you teach your child more about their heritage.
You don’t have to jet off to reap the rewards of language exchange.
Language au pairs can come to stay in your family home, sharing their language in exchange for accommodation and meals.
Take it one step at a time
Toddlers and young children may be labelled ‘sponges’ when it comes to describing their learning abilities but it is important to have reasonable expectations. Language learning should be fun and enjoyable. So take lessons one step at a time to make their target language more digestible.
Simply hearing words, watching videos, playing games, using language learning apps and singing songs in another language can provide the exposure they need to understand and learn. Remember that fluency doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and patience to achieve.
Sign up now and take a look at the range of immersive languages experiences on offer here at Lingoo.
How To Introduce Your Second Language To Your Toddler
If you are a bilingual parent raising a monolingual child you have probably thought about when and how you can introduce your second language.
While there is lots of advice to say you should start from birth, it doesn’t mean you can’t start later.
Many parents decide to put off speaking with their children in their second language for a variety of reasons. But you can still introduce a new language once your baby becomes a toddler, or even an older child.
There is no doubt that the earlier you introduce a new language to your child, the easier it will be for them to pick it up and become fluent.
However, even if your child has started talking already in their first language, there is still a variety of ways to introduce your second language so they can become bilingual.
Once you have made the decision to introduce your second language, start talking in the language to your child right away.
Toddlers are usually only starting to speak, so a new language will come quite naturally. You could actually switch to your second language exclusively immediately if you are comfortable with it. Although there might be the initial shock, toddlers are quite adaptable and may welcome the change.
If your toddler has started talking a lot already and you are not comfortable with a complete switch, there are other ways you can introduce your second language slowly if that is what you prefer.
To break the ice start singing songs to your toddler in your second language. Young children love to sing, and are usually able to pick up new words and phrases before they even start speaking sentences. Introduce nursery rhymes and fun songs in an informal way and make it fun.
Read books and play games together, introducing words and phrases along the way. Teach actions like clap hands, jump up and down, run, skip, and hop. Play around together having fun introducing new words slowly and repeating them over and over.
Use screen time to your advantage allowing your toddler to watch programs in the target language. Watching together is more effective so you can speak about what is happening.
One of the methods of raising a bilingual child, is using a situation or a context to speak with your child.
You can choose a time of the day, for example every evening before bed for an hour or two playing and doing activities together. Or perhaps a place in the house which is your special language corner.
To avoid the initial shock of a new language, you could start “talking twice”. For example say the sentence first in your child’s first language, and then repeat the same sentence in the language you are trying to teach.
Starting off like this will slowly introduce new words and phrases to your toddler, and you can encourage them to repeat what you say. Eventually, start to use only the target language at times and see how your child reacts.
Start using their first language less and less over time getting your child used to it until you are using only the target language.
There may be mothers groups or play groups in your area where they speak your target language. By surrounding your child with other people who also speak the language, it will create an immersion effect.
Hearing the language from other people other than yourself, may encourage your toddler to start using it.
All children react differently. While some may welcome the change, some toddlers may resist. If you have been speaking in one language since birth and then all of a sudden change, it may be a bit of a shock to some. However, if you are consistent, your child should eventually start to use your second language. Don’t give up.
Recommended reading:
- 25 tips to boost the minority language
- Creating the NEED for a language
- Recommended language resources
Would you like to read more on Bilingual Parenting? Why not subscribe to receive other related articles. Be sure to like our Bilingual Kidspot Facebook Page. Follow us on Twitter, and join the private Bilingual Kidspot Discussion group!
Bilingual Kidspot
Bilingual Kidspot is a website offering practical advice for parents seeking to raise bilingual or multilingual children; with inspiration, support and strategies based on experience as a parent, and as a teacher of a foreign language to children.
Foreign language “from the cradle”: myth or truth?
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How to raise a child?
Foreign language “from the cradle”: myth or truth?
