From the point of view of psychology and pedagogy, preschool age is best time to start learning a foreign language. But such small students need special approach, special techniques. You can start from the age of 3 to teach children to the language, and even earlier.

Methods of learning English for children

However, for teaching English to children, it is necessary to follow certain principles:

naturalness
interestingness
sequence
persistence
game form

There are 2 main directions:

Group lessons
Learning English on your own

Whichever direction you choose, it is worth noting that the main factor in the successful acquisition of the language by a child is constant communication in English. Therefore, at home, try to speak with him in English, if you speak at least a little of the language.

Here are some methods for teaching English to children:

Nikolai Zaitsev's technique. In the process of learning, the child will have to look at tables and play with cubes. But Zaitsev's cubes are not ordinary with letters and pictures, but with warehouses (syllables), from which children add words. In addition, they differ in size, color and ringing.

Nikolai Zaitsev's technique This helps kids to feel the difference between voiced and soft, vowels and consonants. From the very first lessons, children learn to speak and read English at the same time. For children from 3 years old

game method

Game technique. simple and effective method. Professional educator conducts classes with the child in game form. The teacher arranges toy animals and animals of different colors on the table, calls them several times, the children repeat in chorus. Then the children are invited to draw any animal of their choice and name who they depicted in English.

Game method of learning English After the children remember at least half of the names, you can proceed to a simple dialogue. The teacher in English asks to give him an animal Give me a rabbit - Give me a rabbit. The child complies with the request. Next time, you can start working on getting the child to ask for the toy.

Gradually, you can change items and increase their number. Develops oral speech and pronunciation. Practice spelling and grammar. Adaptable for children from 1 year old

Doman technique

Glen Doman Method. Here the emphasis is on visual memory. Children are shown cards and tables with words for animals, toys, furniture. Pictures and words are remembered immediately, and the learning process is simplified. This method is designed for babies, but older children can do it too, up to 6 years old.

Thus, the ways of teaching English to children, as well as its teaching, are diverse. You need to choose exactly the method that will be of interest to you and your children.

Also show cartoons to children, communicate with him more, take him to kindergarten with an emphasis on learning foreign language. You can hire a tutor who will speak to your child exclusively in English.

How do your children learn English? Do you know interesting effective methodology? Please share in the comments.

Technique of reading English according to Zaitsev's method

Teaching English to children can be for you, as a teacher, the most interesting and vivid pedagogical experience, if you approach this issue with maximum efficiency. Being a teacher is not easy, but it is an amazingly enjoyable job that you need to love. You won’t become a good teacher right away, you need experience, desire and knowledge in this area. Including such as. Pedagogical education does not guarantee that you will love teaching, you need to have some vocation and a desire to become the best of the best.

There are a lot of English resources for teachers (tutors) and parents now, but it is impossible to cover everything. You need to choose exactly those that your students and you like. As one of these resources, in my teaching practice, I use the . How to use it, I told in. By the way, there is a special section for English teachers and tutors. As for direct materials for teaching children, they are presented mainly in the form of video and audio materials. According to the search within the site, children's content - 412 files. These are songs, cartoons, texts and so on. If this is an alphabet, then it is voiced, which is also very convenient. Naturally, to work with this portal you need to have a tablet or laptop.

Concerning teaching aids, books and other educational publications, the opinions of different teachers sometimes differ. Again, on personal experience comes out like this. It is rarely possible to work on only one textbook or series, the most correct thing is to create an individual program for each child, generally adhering to one well-established scheme. For example: and video / audio + new words: colors, toys, personal pronouns, family and animal names are taken according to the Happy House system from + we always give 2-4 minutes during the lesson-game for a task that is related to English, but done on purpose taking into account the interests of the child. One of my students loves dinosaurs, for him additional tasks are worksheets where you need to connect the dots in the correct alphabetical order and so on. It will be much more effective if you give your child tasks based on their interests and favorite characters. Preschoolers love to play and the best thing is to learn English in a playful way. If you manage to instill a love for English now, you are a great teacher, because most do not know this language like that, only because at school they were beaten off all desire for it.

As a series, Happy House is very popular all over the world. I like how they have audio accompaniment of lessons, very funny and catchy songs, children quickly remember them. And a very successful Activity Book. This is how, for example, the task on the topic Colors looks like. Children are delighted!

