How to raise a bilingual child - a parents' guide to online English lessons
Fluency in English creates an opportunity for children to be able to access more opportunities in the global economy. Parents around the world are turning to online English classes to support their children in learning a second language.?
As a parent who is committed to ensuring that my children can learn the English language and be able to use it in the future, the greatest challenge faced was how to access quality education and offer the services that best suited not just the learning process, but was able to offer the quality of teaching that is required.?
When I was a child, learning English was boring and ineffective, and finding a strong English tutor for my eldest son was proving to be a difficult task. Offline students were being taught by students and online services were aimed at adults.?
I had noticed that there were e-learning solutions for children being pioneered in the Chinese market and wondered why this wasn't available in other parts of the world.?
Whilst researching what is now the creation of Novakid Inc , many discoveries were made not only about the limitations of current teaching practices, but also on additional benefits for both the parents as well the children.?
So I thought,” Why in China but not anywhere else?” and with my son’s English teacher and Dmitry Malin ’s IT knowledge, us as parents decided to build Novakid. So that other parents who also wanted their children to learn English didn’t need to face the same challenges as us.?
Other than offering an online English learning experience with trained teachers we as parents wanted to create a programme that was not boring. We understood from our own experience that the classes needed to be fun and engaging with games and animations to bring the language to life. We wanted the kids to also be excited and enjoy self-learning. We worked out by using online games and activities, the Novakid students who have two classes per week - need to be encouraged to learn about 50% of their learning online.?
How parents' benefit??
?Even though parents are committed to their children learning English they are also sometimes hesitant to take on the challenge. They often are worried that their own command of the English language isn’t perfect, that their accent isn’t ‘clean’, that their own vocabulary is limited and feel awkward speaking the language in public.??
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But other than having peace of mind that their children are enjoying learning English in an interactive and fun environment, they benefit as well. We have found that the parents’ confidence with the language grows as they join their child on the journey. Their English also starts to improve as they start learning new vocabulary and also start feeling more confident about using Google Translate and don't feel as shy speaking the language in public.??
After researching various methods, my wife and I chose to use the ‘One Parent, One Language’ (OPOL) model at home. My wife speaks to the children in their native language, and I only speak English to them. This method extends beyond their English lessons and creates a more immersive environment where English becomes a part of the family’s activities. This includes reading English books together, watching cartoons in English and speaking the language from as young as the age of three. Insisting that a child responds to questions and instructions in English and pretending to not understand is a good opportunity for parents to teach and practice at the same time.??
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How children benefit??
?While children who learn English online benefit from the fun and engaging lessons that help them learn English to offer them opportunities in the global network. But there are also additional positives, especially in the development of their brains and confidence.??
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Learning an additional language is gymnastics for the brain and improves cognitive abilities and their school grades.?
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The theory of 'linguistic exercising' has been supported by researchers from the Georgetown University Medical Centre in Washington, DC. The study showed that children from Spanish-American families have unusually active prefrontal areas of the cerebral cortex, which are responsible for verbal fluency and adaptation to change.?
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Experts have also observed that bilingual children are able to process information critically. They are better at filtering out distractions. This is directly connected to the circumstances in which they are brought up. As these children grow, they receive and process data from two sources and get used to dealing with copious amounts of information.?
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A child’s creativity also increases. The most impressive findings have come from research by scientists from the University of California in San Diego. Sixty percent of students from China who knew two languages had perfect pitch. Meanwhile, just 14% of monolingual Americans can claim the same.?
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Confidence improves because children can distance themselves from negative feelings and think more clearly (Bilingual: Life and Reality (Harvard University Press). This self-awareness helps them to be open to relationships with different people. Such children feel that they have a greater capacity for communicating with the world, which gives them more self-confidence.?
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And in their very distant future, old age may be delayed. Researchers from the Open University of California (UOC) found that the rate of dementia in countries where two languages are spoken is 50% lower than in other regions where only one is spoken.??
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What your online school should offer:?
To ensure that the platform a parent chooses is the best option for their child there are five important points to consider:
Mastering English opens a world of academic and career opportunities for your child. Start your child’s journey to English fluency - sign up today for a free trial lesson they will love!?
Written by Max (Maxim) Azarov , Co-founder and CEO of Novakid
About Novakid
Novakid is an award-winning online English school for children aged 4 to 12 years old. We bring English to life through fun, engaging online lessons that kids actually love (yes, really!) We offer one-to-one and group English lessons with certified native and near-native English teachers. Each 25-minute lesson is an exciting combination of full immersion language learning, games and activities designed to captivate and educate young learners.??
Novakid has taught over 17 million lessons to more than 550,000 students since inception in 2017. Our curriculum complements school learning by giving kids a safe place for English speaking practice and the materials are based on learning through play.?
Visit our website for more information: www.novakidschool.com
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