Learning English with your child at home, teaching materials. How to teach English with your child

Those who begin to teach a foreign language to others - whether as a teacher of students or parents of their own children - sooner or later ask themselves questions: how to quickly learn English words and is it possible to teach the language without translation?

It’s clear that you can demonstrate some words and even concepts without translation. But is it possible to learn English words, as well as complex phrases and even whole sentences - a lot at once, and even without translation?

It is no secret that in many self-respecting language schools classes are held only in English, and resorting to translation is strictly prohibited! Even a teacher who works with a baby at home (and there are such forms of classes) works with the child, speaking to him only in English.

In this article we will look at the most effective ways to present words, concepts and other language units without translation, used in “advanced” language schools, as well as in language video courses and intensive courses.

So how can you learn English words quickly?

1. Concept demonstration

As they say, “Hare-Wolf”. When a concept or word is clearly demonstrated to a student.

How to work with a child? We show the child an object and say its name, show another object and say the name, or depict an action and name the verb.

Let's learn English words using examples:

This is mommy. That is a ball. These are toys. Those are dolls.

Look, I'm eating. (pointing to himself)

Daddy is yawning. (pointing to dad who is tired after work)

Kitty is running. The baby is crying. (pointing to a kitten running around the apartment)

Baby is sleeping. (pointing to the baby in the next stroller while walking)

2. Sorting

Paired concepts are learned very well using the technique sorting.

Mug-saucer, hand-mitten, foot-sock.

I came across this technique in video tutorials: the mouse places red circles on red saucers, and blue ones on blue ones; the monkey gets ready for a walk and puts on from a heap of things only what is suitable for cold autumn weather: a hat, scarf, mittens, boots. You can also sort families of words and combinations of concepts according to a given criterion: red rug - red mice; green box – green toys; blue cardboard - blue shapes: circle, square, oval; pink numbers - pink buttons; box - vegetables, bag - fruits.

Paired concepts

How to present? The child is shown one component of the pair (for example, left foot), tied to a specific concept (green sock), and the second component (right foot) and tied to another specific concept (red sock).

More examples with which you can learn English words:

Invite your child to place cups on saucers of the same color as them:

Green cup – green saucer; blue cup – blue saucer

Now let him bring the baby animals to their mothers:

Cat-kitty; dog – puppy; sheep – lamb; goat – kid; pig – piglet; horse – foal; cow - calf.

And then they go happy to their home:

Cow – barn; dog – doghouse; cat – basket; horse – stable.

Word families

They are also called thematic groups. For example, kitchen utensils will belong to one thematic group and include the words: cup, plate, night, fork, bowl, spoon, glass, teapot, etc.

Play tea party with your child (make a toy tea party), place on the table:

Teapot
Tea spoons
Cups
Saucers
A bowl of biscuits
Combining concepts according to a given characteristic:

Other options for thematic groups:

Doll furniture items: bed, chair, sofa, coffee table;

Transport: car, tractor, truck, van, bicycle, motorbike.
By the way, thematic groups of words fit perfectly into the good old game.

Combining concepts according to a given characteristic

Unlike thematic groups, in which words are combined more often according to their purpose, here we can choose for ourselves what is common between the objects we have selected and combine them into seemingly uncombinable ones. For example, we can combine all the toys according to the container in which we ask them to be placed: all the toys go in a box, and all the cards go in an envelope.

Other combination schemes: antonyms + word-concept; colors + identical objects; numbers + thematic groups, etc.

For example, let small animals go in a box and large ones in a bag:

Let's put the little bear into the box;

The big bear goes to the bag.

Or put three pink buttons on the pink number “3”:

Let’s find three pink buttons for the ping number “three”.

Invite your child to collect all the vegetables in a box with the number “one”, and all the dishes in a box with the number “two”:

Let’s put vegetables in “Numer One” box, and and cups with plates in “Numer Two” box.

Along the way, explain the concepts of “fruit” and “vegetables” through questions like:

Is cabbage a vegetable or a fuit? Is apple a vegetable or a fuit?

At the same time, we can not be afraid that the child does not know the names of some objects. These tasks are universal and designed for different levels of language proficiency. We demonstrate to beginners by sorting, focusing on one concept. A child with a higher level, as in the second example, learns colors and numbers or the name of an object and its antonym at once:

This is a big bear, now where is the small bear?

This is green hat, now where is the yellow hat?

This is square candy, now where is the circle candy/button/number?

The secret of quickly memorizing English words here is that we present much more information than the goal, and as a result, the part that we need (or is feasible) is remembered!

Learn English words with pleasure!

For the continuation of the fascinating topic “How to quickly learn English words”, see the next article.

5−6 years old: play

In preschool age, the leading activity is play, so the effectiveness of learning material directly depends on the teacher’s ability to interest the child and present boring and sometimes difficult things in a playful way. Any exercise is “masked” as a game! In addition, a language lesson for a preschooler should not last more than 20-30 minutes - it is during this time that the child is able to maintain active attention. In preschool groups, children repeat counters and rhymes together, in chorus, and tasks are built on a competitive and playful basis, which creates additional motivation. That is why at this age group lessons are preferable rather than individual lessons: they provide the necessary rhythm of the lesson and involvement in the game. Review of foreign language courses for preschoolers. And in order to create a language environment that is so necessary for the effective acquisition of knowledge, watch short cartoons with your kids without translation, sing songs together, learn poems and counting rhymes.

