How to Teach a Child to Speak English

Teaching a child to speak English is no mean feat. It takes time, energy, and a thoughtful approach.

There is no single “correct” way to teach a child to speak English, instead, there are myriad approaches that may be tried, methods that may be used, and forms that the tuition may take. Even so, there are several key elements that you can employ to take your child’s English language skills further, and faster.

Full immersion

Most experts agree that the best way to teach children to speak English (or any language, really) is to fully immerse them in the language for a period of time. As Cambridge University explains it: 

“We are wired to desire emotional and social connection, and when placed in contexts where such connection is only available through a foreign language, our motivation to acquire it increases. This is why learning a language in the country where it is spoken is so effective – it offers an opportunity for complete language immersion.” 

In other words, to teach English to kids, you’ll want to send them to a place where English is spoken, and be in an environment where English is spoken exclusively. 

Hire an expert

To truly teach your child to speak English, and speak it properly, you’ll want to hire someone with experience in teaching English to kids. While there are certainly apps, computer programs, and online videos that profess to be able to teach children to speak English effectively, they cannot match the benefits derived from a properly trained expert.  

Teach at an appropriate level

Teaching English to children is best managed when the language being taught is age and proficiency-level appropriate. That is to say, your child should be learning English words, grammatical rules, and idioms that are consistent with their age-level. This can be a challenge with online applications that are not adjusted to in this way. Likewise proficiency: there’s no sense in teaching university-level English grammar to children who are only just being exposed to the language.

Practice at play

Teaching English to children only in classroom settings will greatly diminish their language retention and comfort. The British Council explains that: 

“Active learning means fully involving children in the learning process. To achieve this, we need to provide environments that appeal to all their senses, including visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, and tactile. Appropriate learning activities will include things like chants, songs, rhymes, dances, games, videos, and arts and crafts.”

A wonderful way to practice English through play is through sport. Working with coaches and peers teaches kids English in a wide variety of practicable ways. 

Perhaps the best way to teach your child to speak English is by enrolling them in the Exsportise English Language Summer School. We offer an immersive, level-appropriate, expertly-taught English summer program, in one of several locations in England. You can choose to pair your child’s English teaching with high-quality coaching in a sport or tuition in dance or music. 

Contact us to learn more today!