Parents can be good teachers too!

However, please be patient and don't force them to speak in English, as it will happen if you give them enough time to process the information.

We would like to encourage you to begin using these ideas at home, good luck!.

How to do it

- Arrange a time each evening for your child to hear English at home.For example: at bath time,tea time,during dinner, etc. To prepare your child you may want to use fun ways to start the language session (e.g: wear a baseball cap, ring a bell, play an English song on your cd player, blow a horn, etc.) 

 We say this because sometimes they want to be with “mom” using his/her mother tongue. In this way, setting a time lets them know what to expect.

- When English booklets and papers are brought home, look at them, comment and review them with your child. You can also ask the teacher about the songs they are learning. Show genuine interest in the work. This communicates the idea that English is important and it encourages your child to take an active role in the new language.

- The activities you use should be fun but brief so that your child will not be overwhelmed and will await the daily English session with enthusiasm.

- The information you use should be clear and concise.

- The vocabulary you include should be familiar to the child. You can have a look at the “fulls de comunicació” we send every month.

- Recognising his/her achievements continuously is very important. It will give your child more confidence and he will really wish to continue learning. 

- Take into account that learning a foreign language has a process and we have to respect every child's development process.

Ideas to do at home:

1. Read with and around your child. Use books with clear images that allow your child to understand the information. Show Picture Books, children love bright coloured picture books.Begin by pointing at the picture and telling them what it is, then ask them where it is and finally let them name it on their own.

 Use story books. We recommend repeating the stories several times so that he can anticipate and repeat what happens in the story. When finished, discuss what you have read together .

2. Use Everyday Situations: Describing everyday situations and routine activities makes language learning easier. Talking about the activity that they are doing as they do it.

3. Use games that you already have at home and play with them following the instructions in English. Some recommended games are: bingo, memory, etc

4. Children can pretend to be the “English teacher” and teach parents what they have learned in English. Encourage your child to perform the new role by giving him a new nick-name such as “Miss/teacher Anna, Mister Joan”

5. Do arts and crafts in English, reinforcing shapes, colours, quantities ,etc. Use paint, plasticine, clay, markers, etc.

6. Describe family albums. Allow the child to take the album to school on the following day to show his/her English teacher what he/she has learned. This will enable your child to follow up on the activity and take pride in his work.

7. A magic box or bag may be used in order to broaden your child’s vocabulary. You can fill the box of attractive collections you have at home, such as kitchen utensils, baby clothes, hats, toys (cars, animals, puppets). We recommend you to change them from time to time to maintain your child’s motivation.

8. Listen to nursery rhymes and children’s songs, especially during key times of day: road trips, bath time, playtime, and quiet time before going to bed.

9. Play a computer game in English making sure that it is appropriate for your child’s age.

10. Visit web sites in English with your child which offer a world of information.

11. Video: Between the ages of three and five, a child’s attention span tends to be limited. Therefore it is not recommended to play videos for more than twenty minutes. It is better to learn quality content over quantity. A video can offer the opportunity to listen and repeat vocabulary. You can stop the video and ask questions about it. It is recommendable to see videos in English but always alternating it with the above-mentioned activities.

We encourage you to make English fun and enjoy with your children!!!!