7−10 years: praise

The beginning of school life is not the best time for a “language start”: it is better to increase the load gradually. If learning a foreign language is part of the school curriculum, do not rush your child or insist on additional classes. The main recipe for successfully acquiring new knowledge in elementary school is praise. Do not scold your child for mistakes under any circumstances, celebrate any achievements, and focus only on the positive aspects. “How beautifully you wrote this word”, “I’m so glad you got a B” - all these words will help the student form a positive attitude towards learning a new language. And, of course, learning a language is not a punishment, but a pleasure and even a privilege!

11−13 years: more communication

At this age, a student usually has already formed an attitude towards language (especially if learning begins from an early age), has a good vocabulary, and makes his first attempts to use his knowledge in practice. Nowadays, communication with peers is of particular importance, so a good option would be additional classes in courses where the child can discuss topics that interest him (sports, music, travel, school everyday life) with peers. Make sure that the teacher knows how to maintain a comfortable environment for children in the group and maintains a balance between theory and language practice. After all, the main goal of the courses is to help the student “conversate,” stop feeling embarrassed, and learn to use his passive vocabulary.

13 years and older: immersion

This is a time of serious preparation for exams (and sometimes even for choosing a future profession), so it’s time to take language learning to a new level. A trip to a foreign camp will provide an excellent opportunity for “immersion.” There are many advantages: you will only need to speak and negotiate in the language you are learning, you can learn many linguistic nuances in practice, the language will become more understandable and familiar. However, if a teenager, due to his age, feels constrained with new people and finds it difficult to make contact, it is better to wait until he himself expresses this idea. After all, if the trip is a “duty” initiated by you, its effectiveness will be minimal.

How to choose a technique

Despite the fact that today there are many different language learning methods, do not rush to dismiss traditional, time-tested options. The ideal choice would be traditional learning, which includes various aspects that make the learning process more exciting. This could include new playful ways of processing vocabulary, interesting ideas that help the child complete even boring grammar exercises with pleasure, and the use of language games and applications.

Why study?

Discuss with your child why he is learning language? Will his future profession be connected with him or is he doing it simply because “they teach at school”? Does he want to feel free while traveling or does he plan to continue his education in a foreign language? Maybe the son dreams of becoming a famous rock musician, and the daughter dreams of marrying the Prince of Wales? In general, help find an interesting and important goal for learning a language: the more conscious the student’s motivation, the better results he will achieve.

Are we studying or playing?

Dilute the “dry” approach to doing homework with creative tricks. Is your child preparing for a dictation? Instead of repeating a new word mechanically and repeatedly, write it on a piece of paper, cut it into pieces so that each has one letter, mix it up - make up words in a race! The process of preparing these cards will also be educational, since by writing the word on the cards letter by letter, we effortlessly remember the order of the letters.

Can't remember new words? Write them on stickers and paste them around the room, then give the child a stack of other stickers, with the Russian translation written on them in advance, and ask them to find pairs for Russian words as quickly as possible. “Sign” with stickers all the objects in the child’s room, his body parts, toys.

Introduce the language into everyday life: say, wake up a student in the morning with a greeting or scold him for grades in English, agree to let him go to the movies with friends if he correctly formulates his request in English. By the way, parents can demonstratively switch to a foreign language when discussing something not intended for children’s ears: it is very motivating to listen and remember!

Language environment

Make the most of all the opportunities to observe the tongue in “natural conditions” and “taste” it. While on vacation in a foreign language country, support your child’s desire to use even a little knowledge. Don’t scold them for mistakes, don’t correct them through words, let them feel “free swimming”, enjoy the opportunity to solve problems without using their native language. The situation when a child begins to learn a language that his parents do not speak puts him in a leadership position, helps him realize his significant role, and develops responsibility.

Is your teenager interested in TV series? Introduce a ban on watching dubbed films, but allow watching films with subtitles. Discuss together why the translation of the same word can differ? There are forums where fans of a particular series translate the next episode together: you can join them with your ideas.

Let the child read the foreign original of his favorite book - but in parallel with the publication in Russian: this helps to grasp the nuances of the translation.

How to help?

Many parents wonder: should they help their child do homework, how to control his knowledge? After all, it happens that a parent does not speak the language that the child is studying at school or in courses. The best way out is to start learning letters and writing words together with your child, and thus control the process. Perhaps your desire to “learn together” will be a good example

Courses, tutor.

A study group should have no more than 6-8 people; tutors often suggest students study in pairs in order to communicate more actively. Make sure that there is testing at the beginning and end of the course, and that the necessary teaching aids are provided by the teacher. It is important that the program provides the opportunity to prepare for qualifying exams. Having homework is a great sign: regularity and practice are important in learning a language.

Myths and truths about learning a foreign language

Learning a foreign language: myths and truth

Myth 1

The child has been practicing for two months now, but no results are visible. He has no talent for languages!

In fact

Language acquisition (and by acquisition we mean the ability to use it as a means of communication) occurs gradually - and it does not matter at what age the child began learning. First, the foundation will be “laid”: rules, phrase structures, vocabulary. Yes, it happens that progress seems slow, but the result will be: children who “don’t have the ability” to learn a language are practically never found!

