Help your kids learn English during school break
Learning doesn’t just happen inside the classroom! Whether you are enjoying your summer or winter vacation, here are 3 ways to help your kids learn English during school break.
In a pilot project in Azerbaijan, children used Little Bridge for up to 500 hours over the summer holidays! Click here to see a short infographic video about the results of the pilot.
Help your kids learn English during school break: Reading
Encourage your child to read English language books of their choice.
Ask your school if there are books your child can borrow over the break, or visit your local library. Instilling a love (and habit!) of reading regularly is a skill that your child can benefit from for the rest of their lives. With that in mind, while you should definitely encourage your child to read books recommended by their teachers, allow your child to pick books they are interested in too! This includes allowing your child to read books ‘below’ their age / ability, or allowing them to read the same book over (and over!) again.
Struggling to get your child to read? Try changing where and when you read.
Read scary stories together in the dark using a torch, or a book about mermaids at bath time!
Reading aloud, especially in a new language, can be scary. Your child may be reluctant to read as they don’t want to make a mistake. Don’t be afraid to read aloud books with words you find difficult to pronounce! Seeing a ‘grown up’ make mistakes can be both amusing for young learners, and also helps children understand that reading is about learning, not being perfect!
And of course, reading with your child in any way is a fantastic way to engage with their learning journey.
Help your kids learn English during school break: Writing
Creative writing is a great way to practice literacy skills! Let your child choose a topic that interests them, and get them to write a paragraph on the subject, in English.
For a fun way to bring creative writing to life, you could ask your child to write, in English, what they would do on their ‘ideal’ weekend. Then, you can pick some of the ideas and do them together! Depending on how imaginative the ideas are, this may require some creative thinking on your part. For example, if your child included a trip to Disneyland in their ‘dream’ weekend, you could compromise with a Disney movie marathon at home (with English subtitles, for extra learning!)
For more writing practice, try our free downloadable activity sheets.
Help your kids learn English during school break: Communication
The best way to learn a language is to practice!
If you are able to, it’s fun to mix up when you use English at home. Casually introducing English practice into everyday activities is a great way to use English in a meaningful way.
Of course, the best way for your child to practice English is to communicate directly with their peers. Making friends and having meaningful conversations with them is an effective way to both reinforce the language skills your child has, and also helps them to retain new vocabulary.
However, this can be a challenge when there are no other English-learners around to practice with.
At Little Bridge, children can both learn new English skills, and practice them, with other children around the world. All messages in our global community used a shared language, English. Of course, it’s essential to provide a safe online environment for children to connect with each other. That’s why every message in our community is moderated, ensuring our platform keeps children safe at all times.
In a pilot project in Azerbaijan, children used Little Bridge for up to 500 hours over the summer holidays! Click here to see a short infographic video about the results of the pilot.
Summary
Encouraging your child to practice English is a great way to ensure your child retains their language skills (and perhaps adds to them!) over the school break. While practice and revision are essential to learning any skill, especially languages, it’s important to make sure to keep the practice fun and engaging. Children are naturally curious about the world; nurturing this innate curiosity can result in a lifelong love of learning!
Your child can practice their language skills in our English speaking online community! Get started for free today.
Want more tips to help your child learn English? Check out our other blogs, written by experts from the Little Bridge team!
