How we teach children English. How to teach a child to read English - important rules and common mistakes when learning

The ability to read well is essential for success in all school subjects. Parents understand this, and already before school they make a lot of effort to teach their child to read in English. native language, without expecting that the school will do it well and quickly.

Not all children learn to read easily and quickly. Usually this takes more than one month, or even a year or two of constant activities, in which many family members take part.

Primary school also pays great attention to reading, but many children still read rather uncertainly for several more years, stumbling over long words and without expression, because they do not always understand the meaning of the text even in their native language.

Learning English now begins from the second grade of school, and sometimes from the first. But at present, in most cases, it is ineffective, and if parents did not pay attention to this issue, then to the beginning high school, when the textbooks already become quite serious in terms of language, the child usually comes without being able to read, write, speak and perceive English speech normally.

Therefore, if parents have the desire and some knowledge of the English language, they can easily teach the child to read in English themselves. This is necessary for successful language learning in general.

Firstly, this is an unlimited opportunity to acquire new knowledge.

Secondly, reading on foreign language greatly contributes to the rapid development of other speech skills: speaking, writing and listening. Reading enriches children's vocabulary, reinforces the words they have learned and helps expand the scope of their use. If, when teaching a foreign language to read, along with orally, great attention is paid, then the speaking skill is preserved even in the absence of practice for several years.

Third, it is unknown when and how much the average Russian child will speak a foreign language - it is obvious that he will read in it much more often. In order not to rack your brains later, thinking about how to teach your child English in the second grade and later, start with the most useful things now.

Learning to read even in your native language is a rather labor-intensive and lengthy process, so it is obvious that learning to read in a foreign language should also be given significant attention, and not the time left over from speaking exercises.

You should not expect that a child will automatically read well, having developed oral speech (for example, after living abroad).

First, children read syllable by syllable, then they begin to perceive words and parts of sentences as a whole, and, finally, they begin to confidently and quickly cover entire sentences with their eyes. Of course, there are other methods of teaching children to read, but it is obvious that the syllable-by-syllable reading method, characteristic of the Russian language, is the most effective and gives good results for almost all children. It is absolutely logical to use and does not require any special knowledge from parents.

Good reading in your native language is the key to successful learning to read in a foreign language. The better your child reads in Russian, the faster and better he will read in English. The better he is already familiar with this type of mental activity such as reading, the easier it will be in another language.

How will we teach

But if everything is clear with Russian, then how to teach a child to read in English? Syllabic reading is not typical for the English language. Many modern teaching aids for preschoolers and schoolchildren primary school They propose teaching children to read in a different way: in whole words at once, sometimes without even learning the letters of the alphabet, which causes considerable amazement in many parents, and especially grandparents. Capable and gifted children, with well-developed native speech, visual memory and a sense of language, can learn to read in this way, but for most children it turns out to be ineffective.

Usually, after a fair amount of suffering, parents begin to teach their child to read English using old, proven methods, which always give good results.

If your child did not immediately manage to learn to read in Russian, if this process was not easy for him, then you should not rush into learning to read in English. Let this process be calm and consistent for the child - from simple to complex.

Study English letters with your child in the same way as you did with the Russian alphabet. First, the names of the letters, then introduce him to the sounds that these letters convey. It is necessary for the child to have a clear “letter-sound” association. Please note that some letters of the English alphabet can be read differently, for example, Сс (s) (k), Ss (s) (z), etc.

In the recent past, great attention was paid to the transcription system, but now, in the era of talking dictionaries and many audio aids, there is no need for a very careful study of it. Many schools and courses do not teach it at all.

In my opinion, it is still advisable to give the child at least the concept of depicting the basic sounds of the English language, teach him to name the sound when he sees its transcription image. This will make it easier for him to read in English and give him the opportunity to independently find out how a word is read. He will see transcriptions in all textbooks, so it would not be bad to understand what they are. However, you should not demand from your child exact knowledge of all sounds at once: it is enough to teach him basic transcriptions (for example, consonants and basic vowels), and he will gradually gain an understanding of other transcriptions in the process of studying.