Myth 2

The best way to remember words is through good old cramming.

In fact

Of course, the student will have to memorize many new words, but rote learning does not always help. It is important to start using knowledge so that it goes into “long-term” memory - to form phrases and speak. Any language has a “basic” vocabulary, the most frequently used ones are pronouns and main verbs: any lesson should start with simple dialogues in order to better remember ready-made phrases.

Myth 3

It is better to know one foreign language well than to know several, but only superficially.

In fact

Perfectly learning a foreign language is a very difficult task: after all, a language, like a living organism, is constantly changing and developing. Learning new languages perfectly develops memory and logic: professional translators are confident that learning each subsequent language is much easier, because we use a ready-made “base”. And don’t be afraid of mistakes, of course they will happen, this is a natural part of learning.

Myth 4

You will never learn a language in a regular school; knowledge can only be acquired in a school with in-depth study of the language.

In fact

In schools with a language focus, the number of lessons per week is indeed much greater than in ordinary schools, and this often turns out to be a decisive factor for parents. But it is important to pay attention not to the number of teaching hours, but to their quality: who teaches the lessons, what program the children follow. It happens that a teacher who has excellent command of the language prefers an authoritarian teaching method and strictly evaluates knowledge. The result is a child’s negative attitude towards language, and in the worst case, disgust. Therefore, by enrolling your child in a regular school, but with a trusted teacher, you can and should expect excellent results.

Myth 5

You need to start learning a foreign language as early as possible, otherwise it will be difficult for the student in lessons at school.

In fact

Many parents regard, say, English as a mandatory part of the preschool education program. The capabilities of children's memory are, indeed, quite large, and a child of 4-6 years old can easily master a couple of dozen words, simple phrases, and learn letters. But there are two important conditions: learning must be voluntary and in the form of a game. Based on the child’s mood, after the first lessons it will be clear whether it is worth continuing, whether he liked the new “game” or not. When a child begins to learn a language at school, he will still catch up even with his “advanced” peers, and the previously covered material will certainly be useful in the future.

Note to parents

Learning a language is an interesting and multifaceted process; it can bring a child a lot of positive emotions and develop self-esteem. For everything to work out, you need to follow a few rules:

Stick to the “golden mean” - so as to maintain interest in learning the language and not “overfeed” the child with it. Do not try to overload the schedule of an already busy student with daily additional English lessons: two or three lessons per week are quite enough.
Celebrate any, even the most insignificant, success of your child - this will help him form a positive attitude towards the process of learning a language. Do not scold for grades, instill in your child confidence in his own strength.
Use your imagination. Don't limit yourself to just an academic approach to learning a foreign language, look for unusual and fun ways to learn and remember a new word or phrase.
Lead by example - learn the language together with your child. Show interest in his classes: when a student comes up with a request to listen to him read, and hears in response: “Oh, I still don’t understand anything here, let’s do it yourself,” next time he’s unlikely to come up, but maybe he’ll wonder why he should do something that doesn’t matter to anyone.
Show your child the wide range of possibilities of mastering a foreign language: you can read information about your favorite actor on his page on a social network, listen to an interview with a world champion, and chat with peers in another country during a family vacation.

Your child has started learning English - at school, with a tutor, in courses. You feel that he needs to help, but you don’t know how - you yourself have never learned English. It's time to start doing this together! We will tell you how to effectively learn words, where you can listen to English speech and what books to read.

Parents often come to me with a question: how to help their child learn English? This is especially troubling for parents who have not studied the language themselves.

So, the first rule is to stop being afraid of an unfamiliar language, since this fear is passed on to children. Rule two is to believe in yourself and turn even short joint lessons into an exciting game. The main thing is that classes bring pleasure. I am sure that any parent, even those who do not speak a foreign language, can help their child master the language by devoting no more than half an hour on a weekday and about an hour on a weekend.

Let's look at the block-by-block language teaching scheme, which is used in preparation for international English language exams, as well as in preparation for the Unified State Exam. Knowledge in the exams is tested in 4 skills: speaking, listening (listening), reading and writing.

Ability to speak English

I believe that the most important thing in the ability to speak is vocabulary. Even without mastering grammatical rules, but having a large vocabulary, you can convey your thoughts to your interlocutor. Therefore, first of all you need learn words. To study words, I recommend making special cards. The list of words can be taken from a school textbook or, for example, on the website of the Cambridge University Examination Council, in the section corresponding to the current level. The very first level, for which children 8-11 years old can already take the exam, is called Young Learner Starters.

If you don’t have a lot of time, you can make cards by writing a word in Russian on one side and in English on the other. But if you set aside at least an hour a week and approach the issue creatively, you can turn the process of making cards into an element of learning and into an interesting activity. How to do it?

For each word from the list, together with the student, find a picture on the Internet. Then you print out the finished sheet, and while you are cutting it into cards, ask the child to write an English word on the back of each picture. While you are preparing this manual together, he is already memorizing a large number of words.

It is better to carry out such preparation on one of the weekends. For a week you will need 20-30 words, that is, making cards will take no more than an hour. You will need to practice them 2-3 times a week.

There are several things to consider when learning words with flashcards. Firstly, there is no need to “cram” words. You lay out the cards with pictures (or Russian text) facing up. If the student remembers the word and names it correctly, you turn the card over with the English text facing up. If he doesn’t name it, then turn it over too, but put it in another pile. Then you do the same in the other direction (translating from English into Russian) until all the words in both directions are pronounced correctly.

