How Children Learn 

Introduction
Your child is an individual and different from all others. The way your child learns best depends
on many factors: age; learning style, personality. Read the notes below, and think about your
child. This will help you to choose activities and methods that will suit your child best.

Children pass through different stages of learning

• A baby or infant learns about the world through reacting to input through the senses.

• From about two until seven years old the child starts to develop the ability to reason
and think, but is still self-centred.

• After the age of about seven a child usually becomes less self-centred and can look
outside themselves. By the age of 12 most children can reason and test out their
ideas about the world.

• This means that with younger children we need to personalise and give examples
which relate to themselves, whereas older children need help to make sense of the
world around them. This also means that children must be at the right stage ready to
learn. For example younger children are ready to acquire the concepts of number,
colour and shape but are not ready for abstract grammatical rules.

What kind of learner is your child?

• It is important to understand how your child likes to learn best. Which are the child's
 dominant senses? Do they like pictures and reading? If so you can encourage your
child to use drawings, pictures, maps or diagrams as part of their learning.

• Some children like listening to explanations and reading aloud. You could use
reading stories to encourage this kind of child. And most children enjoy learning
through songs, chants and rhymes.

• Does your child like to touch things and physically move about? Some children have
tons of energy to burn off! You could play games to get them moving or running

around, acting out rhymes or stories or even dancing!

• Other quieter children may have a good vocabulary and be a good reader. Word
games, crosswords, word searches, anagrams and tongue twisters would be good
to encourage these children.

• Yet other children require logical, clear explanations of rules and patterns, or like to
work out the rules for themselves. They may be good at maths too. For these
children activities such as word puzzles, reading and writing puzzles, problem-
solving, putting things in order or categories and computer games provide ideal
opportunities for learning.

What kind of interaction does your child prefer?

• Some children are outgoing and sociable and can learn a language quickly because
they want to communicate. They are not worried about making mistakes.

• Other children are quieter and more reflective. They learn by listening and observing
what is happening. They don't like to make mistakes and will hang back until they
are sure.

• If your child is outgoing they may do best learning in groups with other children,
whereas a quieter child may need more private, quiet time to feel more secure about
learning a language. You can provide this in many ways – even through the bedtime
story in English.
Motivating your child
• For a child to be motivated learning needs to be fun and stress-free. Encourage
them to follow their own interests and personal likes. For example if your child likes
football he or she will probably like to read a story about football even if the level is a
little difficult. Interest and motivation often allows children to cope with more difficult
language.

• Try to provide as many fun activities as you can for learning English. Songs and
music, videos and DVDs, any kind of game especially computer games are
motivating for all children.

For how long can your child concentrate?

Children can usually only concentrate for short periods of time – when you are doing an activity
with your child, using flashcards for example, or doing a worksheet, make sure that you stop or
change activity when your child is bored or restless. This might be after only a few minutes.

Correcting your child's mistakes

Children respond well to praise and encouragement – let your child know when they have
done something well. Don't criticise them too much when they make a mistake. It's natural to
make mistakes when learning a language. Don't pick up on every grammatical mistake –
encourage your child to use English to communicate.

Repetition and routines

Children need to repeat language items many times to get them to ‘stick’ so don't be afraid to
repeat games or do several different activities with the same language topic or set of words.
Children often love to repeat the same song or story as it gives them a sense of confidence
and familiarity. 
Establishing a regular routine for homework is also important. You can check
what they have to do for homework and set up a regular time for doing it.
 

 
  How young children learn English as another language 

Introduction
Young children are natural language acquirers; they are self-motivated to pick up language
without conscious learning, unlike adolescents and adults. They have the ability to imitate
pronunciation and work out the rules for themselves. Any idea that learning to talk in English is
difficult does not occur to them unless it’s suggested by adults, who themselves probably
learned English academically at a later age through grammar-based text books.

Read the notes below about young children learning English as another language. You can
also download these notes as a booklet. Right-click on the link below to download the booklet
to your computer. You may print this booklet.

The advantages of beginning early

• Young children are still using their individual, innate language-learning strategies to
acquire their home language and soon find they can also use these strategies to
pick up English.

• Young children have time to learn through play-like activities. They pick up language
by taking part in an activity shared with an adult. They firstly make sense of the
activity and then get meaning from the adult’s shared language.

• Young children have more time to fit English into the daily programme. School
programmes tend to be informal and children’s minds are not yet cluttered with facts
to be stored and tested. They may have little or no homework and are less stressed
by having to achieve set standards.
 • Children who have the opportunity to pick up a second language while they are still
young appear to use the same innate language-learning strategies throughout life
when learning other languages. Picking up third, fourth, or even more languages is
easier than picking up a second.

• Young children who acquire language rather than consciously learn it, as older
children and adults have to, are more likely to have better pronunciation and feel for
the language and culture. When monolingual children reach puberty and become
more self-conscious, their ability to pick up language diminishes and they feel they
have to consciously study English through grammar-based programmes. The age at
which this change occurs depends greatly on the individual child’s developmental
levels as well as the expectations of their society.

Stages in picking up English

Spoken language comes naturally before reading and writing.

Silent period
When babies learn their home language, there is a ‘silent period’, when they
look and listen and communicate through facial expression or gestures before they begin to
speak. When young children learn English, there may be a similar ‘silent period’ when
communication and understanding may take place before they actually speak any English
words.

During this time parents should not force children to take part in spoken dialogue by making
them repeat words. Spoken dialogues should be one-sided, the adult’s talk providing useful
opportunities for the child to pick up language. Where the adult uses parentese (an adjusted
form of speech) to facilitate learning, the child may use many of the same strategies they used
in learning their home language.

Beginning to talk
After some time, depending on the
frequency of English sessions, each child (girls often more quickly than boys) begins to say
single words (‘cat’, ‘house’) or ready-made short phrases (‘What’s that?’, ‘It’s my book’, ‘I
can’t’, ‘That’s a car’, ‘Time to go home’) in dialogues or as unexpected statements. The child
has memorised them, imitating the pronunciation exactly without realising that some may
consist of more than one word. This stage continues for some time as they child picks up more
language using it as a short cut to dialogue before they are ready to create their own phrases.

Building up English language
Gradually children build up phrases consisting of a single

memorised word to which they add words from their vocabulary (‘a dog’, ‘a brown dog’, ‘a
brown and black dog’) or a single memorised language to which they add their own input
(‘That’s my chair’, ‘Time to play’). Depending on the frequency of exposure to English and the
quality of experience, children gradually begin to create whole sentences.
Understanding
Understanding is always greater than speaking and young children’s ability to comprehend
should not be underestimated, as they are used to understanding their home language from a
variety of context clues. Though they may not understand everything they hear in their home
language, children grasp the gist – that is they understand a few important words and decipher
the rest using different clues to interpret the meaning. With encouragement they soon transfer
their ‘gist’ understanding skills to interpret meaning in English.

Frustration
After the initial novelty of English sessions, some young children become frustrated by their
inability to express their thoughts in English. Others want to speak quickly in English as they
can in their home language. Frustration can often be overcome by providing children with
‘performance’ pieces like ‘I can count to 12 in English’ or very simple rhymes, which consist of
ready-made phrases.

Mistakes
Children should not be told they have made a mistake because any correction immediately
demotivates. Mistakes may be part of the process of working out grammar rules of English or
they may be a fault in pronunciation. ‘I goed’ soon becomes ‘went’ if the child hears the adult
repeat back ‘yes, you went’; or if the adult hears ‘zee bus’ and repeats ‘the bus’. As in learning
their home language, if children have an opportunity to hear the adult repeat the same piece of
language correctly, they will self-correct in their own time.

Gender differences
Boys’ brains develop differently from girls’ and this affects how boys pick up language and use
it. Sometimes mixed classes make little provision for boys, who may be overshadowed by girls’
natural ability to use language. If young boys are to reach their potential, they need some
different language experiences with girls and their achievements should not be compared with
those of girls.
Language-learning environments
Young children find it more difficult to pick up English if they are not provided with the right type
of experiences, accompanied by adult support using ‘parentese’ techniques.

• Young children need to feel secure and know that there is some obvious reason for
using English.

• Activities need to be linked to some interesting everyday activities about which they
already know, eg sharing an English picture book, saying a rhyme in English, having
an ‘English’ snack.

• Activities are accompanied by adult language giving a running commentary about

what is going on and dialogues using adjusted parentese language.

• English sessions are fun and interesting, concentrating on concepts children have
already understood in their home language. In this way children are not learning two
things, a new concept as well as new language, but merely learning the English to
talk about something they already know.

• Activities are backed up by specific objects, where possible, as this helps

understanding and increases general interest.

Reading
Children who can already read in their home language generally want to find out how to read in
English. They already know how to decode words in their home language to get meaning from
text and, if not helped to decode in English, may transfer their home language-decoding
techniques and end up reading English with the home language accent.