Letters and sounds can be taught to your child in the same way as Russian letters, by playing with cards, showing them in a book or drawing them on paper.

Special problems always arise with letters that are similar to the letters of the Russian alphabet, for example, Н, Р, С, m and others. The child recently learned these letters in Russian, and it is simply psychologically difficult for him to readjust. This problem can be solved by calm and repeated repetition. Some children have problems with combinations of English letters that are read in a special way: sh, th, kn, etc. In this case, there is also no need to rush. Children learn and remember material in different ways: for some, one explanation is enough, for others, they will consistently remember how to read these letter combinations after a few months.

It is known that the main problem when reading in English is the discrepancy between the pronunciation of words and their spelling. Some children sometimes cannot overcome the confusion that arises from the fact that the same letter can be pronounced differently in different words.

For example: Kate has a cat, a car and a hare. In this sentence we have four options for pronouncing the letter Aa. Therefore, you need to start teaching your child to read from the easiest one difficult words, for example, such as pot, spot, dog, box, etc., and not with difficulty readable words which some textbooks offer us.

Thus, the child begins to read in English in the same way as he just learned to read in Russian, putting letters into words. This is familiar to him, understandable and usually happens quickly. And then, just as in the Russian language, he will gradually move on to reading difficult words in their entirety.

It is this kind of reading training that is offered, for example, in the textbook by Valentina Skulte, which, despite the abundance of new teaching methods, remains the best and one of the most popular aids for initial stage learning to read. In addition, in foreign textbooks (and in domestic analogues), the main part of the book is occupied by color pictures, and very few words and exercises are offered for reading. A gifted child may get by with such a small amount of practice, but for most children this is clearly not enough, if you remember how many syllables, words and small texts a child needs to read before he learns to read in Russian.

Gradually from reading completely simple words you need to move on to more complex ones. It is necessary to show the child how to read a particular word and encourage him to remember it in its entirety. At this stage, you need to constantly monitor the child to prevent mistaken memorization of the pronunciation of words. Of course, it is very good to use audio recordings for exercises, which are now available for almost all manuals. It will be good if the child sometimes tries to read along with the speaker or you: this will allow him to better feel the intonation and semantic breakdown of the sentence.

At this stage, as when learning to read in Russian, regular training, control and a large number of exercises are very important.

Another very important point. It is necessary to ensure that the child understands the meaning of the text read aloud. Therefore, always ask him to talk in Russian about what he read. Firstly, we always learn and remember better what we understand, and secondly, we need to immediately accustom the child to the desire to understand, and not just mechanically reproduce the text. There is no need to force your child to read the same thing over and over again or to memorize texts. Thus, he will not learn to read as it should be done - to read with understanding. Therefore, it is best to practice reading texts of different content. This will greatly help the formation of thinking in a foreign language.

If after reading the child does not understand anything in the text, it is not a problem, translate the text one sentence at a time. Do not strive for a literary translation: let it be “clumsy” from the point of view of the Russian language, but it will give the child a feel for the grammatical structure of another language. Before reading the next text, tell your child again to immediately try to understand it. After some time of such exercises, even the most language-incapable children begin to understand at least some part of the text being read.

At this stage of learning, reading speed is not particularly important. The main thing is the correct reading of words and good English pronunciation, which is better to install immediately. Many children find it very difficult to pronounce English sounds, especially if the students have speech therapy problems with the Russian language, so do not rush your child to read quickly: after all, reading speed itself is of no value, both in English and in Russian. It only matters in relation to speed of reading comprehension.

If you teach a child to read in English in this way, then the whole process will take place calmly, within a certain time and with a guaranteed, well-established result.

How to teach a child to read in English is a problem that worries many modern parents, who perfectly understand that this is the key to a successful future for their child - and are terribly worried that their kids do not show the slightest interest in it. In reality, everything is elementary, the main thing is to find the right approach.

How to get your child interested in learning English?

