Learning a new language has many benefits. From securing your career to helping you in social life, language can be of immense importance. It is not surprising why schools are trying various methods to promote language learning among new learners. Language learning improves general intelligence, helping you remember and notice things better. The part of the brain responsible for problem-solving and learning starts to work proficiently when switching between languages.
Moreover, a high percentage of language graduates get a good job much faster than others. Moreover, as the world becomes more and more connected, the demand for language graduates keeps increasing. Apart from this, there are many other advantages of learning a new language, such as respecting the culture of others, being a better global citizen, etc. All the reasons mentioned earlier are enough to convince one to promote learning a new language in kids.
As new learners, children tend to grasp information much quicker and more efficiently than others. They learn grammar, pronunciation, accent, and body language more easily. But, how can you encourage kids to learn a new language and help them become fluent in it? In this blog, you can find your answer to this question.
Try speaking the language with them:
Children tend to copy the actions of their elders. If you know how to speak a foreign language and want your child to learn it, try to say it with them. Conversing in a foreign language will seek your child’s attention to start learning it with you. This would be helpful in boosting their confidence. With time, as they start learning, they will get better and more comfortable with the language and become fluent.
Join them while studying:
Things might get challenging for young learners while learning a new language. Joining your child while studying can help them pay more attention to what they are learning. This will make them think they are not lonely and can face any difficulty easily while you support them.
Have fun while learning:
Learning can be boring sometimes with some old traditional ways. Try something fun and exciting instead. Play games with your child related to the language. Dance while listening to a song in a foreign language and try to learn the lyrics. This way, your child would not feel burdened as they will enjoy the learning process.
Figure out what kind of learner is your child:
There are different kinds of learners, such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and read-write. Identifying the type of learner your child is can help you plan activities for them effectively. Making them learn according to their learning style can make them more excited to learn. Let's talk about the examples we can have for the activities for different learners. For visual learners, you can make some flash cards. You can even show them a picture and try to explain it in the new language. You can make auditory learners listen to songs, prepare some children's audiobooks, etc. For kinesthetic learners, you can create a role play and act together. These are some solutions that can develop the interest of your child in learning the new language.
Be patient:
Learning takes time. As you encourage your child to learn a new language, they will make mistakes in the beginning. Instead of correcting them strictly right away, be calm and give hints so they can try to fix them on their own. Suppose they do a good job while learning; don't forget to praise them. This will make them confident and not start to hate learning the language. Dealing with children with love and care can bring the best out of them.
Enroll your child in a language course:
Although learning at home can be very effective, giving your child admission to a language course can be cooperative in developing an interest in a new language. Seeing many children of the same age as your child can intrigue them to learn the language. Your child can have a perfect environment to understand where seeing other kids do good will cause them to strive harder to learn in competition.
Online apps:
Make your child install some language learning apps. Then, ask them to explore that app while they have screen time. They might find it amusing and entertaining and get engrossed in exploring the new language.
These are some methods that can help you promote your child to learn a new language. Being a parent and knowing about all the benefits of learning a new language, it would be your dream to make your child learn a new language. This is not as easy as it seems. Using some of the techniques mentioned above may be a game-changer for you and your child and make them learn a new language. Make sure to stand with your child if they need help and face any obstacle together.