Before they can decode English, young children need to know the 26 alphabet letter names
and sounds. As English has 26 letters but on average 44 sounds (in standard English),
introducing the remaining sounds is better left until children have more experience in using
language and reading,

Beginning reading in English goes easily if young children already know the language they are
trying to read. Many children work out by themselves how to read in English if they have
shared picture books with adults or learned rhymes, as they are likely to have memorised the
language. Reading what they know by heart is an important step in learning to read as it gives
children opportunities to work out how to decode simple words by themselves. Once children
have built up a bank of words they can read, they feel confident and are then ready for a more
structured approach.

Parental support
Children need to feel that they are making progress. They need continual encouragement as
well as praise for good performance, as any success motivates. Parents are in an ideal
position to motivate and so help their children learn, even if they have only basic English
themselves and are learning alongside their young children.

By sharing, parents can not only bring their child’s language and activities into family life, but
can also influence their young children’s attitudes to language learning and other cultures. It is
now generally accepted that most lifelong attitudes are formed by the age of eight or nine.


Further reading:
If you are interested in finding out more about how children learn languages we suggest the
following websites:

• Carol Read, author and teacher trainer writes a blog about children learning
English
www.carolread.wordpress.com
 

 
  Learning English through picture books 

Picture books
Every year thousands of children’s picture books are published in the UK. Children’s corners in
bookshops offer a bewildering choice of new and old favourites, illustrated by some of the best
artists working in Britain today. Native-speaker children have many opportunities to enjoy
these picture books; there is no reason why young children learning English as an additional
language should not enjoy them, too.

The advantages of beginning early

From the very first introduction to listening to English, children can enjoy carefully selected
picture books. Young learners soon pick up the short text of a picture book, if initially it is
shared with an adult who brings the pages alive.

Children are already familiar with stories. From a very young age they talk in narrative style. It
is through their stories of everyday experiences that they define themselves: expressing their
ideas, hopes and emotions in language as well as in drawing and imaginative play.

Many children are already used to decoding stories and information from television or film in
their home language, while others may have already enjoyed the interaction of sharing a
picture book. Most children, if guided by a parent, soon work out how to transfer their individual
decoding skills to get meaning from picture books in English.

Sharing picture books is not only about picking up another language, it is also about giving
children a wider window on the world, guided by their parents. The one-to-one interaction of
sharing picture books gives children added opportunities to develop holistically at their own
speed and level, knowing that their parents are encouraging them. As children share more and
more books their self-confidence develops. This can often be seen in the way they approach
unfamiliar English and new experiences.

Picture books provide parents and children with an obvious reason for switching from their
home language to speaking English. Parents who lack confidence in English find that the fixed
text of a picture book is a useful prop. Apart from providing text to read and share, a picture
book can be the basis for interaction, which parents can adjust to their child’s developing
needs, interests and attainments.

Some parents may be concerned that introducing picture books will not fit in with their child’s
school syllabus or text book. Sharing a picture book is an additional English learning

experience that bonds families and helps children realise that speaking English at home is fun.
Many families enjoy slipping English phrases picked up from picture books into everyday home
language conversations. ‘Not now, Bernard’ is quite a favourite!

Learning from picture books

It takes time to build up a child’s readiness to talk about picture books in English. Children’s
silence, however, does not mean that they are not listening and learning. Children usually
understand more than they can say in words and, if the book experience is focused and fun,
they usually want to pick up the new English at their own speed. Children are busy exploring
their world and most are keen to find out something new, particularly if it is presented in an
encouraging and attractive way.

Parents can underestimate their children’s ability to pick up more text each time a picture book
is shared. Many are surprised to see how keen their children are to join in ‘reading’ if they are
encouraged to finish off a sentence or say a stressed word like ‘No’ each time it occurs. Once
children work out how to join in, they gradually extend their skills to pick up whole short
sentences until, eventually, they can recite most of a text as they turn the pages to match it to
the illustrations. Many a busy parent purposely skipping a little text has had their ‘mistake’
pointed out by their child!

Young children’s boredom threshold differs from adults’. Many may ask for the same book to
be read and re-read. Parents need to respond positively to these requests as re-readings
provide the natural repetition children may need for making meaning or picking up new
language as well as confirming and refining language they have already acquired.

Picture books, sometimes referred to as ‘real books’, to distinguish them from graded text
books, expose children to a range of language structures and vocabulary familiar to native-
speaker children.
Illustrations in real picture books are not merely supporting understanding of language, as
might be the case in many text books. The different styles of artwork naturally broaden
children’s visual experiences. One of the delights of sharing picture books with children is that,
on first viewing, children tend to look at an illustration as a whole but with repeated reading of
the book, details and subtleties usually emerge.

The illustrations may be by well-known artists, pictures may be photographs or the books may
contain 3D novelty paper sculptures. How exciting it is for children to hold art in their hands.
There is no doubt that exposure to picture books increases visual decoding skills and over time
influences creativity and the ability to appreciate design and illustration.

Picture books also help children find meaning within their own life. Children can pore over
emotional situations contained within picture books that may help to relieve personal
frustrations, or they can encounter exciting and imaginative experiences way beyond their own
environment or even their dreams. Imagine the power a child feels as he or she firmly shuts a
book and says, ‘GOODBYE Giant!’

Selecting picture books

Picture books may be:

• story books – short simple story text including conversation and rhyme

• information books, with short explanatory text

• rhyme books, which might introduce one story rhyme or an anthology of poems

• novelty books, with short text and 3D paper sculpture

• character series books, with an accompanying character doll or puppet.

Parents need to select books that they enjoy and feel they can read confidently – enthusiasm
is infectious! Before they introduce a book, they need to plan how they are going to read the
text and, each time they re-read, follow the same plan. Children find it more difficult to pick up
language if the reading differs each time.

In the early stages it is vital to select books with short texts, if children are to pick up language
successfully and in a way that self-motivates. Children can measure their own success and
this, together with merited adult praise, contributes to a positive feeling about sharing English
picture books.

Where a simple text is slightly longer, it is generally advisable to limit the first reading to the
essential story language. Once this is understood, the descriptions can be gradually added
using parentese language.

Most books should be selected to include some language a little beyond a child’s level in
English, so the child can start from familiar language and move on to some new language.

Once children have shared several books successfully, the habit of ‘reading’ together regularly
in the family in English is likely to be established.

Ideally a book should include some words or phrases that can be transferred to children’s
everyday English, so giving them opportunities to use their innate skills to transfer language to
different situations.

In selecting books parents need to think about gender and include some books that appeal to
both boys and girls, so children have some common story experiences to exchange. Some

boys find it easier to relate to information books rather than story books.

CD-ROMs and DVDs

Some story books are sold with an attached CD-ROM or DVD. These offer children a different,
less intimate and more passive experience than sharing picture books. For profound learning,
it is best to share the book until children know most of the text by heart before exposing them
to either the CD-ROM or DVD.

Apart from the wealth of all-round experiences that come from sharing, children may not be
ready, before they are familiar with the text, to cope with a voice and even accent that is
different from their parents’.

By this time children are likely to have found out how to enjoy the picture book, and may even
want to read by themselves.

Book time
For successful sharing it is important to set the scene for regular book times. Children need to
know that this is when they can snuggle up to parents and feel confident that their parents will
focus only on them and sharing the book.

Book time may be a single session or part of a larger English session which includes other
activities in English. Ideally there needs to be an ‘English book time’ every day or at least every
weekday at about the same time, as frequent short exposure is more effective than fewer,
longer sessions. Length can vary from ten minutes to longer periods to match children’s
readiness to learn and mood on the actual day. Regularity gives a feeling of security and
something to which children can look forward.

It is a good idea to share the choice of books to be read, as children’s requests may hide
emotional or language needs. A new book is best introduced once children are beginning to
‘read’ the other books successfully. Presentation of a new book should be saved for a day
when both parents and children ‘feel good’.

Parents’ role in introducing new books

In the initial stages children are dependent on the parent’s reading and interaction for input and
picking up language. The role gradually changes as children begin to share a little of the
reading. As children’s reading ability increases, the role of the parent gradually diminishes.

By the time children know the text by heart and are capable of ‘reading’ the book aloud to
themselves or to others, the parent’s role is reduced to re-phrasing mistakes and praising
successes.

Throughout this time the parent is managing the experiences and tuning into their child to find
out what stage they have reached and where they need added support. This cycle repeats
each time a new book is introduced, but as children learn more English the cycle takes less
time.

Book browsing
Book browsing is a form of play where children enjoy books by themselves, in their own time,
turning the pages when they want. Like all self-initiated play, it is an important part of learning,
as it gives children time to revisit what they want and consolidate their learning at their own
level and speed and not that of the parent.

Young children also need opportunities to ‘read’ to the extended family, as it is natural for them
to want to demonstrate their achievements; it is also a form of play. Successes motivate and
help to confirm in children’s minds that reading a book in English is what the family expects
and finds fun. Young children want to please their parents and also share fun times with them.
Building up a home library
Books that children already know well need to be stored in an available place so that, when
they feel like it, they can take a book and ‘read’ it aloud to themselves. At this stage most
children are not capable of silent reading.

Ideally books should be stored with the front cover facing outwards – looking at a book’s spine
is less likely to motivate browsing at this age.