In order for reading in English to bring as much joy to a child as to his parents, it is necessary to find out the factors that demotivate young students. There are a huge number of different reasons that may seem insignificant to an adult. These factors may well traumatize an unformed child’s psyche for the rest of his life. At the same time, you should figure out what can serve as a motivator for mastering a new science.

Below are a few main factors that you need to pay attention to before teaching your child to read in English:

  1. Your attitude towards the language and the teacher. Children feel this acutely.
  2. Motivation. We must not forget that for children the prospect of working in large company. Where more beneficial for the child will know that reading in English, for example, will allow him to watch interesting films in the original.
  3. Ways of motivation. It is necessary to find and convey to the little student the positive aspects.
  4. The pursuit of excellence. Many parents want their child to be the best, which is why the burden of responsibility weighs on the child and in order to get rid of it, it is easier for the child to stop studying English altogether.

What should a child know to learn English?


This question follows immediately on how to teach a child to read English. Where to start the learning process, what to focus on? It is important to understand that you should not expect much from your child. No knowledge of grammar (at first) or correct spelling.

  1. First introduce him to the alphabet, sounds, transcription.
  2. The next stage is the study of basic words, their listening comprehension and reproduction.

If we summarize everything, we get the following: before moving on to reading, the student must study what letters and sounds are in the language, be able to recognize them, read them, know the basic set of words, be able to perceive them by ear and relay them. In addition, it doesn’t hurt that the child understands the essence of constructing sentences and can independently compose simple monologues - about himself, his home, pets, for example.

Where to start learning to read in English?

You need to look for an individual approach to each child, but as a rule, the so-called language nurseries work equally effectively in all cases. There are people working here who know exactly how to teach a child to read English. In addition, the student will have a clear division - at home he speaks his native language, and in the nursery he speaks a foreign language.

How to start teaching your child to read at home on your own:

  • watching cartoons and children's films in English;
  • listening to songs together;
  • learning poetry.

Learning English letters

Children's imagination works well, so it is better to start learning anything with visualization. Parents should choose associations for each letter - visual or semantic - depending on how it is easier for the baby to perceive information. In one lesson you need to learn no more than 5-6 letters, and in some cases even less. When moving on to studying new material, you definitely need to refresh and go over the letters you’ve already learned one more time.

Don’t forget: when we are learning English letters with pronunciation and the child cannot remember something, it is worth working on the choice new association or come up with some more intelligible and acceptable explanation.

The main thing is not to put pressure on the child, because if classes cease to be something fun and interesting for him, very soon he will lose enthusiasm, and then give up classes altogether, and no amount of motivation and encouragement will correct the situation.

Transcriptions of English letters and sounds


The youngest students do not need this knowledge. All they can do is remember the correct pronunciation of words and repeat them. But as soon as an understanding of how words are constructed begins to emerge, parents should worry about how to teach their child to read English transcription, because not all foreign words are read exactly the same as they are written.

An effective method is play. Turn reading English letters and sounds into an interesting challenge, in which your child can receive a reward for winning. Special programs with pictures depicting letters and sounds are available in stores, which is especially important for modern tech-savvy children. In addition, you can invite your child to take turns naming the sounds from the table and guessing them.

How to teach a child to read English words?

It's time to figure out how to teach your child to read words in English.

There is one algorithm, tested over the years and by thousands of little students:

  1. It all starts traditionally - with the study of letters.
  2. Next you need to move on to reading individual words by key.
  3. A more difficult stage is reading small grammatical structures, each of which has its own lexical design.
  4. The level is even more difficult - reading structures that are assembled in certain logical sequences.

Combinations of letters in English words

The basis of reading skill is knowledge of transcription. The child just needs to memorize it.

How to proceed:

  1. Give your child a list of words of the same type and offer to learn it. After some time, he will begin to recognize combinations of letters and will be able to pronounce them correctly.
  2. You should not immediately “load” the student with complex phrases. Start with short monosyllabic words: fat, mat, cat, rat.
  3. Only after mastering them can you move on.