For lessons on the topic Colors, I also always use my own and to consolidate the material. Color cards are needed when we get acquainted with colors, memorize them and pronounce the names. I use black and white for games. It all depends on your imagination. You can do this: first we learn 6 colors. We give the child 6 felt-tip pens with the right colors, and give empty cards with balls, where everything is written only in words. You name a color in English, put a card, and the child should put a felt-tip pen of the desired color on top of it. When all 6 felt-tip pens are on the cards, give him 6 colored cards and he checks himself. No matter how many flowers he remembers, always praise and say that next time he will definitely be lucky. In addition, he also begins to visually memorize words and their meaning.

If you yourself cannot study with a child, and he wants to learn English, then you may need to find a suitable tutor. Read how to do it.

You can always find other English tasks for children in the appropriate one on our website.

Forget textbooks, because your kids can't read yet. However, the book is acceptable, but not in the usual gray form: it should be primarily pictures, and a minimum of text. If there are a lot of letters in the book, then I suspect that this is not a book, but a textbook ... most likely for you, dear parents! Remember: children do not learn, they learn and remember what they were interested in learning with their ears, eyes, hands and feet.
English for preschoolers Remembered an interesting method of live learning of English language Meshcheryakova, in which the lesson should look like a mini-performance, the teacher should look like a director, and the students should look like participants in a large and fun performance?

And the legendary Luntik, who sacrificed his quiet life on the moon, so that earthly children could learn English as soon as possible?

Let's also recall the Disney heroes - the pioneers of English for our little ones.

Another interesting technique

Here is the technique of another follower of Luntik, who managed to turn language lessons into a real joy for kids.

This time, Spot is a simple American dog with a white spot on his ear.

Let's take the very first lesson. His plan is this:

Get interested in learning English
Learn to count to three, say hello and goodbye
Understand the question "what's your name" and answer it
The first most necessary phrases(“yes, no, stand up, sit down”, etc.)
The best expressions from the teacher's set "classroom English"
The word "kangaroo" in English
English sounds

An example of an English lesson for preschoolers

But this is just a dry presentation, but how does the lesson go live?

The teacher enters, greets and gets acquainted with preschoolers, offering them to choose the language of communication. They choose, of course, Russian: this is not surprising, because Luntik is our national hero. But the teacher has a powerful weapon in his hands: a multi-colored map is a small copy of a multilingual world, and such a fact: everyone's favorite Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse, it turns out, speak English! And the kangaroo from Australia too... The kids give up, they can't wait to learn how to speak as soon as possible.

And then suddenly a guest from America appears, the shy dog Spot, and then he becomes the center figure of the lesson. While communicating with him, the children quietly complete at least four points of the lesson plan under the guidance of Spot.

Even such an uninteresting topic for preschool children as sounds can be turned into a movie: sounds come to preschool children in the form of little people with different characters and pronunciation.

The teacher encourages his pupils all the time:

Good! good for you! - Good! Well done!

In the next lesson, different phrases are introduced into use in games and songs, including polite ones.

The remaining lessons (there are 15 in total) are devoted to forest and African animals, pets and family, as well as color.

Described technique preschool education belongs to I. A. Murzina.

What is the difference between preschool teaching methods

What is the difference between preschool teaching methods

Preschool children learn with the help of the world around them and communication. School children are already able to learn from books
Children in the kindergarten need to be taught in a live game, in which everyone learns: the teacher, toys, songs, and the children's society itself. Children at school - with the help of explanations, reading and dialogues (games, especially for younger age not excluded!)
In kindergartens, long lessons should be avoided and children should be encouraged more with praise. School-age children are already able to withstand 45 full minutes (you can take small breaks with the younger ones during the lesson), and the main encouragement for them is grades

Do not kill the interest of children with endless notations and remarks!

Additional materials: Video courses for children

I think that it will be interesting for children not only of preschool, but also of school age.

Video: Game development

Children's bilingualism is a complex topic. There are many theories, there is no consensus among scientists. One thing is for sure: the sooner a child starts learning a second language, the easier it will be for him to learn it and the less effort it will take. Therefore, English for children is now so popular. But let's get some theory first.

Bilingualism is divided into two types. Children's bilingualism ("innate") and bilingualism in cases where a second language is learned after more or less decent mastery of the first. Let's call him an adult (although we can also talk about childhood). Some studies show that in the case of "innate" bilingualism, the brain learns two languages as two DIFFERENT language systems. In the case of adult bilingualism, the language system is ONE. That is, by a certain point we already know our native language, and we perceive a foreign language as a set of synonyms for it and additional rules.

