I just started teaching my 22 months old for flash card last 2 months… I teach him for English, Mandarin and Math…
Seems like my son only interesting on Mandarin as most of the time we speak Mandarin at home…
I read some articles that we shall start for Math before 2 years old and Mandarin anytime but English is last choice as it is using left brain in stead of Right brain.
My 5 years old son also facing same problem, good in Mandarin as practicing flash card to him since one year old…But he still can’t speak English well in sentences…I was sending him for Lerning English centre to learn for English speciall for phoenics and he seems to have littel improvement but yet can’t speak well…
I know the only way to make my son speak well is to speak English with him but I am not that good in speaking English …That is why I afraid that he will learn to speak ‘Broken’ English…
Any expert can advise here? How to make my son like English?
Have you tried getting him some educational videos that are in English like tweedle wink or just baby programs like sesame street and disney cartoons and stuff like that?
That might help, I know that’s the way I myself learned English when I was young, we used to watch those programs everyday
My baby listens to the English songs often, she requires singing English songs every time at bedtime because she loves them so much. I got a GOGOs Adventures with English - English course for children - and she loves it. I do not want her to watch TV often so If she does, it is always educational one and in English. I downloaded on You Tube videos of SuperSimpleSongs - I highly recommend them - if you do not know them, you should check it out. They are for ESL teaching - for kids, songs accompanied by movements and dancing (total physical response activity which is great for little children) and they are the best song for teaching English to very young learners I have ever seen. So we sing them and dance with them together. www.youtube.com/user/SuperSimpleSongs , www.supersimplesongs.com. I even play with her sometimes using English and she understands me. I am soon going to get Muzzy DVDs - they are said to be one of the best educational DVDs for kids for learning second (or third) language. I think that the effort is well worth it and we even spend some nice quality time together.
Firstly, if your son is not picking up much English, then I would advise you to speak English even if it’s not perfect. Like I mentioned in the “Teaching 2 languages at a time” thread (you might want to check it out), you could carve out periods where you would only speak to him in English, and only respond if he speaks back in English.
Other than that, if he has a favorite movie or TV series, let him only watch it in English. Especially if there are movies where he’s already familiar with watching in Chinese, then switch them to English - at least he’d be able to understand it more easily since he already knows what the story is about (maybe even line by line!).
Another way is similar to how we got Felicity to talk early - by only giving her what she wants after she says it out. You could try this with English where you know he can say it. Or just have him repeat the word in English before giving it to him. We find that very effective.
I say you to use sign language but only in english that will definately benefit your son.And start with the ACTION WORDS which is there in downloads section of slide show of this site.I am sure he will luv it.And also talk (say 3-4 sentence)in english with your husband and other family members in front of your kid.So he will understand that mom and dad is speaking in english and so this is also our language.And he will make himself comfortable.And also he will start using.Beleive me .My son is familiar with 4 langauge.3 of them is an Indian language and 1 is english.Have faith in your child and be always positive while teaching your child some thing new.And feel free to ask anything
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Created by the BBC, the acclaimed MUZZY language learning courses target your child’s “window of opportunity†years to learn a second or even a third language. The lovable MUZZY and his delightful friends will guide your child on the journey to learning a new language. Click here for more information about our MUZZY Programs.
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is one of the most respected creators and producers of broadcast programming in the world. By virtue of its broad reach and excellent programming, the BBC’s reputation as a teacher of language is unparalleled. Its most famous language program, Follow Me, (also known as BBC English), is the most popular language course for adults ever created. MUZZY, is similarly, the most popular language learning program ever created for children. MUZZY has been used in national curriculum (for example, in Canada and France), in forward-looking public and private schools from Thailand to Turkey and in homes from the U.S. and U.K. to Mexico and Japan. How It Works
Right now with no teaching required, your child has the natural ability to start speaking a foreign language. Early exposure to the language – any language – triggers this inborn talent. During the critical “window of opportunity†(ages 1-12) it happens effortlessly. After all, you didn’t teach your child to learn English (or his native tongue) – it just happens, like learning to walk.
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MUZZY’s multi-sensory approach stimulates your child’s natural learning style and engages the senses. Whether your child learns best by seeing, listening or doing, MUZZY speaks your child’s language.
Find the learning style that matches your child and see how MUZZY supports learning in this way. Visual/Spatial
Rich, vibrant colors and characters draw the visual/spatial learner into Muzzy’s world. The lively, animated stories use humor, appropriate situations and compelling graphics to bring the language to life. Verbal
A child who is a verbal learner absorbs the living language by listening, repeating and using new phrases in a play situation. MUZZY draws your child deeper into the foreign language with each adventure on DVD and audio CD. Kinesthetic
Physical activity helps the kinesthetic learner absorb information. MUZZY encourages learning by doing. Children imitate the skits they watch on DVD and use their new vocabulary on the activity-rich CD-ROM. Musical
The musical learner enjoys the songs on both the DVDs and audio CDs at least as much as the stories. This child responds strongly to rhythm, and MUZZY’s sing-along songs are part of the interactive fun. Logical/Mathematical
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Thanks for the info on Muzzy, and thanks KL for asking! My question is this: We only speak one language in our house, but I would like Gabriel to learn another language. Since he is only 8 months old and still learning english, should I wait to introduce a foreign language? I don’t want him to get confused when he is learning words and their meanings.