Books should not be added to the home library before children know quite a lot of the text
language. If children find they cannot read a text of a book in the home library, they are most

likely to be demotivated. Keeping the feeling ‘I can’ is important in the initial stages. Any ‘I
can’t’ feelings take time and encouragement to change.

Sharing reading
The amount of parentese language parents need to use depends on children’s language level
in both their home language and English.

In the first few sharings of a new book, parents need to remember the following:

• Make sure that children are close enough to see how the parent’s lips move to make
sounds and how the eyes and face, as well as body language, convey the
excitement and emotions which facilitate understanding.

• Read at the children’s pace, letting them look at the picture for as long as they need.
Young children are used to getting visual information to facilitate understanding.
They often indicate that they have finished looking by turning their faces to look at
the parent.

• Dramatise the story reading and if possible include some physical gesture, as
physical involvement helps in memorising language.

• Use different fun voices for animal noises and characters like ‘a cross Grandma’, as
you read the story. Children love to imitate characterisation and transfer it to their
own ‘reading’ aloud.

• Point to each word as you read so that children develop better left-to-right eye
movement, and become conscious of the shape of words.
 • Encourage joining in by letting children finish off sentences or make the noises of
animals or transport.

• Once the reading is finished, close the book and stay silent for a few seconds.
Children may be in their own imaginative world and need time before they are ready
to leave it.

• Asking too many questions about the book can spoil the magic. Families who enjoy
books together often find that children, when they are ready, talk to them about the
shared English books in their home language.

• If children use a home language word or phrase while talking English, it is generally
because they have not yet acquired the word in English or have forgotten it. Make
no mention about the mixture of language and repeat back to them the whole phrase
in English. They will notice and generally pick up the English, ready to use it at some
later stage.

How does the child understand?

Young children are busy decoding their own surroundings and making sense of their home
language, which often includes a lot of new language, if they are not talking about daily
routines. Children are very good at understanding the gist of what is said to them and
responding to it. Unlike many adults learning another language, children do not wait to
understand every word. They pick out words they understand and fill in the rest of the meaning
from context clues and the speaker’s body language, eyes or facial expressions. In sharing
picture books, the child can get additional clues from the picture.

Initially, in order to facilitate quicker understanding, parents may feel happier translating a word
or phrase. However, it is better to translate once only, using a whisper that indicates it is a
translation and not part of the text. Children easily understand from a quick translation. If they
know that parents are going to continue giving translations each book time, they do not make
the effort to acquire the English.

Cultural content
Picture books illustrated by British-trained artists tend to reflect environments and cultural
habits typical of British society. Where these are very different from the child’s world, parents
need to be prepared to give added explanation in the home language.
Learning to read
Parents may be concerned when children who can already read in their home language want
to decode words in picture books. Parents think any reading might interfere with the school’s
structured programme of learning to read in English. Formal teaching of reading should not be
confused with the experience of reading picture books for pleasure. If children show interest in
teaching themselves to read, parents should encourage their enthusiasm and help them
informally.

They can begin by introducing the small letters of the alphabet using their sounds, not their

letter names. The consonant letters (for example b, d, m, t) are the simplest. Once children
know some of the letter sounds, point out these letters at the beginning of words, stressing the
initial letter sounds (dog).

As children become more familiar with the small letter sounds (consonants and simple vowels),
introduce the capital letters by the side of the small letters, repeating their sounds.

Children soon begin to recognise the shape of simple words as they already know the text by
heart, and therefore know where to look for them. Ask them to look for the same word in other
parts of the text and expand this game.

Many children who are already reading in their home language soon understand how simple
decoding works and continue by themselves to recognise other short words in the text. To help
their decoding, however, parents need to tell them how to read short, but difficult words to
decode, like ‘the’.

If parents sing an alphabet song, explain that letters have a name that is different from the
sound it makes and in most alphabet songs we sing the names of the letters.

Some children teach themselves to read a text they already know orally, especially if it is
rhyme. They use a number of strategies to decode the text and a little guessing to fill in until
they know the text by heart. Many children have been using these strategies from an early age
to ‘read’ logos of well-known products. Praise their efforts to read the text, but realise that this
is restricted reading based on a text they know orally.

However, being able to read a text motivates and is an important step on the journey to
becoming a fluent reader. Any reading done in an enjoyable, non-pressured way at this young
age, when lifelong attitudes are being formed, is likely to contribute to a later love of language
and books.
Further reading:
If you are interested in using picture books with your children we suggest the following web
sites:

• The official website for Emily Gravett, children's author and

illustrator. 
www.emilygravett.com

• The Penguin Books website for children. Discover some best sellers for
children.
www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/children
 

 
  Practical tips 

Introduction
Young children learn English differently from most adults. Most have an innate ability to pick up
English while taking part in activities, by making sense of what they are doing and picking up
the adult’s language that accompanies the activity.
You can find out more in the British
Council booklet ‘How young children learn English as another language’, also available on the
parents pages of the LearnEnglish Kids website.

Planned English sessions

You can plan regular sessions which will usually take place:
• at home
• on regular days
• for
about ten to twenty minutes adjusted to fit your child’s increasing English ability and ability to
concentrate
• as a planned programme that reviews and builds on known activities and
introduces new ones.

Short English sessions

These are more informal and can take place:
• any place – in the car, at bathtime, in a
supermarket queue
• any time
• in response to a mood or special experience.
As your child’s
English ability increases, short English sessions tend to occur more frequently. Once your child
understands more English, you may include an English phrase in a home language
conversation.

Planning English sessions
Programmes should follow the same structure each time, as
knowing what to expect lightens stress and enables children to concentrate their efforts on
picking up English.
Basic programme
• Warm up – rhymes, counting or singing to get used to hearing English
and making the different sounds.
• New language presentation – re-present and add onto
previous language and then introduce new language.
• Activities – game, craft, family
activity.
• Ending – sharing picture books.
• Follow-up – such as adding a drawing to the
English corner.
• Involving the family – showing work, singing a new song, saying a new
rhyme or playing a game together, if there is time.

Introducing new materials or

games
Effectiveness of materials depends on how you bring them to life. Adapt them and
personalise them to match your child’s needs and interests, which makes it easier for your
child to absorb the new language.
Home-made or customised materials are often more

effective as they fit language needs better, especially in the early stages of learning. Making
materials together at home
adds something special, including a feeling of
achievement.

Records
Keep a written record of your sessions together, as it helps you to
see what you have done, what you can plan for the next one and evaluate what you have done
over a period of time.

Keeping it going
If your child says ‘it’s too difficult, I don’t want to do
it’, don’t give in and don’t switch into home language. Quietly change to an easy-to-play game
you know they have enjoyed. Have fun and if possible make sure your child wins. It is
important that the English session ends with your child ‘feeling good’ about him or herself and
learning English.
Later, it may be good to discuss with your child why they found it difficult.
Consider what you could change next time, such as the amount of new material or how it was
presented. In the meantime, go back to using easier materials for several sessions to help
them regain their confidence.

English corner or English table

An English corner (or table) provides a focus for anything related to English sessions. It is the
display and storage place for:
• games
• a mini-library of picture books
• displays of English
culture such as pictures, flags, etc.
• displays of drawings, home-made books or craft
work.

Ideas for activities
Craft activities tend to be best when they have a purpose.
•
Celebrating family birthdays and festivals 
Making birthday cards is a fun activity. Birthdays
and family festivals are good occasions to give small shows and to play games with family and
friends who also speak English.
• Collage pictures
Cut out photos relating to themes such as
‘five blue things’, ‘where I want to go on holiday’ or ‘what I would like for my birthday’, sport,
and weather. You can personalise these pictures by getting your child to add a drawing of him
or herself or the family hidden in the picture.
• Simple puppets
Speaking through a puppet
helps if your child is a little shy speaking English. Make simple puppets from an oval-shaped
piece of card and a stick secured by tape. Make the puppet come alive: ‘My name is ...I am
six’. This can lead on to making puppet shows with invitations, programmes and tickets.
Family activities
Switching to use English for family activities works well if your child feels there is a reason to
use English - packing a bag for a holiday or making a typical English dish copying a recipe
from an English cookbook. Try decorating some biscuits with
different faces.

Rhymes and
songs
Rhymes exist in most cultures and from a very young age most children seem to be
able to pick them up and enjoy saying them aloud, especially when they are supported and

encouraged. You can find out more in the British Council booklet ‘Learning English through
sharing rhymes’, also available on the parents pages of the LearnEnglish Kids
website. You

will also find a selection of rhymes to listen to.

You can use rhymes within your English sessions:
• warm up by saying one or two rhymes
your child knows
• introduce a new rhyme, once you feel your child has warmed up – explain it
and then repeat it
• at the next English session say the new rhyme and let your child, if they
seem ready, join in with the actions or say some words or phrases
• over the next few
sessions build up your child’s confidence, step-by-step, to say the rhyme themselves by
encouraging them to add:
• the final word to a line
• then the final phrase
• then a line
• then
another line until they can say a complete simple rhyme with a little prompting from you.
• end
every rhyme session by saying a well-known favourite rhyme.

