Every language has a written and a spoken form. Proficiency in any language, including English, means that you can communicate well in English, both by writing in English and by speaking in English. Spoken English is important to be able to carry on verbal conversations. It is often known as conversational English as well. Besides being able to converse in English, spoken English for kids is also vital for presentations and assignments in school. Out of 65,000 languages that are spoken globally, English is one of the most spoken languages. English is the official language of 67 countries and a second spoken language in many other countries. If this fact alone doesn't motivate you to enrol your child in spoken English classes, let's look at some other reasons why your child should start to learn to speak English from an early age.
7 Reasons to Enroll Your Kid in an English Speaking Class
Builds Self-assurance & Confidence
When you speak a language with accuracy, you become confident. If children learn spoken English from their childhood, they will become proficient in their adulthood. The group activities and various other exercises conducted in spoken English classes for kids make them self-assured. Which, in turn, helps them become more confident.
Provides Better Opportunities
Maximum job vacancies come out with the requirement of fluent English speaking. Starting English classes from childhood provides your child with enough time to practice. Command over spoken English gives an edge on public speaking platforms like debates and quizzes. They can even go to international competitions if they can converse well in English.
Encourages Cultural Interaction
If your kids study abroad, spoken English will serve as a bridge between them and other kids. If they are fluent in spoken English, they can understand other kids' cultures, thought processes, and interests better. They will grow up being aware of the existence of various cultures and societies.
Enhances Social Skills
During the classes of spoken English for kids, many activities require them to communicate with their classmates. Group discussions increase their ability to converse and reciprocate with other people. Even during online spoken English courses, they improve their comprehension skills. The interactions during English speaking classes always put them in social situations. Thus their social skills get polished in these classes.
Access to Data & Information
Scientific data, research, and good literature work are worldwide published primarily in English. It is the language of technology, as well. Kids are no more learning through pen, pencil, and paper only. They are widely exposed to learning through the internet and technology. Students need to be familiar with English to go along with the latest trend.
Boosts Communication Skills
We live in a society where you need to know at least basic English speaking to command some respect. Knowledge of English grammar, punctuations, and vocabulary provides a platform to communicate with more people. Suppose people from different mother tongue are around your kids. They can communicate and respond appropriately to everyone in English.
Early Understanding of Profession & Business
Internationally, the English language is used for business and trade. While learning English, a student gets familiar with numerous official and business-related terms early on. It helps them once they embark on the journey of making their career.
Exciting Games For Kids To Practice Speaking In English
Find the Colour
You can ask your kids to find a particular colour within an indoor or outdoor setting. For instance,"bring me something blue" or "go touch a red thing."Each one of you can take turns. Add to it and have them say two lines about the object they find to describe it in English. Over time,this will help improve their spoken English and help them be at ease while making up sentences in an informal and comfortable setting. When they say their sentences perfectly, you can reward them with an extra turn, and when they say things incorrectly, you can gently just correct them to help them learn .
I Spy
In this game, you ask your kid to find an object by giving a hint of its name's first letter. For example, "I spy with my little eye something beginning with "A." So he or she will search for a thing or object starting with the letter "A" in the room or your surroundings and find it out. You can give them clues to guess the object in English. Similarly, when it's your kid's turn, make them give you more and more clue to help them speaking in English!
Say the Opposite
You can help your kid practice antonyms in English with this game. Here's how you can play it - you will say a word, and your kid will say the opposite. It can be simple words like lazy for hardworking, good for evil, right for left. You can increase the level of words as per your kid's knowledge. Give bonus points if your kids can give you more than one word.
Where is it?
Ask your kid to hide a thing like a pen, glasses, a toy somewhere. And then ask them to give you hints in English where they are hiding that particular thing or object. Talk to your child in English throughout this game and make sure that they do the same. Set a rule that they have to speak at least three sentences to give you clues, and then for more practice, you can keep asking for more clues!