The next time you study words (after a few days), you add 10 more cards to the old cards, thereby repeating previously learned words and mastering new ones. Gradually, well-learned words can be put aside and returned to them after 2-3 months.

Another option - make lotto. Create several game fields with pictures (say, 8 pictures per field) and cards with words in English. Two people can play this lotto. Thus, in one game you can learn up to 16 words.

If you do not know English and are not sure that the child pronounces the words correctly, then at the time of checking, you can sit down at the computer, open an online translator and listen to how the desired word sounds.

If you teach 2 times a week, 10 words, then in a month you can master 80-100 words. Of course, these words will not immediately enter the active vocabulary, but the required minimum - 350-400 words - is quite achievable. Namely, this is the number of words required for the basic vocabulary necessary for everyday communication. (For your information, it is believed that on average native speakers use from 3 to 5 thousand words.)

This exercise will require no more than 20 minutes a day(checked in an online translator - up to 30 minutes).

Letter in English

Once a week I recommend conducting a vocabulary dictation using the words you have learned. If you are not sure of your pronunciation, you can dictate a word in Russian and ask your child to write it in English, and then repeat the written words and check the pronunciation with a computer translator. You can also diversify the activities: invite your child to dictate words to you.

This usually takes no more than 10 minutes (20 minutes with verification).

Listening comprehension of English

To learn to perceive English speech, you need to listen to it. On the Internet you can find a huge number of cartoons in English. It’s better to start with simple English songs (nursery rhymes songs) - for example, “Old Macdonald had a farm”, “Mary had a little lamb”, “London bridge is falling down”, etc. You can find the lyrics of the songs through a search engine, and then , while watching stories with these songs on Youtube, invite the child to sing along with the characters, while holding the lyrics of the song in front of him.

At the very beginning of training, it is better to master one verse at a time. Then gradually remove the text and ask the child to repeat without a piece of paper. If you don’t succeed right away, you can also find so-called ABC songs on Youtube. In these stories, the child sees and hears how individual words are pronounced and gets used to English speech. And besides, this will prepare him for reading, as it will allow him to remember what the letters are called and what sounds they convey.

This activity can be taken 2 times a week for 30 minutes.

Reading in English

Unfortunately, many modern children have problems reading not only in English, but also in Russian. First of all, the content of the book should be interesting to the child.

This should be adapted literature. Bookstores now sell a huge number of children's books in English for different levels of proficiency. For beginners learning a language, this is the Easystarts level. If the child has already mastered the initial stage, you can move on to books at the Beginner level. Usually at the end of the books there are tables showing the degree of complexity of the texts.

One of the ways that children enjoy is reading and role-playing the story. You can even buy a collection of simple plays. For those parents who do not speak English, you can suggest the following: let the child help translate the parental role, so that the parent can then play it.

This can be done at a minimum 45 minutes once a week.

In this way, the daily learning process will turn into an exciting and useful time spent together. The English language will cease to be something unfamiliar and incomprehensible, but will become the language of games. In addition, parents who have never studied English before will also be able to master the initial level. It is only important that the classes be systematic.

Of course, learning English requires much more effort, but if you help your child overcome the initial stage and love English classes, this will be the key to successful learning in the future. So invent, invent and good luck to you.

Discussion

The title is "English with your child in 30 minutes a day." From the text “This exercise will take no more than 20 minutes a day” only for the first point. And there are four of them. Ha.
From the text “If you learn 10 words 2 times a week, then in a month you can master 80-100 words.” Are we talking about a child starting to learn English, or about an aspiring genius with a super memory? I have only two intelligent children with English lessons 4 hours a week at school and half an hour at home every day. They knew a hundred words by the end of second grade, i.e. in 20 months. I didn’t read further, I regretted my time.

Comment on the article "English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents"

English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents. English with a child. Teaching English - preparing for exams and the Unified State Exam. Of course, learning English requires much more effort, but if you help I only have two experiences...

I attended courses and didn’t have time to digest the material. I can’t afford a tutor 2 times/7 days financially, but 1 time is probably not enough? or study alone with your husband (in the sense of a tutor)? English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents.

English for children: how to help your child learn the language - English courses, tutors, native speakers. Smart people and smart girls Absolutely all normal parents want their children to be smart and Learning a foreign language: learning English with your child.

English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents. English with a child. Teaching English - preparing for exams and the Unified State Exam. The list of words can be taken from a school textbook or, for example, on the exam site. While you are preparing together...

Learning foreign languages. Children's education. Section: Studying foreign languages (Vereshchagina’s textbook for preschoolers). Whose preschoolers and primary schoolchildren are learning English (optional).

Section: School (how to help a child with English in 3rd grade). English in 3rd grade. Good night. Of course, learning English requires much more effort, but if you help your child overcome the initial stage and fall in love with English classes...

English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents. The very first level, which can already be tested for children aged 8-11 years old. Unfortunately, many modern children have problems reading not only in English...

Learning foreign languages. Children's education. Need a tutor for beginners in English. Virgos, please recommend a tutor, my daughter will learn the language, and there will be no one to help her in the future. We live in Preobrazhenskaya Section: Studying foreign languages...

