This is a question I'm frequently asked here at English Academy. My answer is usually that it's always good to give your children a head start in life, and that includes learning English.
Before moving to Bulgaria, I taught in Taiwan at a private school where children had two hours of English a day, in addition to their usual subjects in Chinese. The school implemented this across all levels and ages, right down to the kindergarten, where the children were just two or three years old. I taught the kindergarten class and was amazed at how quickly the children soaked up the language and how easily they remembered the words and phrases they learnt. The lessons were taught entirely in English (I don't speak any Chinese), and teaching through English from day one—even with complete beginners—is something I was trained to do during my teacher training in London.
At English Academy we start from age four, and at this young age I don't think it's about learning grammar rules, but about learning through repetition, songs, games and communication. Young children are generally less worried about making mistakes, so they're often happy to copy sounds, repeat words and simply have a go. We make the children want to come to lessons by making each lesson interesting and fun. The Junior Academy at the school is set up with young children in mind, with colourful designs and materials suitable for their age.
Nowadays, children are exposed to English every day through movies, cartoons, the internet and social media. In my experience, many children come to us already knowing some English simply from this exposure. I would say that if your child is interested in learning and speaking English, why not give them the opportunity to practise it with other children and English-speaking teachers? It helps build confidence that will benefit them later in their studies.
Every child develops at their own pace, but whenever your child is ready to take those first steps in learning English, we'll be here to help.
Mark McTaggart
English Academy Director
Have a question for Mark? Send it to us, and it may be answered in a future edition of "Ask Mark".