Features of "innate" bilingualism

A huge plus of “innate” bilingualism is that the second language is acquired automatically, and even the brain, according to some studies, stays in working condition longer. But in the first years of life, a child can mix languages. There is no particular problem in this, but when communicating with those who do not know one of the languages, difficulties may arise. On the other hand, children can generally be silent or babble in a fictitious language: this does not prevent them from playing with peers and going to kindergarten at all.

But a little later, such a bilingual does not confuse the grammar of different languages. Using a specific language, he is, as it were, in a separate language system, only that part of the brain that is responsible for it is active.

The disadvantages of children's bilingualism include speech delay (it is logical: the child needs to learn twice as much material, it takes time) and mental problems. And one should feel sorry for the unfortunate inhabitants of states where several languages are official at once, and children from birth fall into a multilingual environment. Switzerland especially - with its four state languages. But for some reason I envy these poor people.

Features of adult bilingualism

In the case of adult bilingualism, grammatical errors are more common in speech. They are associated with an attempt to apply the rules of the native language to a foreign one. And if in Russian there is no one hundred percent analogue of any part of speech from English, then even at the age of thirty you will fight with these damn articles. But initially there is no confusion in the vocabulary: a person clearly distinguishes between two languages.

0 to year

If you decide to study English with your child from birth, then your set of methods is very limited. Yes, and "engage" is a strong word. In the first year of life, a child, of course, learns a huge amount of information, including grammar and vocabulary of his native language (he will begin to apply all this later). But it happens naturally. He can only listen and watch. So you have little choice: to speak and show the world. And do not try to be a "translator": name the subject in Russian, and immediately after that - in English. You don’t say in your life “I’ll drink some tea - tea”, this is unnatural. The entire phrase must be either in English or Russian.

1. One of the family members always speaks English to the child.

Feature: if you are not a native speaker, although you are fluent in it, then when you switch to English, you become a slightly different person. This phenomenon of “split personality” among professional translators is studied with interest by psychologists. And they have a version that in such a situation, the relationship between the child and the parent is worse. After all, this is no longer a “real” mother, but her Anglo-American version.

But if mom, dad, grandma or grandpa are carriers, you're in luck! Or you can hire an English-speaking nanny (but this often seriously hits the budget).

2. The whole family speaks a foreign language on a particular day of the week or in a particular situation.

For example, you can introduce the tradition of English Saturdays/Sundays. Or speak English only while swimming/only in the evening/only when walking in the park. There is also a disadvantage. For example, if you always speak English while eating, the child will not recognize the Russian names of products. On the other hand, it is now more important for him to feel another grammatical structure, get used to the sound of the language, look at your articulation.

3. English is spoken in a specific place.

For example, in developmental groups, visiting specific friends who agreed to learn English with you, in a cafe, etc. This method seems to me even simpler, but it requires regular visits to the chosen place.

From one year to three

But let's be honest. All that the vast majority of mothers of children of the first year of life want is to sleep and wash. Not everyone had the opportunity to teach English to children from scratch, and there is nothing terrible in this, the whole life is ahead. In addition to all the above methods, which are suitable for children after a year, you can use:

1. Game method: lay out toys and objects in front of the child, name them in English, play with them, draw them, often repeating their names.

When the child has learned at least half of the words, you can begin to use them in speech and build a simple dialogue in English. It is important to go to the dialogues here. Otherwise, you will simply teach your child English synonyms, and not English.

2. Cards with pictures and names (Doman method).

The idea is very vaguely similar to the previous one, but instead of objects you have cards that you repeatedly show. As a rule, children look at any pictures with pleasure. But again, don't forget the dialogue!

Well, it is worth mentioning that Mr. Glenn Doman took care of babies with developmental delay. And then, based on his experience, he created methods for the rest (within them, for example, children learn mathematics as early as a year). Whether this method is right for you also depends on how you feel about early development in general.

This is a whole system with posters, audio recordings and cubes of different weights, colors and sizes, on which syllables are written.