English in 2nd grade. Education, development. Child from 7 to 10. We have a school with in-depth study of foreign languages. languages. In 1st grade we studied the alphabet, letters, sounds, numbers, words (these are colors, animals, some objects, adjectives like big and small)...

If there are three children, both parents are paid. The length of service will be counted into the total pension experience after the completion of the contract - for this you will need to provide the contract itself to the Pension Fund with a mark of 30 pieces of advice to the parents of boys. English with a child in 30 minutes a day.

Raising a child from 10 to 13 years old: education, school problems, relationships with classmates, parents and teachers. At home they taught poetry, wrote essays, and helped with English. The child believes that he can manage just fine without a tutor and is capable of...

Help! The child is capable and does well at school in all disciplines except English. She was given the task: To remove the child’s aversion to learning English. The best option to instill a love of language in a child is to show what this language is for...

If learning just one foreign language can ruin a child’s relationship with his parents, then that relationship was doomed in any case. English with a child in 30 minutes a day.

English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents. An unusual New Year for children and their parents. Part 1. New Year's Party for grades 1-4 (in Moscow). Economy program. English with children is fun: how we learned as a family.

English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents. Imagine if there was a specific time of day when English lessons had the greatest impact. It depends on the form in which learning is presented to the child. Our three-year-old child takes courses...

English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents. The very first level, for which children aged 8-11 years old can already take the exam, is called Young Learner Starters. What time of day is the best time to learn English? But to buy there for boys...

My son has been studying English according to Vereshchagina since the first grade, but he can cope with nothing. And if a child doesn’t understand, you may not even know the language; explain to him, there are other textbooks; for example, if he doesn’t understand, we take it from a bong or from a self-instruction manual. I don't know the language well...

English with a child in 30 minutes a day. 4 tips for parents. * NEW YEAR'S HOLIDAY for grades 1-4 and 5-6 (in Moscow) PROGRAM "ECONOMY" Game Program "Pre-New Year's Battle - Father Frost vs. Santa" or another 12 cartoons in English for teaching...

English language training + speech therapy. Speech therapy, speech development. Child from 3 to 7. Education, nutrition, daily routine, visiting the nursery. Education in English + speech therapy. Today I heard the following phrase: children with speech therapy problems cannot be taught a second language until the age of 6...

CD: learning English. language. Toys and games. Child from 3 to 7. Upbringing, nutrition, daily routine, visiting kindergarten and relationships with teachers, illness and physical development of a child from 3. Please recommend a group game for learning English. language for a 4 year old.

Here in Russia they like to say: “He (she) speaks the language perfectly.” There is no such concept in the “Common European Framework for Assessment of Foreign Languages” - language proficiency is determined by six levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, with A1 being the lowest and C2 the highest).

These levels roughly correspond to the names of adult textbooks (Starter, Elementary A1, Pre-Intermediate - A2, Intermediate - B1, and so on).

The vast majority of materials for ages 6-11 (marked Primary) are at level A1-A2. That is, if you spent 5-10 years struggling with English at school, college, or in courses, then the lexical and grammatical material in a children’s textbook will be within your power (moreover, you will be able to explain it to your child). Vocabulary and grammar at the Upper-Intermediate and Advanced levels will not be actively used any time soon (let's just say: by the time of the final exam in a foreign language, it would be nice for a teenager to have an Upper-Intermediate level).

You have time to improve your own English - “go one step ahead of the child.”

With other skills the situation may be more complicated.

Pronunciation

Children will copy your pronunciation. If it is imperfect, it is necessary to actively use audio and video materials and strive to copy the speech of the announcers yourself.

It is worth understanding the “Runglish” errors in your own speech and eliminating them before the child has time to adopt them.

Runglish speakers do not distinguish between open/closed and short/long vowel sounds. For example, they pronounce /i/ (heat) and /ɪ/ (hit), /ɔ/ (port) and /ɒ/ (pot), /ɑ/ (heart) and /ʌ/ (hut), etc. in the same way. d.

In Runglish, the sound /æ/ (bad) sounds like /ɛ/ (bed).

At the end of a word, voiced consonants are pronounced as voiceless, so it is impossible to distinguish the word dog from dock, hard from heart, etc.

The absence of sounds /ð/ and /θ/ in Russian leads to the fact that, for example, the word thing can be pronounced as sing, and then pronounced as zen.

Remember the transcription icons and pay attention to the transcription of those words that you will learn with your child. Please note: the transcription symbols in British dictionaries and textbooks differ from those we are used to seeing in Russian textbooks (not by much, don’t be alarmed). Teaching a child to read (much less write down) transcription at this level is inappropriate. It saddens me to learn from parents that in the first or second grade, having barely mastered the first English words, children began to study transcription. Parents should know this! And the child can use a talking dictionary (Lingvo, for example).

Copy the pronunciation of phrases that you encounter in audio and video courses.

Learn a few expressions of approval in English and try to use them. Well done! Good job! You're good at it! Excellent! (praise often, but honestly). Listen to the intonation with which native speakers pronounce these phrases.

Listening

It often turns out that skills are not equally developed. Some students speak well, read well, do grammar exercises flawlessly - and can barely distinguish speech by ear. Which is not surprising if you remember what kind of tape recorders were in classrooms in the 90s and what they listened to on them. But these days, when English-language DVD films, youtube.com (where you can find lectures for adults in English on any topic, including grammar, vocabulary and phonetics), and radio stations broadcast on the Internet are at hand, a parent can improve your knowledge in between.

