How do you learn as a child and how do you learn as an adult?

When you are learning English or teaching English to your kids, it is important to understand the difference in how you learn. Adults do very well by learning with explanation and instruction, but kids learn more from having fun and doing. It is okay to put a little pressure on kids to study things like writing, but for the most part kids learn better with little stress. Adults do much better when learning with stress and often need it in order to learn. So at home, make sure your study routine matches your age.

English Playground
My stomach hurts. You should take some medicine.
The vocabulary is quite hard this lesson so it would be a good idea to practice saying it together at home.

Head Start
How old is Robert? He/She is ten years old.
This is fun one to practice using the names of people at school or in your own family.

English Spotlight
Did you spend more time at camp in the forest or in the mountains? I spent more time in the forest
This question and answer are very long this week. The meaning is easy to understand but it may take quite a bit of practice to say the whole sentence on their own.

It is Never too Late to Start Learning

Some poeple think that if you do not start learning English at a young age, then you are not going to be able to become good at it at all. That is why so many people who are good at English started when they are younger. But the truth is that young people often sound more natural, but in the end adults are fully capable of learning a language as fluently as a child. So if you are a bit older, don't worry, and start studying!

English Playground
I hurt my hands. Oh, no!
A fun game to play would be to getsture a part of your hands hurting and see if your child can quess which on it is.

Head Start
How much is ten plus twenty? Ten plus twenty is thirty.
Students usually have a good time at home with this because the math is not too hard and they can usually say numbers well on their own now.

English Spotlight
What did you take with you to go white water rafting? I took a life jacket.
The sentences this week are a bit long and it may be good to do a little extra practice with them at home.

English Playground
What's the matter? My head hurts.
Touch the pictures on the inside of the textbook and have your children try to say the body parts.

Head Start
What is your telephone number? It is 372-6149.
It would be good to practice good telephone number rhythmn by saying the first three numbers and the last three numbers all individually.

English Spotlight
Have you ever gone swimming? Yes, I have. No, I haven't.
"Have you ever" is a fun question to ask, especially with all these different activities.

Listen to easy and hard things!

We are lucky to have so many good resources available for learing second languages. If you look, there are hard things to try and listen to as well as easy things. When you are learning English, listen to both. If easy things get boring, try listening to something really hard to get your interest back up. If hard things are really discouraging, try listening to something easy. You can learning something from both.

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English Playground
Do you go swimming in the spring? Yes, I do. No, I go swimming in the summer.
The "no" answer is a bit long, so maybe practice just saying "No I don't" at home.

Head Start
Do you have enough money to buy the jacket? Yes, I do. No, I need two more dollars.
This is fun for students who like math and you can do it while you are out shopping to see if you can buy things at the store.

English Spotlight
How much juice is left? There are three bottles of juice left. There isn't any juice left. How many sandwiches are left? There are three sandwiches left. There aren't any sandwiches left.
This is another lesson where remembering how to use "is" and "are" is tricky, and becomes easier with more listening practice.

Watch a Movie You Have Already Seen

Watching movies is a great way to learn a second language. Sometimes when we are a bit tired it can be hard to focus on something hard, so try watching a movie in Engish, but do not use Japanese subtitles (English subtitles are okay). It can be a bit easier to enjoy and understand the movie when you have seen the movie before.  It is important to spend as much time enjoying English as possible to really be able to speak it.

English Playground
When do you go swimming? In the summer.
Remembering how to say the seasons can be a bit hard, but most of the students have a really good time saying the activities.

Head Start
The magazine costs nine dollars. I have five dollars
Practicing saying how much money you have may be fun to do when you are out shopping and paying for things.

English Spotlight
How much fruit punch is there? There is a lot of fruit punch. There is a little fruit punch. How many cupcakes are there? There are a few cupcakes There are a lot of cupcakes.
This is a very tricky one for most students because it is hard for them to know when to use "is" "are" "few" and "a little". Getting extra listening practice at home with movies will help your child have better instincts.