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Three summer months is a big break in classes, during which children are likely to forget a lot of the school curriculum. This is especially true for foreign languages, because in order not to lose the vocabulary, you need to practice. We figure out how to keep English at the same level if there are no plans to travel to Malta or London.
1. Look for new approaches
I read a page from a textbook, memorized a topic, did an exercise – such a system is too reminiscent of a school. In the summer, it can only cause rejection: the child is already tired of school, he wants to be distracted and have fun, and here are the parents with their tasks.
Summer English classes should be like a game. It is desirable that they do not resemble school lessons at all. Find out what your child is interested in right now and tie your English practice to that interest. Watch cartoons together in the original language, solve riddles in English, describe dinosaurs, memorize colors and count while playing pop-it.
At the Skysmart summer school, the lessons look like this: for example, the course – these are not ordinary classes, but a lively dialogue between the student and the teacher. You can discuss anything, from the musical direction of K-pop to the festival in Nikola-Lenivets and the advantages of cronuts over waffles. Learning goes faster when it is related to the interests of the child.
Expert advice: consider the type of perception of information
Daria Sharshova, Skysmart methodologist, says: “Each child has his own type of perception. There are three such types: auditory, visual and kinesthetic.
- Audiobooks, music or podcasts are suitable for auditory. In order to memorize new words, auditory learners need to read them aloud, repeat and analyze them several times.
- Visuals are best suited for the card method. They need pictures, tables and visual materials. Such children will enjoy watching cartoons and comics in English.
- It is easier for kinesthetic learners to memorize new words by writing them down on paper. Active gestures also come to the aid of this type: invite the child to imagine a situation when he uses a new word and “play” it. For example, memorizing the word cup (cup), the child can pretend to pick up a cup and pour tea into it. Later, the reproduction of these gestures will help to remember the situation and the word itself.
There is also a method that will work with everyone – TPR (Total Physical Response). It is also called the full physical response method. It focuses on the perception of language through the senses and is suitable for kinesthetic, auditory and visual learners. Its essence is contained in the accompaniment of new words by actions. For example, we say “brush your teeth” and show how we brush our teeth.”
2. Read children’s books together
This is not just the practice of English, but also what the British call “quality time” – time spent together consciously and with pleasure.
You can select books by language level on the educational portal , but for reading as such, it is better to buy real paper ones. They will help create a nightly ritual – you sit side by side, look at pictures, read and translate new words, and then discuss what you read. This is very important: it is discussions, questions and disputes that help to remember new information for a long time.
3. Exercise regularly
Yes, summer English classes are much more relaxed than school lessons. But this does not mean that they should be unsystematic. If you practice “by mood”, there is a risk of abandoning the practice altogether. And too long breaks between classes will lead to the fact that the child will simply forget everything.
It is better to practice for 10-20 minutes every day than for an hour and a half, but only once a week. Agree that you will communicate in English in a certain place (on a walk or in the kitchen) or at a certain time (at lunch or in the morning). And if a child during a walk wants ice cream or a ride on a carousel, he will have to ask for it in English.
So the language will become a living means of communication, and the child, gradually overcoming embarrassment, will begin to speak English much more freely.
Expert tip: use new words in speech
Daria Sharshova says: “One of the surest ways to quickly memorize a new word is to find its use in everyday speech. If you attend courses or study with a teacher individually, use the words you just learned as often as possible. Specially build sentences with new words and do not forget about spelling: do not forget about the learned vocabulary in written English.