Rhyme cards
In the early stages of learning it is fun to make rhyme cards of rhymes your
child knows. Write out or print out the rhyme on a card and let your child decorate it. Store it in
the English corner so that, in their own time, they can take it out and look at it as they say the
rhyme aloud to themselves.

Rhyme books
When you have made five or six rhyme cards, photocopy them to make a book
of rhymes for your child. A book is easy to carry around and they may want to take it in the car,
to school, to bed or to show it to others.

Songs
Introduce new songs in English sessions.
You can gradually build up a selection of songs you can sing together, along with a CD or MP3
player. You can find a selection of songs on the LearnEnglish Kids website here.
Many
traditional songs can be adapted to fit different activities and circumstances. Adapting is fairly
easy to do once children know the tune. For example, ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ can be
changed to ‘If you’re hungry and you know it, eat an apple’ or ‘If you’re dirty and you know it,
wash your hands’. Adaptations like these can add fun
to daily home routines.You can also use
actions or props to help bring a song to life.

Alphabet Song [to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star]
1. Make cards for the 26 capital
letters and 26 small letters.
2. Before you sing, put the small letter cards, writing face-up, on
the table.
3. Sing the song once and the second time, as you all sing a letter, each person in
turn picks up the matching card.
4. Later do the same for the big letters and finally pick up two
cards each time, the big and small letters.

Sharing books
When selecting picture books to share with your child, focus on those with limited, clear text
that are engaging and fun to read.
You can find out more in the British Council booklet
‘Learning English through sharing picture books’, also available on the parents pages of the
LearnEnglish Kids website.

Selecting books
When you are selecting books ask yourself:
• Is the text short – about five
or six double pages? If more, you need to introduce the story over a number of English
sessions.
• Is the print clear?
• Are the illustrations interesting and easy to understand?
•
Does the book have some interaction in the text (e.g. a refrain) or novelty interaction through
flaps, etc?
• Do you like it and can you transfer your enjoyment to your child?
Look out for
DVDs of storybook characters. They can be useful, but are most effective if you watch them
together at first, making the experience interactive.

Reading aloud
• Practise reading the picture book aloud and decide how you are going to
bring the story to life.
• Introduce some of the new words before reading the book.
• The first
time you introduce a new book, be ready to whisper a translation of any word that your child
does not already know or cannot work out from the pictures.
• As you read, point to each word
in turn so your child begins to get used to looking at the shape of the words.
• Try to read
books in the same way each time, as this will make picking up the English easier.
• Try not to
introduce a book you don’t like. Your child will soon detect how you feel and reflect your
attitudes.
• When your child becomes familiar with a story, encourage them to join in by
pausing to let them finish off phrases or sentences.
• Try to avoid asking too many questions;
you might spoil the magic of the book.

Making your own story books
After your child has shared many books with you, they might
like to make their own story book:
1. Staple together some paper to make a short blank
book.
2. Discuss the possible content – theme, characters, location, etc, but ensure that the
book is created from their ideas.
3. Ask them to draw some pictures and tell you the story and
you can then write the text if they are not confident doing this.
4. Add their book to your
collection and read and enjoy it together.
Playing games
Playing games adds excitement and fun to learning English and supports children’s holistic
learning and development. Playing games may even change the attitudes of some children
who find learning English difficult as it gives them a chance to win. In playing games, unlike in
many other activities in English, success is not only measured by how well you can speak
English.

Types of games
Games can be loosely grouped into: • starting games – quick games used to
select one person for a leader or chaser
• physical games that involve movement and space
•
card games
• board games

Starting games
These are quick to organise and get a result. They may need no equipment
and can be played almost anywhere. Rhyme games help with saying sounds and gaining
fluency.
Rhyme starting games 
Counting between two people or around the circle. One

count to each word. The last person counted wins.

Red, white and blue.
All out but
YOU!

Counting out around the circle using one count to each word. The last child counted is
out and it begins again from the next person. The remaining person wins.

Acker backer soda
cracker
Acker backer boo!
Acker backer soda cracker
Out goes you!

Alphabet starting
games
Counting between two people or around the circle. One count to each word. The last
person counted wins.

A E I O U You!
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S
T U You are
it.

Physical games
Simon says
Make sure your child knows the names of parts of the face
and later the parts of the body.
You are Simon and give instructions. Your child has to listen
and do exactly what ‘Simon says’.
1. If you say ‘Simon says touch your nose’, your child
touches their nose.
2. If you say ‘Simon says don’t touch your mouth’, your child freezes
where they are and does not touch their mouth.
3. If your child makes a mistake and touches
their mouth, they lose one of their three points.
4. When they have lost all three points, they
are out and the game finishes.

Where’s the bear?
Introduce a soft toy like a teddy bear or
similar. Make sure your child knows ‘on’, ‘in’, ‘behind’ and the names of some furniture.
1.
While your child shuts their eyes and you both count to five or ten, you hide the bear under a
chair.
2. After counting, say ‘Open your eyes. Where’s the bear?’
3. You can then talk to your
child as they look for the bear using words such as ‘on’, ‘under’ and ‘behind’ and name
furniture in the room.
4. When the bear is found, you can swap roles.

Outdoor
games
Farmer, farmer, can I cross the water?
1. Players ask this question while standing
on a pretend river bank, wanting to cross the river to the other side.
2. The farmer replies ‘Yes,
if you have got something yellow.’
3. Anyone with something yellow replies ‘Yes, I have got
something yellow’ and walks across the river.
4. Anyone who has not got something of the
right colour, races across trying not to be caught.
5. Anyone caught has to drop out and wait
until the farmer has caught everyone.
6. The game restarts and each time the farmer selects
another colour.
7. When everyone has been caught the farmer then selects the next farmer
and the game restarts.

What’s the time Mr Wolf?
1. Mr Wolf stands in his house in a marked corner.
2. The players,
who are sheep, approach Mr Wolf and ask him ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’
3. Mr Wolf replies
‘One o’clock.’
4. The sheep get a little closer to Mr Wolf’s house and ask again ‘What’s the
time Mr Wolf?’
5. Mr Wolf replies ‘Two o’clock.’
6. The game continues until the sheep are
quite close and then Mr Wolf replies ‘dinner time,’ and chases the sheep.
7. Any sheep caught
stay in Mr Wolf’s house for one turn.

Card games
You can make cards for these games or
you can download picture cards from the LearnEnglish Kids website.
I went on safari
Make
12 cards featuring animals you might see on safari – or any other animals.
1. Each person, in

turn, has to say ‘I went on Safari and I saw [they turn over a card and say what is on the card]
an elephant.’
2. They put the card, picture down, on another pile.
3. The next player says ‘I
went on Safari and I saw an elephant and [turns a card and adds the name of the animal] a
parrot.’
4. Each player, in turn, adds the name of an animal.
5. If they forget any of the
animals in the list, they are out of the game.
6. If the list grows to more than 12 animals, the

game begins again and anyone, who is already out, can re-join.

Memory game
Make 12
pairs of identical picture cards of the same items and place them face-down on a flat
surface.
1. The first player turns over a card and says ‘a bus’, then turns a second card.
2. If it
is the same they say and ‘a bus, two buses’ and keeps the two cards.
3. If the card is different
they replace both cards from where they took them.
4. The aim is to find two cards (a pair)
with the same picture.
5. When no more cards are left, count the pairs.
6. Add more items to
these cards, once your child knows the names and plurals of the first 12 cards.
7. Later
change the theme of the cards; for example, to clothing (a pair of socks, a red T-shirt,
etc.).

Board games
Board games such as snakes and ladders or ludo are easy to make and
provide lots of opportunities for sharing English together. You can make them to match your
child’s ability and needs.

We hope you found the tips in this article useful and that you and
your child continue to have fun while learning English together.
 

 
  Learning EEnglish throu
ugh shaaring rrhymees 

Us
sing rhy
ymes
Simple rhymess are though ht to be innate in mostt cultures. From
F the tim
me young children
c beggin
to ta
alk, many enjoy playing
g and expe erimenting with
w soundss by themse elves – a prrecursor to
laterr enjoyment of rhymess. Most seeem to have skills
s and a built-in drivve that ena
able them to
o
imita
ate the sounds and picck up the la
anguage annd special rh hythms of rhymes.
r

Pickking up and repeating the particullar languag

ge of rhymes is anothe er form of pllay for youn
ng
child
dren. They learn rhymes unconscciously and effortlesslyy; it is not th
he laborious task it can be
for some
s adultss.

By playing
p with
h the short texts
t of rhymes, childrren explore the mecha anics of the English
lang
guage. Theyy find out how languag ge works an nd become familiar with the relationship
betw
ween the 444 sounds off English an nd the 26 alphabet lettters – inform
mation whicch helps the
em
wheen they begin reading to
t decode thet sounds that make up words. The T value of o this type of
lang
guage-play with rhyme es in early le
earning is both
b undereestimated and
a underva alued.

