Buzz
Being bilingual brings numerous advantages in life. For example, it can foster a sense of belonging to a community when children realize their friends speak the same language. It also promotes cultural appreciation and can even save someone's life in certain situations.
Steps
Learn to be patient with children. The first step in teaching kids is to position yourself as their peer. In short, you need to understand the psychology of children at that age. A child's brain is very different from an adult's—not just in size but also in how it processes information. Therefore, when teaching children, proceed slowly. Adults often rush to teach complex phrases and expect children to repeat them. This is rote learning. All the child does is mimic what you say without truly understanding the meaning.
Start with the basics: ABCs, colors, animals, objects, and family relationships (e.g., father, mother, sister, brother, uncle, aunt...). You can also buy small toy animals or use pictures of animals to teach children vocabulary related to them.
At this point, you might feel a bit discouraged when asking questions and the child doesn't remember. The younger the child, the more likely they are to forget what they learned just yesterday. Therefore, this learning phase involves a lot of repetition. You don’t need to do much. Once the child can recall the names of objects or bring you the correct item when named, you can move on to the next step.
Playing word games is an excellent way to help children remember vocabulary. A fun activity is hiding toys or selecting random items in the room, then asking the child to bring them to you. However, it’s best to occasionally change the routine, as children quickly pick up on patterns.
Once the child has built their vocabulary, you can start teaching them phrases. At this stage, you can teach them to read and speak simultaneously or just speak. Begin with short phrases and gradually expand.
Now, the child can engage in simple conversations. Ideally, they should practice speaking with you in the second language regularly, rather than only using it when necessary. This way, they won’t forget it even if they only speak it with you.
Help the child learn new words they don’t know yet, and teach them short poems or idioms to make the language more engaging.
Be sociable. One of the best ways to learn a language is by interacting with others who speak it. This helps develop conversational skills.
Tips
- Play games with children to help them learn.
- Always be patient with them. Compared to your teaching, children often face more challenges in learning.
- Use everyday objects to teach them: bowls, spoons, etc.
- Be positive, enthusiastic, supportive, encouraging, and creative—creativity is what children respond to best.
- Teach children proper speech. It’s not good for children to speak too casually with adults. Speaking properly earns respect and is endearing.
- Give children space and avoid making the experience negative.
Warnings
- Do not yell, scold, punish, or be rude to children. Your emotional state and theirs are at opposite ends.
- Avoid teaching children bad words; they pick up inappropriate language faster than regular vocabulary.
- Don’t get discouraged. Losing patience while teaching children is counterproductive. If they make mistakes, smile and encourage them to try again.
- Don’t force children to overlearn. Some kids may not be ready or suited for this. They can learn the language later if they wish.
- Children have different learning styles. Some may be similar, but most are unique. Find the method that works best for them before teaching.
- If children prefer playing over learning, don’t force them. They’ll learn when they’re ready.
- Don’t teach children in a casual manner from the start! They won’t take learning seriously, and their results won’t be as good as when taught properly.
- Time is essential! You need plenty of it to teach them effectively.
- If children are unwell, teach them at another time (or season).
What You Need
- An adult who speaks the same language as the child and another language you want the child to learn (If you don’t know both languages, consider a babysitter, teacher, or anyone willing to spend time teaching the child a second language).
- Young children (preferably under 7 years old).
- A creative mindset.
- Books.
- Basic household items.
- Images (optional if your books already include all the visuals you want the child to learn).
- Patience and time.
