This is a collaboration post
At some point during your child’s educational journey, they will start to learn a modern foreign language. This is usually Spanish, French, Italian or German, or a combination of more than one of these. As parent, you’re probably wondering how you can help your child with this aspect of their learning, especially if you don’t speak the language yourself. I have teamed up with a preparatory school in Richmond to offer you some advice.
You don’t have to be an expert in any subject in order to help your child perform well. It’s all about providing them with the right resources and encouraging them with a positive, optimistic outlook. For instance, you could encourage them to stick labels all around the house with the names of different objects in their chosen language. This will help them develop their vocabulary which they can then develop into sentences when they become more proficient.
You might also need to buy them some suitable workbooks that will help them with their reading and writing skills. There are also lots of free resources online and interactive apps that they can download onto their smartphone or tablet and play anywhere. Allow them to have their friends round to help them study, so they can practise their speaking and pronunciation skills together.
If your child is struggling, you might be able to find a language class in your local town that they can join. Alternatively, a private tutor is also an option, but this will be quite costly. The school may have some free after school or lunch clubs that will be just a beneficial so be sure to do your research before you make a final decision.
Encourage your child to practise their language skills little and often, as they will be more likely to remember it than if they spend two hours practising once a week. Praise them when you see that they are putting in a lot of effort and don’t be too hard on them if they don’t get the grades they need; this will only pile on the pressure and they’ll likely struggle even more.