Let’s take Thailand as an example, the average Thai family would not use English very often and while the parents might have some level of English, they certainly wouldn’t use this language to communicate with their children. In such an environment, a Thai student might study English one hour per day at school and this is not sufficient to gain any level of fluency and when they reach school-leaving age, their options would be limited to non-English avenues.
Start at a young age
The best solution to the English language acquisition is to enroll your child in an international school in BKK, where English is the language of instruction. Start with pre-school and by the time your son or daughter reaches secondary school, they will be fluent in English. Children are like sponges, they soak up knowledge and learning several languages simultaneously is no problem, therefore, the more you expose a child to a language, the sooner they will develop an understanding.
Speak English with your child
Kids are very flexible and if you were to suddenly switch to English at home, after a few days, your child would accept this change and then you are doing what you can to ensure they have a great future. Even if your level of English is far from perfect, speaking with your child on a daily basis will help them to understand the importance of this strange new language.
Language Exposure
Ask any linguist and they will tell you that language acquisition goes hand in hand with language exposure, so whether TV, radio or the Internet, encourage your child to listen to English channels. There are many YouTube videos for young learners of English, where the material is presented in a fun way and 30 minutes every evening is ideal.
Benefits of International Education
There are many benefits from sending your child to an international school, aside from the obvious English language acquisition, the UK or US curriculum involves active learning that uses a project-based approach, so your son or daughter would gain critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In the event a child shows leadership qualities, this will be nurtured in an international learning environment and the students leave school with all the essential skills to fulfil their potential.
Learning English Should Be Fun
This is very important; if a child is forced to learn in an academic way, this might create a dislike for the language and that would be disastrous. Play fun word games with young children and let’s not forget singing songs, which is a great way to learn any language. The best time to start speaking English with your child is the same time you introduce them to their native tongue (children can learn multiple languages).