- Tags:
- Expert advice
- 0-1 year
- 1-3 years
- 3-7 years
Which language to choose for learning
When determining what foreign language your child will learn, think about what is most in demand for the child’s future career, analyze the geography of your family trips. The decisive factor, however, will be the parents’ knowledge of this foreign language or the desire to learn it. After all, mom and dad can become the first teachers of foreign languages for a child.
When to start learning a foreign language
In noble families, children were taught foreign languages immediately after the birth of a child, inviting foreign tutors to the families. In the era of Pushkin, both the poet himself and many of his compatriots began to learn the first Russian words only by the age of three or four.
This was caused by the secular fashion for communication in foreign languages. Today, the attitude towards the Russian language is more respectful. You rarely meet compatriots who use a foreign language in their native country without the need for: work, translation, contacts with foreign partners and friends.
Nowadays, teachers do not advise to start teaching a child a second language until he gets used to the territory of communication that he will constantly have to use in life (does not begin to understand and try to speak Russian). That is why some teachers are of the opinion that it is not worth starting to learn a foreign language earlier than 1.5-2 years. Nevertheless, a number of experts believe that it is possible to introduce foreign speech in doses from the first months of a baby’s life. In their opinion, then the child will more organically perceive a foreign language in the future.
How to teach a foreign language to babies up to 1.5 years old
To do this, mom and dad can simply switch to a foreign language from time to time.
You can turn on the baby songs in a foreign language or sing them yourself.
Cubes with pictures, bingo, “baby books”, interactive books that “pronounce” the name of objects in a foreign language will please the baby and make learning interesting and easy for the crumbs.
How to teach a foreign language to children 1.5-3 years old
A baby can learn his first words in a foreign language together with his mother. To begin with, it is enough to show the child pictures depicting surrounding objects familiar to him and call them in a foreign language. Don’t use too many pictures, limit yourself to a few dozen picture cards. Use items that a young student is already able to name in Russian: for example, a cat, a cup, a doll, a telephone, a typewriter.
It is also possible to acquaint a child with foreign speech using the “immersion” method, showing him cartoons in a foreign language. If the kid gets carried away, it will be more interesting for him to understand what the characters are saying.
But cartoons should be selected carefully. Firstly, they must correspond to the age of the child, and secondly, they must be of high quality. It is best to find special educational cartoons in which the obviously correct literary speech will sound.
How to teach a foreign language to children aged 3-5
At this age, a child constantly explores something new, learns the world through the game, questions and answers. That is why simple puzzles and riddles in a foreign language are suitable for learning. Educational games in another language can be great helpers in the educational process.
If your child has already mastered counting in Russian, you can learn it in a foreign language. Interactive technologies such as books and toys can also help you. To a limited extent, it makes sense to use computer training programs. Mom and dad can switch to a foreign language by showing and naming objects to the child on the street or in the store.
As soon as the child masters his native alphabet, you can try to teach him foreign letters and their pronunciation.
In any case, such classes will be an excellent preparation for the child by the time he goes to school.
How to teach a foreign language to children aged 5-7
Warm up your child’s interest in a foreign language by traveling with him to a country where the language you are learning is spoken. Try to make sure that the baby has the opportunity to communicate with their peers. Then the motivation to learn a foreign language in a child can greatly increase.
A native language teacher at the Child Development Center “Shine of Childhood” tells that preschool children can do exercises and play interactive games to prepare them for foreign language lessons at school.
Continue to show your child cartoons and films in a foreign language. You can watch them with him and analyze the dialogues of the characters. Of course, subtitles for films and animations can also be a great help in learning the language.
Buy colorful books in a foreign language – in specialized stores in Russia and on foreign websites. By the way, in the central libraries of your city, there may also be books for the smallest in foreign languages.
Do not forget about the audio: from time to time you can turn on and listen to songs, poems and fairy tales in a foreign language with your child. Children remember rhymed speech better.