One of the goals of learning a language at this age is to create positive motivation. Lead by example. Show that you are interested in English. Let your child see that you read English articles, watch films (or educational videos for adults). Tell them that you too will learn new words and expressions. Remember interesting situations from your life related to a foreign language...

Everyday speech and classroom language

Sometimes this aspect is “forgotten” at school and university. It is easier for graduates to describe the history of England or talk about the economic situation than to remember phrases like “Nice to meet you,” “Where are you from,” and “Could you pass the salt?”

There are two options to resolve the problem:
Work through speech cliches as they appear in the children's textbook
Prepare for each lesson certain speech cliches (related to situations), and try to use them more often.

Ideally, you should strive not to switch to Russian again during class.

Tutorials

An adult textbook (even for beginners from scratch), even if very interesting, is also not worth studying with a child. The grammar and vocabulary will be the same, but the topics for discussion, skits, and projects will be completely different (age-appropriate).

Of all the diversity of the English language, the British or American version is usually chosen for study, and less often - Mid-Atlantic English (American, close to British). I recommend studying BRITISH English:
This is the option you most likely studied yourself.
Features of American English can easily be mistaken by a Russian examiner

You can use some American materials, but try to avoid confusion. Understand the question yourself (read about the differences between British and American spelling, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary) - at least so as not to consider the American version a mistake.

So, the textbook you need is from British English Primary. This tutorial:
British
It is a training course, and not a manual for the development of individual skills (that is, it is not a book for home reading or a grammar, but basic material for classes, combining work on speaking, reading and listening, and ideally also and sections like learning to learn)
Written no more than 10-15 years ago
Intended for children of the appropriate age (sometimes it happens that a nine-year-old student can study using a teenage textbook, but not an adult textbook or a textbook for preschoolers).

I do not recommend taking textbooks by Russian authors as the main course. British textbooks are based on effective methods; they have no errors, very few typos (Russian publishing houses even manage to publish a poster with the English alphabet with errors), they reflect the current state of the language; they were piloted (i.e., groups studied using a trial version of the textbook, and after that the author took into account comments and suggestions); they are part of a large complex of well-written textbooks (that is, once you finish a textbook, you can easily move on to the next level textbook in the same series). It should be noted that some British manuals have recently been Russified - that is, Russian authors have written their own explanations and additions to popular British manuals. If you are studying according to the corresponding British manual, such a book will be very useful.

Use the textbook, but do not try to complete all the tasks as the author suggests; The teacher's book usually contains alternative solutions.

Select educational materials that match your child's level of preparation. Study guides are usually marked as A1, A2, B1 or Starter, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate.

Additional materials

It would be boring to study exclusively from a textbook, even the most interesting one. The textbook is a framework that allows you not to miss important topics, work within the existing level, and move to the next level. And beyond the boundaries of the textbook there is the language itself, alive, interesting, bright. Tell us about the culture and history of England and the USA (in Russian, if possible) - and immediately select some material in VERY SIMPLE ENGLISH to illustrate this. Use video materials - spoken speech is perceived completely differently when it is accompanied by video.

Video courses

The video courses Muzzy in Gondoland and Muzzy comes back are great for this age. This program was created twenty years ago, so perhaps you have already seen a cartoon about a green alien who eats watches, gardener Bob who is in love with a princess, and an insidious long-nosed villain named Corvax. Highly recommend. The course can be found online. At the same time, we must remember that watching a cartoon, even if it is brilliant from a methodological point of view, is only a passive acquaintance with the material. After each part, use its material in games and exercises; sing songs that appeared in the cartoon (for example, you came across the question Where are you from? - ask it to everyone you can: Winnie the Pooh, Barack Obama, the hero of a Japanese cartoon... and let them answer!). The course includes interactive exercises, but it will be equally interesting to role-play the story.

You can watch some video courses to reinforce what you have learned. For example, Wizadora! - video course just for this age; this is the story of a witch who doesn’t always succeed in conjuring what she planned (available on torrents.ru)/

There are 4 interesting discs from the Oxford English Video series (listed from simple to complex): Three Billy-Goats; Goldilocks and the Three Bears; The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse; Aladdin. Of these fairy tales, “The Three Bears” and “Aladdin” are well known to Russian children. Each story has four songs that you can learn. The age range of 5-9 years is very arbitrary. Not all nine-year-olds will be enthusiastic about learning from the story; some eleven-year-olds may find it interesting. But the tasks in the application are quite complex.

You don't have to learn English while sitting still! Many well-known games (for example, the edible-inedible ball game) can be used to review English words (and also to exercise and relieve stress). There is an exercise based on the rhyme Humpty Dumpty: sit on the floor, pressing your knees to your chest and clasping them with your arms. When you reach the words “Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,” roll onto your back. Continuing to recite the poem and still holding your knees with your hands, try again moving to a sitting position. The one who succeeds first wins.

You can repeat vocabulary using cards with pictures. At first you just name the pictures, then, when the words are already familiar, you play What’s missing? , or, for example, you put a card (without showing it) in an envelope with a small hole, and from a small fragment of the image the child tries to guess what is shown on the card. There are a huge variety of games with cards.