In order for a child to enjoy an activity such as reading in English, the learning process must take place in a playful way. Choose several rhymes for one word. This will make it much easier for the baby to remember. Subsequently, you can collect rhymes from several rhyming words consisting of more complex sounds. If your child has poor listening comprehension, you can try the written method. With it, you can master reading English words just as well.

Methods of teaching reading in English


Almost all methods of teaching reading are simple and straightforward. Suitable for little ones English words for children in pictures. Older students can practice using the oral advance method. According to the latter, all the most basic phrases are first studied and only after that children move on to analyzing letters, transcriptions, and sounds. This method may seem strange, but for some children it suits perfectly.

Simple English texts for children

You need to start learning with basic tasks. Such, for example, as a proposal to read an English text of this type:

  1. My room is quite small but very bright. There is a wide window with a beautiful view of the park. There is an old armchair at the window. In front of the armchair there is a journal table with a notebook. You can see a TV on the wall. And under the TV there is a rack with a stereo because I like listening to classical music when I have a rest. There is a bed on the right of the TV. You can see a family picture over the bed. The wardrobe is on the left, and near it you can see a nice small picture with sunflowers. There are many books next to the armchair.
  2. I love to go shopping and buy new clothes. Especially I like to buy things at Massimo Duthie at discount prices. I have recently bought a new black sweater there. I like to wear black. I think it suits my face. But I have a lot of clothes in white and brown colors. In summer I usually wear a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. But for my work I wear a blouse, jacket, skirt and small shoes with heels. I wear a dress only on holidays. In the autumn or spring, I wear anorak, trousers and boots. In the winter I wear a winter coat, sweater, hat, warm pants and high boots.

English reading trainer

He is very good at learning to read in English using simulators.

Most parents want their children to start learning foreign languages ​​as early as possible. Teach them to read, understand, speak. And this is correct, although it implies a greater burden on the child. And today we will tell you how to teach a child to read English. You can start classes from the age of three, and the ideal age for learning to read in English is five years old. In order for this process to take place with maximum efficiency and painlessly for children, parents need to follow certain recommendations.

First, you need to establish a clear sequence of training. Each lesson should be divided into separate parts, the total duration of the entire lesson does not exceed one hour. The material is presented in a form understandable to children. For preschoolers just starting to learn the English language, bright pictures are suitable. Lots of practice is the key to success.

How to teach a child to read English: general principles

First, you should start with mastering the alphabet. Each letter is studied separately. The parent says it, and then the child repeats after him. Already from the second lesson, it is worth supplementing the program with repetition of the studied letters in order to consolidate the material.

English for children must take into account certain features of the language:

  1. Some letters are read differently depending on their location in a word: G can be pronounced as “j” or “g”, C as “s” or “k”, S as “s” or “z”, etc.
  2. At the same time, individual letters of the English alphabet have an external similarity with Russian ones (N, X, V, R, etc.). We must not get confused, because we read these sounds differently, for example, “a” in English and Russian, although they are written exactly the same, are pronounced differently - like “a” in Russian and like “hey” in English.
  3. Combinations of two letters can produce a completely different sound, for example, the, sh, etc.

The discrepancy between the pronunciation of many words and their spelling causes difficulties for children. It is quite difficult for a child who has only recently mastered the Russian alphabet to restructure psychologically.

When you study a foreign language, you learn not only a set of vocabulary and grammar, you in any case come across the culture and mentality of the people who speak this language. The best remedy knowledge of language and culture is reading in original. And to read in a foreign language, you must first learn to read this language .

You don"t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. You can just make people stop reading them.

But, if at school or university you studied German or French languages, or your school base turned out to be smaller than you would like, and now you have decided to learn English, then let's start with the most primary and basic and find out several methods of where to start in order to master the rules of reading.

English alphabet

I think you know that English is different from Russian and German, in which we mainly write and read. In English the system is a little more complicated. The very first thing we need to do is learn the alphabet.

There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, including 21 consonants and 5 vowels. Knowledge of letters and the ability to pronounce them correctly is the key to successful and competent reading in English.

English alphabet with transcription of letter names.

Very easy way remembering letters visually and aurally is with the help of a song. Watch the video and sing the song until you remember the letters of the alphabet.

