• How You Can Help Your Child at Home

    Parents often ask:

    "What can I do at home to help my child improve his/her English?" 

    While there is no perfect answer to this question, there are definitely some things that you should know that will help your child along the way:
     

    • Children learn English in various amounts of time; some children will learn quickly, while others will take a bit longer. This is normal and it is important to remember that learning another language takes time, patience, and support.
    • There may be a period of time when your child chooses not to/is not ready to speak in English. Please do not worry about this: he/she is listening and learning a great deal during this time and will be ready to speak soon.
    • It takes a typical English language learner (ELL) about 2-3 years to become proficient in the interpersonal language (the English used when talking to parents, friends, teachers, etc.)
    • It can take a typical ELL about 5-7 years to become proficient in academiclanguage (the English used in classrooms and textbooks). This is why it is so important to provide additional vocabulary support to ELLs in school.
    • Encourage your child to read every night (for at least 15-20 minutes); while reading, ask questions about the story such as when/where/how/why did ________ happen? What would you do if you were in this story? What do you think is the most important part of the story? What is your favorite part of the story?
    • Reading in English is important, but reading in the student's home language is important and powerful, too. Reading and writing skills in one language are helpful in developing the same skills in a second language
    • Talk to your child as much as possible about everyday happenings and encourage him/her to ask and answer questions and to share his/her opinion.
    • Encourage your child to use the public library; he/she can get a library card and will begin to discover many books/materials that he/she finds interesting.
    • Provide your child with paper, pencils, and crayons and encourage him/her to write about anything that interests him/her, then ask your child to read the writing to you.

    Parent Resources

    This is a wonderful, comprehensive website that has many skills your child can work on at home. It is age-appropriate for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade.

    http://www.english-guide.org/

    This website provides parents with information on how to help their child at home with reading and learning English.

    http://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-topics