Nursery Rhymes - nursery rhymes, sometimes very old ones. Therefore, they may contain, for example, outdated grammatical forms. But this is not a reason to refuse them. Many of these poems are usually sung to a specific tune, and sometimes the poems are accompanied by gestures or games. It's worth watching how the American TV presenter shows them
Cullen

The wheels on the bus
Old McDonald had a farm
Miss Polly had a dolly
Head, shoulders, knees and toes
If you"re happy and you know it

Adapted books

This is where there are cases when compliance with the level and age does not play such an important role, and you can take a book that is a little more complex than a “framework” textbook. Select reading materials related to your child’s hobbies and life. When working with books for reading, I do not recommend getting carried away with translation - there are many other ways to check your understanding of the text (which also help to consolidate new vocabulary).

One of the many “picture dictionaries” (sometimes accompanied by books of exercises) will come in handy. It’s a good idea to start mastering electronic dictionaries at this stage.

Methodology

Try to look at the language not as a set of rules that need to be mastered and then find application for them, but as a set of situations, to each of which certain structures and vocabulary are “attached”. Let’s say, not “explain the Present Simple, do exercises on it and try to use it in speech,” but try to imagine what grammatical structures will be needed for the story “Our Family,” analyze an example of such a story, and then give the child the opportunity to compose based on speech patterns your own story (in this case, the term Present Simple itself will be in the background).

It is important that classes do not turn into exclusively reading and solving grammar “problems.” A lesson in a textbook can be devoted to reading, listening, even writing - but in every lesson the student must speak. Naturally, in the language you are learning - so don’t forget about the classroom language.

Those who have a classroom at home are very lucky: there are many more objects and actions with them that can be discussed in English (remember what you can DO in a school classroom: open a book, go to the blackboard, take chalk, wipe the blackboard... in in general, not so much). At the initial stage there may be a silent period - only you speak, and the child shows a picture or performs an action that you named in English. The names of food products can be learned using edible material.

Put down your textbook!

The sounded word must appear before the written word. Depending on how much earlier, they talk about the oral basis of learning, oral advance or oral presentation of educational material. In British textbooks for this age, level 1 often does not contain ANY text to read - only speech and songs on a disk, and in the book - illustrations for sound stories, exercises in pictures, coloring books (this is how colors are taught), paper figures with which you can play skits. This is the “oral basis of learning.” At the next stage, the text appears, but new words are still spoken first, and only then appear in written form. This partially solves the problem of reading rules: the child already pronounces the word correctly, all that remains is to correlate the pronunciation with the spelling.

We are used to imagining a foreign language textbook as a book with texts, and the progress when working with such a book is quite obvious: first we read simple short texts, then long and complex ones. And with an oral basis of learning, the language becomes elusive, and it is more difficult for us to assess what path has already been taken. Look at the tutorial in terms of functions (eg: Introduction, Greeting and Farewell). What has the child learned to talk about?

Don't turn classes into exams. “Come on, how would it be in English...” - ask family and friends not to contact your child with such questions. If they are able to carry on a conversation in English or tell a fairy tale, that’s great, but there’s no need to give your child a translation exam (this is neither learning something new nor practicing something familiar - these are words and phrases taken out of context). How vocabulary is mastered is checked using tests inside the textbook itself; in addition, words from each topic “pop up” in the next one (this happens in a good textbook).

There is such a concept - exposure, which can be translated by the word “impact”. In order to master a language, you need to hear many, many examples of the language, and these examples must be varied, and in level - a little more complex than what we have already mastered. Ideally, I will say this again, in an English lesson you should only speak English (this will not happen right away).

Attitude towards mistakes

Don't try to fix all the mistakes. Errors are often divided into two types - errors and slips. Errors occur when a person simply does not know the correct option. Sometimes you don’t even have to talk about such a mistake (it’s impossible to master all the rules at once). Slips - errors where the student already knows the rule. It’s worth making sure he can fix them himself. For a child to learn to speak English, he needs to speak often and a lot. If you dwell on every mistake, your speech will turn into a collection of correctly pronounced words with long pauses between them.

Already at this stage, you can gradually master learning strategies (for example, how to learn words, how to use a dictionary).

When assessing the results of classes, pay attention not only to how many words have been mastered and what grammatical phrases the child has learned. There are achievements that are less “tangible”, but no less important (for example, independence in working with a topic, the ability to evaluate oneself, a creative approach to memorizing words). Together with your child, learn to come up with vivid examples for memorizing words.

Interdisciplinary connections

Language is well acquired when it turns from a goal into a means (to achieve another goal). Try printing out a description of an interesting craft and making it.

Try to find a very simple text on a topic that is interesting to the child (difficult, but doable; you can even use text from an adult textbook at Starter or Elementary levels).

English... English! Oh, English!!

If you can help your child in elementary school with Russian or mathematics on your own, then with English the situation is completely different.

At best, it takes hours on homework, at worst, tutors and huge expenses.

What if your parents studied German at school? Or they forgot what they taught so long ago...

At one time, my child and I, using effective learning techniques, completed a year-long school English program in a week and were able to enter the best school in the area.

I remember that in a week we learned 150 words of the English language, Andrey simply jumped for joy!!

However, it turned out to be short-lived, and was shot down by the English teacher at school.

