How to raise a child, bilingual

If the time to begin to learn and to find the right methods, foreign language will be for the child almost native.

Maxim Azarov

The founder of the online English language school Novakid.

Immersion - this is the best way to learn a foreign language at any age. And not necessarily from an early age to give the child to the foreign language courses. Arrange for him at home the same language environment, and the first class your child will not be easy to speak freely, but to think in a foreign language.

I spoke with his son in English with six months. Now he is seven years old, he is studying in the first grade, and English for him as a mother.

Let's talk about how to raise a child, bilingual, and that this requires.

1. More talk

Not only hear the words, you need to understand what it was about. Passive watching cartoons and movies in English does not bring results. We need a dialogue, then we learn to think in a foreign language.

establishedThe Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3That for three years, a child needs to hear 45 million words to learn the language well. This flow of information is necessary to control the ratio "mother tongue / foreign language" should be about 50/50. In real life, 20-25% of foreign speech enough. If you do not know

2. Involve your child in the process

Children are extremely curious, they are very receptive to any information, and it can be used in positive purposes. Always consider the wishes and interests of the child. Indeed, in the course of the game and other favorite activities is learning the language much faster.

3. Choose native speaker

Never cramming the rules of grammar and certain words will not bring the expected result. It is the practice with native speakers to learn to speak English. Select a school or online courses where carefully selected teachers. I got it the second time. For the first time I chose a school close to home, but teachers no experience of working with children, and the zeal of his son running on was not learned. I had to look further.

Elizabeth arranged for an American, English teacher in an online school with extensive experience working with children and knowledge of gaming techniques. In addition, it supports Jaroslav interest in biology and other sciences.

4. Use elements of the game

Game - a natural activity for a child, and it will help to learn English. Find an online school where the teacher own gaming techniques. If the lesson will remind a fascinating quest and charged with positive emotions, not to speak simply impossible!

5. use media

Sometimes parents are too conservative approach to language learning - school lessons, tutor. It is important that the child was interesting, and he did it with pleasure. Choose a variety of books, movies, podcasts - something that is interesting to him.

If you do not know where to start, here are a few proven options:

• Podcasts NPR: Brains On!, Wow in the World and others. Experiment, explore different topics and find a nice speaker.
• Series BBC: Planet Earth, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. series can be found at online cinema.
• For parents, I recommend the book: Cat in the Hat and others in this series, books Julia Donaldson (Gulia Donaldson) Gruffalo, Tiddler and other Poems Shel Silverstein (Shel Silverstein). Poem, in my opinion, the perfect tool for learning the language. When there is a rhyme, words are memorized faster.

6. Choose an online format

Today's children are overloaded. If you can not go to the tutor, and "turn" it online (I am not referring to the record, and lessons over the Internet), why not use this opportunity? Technology is widely used in training - an interactive format, the virtual whiteboard, the ability to draw with the mouse, and monitor the effectiveness of the development of the material in real time. All this contributes to the rapid achievement of results.

Do not get carried away with a mobile application for learning foreign words, they will not replace the lessons. Without the context of cramming words ineffective, you feel the difference in the use of synonyms and learn to use them in everyday speech.

7. Do not waste your time

Mastering the language - a long process, this is due to the gradual development of the child. That the child is free to speak a foreign language, it will take several years. The earlier you start learning, the better. But if it fails to start at the preschool age, do not worry. Do not delay training, find a native speaker and enjoy the first results in a few months!

see also

• 8 techniques that will help to learn foreign words →
• Why it is hard for us to understand foreign speech by ear and 8 ways to fix it →
• Asya Kazantsev - about how learning a foreign language affects the brain →