Many parents want to help their children with their second language education. However, it can be difficult to support someone who wants to learn Chinese when they don’t know the language.
Following along in workbooks and giving a hand with homework only goes so far. The best way to increase comprehension is by immersing a student in the language.
Here are a few ways parents can contribute to their children’s lessons and have some fun family time!
1. Listening to Music
Dipping your toe into a new language can be boring, especially if all your kids are focused on books and lesson plans. Music is a great way to help a child experience the culture of a language, giving it some additional context.
People also learn lyrics alongside music more easily than via standard repetition in lessons, so someone trying to learn Chinese may pick up some common phrases much faster while jamming to the latest pop songs!
2. Find a Foreign Pen-Pal
Practice is essential when learning a new skill, but repeatedly writing the same things gets old fast. Telling stories to a new friend overseas can turn vocabulary lessons from a chore to a cultural exchange they look forward to! Some benefits to including your learners in a pen pal program include:
- Refine reading and writing skills
- Encourages social skill development
- Fosters patience and delayed gratification
- Develops curiosity about different cultures
- Engenders empathy and a social understanding
A distant pen pal exposes children to what life is like elsewhere and gives more context to their lessons as they understand that others can speak it too!
3. Local Playmates
You don’t need to go around the world to find someone your child can connect with. Whether you’re learning Chinese, Italian, or Spanish, connecting with local learners can bridge the gap between daily lessons and actual word use.
Encourage kids to use the language as a fun way to communicate with their friends, almost as if it’s a secret tongue that only they understand. This gamification may help get them excited to converse with their friends even more!
4. Tutors and Nannies
Whether chatting with friends worldwide or in the sandbox, immersing kids in a language will help them learn faster. Another way you can make it more common in your household is to take on someone who speaks it fluently.
A nanny is a great choice for younger students as the speaker will know how to take care of children as well as understand the language. Tutors are preferable for older learners since guided practice has more impact at that age.
5. Turn On the ‘Toons
While it may seem counterproductive, cartoons are an excellent way for kids to learn a new language. Sticking your child in front of the TV doesn’t sound like great parenting, but watching animation in another tongue will help them learn the context and usage of common words and phrases. There are several reasons why cartoons are a good source of practice, such as:
- Easier Language: Cartoons generally have vocabulary and phrasing that is geared toward beginners
- Visual Clues: As an action-oriented media, animation includes a lot of context clues to explain the situation.
- Short and Appealing: Made to appeal to a younger audience, these shows are just long enough for short attention spans and fun to watch, too!
While turning to a cartoon your child is already familiar with will help them pick up on a bit of the lingo, foreign shows and films also offer more cultural context!
6. Learn With Your Child
One of the most effective tools you have to help your kids learn a foreign language is yourself! Children look up to their parents, and showing them you’re working on the same things they are will also help motivate them.
Since kids generally learn Chinese and other languages faster than adults, they can feel good about themselves, helping them to grasp concepts and words while simultaneously building their confidence.
Looking at the comprehensible input examples can provide valuable strategies for teaching languages in a way that aligns with how children naturally learn. Utilizing these techniques not only supports faster language acquisition but also makes the process enjoyable and confidence-boosting for young learners.
Practice and Patience
While there are many shortcuts your child can take to learn a foreign language, nothing replaces hard work and practice. It’s possible to make their journey easier by immersing them with cartoons, playmates, and pen pals to keep them interested and engaged.
You may even pick up a few words as you help your child increase their fluency, creating a shared experience that you both can treasure for a lifetime!