You can use the same method to teach the alphabet to your children and sing the song with your kids.

Reading rules in English

After studying the alphabet, we will begin to study the combination of letters and read short words. There are a number of rules in the English language that you need to learn, practice and remember if you want to read English words correctly.

Rules for reading English consonants

Many consonants are read similarly to Russian consonants, for example the letters m, n, l, b, f, z. You can see this in words like mom, lemon, finger, boy, zebra .

Letters like t And d sound similar, but pronounced with aspirated. For example words table, teacher, dad, dirty.

Letter c has two reading options. Before letters i,e,y it reads like [s]- city, face, cyber. And before other vowels it is read as [k]- cat, cake, factory.

Rule with vowels i,e,y also works with letters g. In front of them it reads like - gym, George, giant. Before other consonants the letter is read as [g].

Letter q always occurs in a combination of letters qu and reads like - quick, queen, square.

Letter j always reads like - jacket, jam, joy.

Table of the relationship between consonants and sounds in English.

How to read vowels in English

In English, a word can end in an open or closed syllable, which affects pronunciation. For example words cat, pot, sit end with a closed syllable and have vowels a, o, i give sounds .

Words such as name, home, five end with an open syllable, since there is a letter at the end of the word e, which is not readable. But, thanks to her, the vowels in the middle of the word are read exactly the same way as they are pronounced in the alphabet, that is, the word name read .

Types of reading English vowels in stressed syllables.

Reading vowel combinations in English

There are certain combinations of letters that have established reading rules, although English tongue-tongue exceptions, and when reading more complex words, you should consult a dictionary. The table below shows combinations of English vowels with examples how they are read and what sound they make.

Table of vowel combinations in English.

And of course, there are exceptions to all rules. However, don't worry and think that you will never be able to learn it. Everything can be understood, you just need to try and practice a little.

Diphthongs of the English language with transcription

When you study the basic rules of reading, you will see that in English there are diphthong sounds that are quite difficult to reproduce, especially if you start learning the language not in childhood, but in adulthood.

Table of English diphthongs with transcription.

Transcription of sounds in English

Practice shows that when children learn a language, they must definitely study transcription, but adults do not want to learn it and it can be difficult for them.

If you still want to learn how to write and read transcriptions, then great! And if not, then you can use online dictionaries, where the word will be pronounced for you. One of the best dictionaries today are Multitran and online dictionary Lingvo.

Important!

Remember that you need to use dictionaries, not translators!

Here is an example of reading short words with transcription:

Table of vowel sounds in English and transcription.

Living in the Internet age has some advantages. While sitting at home, you can master various knowledge online. For your attention video lesson , which explains the basic principles of reading. However, even after gaining knowledge through an online lesson, it needs to be consolidated in order for a skill to be formed.

Learn English tongue twisters

Tongue twisters, which are often aimed at practicing one sound, can help you here. Here are some examples you can use.

Tongue twister in English Translation into Russian
Whether the weather be fine,
or whether the weather will not.
Whether the weather be cold,
or whether the weather be hot.
We"ll weather the weather
whether we like it or not.
The weather will be good
or the weather won't be good.
The weather will be cold
or the weather will be hot.
We can withstand any weather
whether we like it or not.
Three swiss witch-bitches,
which wished to be switched swiss witch-bitches,
watch three swiss Swatch watch switches.
Which swiss witch-bitch",
which wishes to be a switched swiss witch-bitch,
wishes to watch which Swiss Swatch switch?
Three Swiss witch bitches
those who want to change their gender,
looking at the three buttons on the Swatch watch.
What a Swiss witch bitch
those who want to change their gender,
looking at what button on the Swatch watch?

Don't worry about tongue twisters! At this stage, when you are just learning to read and practicing sounds, it is important to pronounce them correctly, albeit slowly. You can always speed up.

Learn to hear English speech

After learning the basic, basic rules of reading, you can use the method of repeating after the speaker. Your auditory memory will also work and you will hear how words are pronounced correctly and what intonation is in sentences.

