【講師コラム】マリア講師No.4～ BEST WAYS TO MAKE KIDS LOVE LEARNING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ～

Teaching a child to love learning English is a daunting yet rewarding task. Once a child begins to explore the English language, it will be the beginning of a wonderful journey. However, there are an overwhelming number of learning materials or activities to aid English language learning and choosing the right one could be quite challenging. But it can be easy if you know your child’s interests. If your child is interested in ocean animals, construction vehicles, dinosaurs or whatever else, make an effort to look for materials that delve into these things. Whether it is a game or a learning material, the ones that will most likely grasp your child’s attention are the ones that have their favorite animals or cartoon characters in it.

It is proven that children learn best when they are having fun, and there are many online resources with ideas for English games. One that I can recommend is ABCYa.com. There are a multitude of fun games on this website where kids can practice the alphabet, phonics, reading, listening, writing, spelling, grammar, story-making; all these while having fun! I utilize these games in my classes at times and my students love it! Sometimes, simple games can be the best and most effective language too. Hide and seek, Simon Says, Bingo: my students and I love these wacky games! With a little bit of imagination and creativity, these can surely be turned into an English learning experience.

It is also recommended to establish a routine for your English time at home. This could be playing an English game when they get home from school every day, or reading a short story before bedtime. This is because children feel more comfortable and confident when they know what to expect.

Remember: don’t worry if your child doesn’t start speaking or using the English language immediately, as they will need a certain amount of time to absorb the language, and feel that using the language will be useful for them. Be patient, and they will begin to speak English in their own time.