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The Process of Language Learning in Children

The Process of Language Learning in Children

In the earliest years, few things are as highly anticipated and nurtured as a child’s developing language skills. Language learning in children is a complicated, yet natural process involving a number of factors and influences.

Language Learning in Early Childhood

It’s no secret that reading to children and frequent conversations via immersion are critical components of a child’s learning process. Continual interactions with language – both written and verbal – are highly regarded by some as being the most important aspect of language learning.

During a child’s earliest years, they pick up skills and make associations between sounds and objects via interactions with their environments and those around them. In large part, it is simply a natural progression that takes place over time, using repetition and being immersed in specific linguistics, but there is much more to language learning than simply being around it.

Cognitive Functionality

From birth until middle childhood, children’s brains are essentially primed for language learning at impeccable rates. They grasp linguistic keys from practically every aspect of their environments from casual daily conversations going on around them to nightly bedtime stories.

“Language acquisition is a product of active, repetitive, and complex learning. The child’s brain is learning and changing more during language acquisition in the first six years of life than during any other cognitive ability (they) are working to acquire.” – Scholastic.com.

The earliest few years of a child’s life is the most crucial period for expanding their communication skills. After this point, hormonal changes will begin to hinder their ability to further pick up language learning on the same level. Because of this, it’s important to find ways to make the most of the critical communication window.

More Than Just Talking

Helping our children get the most advantageous benefits during their peak language learning years is an important part of their advancement. While most parents know that reading to your children on a regular basis is an excellent way to help them develop their communication skills, there are a number of other ways that are just as important.

Children learn by being immersed in language and witnessing others interacting as frequently as possible. Having basic conversations and engaging them with a pointed, inquisitive nature, will help them develop critical thinking skills as well as gathering the basics needed for all forms of more complex communications later in life.

Other excellent teaching methods include using any form of medium that makes learning more fun and engaging. Easy ways to expand their vocabulary can be through music, poetry, comic books, or even cooking can give a fun twist to learning new words.

The important thing to keep in mind, however, is to understand that communication is more than simply learning how to speak or use correct grammar. It is just as important to help your child develop effective listening skills as well.

“Engage children in listening exercises. We often forget that language is both receptive and expressive… It is essential that children are listening, receiving accurately and processing effectively what they hear,” explains Scholastic.com.

Overall, the best advantage you can give your child is to understand that their earliest years give the greatest opportunity for communication advancement. Utilize those years by maximizing their exposure to language learning opportunities from every angle.

What is immersion education?

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Immersion education is a teaching method where students learn all subjects in a target language like French, Spanish, or Mandarin. It works best when children start early, as they can easily pick up language nuances. These classrooms offer efficient learning environments with quick transitions.

Teachers who are fluent and native speakers of the target language, commit to speaking it consistently. They use the target language during instruction, transitions, outdoor play, and meal times. Teachers pay close attention to students’ needs and individual learning styles.

 

The classroom features a literacy-rich environment with pictures, labels, and meaningful visuals to support the target language throughout the day. Teachers adeptly help comprehension through non-verbal clues and smart teaching strategies.

Days are organized, routines are consistent, and key phrases and vocabulary repeat often to boost vocabulary development. Children make connections across the curriculum as the target language and English curriculum align, reinforcing concepts and ideas in both languages.

Will your child lose their English?

Research indicates that children in immersion settings perform the same or better than their non-immersion peers.

What if you don’t speak the target language at home?

Your child can still succeed and gain proficiency even if you don’t speak the target language. Homework uses songs and games to review classroom learning in a fun and engaging way. Strong communication with your child’s teacher is essential for success.

It’s all in the way we learn…Total Physical Response (TPR)

James Asher, an American professor, developed a language teaching approach known as Total Physical Response (TPR) in the 1960s. This method suggests that memory improves when linked with physical movements.

TPR-based activities help children learn language through movements. These activities complement the classroom curriculum, and are both engaging and enjoyable.

We may not always think of TPR, but many games have TPR principles built in, like “Simon Says” or “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”. For example, TPR can be applied in learning Mandarin:

TPR enhances both short-term and long-term memory. When we learn to ride a bike, we always remember how, regardless of the years that have passed. We might need a quick refresher, but the skills remain.

TPR offers several benefits, such as helping learners understand target languages and supporting long-term retention in a stress-free way. This method can teach vocabulary related to actions, classroom directions, and storytelling. Teachers plan lessons with TPR to encourage engagement and improve listening fluency. Once learners have enough listening fluency, they start speaking the target language. Below is an example of TPR in the classroom.

You can read more at Total Physical Response (TPR).

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