For this, you can use short dialogues and audio books for beginners. At this level, it would be ideal if the text is in front of your eyes, you listen, read and repeat at the same time!

You can use such a great resource as Oxford bookworm Library, which features audiobooks for all levels. You can download the library for free

For those who continue to learn English, we recommend learning the language from films, which you can read about in the article

Work on your pronunciation

Learning to read is only the first step towards learning a language. Just like learning grammar and vocabulary, learning to pronounce and hear correctly is very important if you want to understand what is being said to you and say it so that you are understood. Especially if you speak with a native speaker.

As we said a little above, one of the best ways is listen carefully to native speakers and try to copy their pronunciation and intonation .

Particular attention should be paid to sounds that do not exist in your native language. Often, people learning English have a problem with the ‘r’ sound, since in Russian it is hard, but in English it is more guttural and growling.

There are also difficulties in pronouncing the two sounds that combination of letters 'th'. Students persistently pronounce it as ‘c’ and ‘z’. Although it is worth noting that in words such as this, that, there, this sound is spoken as between ‘z’ and ‘d’. And in words like three, think, thief, it is pronounced as a sound between ‘f’ and ‘s’.

This may seem strange to you, since there are no such sounds in the Russian language, but if you listen to native speakers, you will understand that this is how they speak.

Don't worry if you can't say these words correctly the first time, it just takes a little practice. But, try to learn correctly from the very beginning, because it will be more difficult when you are forced to relearn.

Learn to pronounce phrases in English correctly

In English, words in sentences are not pronounced separately; they often merge as if into one whole, especially if it is a combination of a vowel and a consonant. Watch and practice with these transcription examples.

The same applies to phrases where one word ends with the letter ‘r’, and the next word begins with a vowel. In such cases, the sound 'r' is pronounced. Here are some examples.

Wanting the baby to develop into an integral and harmonious personality, many parents begin educational process from an early age. Among other things, they want to teach their child English, but, as a rule, they do not know at what age it is better to start. Let's get acquainted with the positions of teachers and their recommendations in this regard.

Age

The most important question to be answered is when to start learning a foreign language so that the lessons are as productive as possible? There are several main points of view, information on which will be presented in the form of a table.

Optimal age Arguments for Arguments against
Up to 2 yearsChildren are receptive to mastering new information and can become familiar with foreign pronunciation intuitively.

Children enjoy learning new things.

The work of think tanks is aimed at learning the language.

The native speech is not yet sufficiently formed, so it is too early for the baby to start learning a foreign language.

Psychologists believe that parallel learning of two languages ​​is very difficult and harmful for a child.

3-5 yearsAt this age, children are distinguished by good development of their native speech. They perfectly absorb and remember new information. The memory of a preschooler is very flexible; he quickly learns new words and uses them with pleasure, although often unconsciously.

Learning English can be combined with fine motor skills, bringing double benefits to your child.

If parents fail to properly organize the learning process, make it fun and interesting, there is a risk that the child will forever lose interest in learning a foreign language, which will lead to problems at school in the future.
6-8 yearsThe baby is ready to perceive new information, has a good command of the norms of his native speech, so he can study English phonetics and vocabulary. The best form of classes at this age is a group, so the child should be sent to a language school. Home lessons are considered unproductive and can only be used by parents as a additional form training.A child enters school where he has to deal with a huge flow of information, so additional language learning will become difficult for him.

Experts note that in the first years of life, the child’s brain actively develops, so it is very important to begin the learning process as early as possible. But you shouldn’t “stuff” your child with information; the main thing is to present useful knowledge in a form that is interesting to him.

Position of specialists

There is no clear answer to the question at what age is it best to start learning a foreign language. It all depends on the individual abilities and desires of the child. However, from an early age, you can include an initial acquaintance with English in your child’s daily routine: learning rhymes and the simplest words.

Experts note that if a child has speech problems, then it is impossible to start learning English or any other foreign language. It is important to first deal with speech therapy defects, and only then proceed to new material.

