If you’re a parent who wants your child to study English, you probably want them to get as much advantage from English lessons as possible. So, you may have asked yourself, what is the best age to start teaching children English? And at what age should you start sending your child to English classes? As you can probably imagine, there are many different opinions about this.
As a teacher of English to children with more than 15 years experience and as a parent of two children myself, I have had the chance to witness first hand many children and their experiences in English learning. This is what I’ve noticed and what I feel. I hope that it can help you too as you decide the best age to start teaching English to your child or whether to start sending them to English classes.
The best age to start teaching children English is not the same for all children
You know your child better than anyone else and you know what he or she enjoys. Don’t let anyone else make the decision for you. Maybe you think that your child would enjoy a new activity learning some English, then it is the right moment. Maybe you’re not sure, in that case, don’t let anyone else pressure you. If you feel that your child wouldn’t be happy and is too shy, there’s no hurry. There is no harm in waiting a year or two to let them develop some more confidence and get used to new situations.
But a challenge isn’t always a bad thing
I quite often see children whose parents are convinced that they are too small, too shy, too naughty or just generally not able to cope with an English class. Often, once the parents have left and they are with other children of the same age and having fun, they are completely different children.
I see the most progress in my groups of really little children, of 3 and 4 years old. It’s a cliché but they really are like sponges. They pick things up so quickly without even realizing it. There really is no age that is too young to be learning English. Just make sure the class has a teacher who is used to and who likes small children and that he or she will be doing age appropriate activities. They should be completely fine.
It doesn’t matter if they’re starting later
If you never got around to enrolling your child in English classes when they were small and now think that at 10 or 11 tears old, they’re too old to be joining a course where other children started earlier, don’t worry. They are still young enough to pick things up very quickly and should catch up without any problems. Children generally are kind if there is someone who is new and needs a bit of help. This will help them fit in and they’ll soon be able to join in with the rest of the class. A good teacher should also give them a little more attention and help out where they may have gaps in their knowledge.
So what is the best age to start teaching English to children?
0-2 years old
This is a great age to start singing songs in English to your child and start looking at picture books. You can do this even if your English is not extremely advanced. At this age, your child is still learning to speak in their own language but doesn’t make any real difference between one language and another. They can pick up sounds very easily and learn to pronounce them. The more familiar they are to them, the easier it is to then speak them later. If you can find a class where you can go and learn English songs and games together with your child, that would be great. This would also be an excellent way to meet other parents who are interested in teaching their child English.
3-5 years old
At this age, your child probably speaks their own language quite well and is beginning to socialize with other children. I think that this is the perfect age to start going to English classes. Choose a class that is specifically aimed at this age group. It will have lots of singing and games that will be great fun for your child. At this age, if they are having fun, they pick up an enormous amount of vocabulary without even realizing it.
6-9 years old
Your child is probably going to school at this age and is learning or has learned to read and write. Starting an English class at this age is a great way to introduce something new and exciting to them. It will give them new horizons, new challenges and opens them to new ideas. Maybe they hadn’t realized that people speak different languages or do different things in different countries. It’s fun to learn new words and be able to speak in a different language. At this age, there are so many possibilities of things to learn and fun games to play.
10-12 years old
Elementary school is nearly at an end and, if your children haven’t learned any English there, they almost definitely will need to in the next stage of their school life. Any head start they can get on this will be a bonus as they go on. If they are already learning English at school, some extra classes will let them practice and improve on this. It’s important that the lessons continue to be fun with lots of games and activities that they enjoy. This will keep them motivated and hopefully develop a love for English that will last into their adult lives.
As you can see, there isn’t really a best time to start teaching children English. It really depends on you, your child and your personal situation. Obviously, if you start earlier, your child has more time to learn and get more practice. But this isn’t always practical and a child can benefit just as much if they start a little later. I think the most important thing is to choose a school or a teacher who have experience in teaching children and who use age appropriate methods that are fun and interesting for children. If you find a school that your child enjoys, it will be a positive experience for all of you. If you are interested in teaching English to your own kids and need advice or even a program to follow, this is something I can help you with.
I’d love to hear of your experiences, either as parents or teachers. What do you think is the best age to start learning English or another foreign language? What do you think is most important when starting? Please leave me a comment if you have any ideas that might help other parents. If you’d like to look at some of the activities I do with my classes, you can find them here. To keep up to date with new posts, teaching ideas and advice, you can follow the GoogooEnglish Facebook page. Alternatively, sign up for email updates below.