Tongue Twisters
A tongue twister is a great way of having some fun and laughs with your kid. Make a list of twisters, print them out if needed and have your kid memorise them for a few days.Over a weekend, you can have a Tongue Twister Throwdown where you take turns in saying the tongue twisters. Add extra elements to this by timing them and having them try to beat your time or have them say the twisters a few time where they try to beat their own fastest time.
Board Games
Board games like Cluedo and Monopoly are a great way to let your kid read the cards in English and speak in English as well.Make sure you converse in only English through the time you play the game. Scrabble is another board to help your kid's English vocabulary. You can add a speaking component to scrabble where you ask them to make a sentence with the word they make and say it out loud in English.
Riddles
Kids love to solve puzzles and riddles. You can see them jumping with joy if they can solve one. There are various attractive, simple, and complex riddles available on the internet. Have them search for some, and then they can ask you the riddles. Ask for clues to give them more speaking practice. You can also ask them some riddles for added fun.
Some More Help For You To Teach Your Kid To Speak English
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Here are some familiar rhymes that you can teach your younger kids
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm
- I Can Sing a Rainbow
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- The Wheels on The Bus
- One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
- Georgie Porgie
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
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Songs to Sing with Your Kid in English
- She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
- The Great Big Moose Song
- Yellow Submarine (The Beatles)
- What a Wonderful World
Best Books to Start Reading Habits in Kids
- Charlotte's Web by E.B White
- Matilda by Roald Dahl
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Harry Potter by J.K Rowling
Most Informative and Funny English Cartoons to Enhance Spoken English Skills
- Martha Speaks
- Word Girl
- Doki
- Post Cards from Buster
- Regular Show
- Dexter's Laboratory
English-speaking Apps You can Download for Your Kids
- Duolingo
- Pili Pop English
- LingoKids – English for Kids
- World of Peppa Pig
- YouTube Kids
Bonus Tips for Parents to Effectively Teach Spoken English to Kids
- Encourage their participation in public speaking events.
- Hone their grammar skills with the help of lessons and apps.
- Besides teaching them at home, get them registered in some formal courses of Spoken English. You can enrol them in an online class also.
- Storytelling is an art that helps your child become a conversationalist, and at the same time, it improves their basic English speaking ability. So involve them in storytelling courses along with spoken English classes.
FAQs
You can teach English speaking skills to a child in the following ways
- Assign a specific time to speak in English only.
- Apply the “learn with fun” concept by using stories, games, and songs.
- Talk in English in daily life situations to make English conversation natural for kids.
- Every day, teach them a new word to enhance their Vocabulary.
- Repeat a grammar rule to them till the time they get well-versed with it.
- Besides teaching them at home, enrol them in spoken English classes online.
- Read books of the English language with them. Choose books which they like.
- Watch a nice meaningful English film, sitcom, or cartoon for kids with them.
According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, most kids start speaking 2-3 word sentences by the time they are 2 years old. And by the age of 4 or 5 years, they should be speaking more descriptive sentences. Some children take longer than others to start talking clearly. However, there is no harm in getting their speech and language evaluated if you feel anxious.
It is vital to take baby steps when you are teaching spoken English to kids. In this way, they don’t feel overloaded and can grasp the topic well. Trying to feed them with too many words or grammar rules at once can backfire. Take short but specific lessons everyday around any vocabulary or grammar subject. Spend more time on clearing their basic concepts like the usage of simple verbs.
Here are some of the most significant reasons why English speaking for kids is a must in the modern world
- English is a global language. It is the official language in 67 countries and 27 non-sovereign entities.
- It becomes easy to get jobs when they grow up if they know English.
- Speaking English helps if they want to study abroad.
- English provides an opportunity to bond with people who don’t speak their native language.
- Knowledge of English is mandatory to understand modern technology and leading scientific researches.
- English speaking skills help in making it big in the media industry.
- It makes travelling easier as people speak in English other than their native language in most countries.
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We hope it is clear to you that learning English Speaking in the early years is a prerequisite of success.
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PlanetSpark offers exclusive Spoken English classes for kids taught by our team of experienced & qualified teachers.