Hiring an English nanny for a baby is an opportunity not only to solve the problems of caring for a child, but also to immerse him in an English environment from the first years of life. It is possible to make learning for children from 4-5 years old interesting and productive thanks to classes in a playful way with a native speaker. From the age of three, it is important for boys to lay the foundations of not only intellectual, but also physical, as well as moral development. English tutors are able to help in this. Specialized recruitment agencies can help you find a suitable and proven specialist for the education and development of your child.

English for Toddlers: Language Learning Programs from Childhood

For several decades now, English has been safely recognized as the language of global communication: it is used in all corners the globe both for business and informal communication. Therefore, many modern parents believe that children should be taught English from a very early age: this way it will become like a “second native”. Is it so? Should a child be taught to speak a foreign language almost from the cradle? Who is better to hire as a teacher for a toddler? The answers to these questions are in our article.

First of all, it should be said that early childhood is divided into two conditional periods, in each of which the assimilation of a language (and all information about the world) is characterized by its own characteristics. Up to three years, the baby only accumulates lexicon. At this stage, he can only perceive the speech sounding around him, process it and reproduce it. In a word, until the age of three, only learning is possible through immersion in language environment: If the child is surrounded by English-speaking people, he will begin to speak English on his own.

By about the age of three, the so-called linguistic breakthrough occurs and a period of active development of the skill begins. oral speech. AT preschool age The child, like a sponge, absorbs more and more information. At the same time, he can already focus his attention for some time, perseverance appears, the ability to logical thinking. Perhaps the most grateful time to start a purposeful study of a foreign language. But, of course, not only with the help of cramming the rules and identifying linguistic patterns. How else?

Below we will talk about the methods and tools for teaching English to preschoolers.

On a note
If a baby is surrounded by people who speak English from birth different languages, he will speak both equally well. Numerous Scientific research prove that bilinguals are particularly flexible and creative.

Methods for teaching kids English

Of the many methods that modern pedagogy offers, experienced teachers advise choosing 1-3 and alternating them in the classroom. It is difficult to say which method is more effective, it all depends on the individual ways of the child to perceive and remember information.

Zaitsev's technique

One of the most famous and widespread. It consists in teaching the baby to read and the ability to compose words with the help of special "grammar" cubes and systematizing tables. Cubes of different colors are used: first, there is a study of letters and training in composing words, then sentences. The combination of bright visuals and a playful element makes the method an excellent solution for learning English with the youngest students. The Zaitsev method helps to build algorithms for applying the learned rules and teaches you to look for patterns in the classroom in other subjects.

Doman technique

Although the Glenn Doman method is applicable from infancy, learning English with it is especially effective from the age of 4. Special information cards are used, the contents of which are shown to the child and at the same time spoken aloud. At first, the lessons are very short - for a minute or two, but the material is repeated many times until the information is firmly fixed. This method can be called "imprinting". When the child grows up, you can introduce game elements with cards, then show presentations, videos.

game method

Perfectly suited for preschoolers, while it can be adapted to any age. In games, you can learn both grammar and phonetics, as well as practice communication skills. The essence of the technique is clear from the name: all training takes place in a natural game process. Selected games:

Role (situational). In these games, scenes are played - models of real situations. They are divided into reproductive, that is, repeating, and improvisational. In the first case, children represent a typical situation and a dialogue in it, in the second, they use a creative approach, inventing their own scenario.
Competitive are based on the principle "who is better?". Who can solve the crossword faster? Who will make the most interesting story? Who will execute all commands correctly? Encouragement to compete helps children learn material faster, show more effort in mastering grammar rules and speech practice.
Creative. This type activity develops not only a language skill, but also artistic inclinations. There are several types of creative games:

Word games - writing poems, songs, stories;
Dramatic - staging small scenes first, then plays;
Visual - coloring, drawing, graphic dictations.

Musical. Learning songs, dances. The use of musical accompaniment helps to fix the rhythm of speech, to hear its melody, and physical activity and the possibility of communication diversify the learning process.

design method

Applicable for children 5-6 years old. Children, together with the teacher, choose a topic for the project, complete tasks over several lessons, collect information, and use a creative approach. In addition to the language content, the projects teach the child independence, the ability to search for material and combine disparate knowledge into a logical chain.

Immersion in the language environment

Communication with the child occurs only in English. At first, classes can be very short, then as the skill develops, they lengthen. It is useful to combine practice with everyday activities, for example: wash your face and have breakfast, commenting on actions, or discussing the past day while walking. As an aid, you can use visual materials (cards, tables).

