Top Tips for Helping Your Child Learn a New Language

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If your child is in years 8 and 9, they have probably been encouraged to work towards the English Baccalaureate. This is a mix of academic and humanities GCSE subjects which are thought to be highly advantageous for getting into university and stepping into the workforce. A requirement is that they must complete a language subject - either modern or ancient.

Aside from the career and academic prospects that this can bring, there are many more reasons as to why children should be encouraged to learn another language. For example, it opens the possibility for them to travel the world, engage and connect with new people and broaden their perspective of the world.

That said, learning a new language can be difficult. There are similar-sounding words that you must not confuse as well as tenses and spelling rules to be aware of. If you would like to learn about how you can help your child in learning a new language, keep reading as we have some expert tips below!

Implement Language Days

Practice is the key to learning any new skill and the same is so for learning a new language. By speaking it more regularly (e.g., through a dedicated language day), your child will be able to pick up words much faster. These are days where they are essentially banned from talking in English and you can only communicate with one another through translation tools like Google Translate and language dictionaries.

Go Travelling

Another way to get in some practice is to travel. What better way to learn a foreign language than from the locals themselves? Your child will be able to immerse themselves fully in the language and culture too, gaining a unique experience and appreciation.

Self-Paced Courses

It can quite easily be done without leaving your front room too. Self-paced online courses have become popular over recent years and they offer a convenient way to learn as you can watch lessons as many times as necessary. They will also be able to learn from professionals that know the language fluently and that have past success in teaching others.

Foreign TV Shows

If your child’s one that is difficult to motivate, they might like watching foreign TV shows instead. They can enjoy watching whilst becoming familiar with new words and their pronunciation.

We hope that this post was insightful. If you would like similar content like this, stay up to date with our blog where we host lots of helpful parenting tips and resources.