Principles of training

Teaching a child English is not easy, since for preschoolers it is important to be able to move actively, rather than sit and learn boring words. Therefore, when practicing at home, you should actively use game forms, visual material, cartoons and musical accompaniment - all this will help the child not to lose interest in training. Lessons should be held regularly; only in this case can one count on success, but not tire the child. You can remember English vocabulary along the way. For example, if during a walk a mother and child meet a cat, the mother may ask: “Who is it? How will it be in English? This will help memorization.

The main task of parents is to instill in their child a sustainable interest in learning the language, the desire to study independently, learn new words and construct phrases. Motivation is very important, so activities should be structured in such a way that children themselves ask for them. The task is not easy, but the result is worth it.

Pictures and toys must be present in classes; parents can come up with a fascinating story and end the lesson, maintaining intrigue, so that the child looks forward to the next day.

It is equally important that the parent who has taken on the responsibility of conducting the lesson must have perfect pronunciation, otherwise the child will get used to articulating incorrectly and will have to relearn it in the future.

Important Rules

Having decided to study at home and introduce the baby to the rules of English speech, parents should adhere to the key rules.

  • There should be no criticism, but praise is welcome. Moms and dads should understand that if they do their best to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the baby’s successes, scold him, get nervous, and break into screams, they can forever kill in the child not only the desire to learn English, but also self-confidence. And praise for success, even if insignificant, will help the preschooler feel more relaxed. Gradually, you can praise your child even in simple words that are understandable to him. English phrases, this will help both create motivation and remember them.
  • Correct pronunciation is extremely important. Even if parents are fluent in spoken foreign languages, when communicating with their child they must pronounce every sound clearly.
  • Various games. The child will become bored if each lesson is carried out according to the same scenario: a rabbit came to visit us, he really wants to get acquainted with English words. The kid will quickly sense the falseness and stop being interested in the rabbit and the lessons themselves. Therefore, creativity, ideas, creativity are required from parents. Lessons can be conducted with the active use of finger games, during drawing or handicrafts, on the street.
  • Regular repetition. This is the only way a child can quickly remember vocabulary. Therefore, you need to use every free minute to repeat. For example, during a conversation, a mother can unobtrusively say that she forgot how to say “bear” in English, motivating the baby to remember and prompt.

Only in this way will the child be happy to remember words and actively demonstrate his knowledge.

Techniques

You can teach your child English from scratch using various techniques. Let's get acquainted with the most popular of them.

  • Meshcheryakova's technique– active work with toys. The parent shows the child a toy, such as a cat, and says “cat.” Gradually, after several lessons, the child understands and remembers that this foreign word is a cat in English. You can play with your child, for example, in a store, saying phrases they understand (how much something costs) in English. The child understands the meaning because the situation itself helps him, and gradually remembers the phrase.

Numerous songs that you can learn with your baby will help create a cheerful mood.

  • Immersion technique. The point is that a special linguistic space is created around the baby - only English speech is heard, so he has to adapt, strive to intuitively understand what exactly adults are saying. This method can only be used if parents are confident in their knowledge. You shouldn’t get carried away with “immersion”; 5-7 minutes a day is enough to help your child become more familiar with foreign speech without experiencing discomfort.

The situation itself needs to be played out somehow - explain to the child, for example, that mom and dad are preparing for a trip abroad, so they are training with his help.

  • Game techniques. The best choice for children from 3 to 5 years old. It is through the use of role-playing and story games It will be possible to instill a sustainable interest in learning English.
  • Glen Doman Method- working with cards. Helps you quickly remember English words - names of animals, plants, flowers, household items. The main difficulty is to choose words suitable for children’s perception. Work with cards should be done three times a day, spending no more than 15 seconds on each word. Modern parents have the opportunity not to prepare cards, but to find them on the Internet and play a slide show for their child for 2-3 minutes a day.
  • Zaitsev's technique. Can be used with children aged 5 years and older; it involves working with cubes with syllables written on the edges. The child is required to “assemble” a word from syllables and read it. Due to the fact that the cubes are bright and colorful, they are of interest to the child, but it is not worth overtiring him with a long search and restoration of words, 5-10 minutes a day is enough.