There is a diffeerence betwween rhyme es and simpple poems for f young children. Rh hymes, in
geneeral, are shhort and deppend on thee melodic use
u of the voice
v to reciite the text that include es
rhym
ming words, and the re epetition of sounds andd words in attractive, easy-to-cop
e py rhythms.
The traditional and well-knnown rhyme es are som
metimes classsified as Mother
M Gooose rhymes or
nurssery rhymess. Many, likke ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little
L Star’ and ‘Humptyy Dumpty’, are conside ered
part of British culture.
c You
u can find an
a animated d version off 'Twinkle, Twinkle,
T Litttle Star on
LearrnEnglish Kids.
K

‘Firsst poems’, on
o the otherr hand, gen
nerally depe
end less onn the playfulness of the
e language,
and more on th he meaning g, which evo
okes feeling
gs, imaginaation and the discoveryy of ideas
beyo ond the child’s own ennvironment.. First poem
ms may be traditional
t o modern; they are a
or
natu ural progresssion from early
e rhyme
es. They are usually le
ess well knoown and lesss likely to be
handed down from generation to generation like nursery rhymes.

Read the notes below about sharing rhymes with your child at home. You can also
download these notes as a booklet at the foot of this page. The notes are available in
several languages.

Why rhymes?
Rhymes are portable playthings. Parents and children can say them at any time or in any place
to change a mood or fill a bored moment with fun. Rhymes need no toy, equipment or even a
book to set a scene; they depend on the sound of the voice reciting the language to stimulate
play. Some may be accompanied by physical actions, which help to confirm understanding and
act as an aid to memorisation.

A rhyme, for young children, is a complete, short experience, which fits well with their limited
attention span. It is like a compact story: it has a beginning and an end, and its own content.
Once children have worked out these sequences, they feel confident, as they know that the
language content is fixed, even if the speed of reciting might alter to match a mood. The
attractive, playful language – often similar to that used in television commercial jingles – and
the short text make it easy and quick to memorise.

Young children want to communicate immediately in English and are frustrated that they can’t
say what they want. Rhymes give them the opportunity to feel that from the first sessions they
can ‘say a lot of English and say it quickly just like adults’. Deep satisfaction that motivates
does not come from having fun playing games in English, but from persisting until a defined
task, like knowing a rhyme, is successfully completed.

Learning to speak English may seem daunting to some young children; knowing rhymes can
provide motivating stepping stones that encourage them, especially in the early stages of
learning English, when they feel progress is not fast enough for them.

Young children, who are sometimes shy about speaking English, often begin to speak by
sharing rhymes with an encouraging adult. Through sharing a fixed, fun text, their confidence
grows until they find they can say most of a short rhyme by themselves.

Selecting rhymes
It is important to build up a collection of rhymes (a rhyme bank). To do this, parents should be
prepared to introduce one or two new rhymes each week, depending on their length and
children’s interests and readiness to learn. Some days children are more receptive to new
material and it is important to adjust to these moods.

Rhymes can be found in:

™ story rhyme picture books – one rhyme to a complete picture book such as In
the Dark, Dark Wood by Jessica Souhami, published by Frances Lincoln

™ rhyme anthologies – books with a selection of rhymes and possibly fewer

illustrations to support the text such as Number Rhymes to Say and Play! by
Opal Dunn and Adriano Gon, published by Frances Lincoln/Mother Goose
Sterling Publishers

™ traditional rhymes – There are many books of traditional rhymes and nursery
rhymes, such as The Ladybird Book of Nursery Rhymes, published by Ladybird

Family members – it is a good idea to learn rhymes already known to family members as it
extends sharing and also motivates children to join in.

When collecting rhymes parents need to select those they themselves enjoy, bearing in mind:

• children’s increasing level of English

• children’s developing interests and gender needs – many children enjoy the physical
action in:
Jeremiah, blow the fire,
Puff, puff, puff.
First you blow it gently...
Then you
blow it rough.

• the need to transfer useful language to daily conversation

• the need to include, if possible, some rhymes known to the extended family

• the need to include rhymes with names that can be personalised by changing to family
names:
Diddle, diddle dumpling,
My son John,
Went to bed
With his trousers on.

• the need to include some rhymes that can be extended into family activities or
routines:
I scream,
You scream
We all scream for ice-cream!
What would you
like?
Chocolate, lemon, vanilla or ....
One is for you/And one’s for me.

There is a wide selection of rhymes to meet most needs:

• Hello or goodbye rhymes

o Hi Mary!
How are you?
Fine, thanks.
What about you?
 • Action rhymes and finger play rhymes
o 10 fingers,
10 toes,
2 eyes
And a round nose.

• Rhyme games
o Acker Backer, Soda Cracker, Acker Backer Boo!
Acker Backer, Soda
Cracker
Out goes YOU!

o One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, four,
Five potatoes, six potatoes,
seven potatoes, more?

o One banana, two bananas, three bananas, four…

• Themed rhymes

o Two big apples
Under a tree.
One is for you
And one’s for me.

o Rain, rain, go away!
All the children want to play.
Rain, rain, go away!
Come

again another day

• Traditional rhymes

o Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so
high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what
you are.

How to say a rhyme

The way a rhyme comes alive depends on how parents use their voice, eyes, facial expression
and body language (for more about this, see the article speaking English with your child).

To engage a child’s attention, the introduction of a new rhyme needs to be a dramatic

experience in which the voice shepherds the child through the rhyme. As children, whose
hearing is more acute than adults, become more familiar with a rhyme, they learn how to read
the adult’s emotions through their voice and no longer need the support of the physical actions.
When this happens the child often takes over the physical actions and the parent can stop
doing them.

Quite a few traditional rhymes can be both said and sung. Initially it is better to say the rhymes
so the child has only one learning task – to pick up the words. If the child has to learn the tune
at the same time as the words, they have to learn two things at once, which might be more
complicated for some children.

Some children, who learn to sing a rhyme first, find that they have difficulty in transferring the
sung language to the spoken form; this results in them ‘singing language’ when they transfer
some phrases to a dialogue.

Understanding a new rhyme

Rhymes are made up of fixed phrases or blocks of language which are put together to make a
rhyme. Children pick up these fixed phrases often without noticing the smaller function words
like ‘the’ or ‘for’, which they hear as part of a block (e.g. ‘one’s for you’) not as individual words.

In many rhyme books there is a supporting picture that helps understanding. If there is no
picture, parents can draw a quick sketch or show toys or real objects to support the meaning.
Any translation of words should be done in a whisper and only once, repeating the English
word afterwards.

Introducing a new rhyme

Parents need to use parentese language (for more about parantese, see the article speaking
English with your child) to introduce new rhymes. The language in short rhymes is generally
easy to imitate and pick up, so parentese techniques soon become less used as the child picks
up more of the rhyme.

If children are to consolidate their learning, they need time to browse in order to work out and
compare words, sounds and meanings in their own way and time. Children should not be
hurried and made to work at an adult’s speed, especially in the initial stages of learning a new
rhyme.

Repetition may seem boring to adults, but it is important to children as it gives them
opportunities to subconsciously revise language and sounds. It also gives them an opportunity
to confirm what they know, which gives them self-confidence.

Say the rhyme, slowly dramatising it, supporting the meaning with actions, pictures or real
objects. If there are no set actions, invent simple actions as physical involvement helps
memorisation and the movement creates a ‘feel good’ factor. Stress the important words and
rhyming words and, where necessary, whisper a translation.

Once a new rhyme becomes well known, children are ready to take turns, each of you saying a
line. Taking turns is an important skill to learn as it entails listening carefully and taking a risk,
as well as having empathy for the other speaker and judging when they are going to speak.

Although children may know most of the rhyme by heart, they may not be ready to initiate
saying a rhyme alone.

Informal rhyme sessions

The more rhymes are said in families, the quicker their simple everyday language becomes
part of children’s life and speech. Building up a personal collection of rhymes is important, as
the more rhymes children know, the more rhymes they want to know. Saying rhymes is fun!

Parents and children can recite one or two rhymes in a free moment such as while waiting in a
supermarket queue or on a long journey. Parents need to start these sessions off, but children
like to add their own suggestions. Children often need to repeat a rhyme; the second recitation
gives them a chance to reflect and improve the way they say it.

Children are continually revising their pronunciation, but revision cannot take place if they are
hurried and there are not opportunities to practise. New rhymes are better left for formal rhyme
times.

Rhyme times
Planned rhyme times should include:

• old favourites

• recently learned rhymes

• the latest new rhyme.

It is a good idea to start with one or two favourites, as this helps children switch from thinking
in their home language and get used to listening to and using English. The number of times a
favourite rhyme is repeated depends on the mood of the child. The second repetition should
include more sharing and the third, if the mood is right, should give children an opportunity to
say the rhyme, or part of it, alone.

The length of a planned rhyme time depends on whether it is a single session or is the
introductory warm-up to an English session (for more about this, see the article speaking
English with your child). It is fun to write out a programme in advance, using first lines, so that
children already reading in their home language can work out the programme. Later, when
children know quite a few rhymes, they can be asked to plan their own programme.

