The Best Methods to Teach Your Child a Foreign Language

by Michael Gorman

Being a bilingual person in the modern world is a privilege. It’s an opportunity that can get you anywhere. You become the citizen of the world, owing to the knowledge of two languages.

But is it possible for a child to acquire any second language and to speak it fluently by the age of 10?

The answer is yes!

As we all know, childhood is the time when knowledge is easily gained, learning skills are more flexible and child’s curiosity is also of a great help. However, to make the learning progress more successful, you need to stick to certain methods. To help you out, here are 10 best methods to teach your child a foreign language.

Positive environment

A friendly and creative learning environment is one of the most necessary tools of teaching. While educating a child, this tool is one of the major ones to be implemented.

If you’re teaching a child at home, create a version of a classroom with cool things that will definitely get your child excited about learning. Be calm, smile more. If your child fails at some point, don’t make a big deal out of it. Just explain that failure is an important part of a learning process.

Provide your child with some language-learning apps

In the age of technology, it’s not necessary to use only books and printed materials. Kids get excited about playing, especially when it comes to playing on a phone or tablet.

So why not to make the process of learning a little bit playful? Download some cool language-learning apps! This will make the process of acquiring a new language faster and more fun!

Watch cartoons in a foreign language

This is one of the most effective methods that will make your child very excited!

Why cartoons? Because they are colorful and interesting. Choose some cartoons, preferably with subtitles to help your child learn more new words. Besides, your child will listen to a native speaker who voices the characters. And we all know how children love to imitate! So by the end of the cartoon, your child will not only learn some new words, but also will acquire a perfect pronunciation!

Use some printed materials

Despite the advantages of the age of advanced technology, printed materials still come in handy when you want to teach your child a foreign language.

However, there are some important requirements to these materials: they should be substantial and colorful.

So get your child some printed materials to teach spelling, for example. This will prove itself useful when your child will be writing essays at school. And don’t worry that you won’t find something interesting: there’s a lot of cool materials online!

Make learning process active

Literally, move more and use gestures while teaching your child a foreign language. Children are very active, they will definitely enjoy jumping and dancing! Besides, it’s been proven that brain memorizes body movements, which will definitely help your child learn stuff better. And it will definitely help you stay fit! Isn’t that great, huh?

Take a trip

If it’s possible for your family budget, take your child with you on a trip! Choose a country, where people speak the language that you want your child to learn, and encourage your child to use the knowledge they’ve already gained.

“Travelling is not only beneficial to help broaden your child’s outlook,” says Rachel Cooper, an essay writer. “It will help your child to overcome the language barrier and speed up the process of becoming bilingual. Besides, it will live the memories which will never be forgotten!”

Repetition is key

Repeat the material you’ve learned as often as possible. Repetition has proven to be very important in the process of learning, and it doesn’t necessarily apply only to acquiring a foreign language. Use rhymes, poems, songs, games – there are lots of methods to help your child memorize stuff better.

Don’t be embarrassed

If your child asks you about things you don’t know, don’t be embarrassed to show your lack of knowledge. This will help your child understand that it’s OK for everyone not to know something. But there’s always a way to learn more about something! As a parent, you should not only be an educator or a teacher of foreign language, you should be a teacher of life.

Don’t evaluate your child’s progress with grades

If your child doesn’t do well enough, a bad grade will only be a huge discouragement. Instead, try to give your child a star after finishing he lesson. Don’t worry, your child tries hard enough and some things sometimes just don’t come easy. Encourage your child to learn from mistakes!

Speak a foreign language on a daily basis

Literally, it means that you should incorporate second language in your daily routine. When you ask your child to come and eat dinner, you can ask him that in a foreign language you’re learning. Or if you’re asking to clean the room, you can also say it in a foreign language. It’s very important for your child to learn language on a daily basis in order to help the knowledge stick for as long as possible.

About the writer

Michael Gorman is high skilled editor and proofreader who currently works at Proessaywriting. He is proficient in blog writing and online freelance networking. Feel free to contact him via Facebook. "https://www.facebook.com/Mich

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