Moms and dads can include elements of each of these techniques in their homework to make the learning process vibrant and unusual.

First step

It is very important to conduct the first lesson with your child so that he does not lose interest in subsequent learning. Therefore, it is necessary to use visual material, pictures, music, games. A series of first lessons can be combined with the theme of travel. For example, we are taking an exciting trip to England.

  • At the first stop we meet Teddy bear, a favorite large quantities British children, with whom we listen to short rhymes.
  • Second stop (second day) – meeting with Cinderella, listening to songs.
  • The third day is an introduction to the names of English animals, here cards with their images are used.

The learning process will thus turn into an exciting pastime, much more interesting than ordinary games.

Stages

Several stages of training can be distinguished.

  1. Introduction to transcription and oral speech. To do this, kids simply listen to funny, simple rhymes and songs.
  2. Studying words. The child gradually learns how familiar words will sound in English.
  3. Introducing letters and sounds.
  4. Studying the simplest rules for reading syllables and words.
  5. Reading text.

Do not deceive yourself - the work is very difficult, so parents should be patient, and if there are gaps in their own knowledge, eliminate them.

First months of life

Researchers note that acquaintance with foreign speech should occur quite early, at the age of two years, only in this case in further child will make progress in understanding the rules of English grammar. It is clear that young children are not yet ready to perceive complex information, but they will be happy to listen to a lullaby in English.

You can develop children from 1.5 years old, sometimes weaving phrases in English into their speech, this will help them understand that sounds and words may sound slightly different than in their native Russian. Songs in English are also useful at this age, and experts advise that the child not play foreign pop music, but rather funny children's songs sung by young native speakers.

It is important for parents to understand their main goal - to help their child get acquainted with the English language, interest him, motivate him to further study, and not force him to memorize complex rules"from under the stick."

There is no need to rush to send your child to a language school, since at 2-3 years old it is better to study with him independently: this will give the child the pleasure of communicating with his parents, as well as psychological comfort.

How to build a workout with your baby? There are several possible forms.

  • Finger games: putting special toys on his fingers, the child, under the guidance of his parents, learns what one or another of them is called in English, and at the same time trains fine motor skills.
  • Clapping the simplest English rhymes and nursery rhymes. For example: little mouse, little mouse, where is your house (clap after pronouncing each word). While working on a phrase, you should show your child a picture of a mouse or a toy to visualize the image.
  • Gradual learning of poems by heart. Children of this age remember very well, but cannot always repeat, so they can simply say individual words after the parent.
  • Say hello and goodbye in English. Coming home, dad can say to his baby: “Hello,” and kiss him good night and say: “Good night.” Gradually the child will use these phrases in his speech.
  • Learning colors is best done in the form of drawing: for example, a child draws with red paint, and the parent tells him how “red” will be in English - red.
  • To maintain interest, you can offer the children the following exercise: put several items of the same group, for example fruit, into a bag. The child’s task is to determine by touch what it is. Then the adult names the guessed fruit in English. After a few lessons, the task for the child becomes more complicated - he must not only guess the contents of the bag, but also name it in English.
  • Gymnastics with pronouncing will also be useful English verbs, meaning an action that the baby needs to perform. The adult pronounces the verb loudly and clearly and shows an example in the first lessons; the child’s task is simply to repeat it. But after a few training sessions, mom or dad only speak, giving the baby the opportunity to remember the meaning of the word.

Parents are now required to constantly include rhymes and songs in a foreign language for their child so that he remembers the rules of pronunciation.

Gradually, the training becomes more complex, and the children become familiar with the letters. If they know the words, the work will be easier, since the parent will only need to show a card that contains a picture of an object, its name is written, and based on the visual material, show the letter.

Learning English is an important stage in preparing a child for later life and schooling in particular. It is necessary not to force the child to memorize phrases and words in order to please his parents and demonstrate his abilities in front of other children, but to organize activities so that they resemble funny games and bring pleasure to the baby. Only in this case can you count on success.



Publications on the topic