Rhyme shows
For special occasions like an adult’s birthday, for example, you could plan a rhyme show in
which children recite two or three rhymes. Children like opportunities to show their skills and
the praise received does much to motivate them. The preparation for the show is important as
it gives children a valid reason to keep practising and revising their pronunciation and
performance.

Choral speaking can be fun too, when parent and children take turns to speak alone or
together. Shy children can be members of the chorus until they have the courage to perform
alone.

Recording
MP3 players with space to record rhymes provide excellent opportunities to:

• listen to a recording

• make a recording

• play back a recording and see where language can be improved

• make a second, improved recording.

Children are critical of their ‘mistakes’ and most want to rerecord each time, persisting until
they are satisfied with their pronunciation.

Making rhyme books

Children who already know the Roman alphabet and the sounds of the 26 letters are often
keen to know how to read and even handwrite rhymes. Make a copy of a well-known, simple
rhyme, read it together and then let children try saying it aloud while pointing to each word in
turn.
Children soon discover that they can read something simple in English. Let them decorate the
rhyme sheet, which gives them time to browse over the text. When they have completed a few
sheets, make them into a rhyme book. Depending how advanced they are at writing in English,
let them make their own contents page and front cover.

Next time you make a book, some children might like to handwrite the rhymes themselves.
They might also like to make birthday or celebration cards. These self-made books may inspire
children to write their own rhymes. Some children begin creating their own rhymes by
personalising those they know or making up their own rhymes by recycling blocks of language
from other rhymes. Encourage them, as this is a form of creative writing.

Looking at rhyme picture books also provides opportunities for browsing. Begin with story
rhyme books, as children will find they can self-dictate and ‘read’ the stories, as the language
is supported by the many illustrations. Anthologies can demotivate beginners as they usually
include a lot of rhymes children do not yet know orally.

Reading rhymes
Research has shown that ‘reading’ simple rhymes children already know by heart is an
important step in the process of learning to read fluently. Dictating a known rhyme while
pointing to the written words in the text is exciting for children, as they find they can read
something in English.

Go to bed late,
Stay very small.
Go to bed early,
Grow very tall.

At this stage, children can read only language they already know orally in the fixed phrases of
rhymes. This ‘reading’ leads them on to recognise the shapes of recurring words and later to
build up their own banks of words they can recognise and ‘read’.

At about the same time they begin to analyse the sounds of words they recognise. A favourite
game to encourage is collecting rhyming words, like ‘four’, ‘door’, ‘more’, ‘floor’, ‘saw’.

Parents – and teachers – are not always aware of this important step in learning to read that
occurs naturally with children, who are familiar with, and enjoy, many simple rhymes.

Children who can read rhymes naturally progress to reading simple poems. Children’s ability to
pick up rhymes and poems by heart, if nurtured beyond the age of about eight, seems, like
acquiring languages, to become a lifelong skill.

‘Two big apples’ is taken from Number rhymes to say and play by Opal Dunn and
illustrated by Adriano Gon, published by Frances Lincoln Ltd, copyright ©2003.
  
  Using books with older children and teenagers 
 

Introduction: the reading journey

From the moment we show children their first book of stories or rhymes, they begin a reading
journey. This journey covers their initial experience of hearing words read to them; their early
interest in print; their growing ability to read for themselves; the emergence of their own
reading tastes; the formation of a reading habit as adults; and their eventual bequest of this to
their own children. The journey is supported by many others along the way: perhaps by their
parents at first, and grandparents too; then through other siblings who read to them and with
them; then through early years’ workers and school teachers; through their school friends with
whom they share reading interests; and perhaps through staff at local libraries and bookshops.

Some of these ‘companions on the road’ may be with them briefly, others for a longer time –
including those parents who manage to stay in touch with their children’s reading, and those
librarians and teachers who may become ‘reading mentors’. Children in the eight to 11 age
range are developing true senses of identity and their own reading tastes emerge, and it is at
this stage, more than others, that they either turn away from reading for pleasure, or become
lifelong readers. The transition from primary to secondary school should further develop their
leisure reading, but all too often it impedes it, as their studies take over. By the time children
enter the teenage years, much of their reading pattern has been set, and although good
teachers and enthusiastic librarians can still ‘turn children on to books’, their success is really
dependent on all those who have been ‘fellow travellers’ in the past.

During the teenage years, young people need to be introduced to adult books and authors that
will interest them, as (with the help of teenage authors as a ‘bridge’) they make the leap into
adult reading. Both teachers and librarians should help this to happen, and parents have a role
too. This stage is often neglected, and sometimes we conspire unwittingly to keep children in
their ‘comfort zone’ of familiar children’s and teenage authors. We serve them best by moving
them onwards, as we have done at every stage before on this journey. The time from the age
of eight through the teenage period is an exciting one. Children are developing true senses of
identity; finding new interests; experiencing puberty; and planning their future lives, both in
terms of jobs, and of personal relationships. Their reading can be a vital support to them at this
time, both to give information, to help form their own feelings, and to explain the behaviour of
others. Fiction raises children’s horizons, shows other ways of behaving, and challenges their
thinking. At the same time it lets them join a community of readers around the world –and
reading in English opens up one of the largest reading communities of all. From preserving the
past, through myths and legends, to forecasting the future through science fiction, fiction
presents a virtual world for those whose own surroundings may be more limited and, through
humour and fantasy, provides entertainment and escape from the confines of everyday
routines.

Choosing the best

A large number of books is available for children from eight upwards, ranging from award-
winning titles, challenging novels, hugely popular mass-market series, ‘quick reads’ and
illustrated books. In total, nearly 10,000 children’s titles are published annually in the UK, and
although this includes many editions of some titles (abridged versions, ‘television tie-ins’, and
others), it still leaves a large number for this age group alone. There are still areas where
libraries and schools would like to see more titles – original stories for newly emergent readers
for example, and more books for older readers that have a simpler reading level – but we have
a wealth of good-quality writing from which to choose. In making such choices, help and advice
can come from a number of sources:

• the British Council’s own personnel, including teachers and library staff

• other reading-related websites: Achuka, National Literacy Trust, BookTrust, and

others

• websites aimed at young readers themselves: Stories from the Web, Children’s
Poetry Book Shelf, and others

• reviewing magazines, such as Books for Keeps, and Carousel

• review sections in national newspapers, for example the children's library on the
Guardian's website

• books such as The Ultimate Book Guide, Who Next?, and others

• booklists, such as those from the School Library Association and the Rough Guide
series. Monthly lists were published to mark the National Year of Reading in England
on the School Library Association website
 • shortlists and winners lists from children’s book prizes, such as the CILIP Carnegie
and Kate Greenaway Awards, and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize

• good bookshops and libraries.

Sharing stories
It’s saddening to hear parents say: ‘We used to read to her when she was little, but now she’s
learned to read, we don’t bother.’ First, none of us ever finishes learning to read – even as
adults, we’re encountering new words, and we need to develop reading stamina. Second,
children still need the experience of being read to at the same time as they are learning to
read; this reminder of the pleasure of reading is all the more important if children are struggling
with print. Sharing books enables the important combination of the words on the page,
together with the spoken words used by those who share the story, and even in this older age
group, it has a part to play. Books with pictures, for example, enable an adult to share even
more easily; they do not need to have read all the text to be able to talk with children about
what they can both see in the pictures. In this way, adults can model the use of English, by
extending from the text alone into book-inspired conversation, and give children the confidence
to do this among themselves.

The child as reader

Most of the books used with children in this age range are stories, and the narrative drive of
stories is a powerful way to engage children – wanting to turn the page to see what will happen
keeps them reading, and shows the power of books to hold one’s attention for a long time.
Children may well respond to other kinds of book, and it’s important to have a variety available
to present different possibilities. In the UK, research indicates that boys who are reluctant
readers respond to non-fiction, or short stories, and illustrated biographies. Modern poetry is a
popular category in UK public libraries, and children often enjoy the performance aspects of
poetry, as they do of simple play scripts. It’s important to respect children’s own tastes, and to
value what they have chosen to read, rather than to urge them up some assumed ‘quality
ladder’. As adults, most of us mix challenging reads and classic texts with light reading and
browsing, and children will do this too. Teenagers, in particular, will often swing wildly between
adult reading and comforting books from their earlier years; successful readers almost always
follow a zigzag pattern, rather than a steady gradient.
Wider reading, or genres?
One characteristic of children’s reading in the eight to 11 years stage is the emergence of
fiction genres as a major element in their choice. Children will often stick to one or two
favourite types of fiction – funny stories, animal stories, scary stories, science fiction, and so
on. Respecting children’s reading choices sometimes means allowing them to ‘read their way
out of a category’, and activities that force children to read more widely are often, in the end,
counterproductive.

Much work has been done in the UK recently to provide children with advice of the ‘if you liked
that, you might also like this’ kind, and this can be used both to move children on from a
fixation with a single author, and also to ‘jump genres’ a little, by finding books that bridge such
categories.

Issues and controversies in children’s books

It’s unrealistic to expect contemporary novels for teenagers not to reflect today’s society, and
in order to make stories realistic, authors often touch on topics such as sex, drugs, and race. It
may be that this is done sensitively, but the book could still offend in certain cultures; seek
advice if you are unsure.

