With more and more people having to work from home because of the Coronavirus, it is only reasonable that children also would rather be kept at home than sent to school. The question is however, how to teach children English when they are always home.

There are multiple ways such as learning English online or English conversation classes but you as a parent can also teach your children in small ways that might have a bigger impact in the future in terms of their English education. Here follows 5 effective ways to teach your kids English at home.

1.Constantly try to engage in English conversation

Practice makes perfect and the more your children hear and respond to English conversation, the more they will become used to it. This works the same with all languages where constant interaction of a language eventually leads to fluency. 

You need not try to make big leaps at a time but rather start small with 3 or 4 basic English sentences a day and then teach your child the appropriate responses.

2.Learning English through Television

Most people would say children interacting with visual stimuli in the form of digital media such as television, would say that a lot of it can be consequential but if the media is in a language that your child is trying to learn such as English, then may have more benefits than consequences. 

For example, children who want to learn English and watch English children’s programs might struggle in the beginning to understand what they are hearing but by trying to understand what is happening on screen, they will eventually be able to associate similarities between what they understand and what they are hearing on screen.

3.English taught via free educational videos

Having access to the internet grants many possibilities, and in the case of wanting your children to learn English at home, watching videos online that teach English is very effective.

Most English education videos provide a clear flow through learning English by engaging in various tasks, listening to sounds, studying English and with the bonus of if something is not understood the first time, you can always rewind the video to ensure that your child understands the content.

4.English children’s books

English books for kids are a great way to have your child passively learn English. It should be noted however that the book should have pictures for your child to associate the picture and the English word for it. 

You can also use English story books as a parent and read through a chapter each night with your child but make sure to explain some words and show pictures as you progress through the story you are reading

5.Online gaming

Online gaming has created much entertainment over the years for both adults and children alike, but amid all the fun that comes with it, some education can also occur. With many children playing online games such as Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft, children are bound to hear English being spoken very often. Thus interacting with those that understand and speak English, your child can learn English little by little. 

Another possibility is that your child befriends someone online of the same age who is English, thus becoming friends and trying to interact with one another. During this process of interaction, your child will become more and more used to hearing and communicating in English. For example, a native English speaking player could identify something in game, relay the word in English, and once your child makes the distinction, he/she will know what the English word is for that which was identified in game.