Enrolling your child in an after-school English program is a great first step to strengthening their language skills and building their confidence. Challenging projects, team-work, and independent exercises that target reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary are all excellent tools to help your child learn English faster.
However, genuine fluency in a second language also requires regular practise outside of class time. That’s why after-school activities like organized sports, arts and crafts projects at home, and even watching TV can all play an important role in effective language acquisition.
Here are a few of our top after-school activity recommendations, and how they help kids practise and apply the English language skills they develop at Little Mountain Learning Academy.
Sign Your Child up for a Sports Team or Arts Program
Whether your child loves athletics, music, painting, or theatre, there are plenty of after-school activities in Vancouver that can help them tap into their interests and practise English at the same time.
If your child wants to get active and join a local sports team, for example, signing them up for swimming lessons, karate, or – a Canadian favourite – a hockey team can be a great way for them to socialize with other English-speakers while pursuing their passion.
Your child will improve comprehension skills by listening to the coach’s instructions, pick up new vocabulary specific to their sport, and enhance English fluency by playing and talking with teammates.
It’s a fun and healthy way to add even more after school English language learning to your child’s weekly routine!
Try out a Craft that Challenges Your Child’s English Language Skills
There are also plenty of English-boosting activities kids can do at home. Crafts, for example, help kids express themselves, develop their creativity, and practise the English they learned in their after school English program in Vancouver.
Encourage your child to practise their language skills by writing a short story, or by designing their very own comic book. Or, give them some craft supplies and see what wild ideas they come up with!
Here are a few project ideas you could suggest:
• Make a bird feeder and then write down which birds come to visit
• Write an alternate ending to a movie
• Change the lyrics in a popular English song to make it funny
• Create a family scrapbook with captions in English to explain each photo
TV, Comic Books & Video Games Can Support English Language Learning
Relaxation time watching TV, flipping through a comic book, or playing a video game might not at first seem like useful opportunities to learn English. However, research shows that these activities can actually help kids improve their understanding of vocabulary, structure, and syntax.
In fact, in a poll of hundreds of ESL learners, 82% of respondents said that watching a TV show helped them learn English. Another 79% said that movies were a helpful part of their language learning routine, while more than half reported that video games and comic books helped them learn English.
Part of the reason why these activities are so helpful is that all three combine pictures with either text or spoken dialogue, which means that children and teens can build meaning and new understanding using several senses at once. For example, if your child doesn’t understand a new word by reading it, the images on the screen or page will help fill in the blanks.
Using multiple senses like sight, hearing, and touch can also help kids construct new cognitive connections while they learn, which makes information easier for their brains to remember later on.
Are you looking for the after-school English academy for kids in your area?
Give us a call at 604-221-2363 to learn more about our programs!
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