【講師コラム】メル講師No.13～No Worries！～

Happy Friday, Mommies and Daddies!!! How are you all doing these days?.. There are so many things we used to enjoy with our family that we cannot do anymore since early last year… Who would have thought this pandemic would put our lives on pause and crush many businesses, big and small alike… Many of us have suffered a great loss because of it. And yet, here we are, still striving to make the most out of our lives, still waking up each day full of hopes and dreams for our loved ones… We get up every morning braving all the risks that this pandemic has brought upon us just to make sure that our children will have a bright and safe future. So, don’t forget to congratulate yourself on the shoulder when you look in the mirror for being such a TOUGH AND AWESOME MOM/DAD despite all the uncertainties and hardships that we are currently facing in our daily lives. You all are remarkable…

<3 <3 <3

                   By the way, today, I would like to talk about how we can stop ourselves from worrying when our children seem to be not so interested to speak in English… I definitely am far from being an expert about this matter, but I do hope that my advices would somehow help you ease your worries about your children’s English skills.

                   As parents, we all want the best for our children. We want to secure their future, and we know that being good at English is one of the crucial steps for them to have wider opportunities when they grow up… But in wanting so, we sometimes tend to overdo things. We sometimes forget that they are just little children… We sometimes worry too much because they cannot speak in complete sentence, or they answer questions with just one word. I was like that, too. I guess many parents have the same worries regarding their children’s English… But please don’t forget that children learn at a different rate… We cannot avoid comparing our child to other children sometimes, but don’t let it get into you. Don’t let it turn you into a strict and pushy parent that ruins your child’s fun and interest in learning English.

                   Learning a language is NEVER easy, especially if it is not your first language. And I know that many parents find it tough because we are not fluent in English ourselves. We sometimes cannot avoid feeling worried or irritated when they keep answering with just one word. Just like what I have said earlier, always remember that each child is unique. They develop at a different rate and through different kinds of experiences and approaches. So, it is important to know which approach is effective to your child. When it comes to learning a language, I think that your home is one of the best classrooms and YOU, parents, are the best teachers. You don’t really have to speak the language perfectly well, and you don’t need expensive materials to teach them English… You might be asking WHY… It’s because children learn languages best by doing everyday things with the people they love. I have learned that if kids feel the love and support of their parents, if they have fun or feel proud of what they’re learning, most of them will work hard to become an expert at any language (or whatever it is that they are doing)…

                   You might still be thinking how can you teach your children English at home if you cannot speak good English yourselves. You can learn English together… You can encourage them with small and simple talks at first. Every time you talk to your child, make sure you use sentences. Encourage them to talk more. Even if this means broken sentences, encourage them to continue talking. These simple things and practices will get them into the habit of talking more. Encourage them to repeat. Start with small sentences and teach them to repeat after you. Kids learn and remember when they repeat the same things over and over again. Oh, and don’t forget to compliment them! Kids love it when they are praised. Praising nurtures their confidence and sense of self. That is why no matter how small or how simple their progress is, don’t forget to praise them for a JOB WELL DONE…

                   Some of us also tend to worry too much when our children are not good at making sentence. If your children make mistakes when speaking in English, please bear in mind that it’s OK… Make it clear to them that it is totally fine to make mistakes. That we also learn a lot from making mistakes. When they try to talk, even if they miss a few words, or pronounce them wrong, do not try to cut them midway and finish the sentence for them. Wait for them to finish the sentences and help them only when it is absolutely necessary. Don’t worry about correcting those mistakes all the time. That would be totally NO FUN! The best thing we can do is to keep our children exposed to a lot of materials and opportunities that can help them improve their English while having a lot of fun. You can let them enjoy online English lessons, read pictures books together, watch English DVDs, play with toys with you in English, make friends with children who study English like them, and many other things that would make their English learning experience exceptionally fun, memorable and worthwhile. If they’re having fun, they won’t realize how hard their brain is working to strengthen their English skills.

The last advice that I would be giving you for now (there are actually a lot of ideas dancing in my mind right now on how we can help our little ones learn English effectively) is to SET A GOOD EXAMPLE… Whether you are taking online lessons, making new English-speaking friends who can help you with your accent, or using the dictionary to help you understand books and magazines in English, talk to your child about the ways that you are studying English, too. If your child sees you making great effort to learn, sees you not giving up even when you make mistakes or get frustrated, and sees you asking for help when learning English gets hard, your child will feel motivated and inspired to do the same…

Half of 2021 is almost finished; I wish that the rest of 2021 would be kinder and many shades of happy and wonderful to us all… Although it seems like we are still in the middle of the ocean with the waves tossing and turning us in every direction, eventually we will get through to calm shores and enjoy gentler times… That would be all from me today, Mommies and Daddies. Thank you very much for taking time to read this entry from me. I do hope that my advices somehow helped you with your worries about your children’s English. Till next time, Mommies and Daddies!!!