~Encourage Children to Learn English~

Children has more advantages compared to adults  in second language acquisition because after the critical period for language acquisition has passed, which is around puberty, it becomes more difficult to acquire another language fully. In addition, children has nothing much to do and to think, so they can focus in second language acquisition while adults busy working and have insufficient time that slow down the process of acquiring another language. Thus, parents should see this situation seriously and help the children to acquire their second language which is English that has been an international language for ages. So, how to encourage your children into learning English?

1. Reading Materials

Parents should expose their children to English reading materials includes of newspaper, magazines, short stories or even fairy tales that attract their attention as they tend to use their imagination while reading. Parents can read some fairy tales for bed time stories to make the children interested in learning English and start to learn basic English. Indirectly, parents encourages them to read more and have better understanding in English.

2. Entertainment

Entertainment is another useful medium to encourage children to learn English. Music can attract their attention and they will enjoy learning with the help of music and even better for the memorization. Parents can teach some simple English songs to their children like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,Old MacDonald Had A Farm, Baa Baa Black Sheep and London Bridge is Falling Down. There are also alphabet and number songs to help children learn ABC and counting.Thousands of videos can be watched  online and freely from many websites. So, the parents should learn how to use technology in learning so that the children would not feel bored or distracted. There are also many English cartoons like Dora The Explorer and interactive kid show like Barney which help children to learn speak and understand English language.

Here, there are some links on English songs for children that you may use for children learning. 

 Baa Baa Black Sheep

Old MacDonald Had A Farm

Twinkle Twinkle

London Bridge is Falling Down

Let's sing together! :)

3. Spend Time

Children need attention and care from the parents, thus parents should spend more time with them and help them gain knowledge especially in acquiring English as second language before they reach their critical periods. Parents should practice converse in English with their children to make them used to English. In addition, children will learn faster with the conducive environment where everyone speaks in English even it is just a simple English. Parents also can bring along their children to the nearby public library where there are lots of books includes of English short stories or novels that are suitable for all ages. Children will enjoy reading and eager to learn more on English

 In conclusion, ENGLISH IS FUN!