Are you eager to make your toddler speak English effortlessly from a young age? Well, many parents are! In fact, exposure to other languages at a young age helps your toddler gain second language exposure. When a toddler is exposed to a language from a young age, they form a positive impression of the same and become comfortable with it. However, the same cannot be forced or it will make your toddler resist learning the new language.
In This Article
- How Can I Teach My Toddler to Speak English?
- Simple Tricks and Tips to Teach Your Toddler to Speak English Effortlessly
How Can I Teach My Toddler to Speak English?
Teaching your little ones to speak English may seem quite an ordeal in the beginning, but you will find this quite easy once you begin teaching them. Brains of children are tuned to grasp any language quickly and the trick lies in speaking to them constantly in English.
As per many child specialists, the brains of toddlers can absorb between 150 to 200 words by the time they are two years of age. So talk to them as frequently as possible in English. And very soon your toddler will be speaking English fluently with little effort from your side! Continuous practice and never ending activities are some of the best approaches you can adopt to ensure your toddler picks up this universal language easily.
Simple Tricks and Tips to Teach Your Toddle to Speak English Effortlessly
Here are some simple guidelines that you as parents can adopt to ensure your toddler starts speaking English quickly and effectively.
1. Make Sure You Read to Your Toddler Every Day
It is imperative you read aloud to your toddler, regardless of your mother tongue. It would be a good idea to choose English books which have simple vocabulary and bright pictures as they are sure to help your toddler understand the language.
Pointing out pictures and making them tell you what it is, is an excellent way to develop sentence formation. Bedtime reading is an excellent way to do that!
2. Let Your Toddler See You Enjoy the Language
Toddlers have impressionable minds. If they see you enjoying something, they will definitely try it out. Your toddlers look up to you, so let them see you enjoying English music, reading English books or talking to a friend in English. This is the easiest way to get your toddler interested in the English language.
3. Describe Your Day
Irrespective of whether English is a totally new lingo for your toddler ; they are not going to be floored by new words flowing out from your lips. It would be a smart move attempting the combined use of your mother tongue and English which is sure to help pick up English faster. Hence narrating the same sentences in English along with the language you speak at home will ensure that they pick up English faster.
4. Do Not Pressure Them to Answer in English
Your toddler may find it difficult to respond in English, so you should not pressurize them either. However, you can talk to them in simple sentences, like:
- Commands: “Let’s go”, “Come here” , “Put on your shoes” etc.
- Praise: “Great work”, “Good job” etc.
- Observations: “It’s so hot today”, “This is a beautiful flower”
- Ask Questions: “Where are your books?”, “Where is Dad?”, “Do you want some ice-cream?”
All these are great ways to expose your toddler to English language without forcing them to answer.
5. Flash Cards Can Aid Quicker Learning
Describing pictures with the aid of flash cards can quicken the learning process. Each flash can be described with the object in it, its color and shapes enabling quick learning. Flash cards are also an ideal means of helping toddler identify objects in real life.
6. Putting a Scrapbook Together
Cutting and pasting pictures of animals and shapes is yet another smart move that will help your little one pick up English in no time. You could also encourage your toddler to color these pictures ,an activity most young ones enjoy.
7. Extending Conversations
Once your toddler starts speaking the language, make sure you don’t relax, thinking how easy this was. You require extending their vocabulary by describing objects. If for example he/she points out a dog and says ‘dog’, you need to talk more about the object describing its color and size and how it barks which automatically helps to expand your toddler’s vocabulary.
One simple point to keep in mind while attempting to teach English is never to allow them to end a conversation with a simple yes or no. Encouraging them to speak in full sentences is a major trick in helping your little one grasp the language faster.
8. Choose a Preschool Which has English as its Medium of Instruction
Ensure you enroll your precious bundle in a preschool, which follows English as its medium of instruction. Your toddler will start speaking the language more easily when English is the only language they speak at school.
9. Encourage Toddler to Watch English Channels on Television
There are some wonderful English channels on TV which are specially broadcast for little ones keeping in mind their age and interests. Letting them watch special programs featured for these tiny tots are lovely ways of helping your toddler expand his or her vocabulary in an interesting manner.
10. Pick Up Ideas Online to Teach your Toddler to Speak English
There are umpteen sites which give you ample tips on how to help your toddler develop English at a very young age. Browsing through these sites will help you come up with more novel ideas which are sure to help you in your endeavor.
However, you need to keep in mind the fact that learning English is not by any means a race. Give your toddler time to ensure they pick up the language in a positive manner without stressing them out. Focus on positive behavior and let them progress gradually.
Read Also: 10 Simple Steps To Increase Your Child’s Vocabulary