Combined technique

As the name implies, in this method, at the discretion of the teacher, all the previous ones are mixed: from games to serious projects. The advantage of the approach is its diversity and a wide range of tools for classes.

Tools for lessons with a preschooler

If a textbook is enough for adults to learn English, then the entertainment component of classes is very important for children: it not only helps to keep their attention, but also makes learning the material more efficient.

Picture books. For the little ones - bright books with pictures, as well as with letters and words, for older children - with folk English songs, fairy tales, short stories. Illustrations will diversify the lesson, will not let you get bored and will help to figuratively present the written words.
Phonics and phonetic games. Short videos, audio tracks, cards, tongue twisters - everything that will help in practicing the correct pronunciation.
Cartoons in English. Muzzy, Baby Einstein, Super Why!.. The heroes of these cartoons will not only be loved by children with their adventures, but they will also teach the basics of grammar, practice pronunciation and composing phrases with the baby.
Workbooks and prescriptions. Big Red Bus, I love English- these educational materials combine visibility and practicality. Almost all workbooks are supplemented with audio materials. Using the tool will allow you to replenish vocabulary, develop a creative approach to learning a language, practice writing, but it makes sense to use them with children aged 5-6.

The judicious use of any tools will increase the degree of interest of a small student and facilitate the format of classes.

Pros and cons of teaching kids a foreign language

Today's parents are increasingly trying to start the process of teaching their children as early as possible: they bring the kids to the centers early development, are recorded on extra classes or study at home, considering it useful for the further development of the child. Teaching a foreign language is one of the three most popular areas.

Indeed, teachers believe that early learning of a foreign language has many advantages:

gives new sources of information about the world around;
promotes the development of communication skills;
develops logical and spatial thinking;
gives a broader concept of phonemic diversity;
facilitates teaching other subjects in the future;
trains memory.

But do not forget about the pitfalls. It is very easy for a child at preschool age to be overloaded with information, which will affect not only the effectiveness of classes, but also further motivation. You also need to make sure that the baby does not replace the concepts of one language with another. And of course, it is important that the baby learns the correct pronunciation, and for this, first-hand learning will be an excellent solution.

Why is it important to learn a foreign language with a native speaker?

Perhaps no one can teach English as well as the one for whom it is native. A native speaker teacher has the necessary vocabulary, knowledge of the necessary grammatical rules, and an understanding of how best to build a speech. The child will learn pronunciation and learn to speak English fluently by communicating with the teacher. But it is important to pay attention to the fact that the teacher has the correct, clear pronunciation, without the admixture of dialects and accent. It is also worth keeping an eye on the balance: communication in English should not prevail over communication in mother tongue, the ideal ratio is 50:50.

Early English language training is a great way to give more knowledge about the world from childhood and prepare the baby for a future life in a globalized world, when language boundaries are blurred. But it is important that learning English gives the child pleasure and does not interfere with the normal child development. A reasonable solution may be to hire a family nanny with knowledge of English.

English nanny - the first foreign language teacher for a baby

How to select qualified personnel who will become not only an assistant for parents, but also a teacher for the child, answers Valentin Grogol, an employee of English Nanny, head of the department for the selection of nannies from England and France:

“A tutor with knowledge of a foreign language is a great option for a family where they want to do language development children from an early age. But a nanny whose native language is English is a real find. With its help, a child can grow up to be a real bilingual, who, moreover, has absorbed cultural traditions and moral values people with a rich history.

But to find an employee on your own with teacher education, highly qualified and good recommendations is very difficult. Therefore, it is better to contact a specialized recruitment agency from abroad. For example, English Nanny has been mediating between foreign nannies, governesses, teachers and Russian families for over 30 years. All the personnel selected by us passed all the necessary language and pedagogical tests, courses medical care, has a work permit and excellent letters of recommendation. We can help invite a nanny to your home, who will become the first English teacher for the baby, for older children - we will find a governess or tutor. With us, the task of finding a native speaker for teaching a child becomes easier.”

P.S. You can get acquainted with the services of the English Nanny agency at the company.

Wednesday, 03/28/2018

Editorial opinion

Do not forget that all foreign employees must have a document on the verification of criminal bases (CRB), as well as a certificate of English proficiency and the right to teach (in the absence of an appropriate higher education).