Therefore, when Ksenia Zimovets, an English teacher, came to study with us at the Summer School of Experts, I was very happy.

For almost three months we worked on the training methodology, adding the best techniques and strategies.

Ksenia created her own, innovative and simple program for teaching primary schoolchildren.

And the basis of this technique is play and simplicity.

In this article we will talk about the 5 most common ways to memorize words. Ksenia Zimovets can best compare how it is “usually” to teach at school and the most effective strategies for memorizing words.

This topic is very important from the first days of learning a foreign language, since teachers often do not give students and their parents any recommendations on this issue.

Today you will learn how to learn foreign words, what methods and methods exist and how to find out which one is best for your child.

The first way is to repeat the word many times

But we don't consider it the best. Why?

Imagine that you have a dictionary (with or without pictures) in front of you, and you need to remember those 5-10 words that are assigned for homework.

Most often we look at words and pronounce their words - translation.

After watching it five times, we already think that we have learned everything.

But in the morning in class, for some reason these words are not remembered, completely or partially.

Learning by repetition is the most common method, but it is not very effective.

The fact is that our brain is accustomed to the fact that if it sees a word not for the first time, then it believes that it already knows it. That is, having seen the same word several times, the brain is already sure that it has already learned the word.

In this case, memory is practically not involved and therefore serious difficulties often arise when reproducing words, both orally and in writing.

It is good to learn a word using this method only when the word appears frequently.

Besides, learning a word in a minute is not a problem.

3 words in three minutes - easy.

And 60 words in 60 minutes is difficult and difficult, because... they will be forgotten faster than they are remembered.

The next most popular technique for memorizing foreign words used in school is the use of copybooks

This method is better than the first, since in this case the student, in addition to seeing the word visually, also uses his muscle memory by writing the words.

This method will be much more effective if you try to use all the senses:

1) we are looking at a foreign word

2) pronounce it in a foreign language

3) register it

If you also remember the translation of each word, the method will turn out to be quite effective.

The main disadvantage is the large amount of effort spent on writing, since this is often done purely mechanically, which means a lot of time and effort is wasted.

The third method is cards with words and phrases.

They are very comfortable and welcomed by children as you can see your real progress!

Divide the cards into groups according to how well you remember them.

For example, 1st pile - I remember well, 2nd - not very well, you need to repeat it, and a stack of new cards with words that you are just starting to learn.

Store them in different boxes and take them with you to spend time productively, even when you are stuck in traffic on the way home.

You can write down words on cards, 7-10 at a time, and then it is convenient to repeat them, simply flipping through the cards, like cards in a deck.

The fourth way is to understand the word through context

The context can be either foreign or Russian.

For example, when we take a word in a foreign language and enter its Russian sentence so that the context makes this word completely understandable.

I need keys so I can lock the doors. (i.e. keys)

This method can be combined with flashcards or used as a game at home or with friends.

He was escorted back to his room, where he received a cup of coffee, two soft eggs and a white BREAD with butter.
Mikhail Bulgakov, "The Master and Margarita"

And the last and very effective method, just like the previous one, is to add associations to the word, to revive it

The technique is simple: we have a word in a foreign language and we select an association for this word based on the sound of the word.

Aunt (aant) aunt. Here “ant” is similar to “bow” and we can easily imagine a woman with bows.

By remembering this or drawing it schematically on a card, you can easily remember the right word.

Children really like this method and are happy to learn it.

After just a few hours of class, you will see that children are much more resourceful than adults in coming up with associations and interesting images.

This Sunday we invite all parents, mothers and fathers, grandparents to the fascinating country of the English language for children of parents.

This is a training that will reveal all the secrets and dark spots in learning English, as well as put the material on the shelves.

You will learn how to learn the English year program in two weeks, and go through it in detail with an English teacher

The training will take place this Sunday at 12.00

On it you:

Get a detailed review and comparison of English textbooks
Can you choose the best book for your child?
Get detailed maps and find out what they study in 2nd grade? In 3rd grade? In 4th grade?
And also what you need to teach a child to be successful.
Find out where to get audio for textbooks
Learn to read English and get simple reading rules for parents and children
In the “Grammar for Parents” block you will receive a set of the necessary theory and learn how to explain it to your child?
You will practice the most effective techniques for memorizing foreign words
Learn the most effective strategies for retelling and reading in English

And also live we will learn words in English - family, colors, pronouns, verbs, counting, animals, meeting and saying goodbye, products, rooms and furniture, adjectives, toys, undead. Nature, face and body, clothing

As a result, you will be able to help your child with the language, even if you have never taught him before

So that your child's education at school or in family education is easy and enjoyable, and you do not have to spend large sums on tutors.

Ksenia has been interested in effective teaching techniques for a long time, and is constantly looking for new educational strategies.
Higher pedagogical education.
Secondary school teacher.
English teacher.
Stage performance teacher.

Ksenia is a successful graduate

Interested in: positive education, early development, psychology, developmental psychology, pedagogy, effective teaching, English language

Why you should attend the Primary School English in a Day series:

Because you can not only reduce time for lessons and homework, but also save nerve cells and the family budget.

Besides, the best way to motivate a child to learn a language is to become interested in it yourself.

As always, at the start of sales, the best prices for participation and a 40% discount for only 24 hours

P.S. Participants of the “School of Smart Children” get access to the program automatically.