How to introduce English to young children?

We live in a globalized society where cultural exchanges are becoming more frequent and relationships with people from around the world are increasing. That is why it is essential to recognize the importance of learning other languages, preferably English. So, How can we introduce English to young children?.

The best way to do this is to start as early as possible. In fact, the ideal time for a child to start learning a language is during the first 3 years of life. Young children have brains that are ready to develop language, as they have great plasticity, allowing them to unconsciously assimilate knowledge more quickly and effectively, without social pressures and without fear of making mistakes.

Children are like sponges, with a greater capacity for learning from a very young age. By introducing a second language in their early years, their willingness and ability to learn are maximized. By interacting from a young age with another language, they absorb the language and phrases as they do in their mother tongue, instead of translating the new language, they acquire it, making it more likely to pronounce words and speak the language like a native speaker.

What can we do to introduce English to young children?

To introduce a young child to a foreign language like English, it is necessary to consider how a baby learns their mother tongue: by listening. It is important to create an environment of language immersion, similar to their native language, so that the child can hear English for the maximum number of hours per day.

1. Videos: Since they are so young, they are very attracted to music videos. By watching them, we can repeat the words or phrases they say for the child to learn and understand them more easily. It is important to repeat the same songs a lot so that with repetition, the child begins to acquire the language.
2. Music: It is convenient to play children's songs and lullabies (Nursery rhymes), even for babies still in the womb.
3. English stories: It is essential to start with very visual and simple books with simple themes, little vocabulary, and repetitive structures.
4. Talking to the child: With the child, there is no need to have conversations as we normally do in Spanish, but quite the opposite, dialoguing in a simple way to make the child feel involved in the exposure to the language.

We can have a few sentences prepared to repeat and have the child listen to them. To start, we can use phrases like these:

• Are you hungry? Do you want to have breakfast/lunch/dinner?

         Are you hungry? Do you want something for breakfast/lunch/dinner?

• It’s bath time. Let’s take a bath.

          It's bath time. Let's take a bath.

• Let’s go for a walk.

          Let's go for a walk.

• It’s bedtime.

          It's bedtime.

5. Bilingual preschools

These schools do not function like a traditional language academy. Instead, they follow an immersion methodology focused on listening and practice. It involves playing, listening to music, and interacting with English as the vehicular language.