Try to start mastering the school curriculum in advance using the textbook that your child will use to start learning a foreign language at school. In the future, it may be easier for the baby to learn. And he can even become the first in the class in this subject.
How parents can be at their best when learning a foreign language with their children
Mom or dad do not have to know a foreign language perfectly when they start teaching it to their child. But they can “grow” with the young student, preparing for classes and improving their knowledge.
You can do this when watching your favorite films in the original language with subtitles or when reading books in a foreign language with a dictionary.
The main thing is not to be afraid of anything, to believe in yourself and your baby, and step by step, without stress, introduce foreign speech into your daily life.
Tatyana Margulyan
Foreign language for kids: when and how?
Today, when a child reaches the age of 2-3 years, many parents are seriously wondering about teaching their baby English, about teaching methods, about how many hours a week to study, etc.
Is it necessary to learn a foreign language at preschool age and why?
Need. Even if your child goes to a language school and learns foreign languages from the first grade, teaching him English before school will not be a waste of time.
The first acquaintance with a foreign language will lay a favorable foundation for comprehending the intricacies of the language in the future, and will contribute to the development of memory and creative abilities.
For example, children’s songs in English lay separate grammatical structures in the mind of a child. And role-playing games will teach him both manners and mutual support, as well as the correct English intonation.
What methods of teaching foreign languages exist?
The number and quality of methods for teaching foreign languages to preschoolers is very diverse. The game technique is effective and exciting for the child: the learning process is a fun educational game, during which an adult and a variety of toys are involved.
The game method is ideal for learning a foreign language with very young children (1-3 years old). In this case, it is very important to unobtrusively show the baby that he will like the educational game that you have started.
Mixed methodology – educational games (preferably collective ones), songs, reading books in a foreign language, drawing. This complex is most suitable for children 4-6 years old.
These methods have been successfully used by many teachers, as well as by parents who teach children on their own.
How many hours a week should I spend studying?
The most optimal number of hours per week is 2-3 hours. It does not depend on whether the kid goes to an English language club, to courses or studies at home with his parents.
If English is not your child’s second language, then classes should not exceed 3 hours per week.
How to prepare for English classes at home, and in what sequence to conduct them?
You and your child have already chosen specific days for English lessons at home. Next, you need to make sure that the “lesson” has everything you need: colored pencils and felt-tip pens, colored paper, safety scissors and glue, picture books, various manuals, toys of different sizes.
From personal experience, I want to note that many children need to be “set” before each lesson. An adult should say in a calm voice: “Now we will study English. We will play, color, draw and remember everything.”
It is best to start homework by looking at and discussing pictures in books and manuals together, then move on to drawing, making applications or coloring, then do finger gymnastics in English or sing a song. End the home “lesson” with an educational game that uses toys.
If you feel that your child is tired or is not interested in a certain part of the lesson, then move on to the easiest exercise or complete the “lesson”.
What are the best benefits to work on?
This question is perhaps the most common. Many parents believe that the quality of teaching a foreign language depends on the allowance. In addition, a fairly large number of benefits designed for preschoolers are offered.
Teachers in a children’s language club or course and parents follow the sequence of topics in the manual.
Therefore, it is very important that the manual is thematically correct. Personally, my students and I have been using the manual of the British publishing house Longman “Pingu loves English” and “Get Ready” for 4 years already for 4 years.
In general, the manual should be colorful, with attractive pictures.
Which classes are more effective: group or individual?
Individual lessons are ideal for teaching children under four years of age a foreign language. And classes in mini-groups (3-4 children each) show excellent results in five-year-old children. From personal experience, I came to the conclusion that the mini-group opens up great opportunities for educational games that make it easy to consolidate the material covered. Every child is given equal attention. Children learn English by helping each other during games, supporting each other. And the study of poems, rhymes and songs in English in four or five creates a feeling of a close and friendly team.