Learning English in Kindergarten: Good feeling for the language

Time in kindergarten ideal for learning English

Learning English in kindergarten is ideal for your child, because the phase in which the little ones can best and most easily absorb the grammar and phonology of a language is between the ages of three and five. Because at this age, language learning is on the program in the brain anyway, namely that of the mother tongue.
The advantage of learning English in kindergarten is that the little ones get to know the new language spontaneously and at ease in this environment and can deal with it without any problems. The earlier children learn a foreign language, the greater their chances of pronouncing it almost in their native language. Multilingualism at a young age also has a positive effect on general thinking and learning performance. Children become more flexible and creative in their thinking. Not only do they have more confidence, they also do better in foreign language tasks and, for example, in mathematics.

This is how you support your child in learning English in kindergarten

Short, traditional rhymes and songs are particularly good for learning. The rhymes that are sung and spoken give your child a feel for the language, so they have more fun repeating the new verses and singing to themselves over and over again. Due to the fun factor, inhibitions about the new words and terms cannot even arise. You can use the following options to make it easier for your child to learn English in kindergarten:

• Idioms that are often used when learning English in kindergarten: “Good morning”, “Be quiet, please!” or “Sit down”
• Terms from your child’s world, such as words on the subject of birthdays and names for festivals, seasons or meals
• Terms it uses frequently: animal names, colors and numbers

English in kindergarten is not suitable for every child

• Learning English in kindergarten is not suitable for all children. For children with a language disorder , developmental delay, or hearing impairment , it is more important to focus on one language. In these cases, it could be rather confusing for your child to learn a second language in addition to their mother tongue.
• If you are already raising your child bilingually, for example in German and Italian, English in kindergarten could be more of a challenge for your child.
• Some children already have difficulties with their mother tongue and are overwhelmed when English is added in kindergarten. In such cases, the second language can even hinder developmental progress in the mother tongue.