The same applies to language used in books for young people, which is likely to reflect spoken
language in all its forms, including on occasion strong language or swearing. As with the topics
above, this can be seen less as a danger as an opportunity to talk about the issue –
subsequent discussion can include the ‘rights and wrongs’ of subjects, and the context in
which language might be used.

Teenage novels continue books’ contribution to emotional literacy that began with picture
books; older novels can examine topics like bullying, or disability, in such a way as will help
children come to their own conclusions.

The role of illustrations

As in the early years, illustrations in books for older children offer additional context clues that
assist in the learning of English. They can show children objects or scenes that may be hard to
describe without resorting to complex language or jargon. They may also show subtle
expressions on characters’ faces – sarcasm, suspicion, and so on – which may support
understanding of the text. Pictures also add a great deal of additional information not described
in the text, which can particularly help to explain the UK cultural background – a row of
terraced houses and gardens in the background to a Raymond Briggs comic-strip-style
picture book, for example. Illustrated books help a parent with little or no English to share
stories with an English learner by following the story through the pictures, and devices like
speech balloons, captions and exclamations are an attention-grabbing way to introduce
idiomatic English, and colloquial language.

Moving up through school

This stage of reading usually coincides with children moving from a primary to a secondary
school, and it’s important that schools from both phases of education liaise about reading, if at
all possible. There are huge benefits to a continuity of reading, with secondary schools building
on what primaries have done, and good practice here can avoid the frequent dip in reading
that this transition often brings. If English teaching is additional to school work, remember that
fiction is useful in preparing for moving school (look for stories involving change, for example),
and it can be a form of escape for any associated anxiety.

Getting boys to read

The UK is one of many countries where the decline of leisure reading among boys is a cause
for concern, and there are a number of ways in which this can be challenged:

• engage with boys themselves, to find out what material would attract them to reading

• expose them to a wide variety of materials, including non-fiction, books of jokes,

poems, and ‘fun facts’

• identify the fiction genres that are successful, e.g. fantasy, science fiction and sports
stories

• use graphic novels and manga material, and extend this to other illustrated books

• identify male role models, including peers and celebrities, to promote reading

• use boys’ interest in ICT as a way of promoting reading.

Reluctant readers
‘There is no such thing as a reluctant reader,’ wrote New Zealand author Paul Jennings, ‘a
reluctant reader is a child for whom an adult has not yet found the right book.’ It does us all
good to challenge our thinking sometimes, and this usefully puts the onus back on to us, rather
than too easily pigeon-holing the child. UK publishers Barrington Stoke has produced a range
of titles to reach children with genuine reading difficulties, as well as inspiring those whose
difficulty is simply motivation. These books use a slightly larger text size, and make use of
illustrations to break up the text. They include ‘hi-lo’ material, which combines a high interest
age with a low reading age. These books are well worth considering for English language
teaching, since they avoid the frequent problem of books where the reading level is
appropriate, but where the content is too juvenile. There are a number of non-fiction series that
also use this ‘hi-lo’ approach, and include topics with child-appeal (trail bikes, skateboarding,
rock music), where daunting blocks of text have been replaced by extended captions. Some
use the differentiated text approach, where extra panels of text offer a higher level of detail.

Using ICT
There is a range of websites that feature books and reading, and these can be used to
motivate children to read, and to extend their reading. They can also allow children to join the
worldwide community of readers in English, and encourage children to send e-mails to
authors, write reviews, and contact other readers. Websites include general ones featuring
reading, such as the UK’s Stories from the Web and, in addition, many children’s authors have
lively websites of their own, enabling children to find out more about the writers they enjoy.

For parents
In the first few years of a child’s reading journey, his or her books will have been largely
chosen by the adults in his or her life. As children mature, parents can still play a role in
advising, but it’s important to let the child develop his or her own reading tastes, and parents
must be sensitive to when their help will be useful, and when they need to let children make
their own choices.

It can still be useful for parents to introduce new books, perhaps by reading the first page or
two, and then leaving their child to finish carry on by him- or herself; this can get over the
psychological barrier if children are reluctant to start a new story. At the same time, children
may enjoy reading a page or two to their parents (though don’t expect this, or it will seem a
chore), and might be persuaded to talk about what they’ve been reading. Be receptive and
welcoming to this, if it happens.

Even though children may prefer to read for themselves, parents can stay in touch and show
support by retaining an interest in their children’s reading. Try occasional questions such as:
‘What are you reading at the moment?’, ‘Are you enjoying it?’, ‘Have you read any more by
that author?’, and ‘Do you think I’d like it?’. Remember to respect their own choice of reading,
even if it seems ‘too easy’ or not an author that you would choose for them yourself. Praise
children about their reading whenever you can. ‘You read how much?’ or ‘Well done, you’ve
finished the whole chapter’ is much better than ‘You’re not going out to play until you’ve
finished that chapter’. If you’re worried about children’s reading, don’t let that communicate
itself to the child; talk to your child’s teacher, or the local librarian about your concerns. Parents
who keep up with children’s reading can share ‘the same frame of reference’ when they’re
talking with children at other times – ‘It’s just like what happened to Tracy Beaker in that book,
isn’t it?’. In a way, this is a development from the refrains and choruses parents may have
chanted with their children when young, to integrating books into everyday life. Make sure you
keep reading too. It’s important that you have books around at home, and model reader-like
behaviour. Let children have a bookshelf of their own books, and encourage relatives to buy
books or book tokens for presents. Ultimately though, it’s not just about having lots of books at
home, it’s about spending time with your children, and letting them feel that both you and they
are part of a ‘community of readers’.
 

 
  Pronunciation activities 

Introduction
Learners are often worried about pronunciation, but it is important to remember that you do not
need to sound like a native English speaker for you to be able to communicate in English.
There are different accents in the United Kingdom and other countries where English is spoken
as a first language. English is also widely used in countries like India and Singapore and is
increasingly used as a global language. There are many different varieties of English - you've
probably discovered this yourself.

Don't worry if your child does not speak with 'perfect' English pronunciation. Let your child play
with and discover sounds - this is an important stage in learning languages. You could also
compare sounds in English to sounds in your first language. Are the sounds similar? If so, how
are they spelled? Are any sounds in English totally different to sounds in your first language?
Try to help your child understand that what is important is communicating what they'd like to
say.

Activities you can do with your child

There are lots of activities you can do with your child to practise pronunciation. Choose the
activities that you think your child will like best. Try to make the activities as fun as possible,
and stop when your child has had enough.

Here are some ideas for activities:

™ Songs and rhymes

Songs, nursery rhymes and chants are a great way to introduce younger children to the
sounds of English. Many chants and nursery rhymes are repetitive and easy to remember,
and your child will not need to be able to read or write English.
 You'll find some traditional songs and nursery rhymes on LearnEnglish Kids. Listen to the
songs, learn them together and sing the rhymes wherever and whenever you like - in the
car, on the way to school, at bathtime!

You can also read some tips for using simple rhymes with children. You'll find some
rhymes that you can listen to, or download. You'll also find a fun resource you can try with
your children called 'Rhyme and record'.

™ Pron Pal
Download Pron Pal onto your computer. This is a guide to the pronunciation of key topic
words for young learners. With Pron Pal, learners click on a button to listen to how words
are pronounced, and they can also record themselves saying the words and sentences.
Children love hearing themselves, and will enjoy practising saying the words.

With Pron Pal, just listen to and record the simple words if your child is beginning to learn
English. If your child has a higher level of English then listen to and record the longer
phrases and sentences. You could join in too!

™ Listening to stories
Listening to somebody reading aloud while following a text is a good way for children to
pick up how words and sound, and also to learn what words sound like in sentences.

If you don't feel confident enough to read aloud to your child then there are stories you can
listen to on LearnEnglish Kids. You can listen to the stories together. You could also borrow
books with tapes or CDs from the library if that's possible, or buy some. Perhaps you could
share books and CDs with friends and make your own library?

™ Games
Say words silently to your child. Can they guess what words you are saying? This will make
them concentrate on the shapes made to make sounds. When your child has got the idea,
they can silently say some words to you.

Create a character with a name of the sound you want to focus on like /dz/ which is the
sound of the 'J' in 'Jack'. Ask your child to draw Jack and then think of all the things that
Jack likes that start with the same sound, for example, juggling, jam, Japanese food etc.
Now draw these things around the picture of Jack. Here is an example using a character
called 'Harriet' to focus on the /h/ sound:
[image needs to go here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/parents-help-pronunciation-
activities.htm]

Choose one word, for example, chair. Ask your child to draw the word, and next to the
picture write (or draw) words that have the same sound for example, hair, hare, wear, pear.

Here is an example:

[image needs to go here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/parents-help-pronunciation-

activities.htm]

™ Tongue twisters
Try some tongue twisters. This can be a fun way to practise sounds with older children.
Here are some popular English tongue twisters.

• She sells sea shells on the sea shore

• A proper copper coffee pot
• Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran
• Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry
• A big black bug bit a big black bear
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled
peppers Peter Piper picked?

You can find more tongue twisters on LearnEnglish Kids. Listen to the tongue twisters,
and practise saying them. How fast can you say them? You could discuss which sounds
are difficult, and not like the sounds in your first language, and the sounds that are
similar to your first language.
  
  Speaking English at home 
 

Introduction
For the most part, it is parents who teach their young children to speak their home language.
Throughout the first two years of life, it is often the mother’s voice and her special way of
talking, called ‘parentese’, that teaches young children about language and how to talk.

Parents, even with a basic knowledge of English, can successfully support their young child
learning English by re-using and adjusting many of these same parentese techniques.

Parents may worry about their accent in English. Young children have a remarkable ability to
alter their accent to match the English of their surroundings. Young children need to feel ‘I can
speak English’ and ‘I like English’ and their parents’ support can help them achieve this from
their first lessons.

Read the notes below on speaking English at home. You can also download these notes as a
booklet. Right-click on the link below to download the booklet to your computer. You may print
this booklet.

Why parents’ help is best

• Parents can focus on their child, spending some one-to-one time with them.

• Parents can fit English sessions into any part of their day to suit their child and
themselves.

• Parents can regulate the length of an English session and select activities to fit their
child’s needs, interests and ability to concentrate.
 • Parents know their child intimately and can intuitively judge the type of English
talking suitable for their individual ways of picking up language.

• Parents can best interpret their child’s moods and respond to them. Children have
days when they eagerly absorb language and others when they find it difficult to
concentrate.

• Parents can introduce more fun, as they are working with an individual, not a class.

• Parents can introduce English culture into family life, so broadening their child’s
outlook and understanding of their own culture as well as things English.

What is parentese language?

‘Parentese’ is a form of talking that tunes into and adjusts to a young child’s language,
providing dialogue with the child and shepherding them to their next level of competence.
Women appear to be innate users of parentese; some men seem to find it more difficult unless
they can centre their talk around specific objects – a picture book or a game. However,
children – especially boys – need male role models as men use language differently. Men tend
to take a more technical approach to using language and ‘chatter’ less.

Parents, using a softer, caring voice and simpler language, unconsciously shepherd their
young child through an activity by:

• a running commentary (talking aloud) on what is going on: ‘Let’s put it here.’ ‘There.’
‘Look. I’ve put it on the table.’ ‘Which one do you like?’ [pause] ‘Oh, I like this one.’
‘The red one’

• repeating useful language more often than in adult talk: repetition introduced
naturally helps the child to confirm what they are picking up – it is not boring for the
child, even if it is for the parent

• reflecting back what their child has said and enlarging it: Child: ‘Yellow’; Parent: ‘You
like the yellow one.’ ‘Here it is.’ ‘Here’s the yellow one.’ ‘Let’s see. yellow, red and
here’s the brown one.’ ‘I like the brown one, do you?’ [pause]

• talking more slowly and stressing new words naturally without altering the melody of
the language. ‘Which rhyme shall we say today?’ ‘ You choose.’ [pause for child to
select]
 • using the same phrases each time to manage English sessions as well as activities
and games. As children’s understanding increases, these basic phrases are
enlarged: ‘Let’s play Simon says.’ ‘Stand there.’ ‘In front of me.’ ‘That’s right.’ ‘Are
you ready?’

• adding facial expression and gesture to aid understanding

• using eye contact in one-to-one exchanges to reassure and also to encourage a

hesitant child to speak

• pausing for a longer time as children need to think about what they hear before they
are ready to reply. When speaking is still limited, exaggerated pauses can add fun or
hold interest in a game.

Some parents find it embarrassing to dramatise and use parentese. However, for the child, it
makes picking up English easier as they are familiar with these natural ‘mini-lessons’ in their
home language. Once young children begin to speak, parents innately feel less need to use
parentese, except when introducing new language or activities.

Using English
By using simple English with plenty of repetition, parents help their child to begin thinking in
English during activities where they feel secure and can predict what is going to happen, like
games or ‘rhyme times’.

Young children want to be able to talk in English about:
• themselves and what they like: ‘I like;
I don’t like… yuk’
• what they have done: ‘I went to; I saw…; I ate…’ 
• how they and others
feel: ‘I am sad; she’s cross …’

Parents can help by sharing picture books or making their own books using drawings or
photographs.

Young children learning their home language become skilled in transferring a little language to
many situations: ‘All gone.’ If adults transfer English phrases in the same way, young children
soon copy them.

When children need to practise school English, use phrases like ‘What’s your name?’ ‘How old
are you?’ ‘What’s this?’ ‘That’s a pencil.’ Parents can turn this into a fun activity by using a toy
that speaks only English, asking it the questions and pretending to make it answer.

As young children become more competent speakers, they may include a word in their home
language within an English phrase ‘He’s eating a (…)’ because they do not yet know the
English word. If the adult repeats the phrase back using only English, the child can pick up the
English word. ‘He’s eating a plum.’ ‘A plum.’

When to translate
Young children’s ability to understand should not be underestimated; they understand much
more than they can say in English. In their home language young children are used to
understanding only some of the words they hear and filling in the rest from the speaker’s body
language and clues around them to get meaning. Where parentese is used, they appear to
transfer these skills to working out the meaning in English.

When both new concepts and new language are introduced at the same time, it may be

necessary to give a quick translation once, using a whisper, followed directly by the English. If
translation is given more than once and again in following sessions, a child may get used to
waiting for the translation instead of using his or her own clues to understand the English.

English sessions
English sessions may last from just a few minutes up to about ten and can take place once or
twice a day, depending on circumstances. The more frequently Englishis used, the quicker it is
absorbed.

During English sessions parents need to focus on their child without any interruptions. Young
children come to love English sessions, because for them English is a special time with their
parent’s undivided attention.

Young children are logical thinkers: they need to have a reason for speaking English, since
both they and their parents can speak the home language.

They may find it difficult to switch from their home language into English, so it is important to
set the scene: ‘In three minutes we are goingto have our English time.’ Setting the scene for
English time might involve moving to a special place in the room: ‘Let’s sit on the sofa. Now,
let’s talk in English.’ Warming up in English by counting or saying a familiar rhyme also helps
to switch into English before introducing some new activity.

Children pick up language when the talk is based around an activity in which they are
physically involved. If they have already been introduced to the activity in their home language
and understood the content, they feel more secure and can concentrate on understanding and
picking up the accompanying English.

Where sessions are in only English, activities need to be shorter since children’s attention
span is generally not as long as in the home language. Listening only to English can be tiring.

Encouragement and praise

Young children look for their parents’ praise. They need to feel good, and know they are
making progress in English. Continuous positive support, encouragement and praise from both
mother and father, as well as the extended family, helps to build up self-confidence and
motivate. In the early stages of learning, encouragement is especially important and praise for
any small success motivates. ‘That’s good.’ ‘I like that.’ ‘Well done!’

Starting off in English is the time when young children need parents’ support the most. Once
they are able to speak, recite rhymes and have memorised some stories, the support need no
longer be so intensive. By this stage, English phrases, rhymes and stories are likely to have
been playfully transferred into family life. In-family English can be bonding and is likely to stay.
This can be the beginning of positive lifelong attitudes to English and other cultures. It is now
generally accepted that lifelong attitudes are laid down in early childhood before the age of
eight or nine.
  
  Using the internet and computers safely 
 

Internet Safety Tips

Many parents are worried about letting their child use the internet. On the LearnEnglish Kids
website we take child protection very seriously. Only children can comment on the site and all
comments are checked before we publish them. Below you will find some tips to help your
child use computers and the internet safely.

• Keep your computer in a family room or an open space where you can watch what
your child is doing, and can control how long your child is on the computer.

• Spending a long time on the computer may cause headaches, eyestrain or other
physical problems. Make sure that your child doesn't spend too long in front of a
computer screen each day.

• If you or your child comes across unsuitable material in an email, advert or website,
then contact your Internet Service Provider.

• Make sure that your child does not give personal information over the web (name,
age, address, telephone number). Teach your child to ask you first. Check that sites
have privacy policies if you do send details. On our website we do not post
comments which have personal details (such as surname or name of school) to
ensure our users can not be identified.

• Make sure that your child asks your permission before entering any competitions or
downloading any materials.

• Make sure that your child does not post any photos of himself/herself on the web.

• Teach your child not to click on links in emails, unless they know who the email is
from.
 • If your child wants to use a chatroom, make sure that you have a look at it first. Be
around when your child is chatting.

• Teach your child not to make arrangements to meet anyone that they have met on
the web. If they do meet somebody, an adult should be with them and the meeting
should be in a public place.

• Make sure that your child keeps their internet passwords a secret.

• Teach your child to tell you if they see anything that they think is suspicious or that
they don't like.

• Write a list of rules and guidelines for using the computer and internet. Show them to
your child, and make sure your child understands why there are rules. Stick the rules
up next to the computer.

Further reading:
Here are some useful Internet safety websites:

www.kidsmart.org.uk
www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/help/web/staysafe