5 Tips To Improve Your Child’s English-Speaking Skills

You go to a formal gathering and see people speaking English; you walk into an office and see people negotiating deals in English; you go in for a meeting and see people communicating in English. You find people speaking in English in every corner of the world. 

So, you want your child to be fluent in English and effectively communicate in English. Building your child’s vocabulary is the first step of learning any language. 

But “how” is where you get stuck. 

English speaking skills is not difficult to learn, but it must be taught using correct techniques and practiced daily. Here are some tips to improve your child’s English-speaking skills. 

1. Read in English 

We all remember several stories by heart from our childhood – stories that our mothers used to read to us at bedtime. We still remember many phrases from those stories even though we haven’t read them for ages. This is because these stories were interesting; we connected with the characters, and we might have visualized these characters coming to life through the language and the phrases used. 

Read to your child in English. This will help them develop their vocabulary without being required to learn words actively. Use books that have many illustrations to get children interested and engaged in the storytelling process. 

Developing a reading habit is an important asset for children. If your child can read on their own, encourage them to read aloud English books. You can also try audio books because children learn to speak faster when they hear the language in its spoken form. Also, anything spoken aloud is internalized by our subconscious minds more easily. 

Recommended reading: 23 Fun Vocabulary Building Activities For Kids

Recommended reading: Boost Your Child’s Vocabulary with Flashcards: A Guide to Effective Learning

2. Expose children to spoken English 

There is a major difference between teaching your child something and exposing your child to something. Whenever you think of teaching something, it automatically goes back to lecturing or turning pages of a textbook, mugging it up, and then meeting the expectation of delivering it correctly after learning. Whereas exposing your child to something will allow them to learn naturally, at their own pace and without fear of being judged if they make mistakes. So, expose your child to hear English being spoken. 

Hearing the language repeatedly will help them build their vocabulary, understand how to speak the language and learn the pronunciations correctly. Technology has made doing this simple. Technology makes it simple for us to transition between languages. Get your child access to audiobooks, get them to command Alexa in English and hear it respond in English, let them watch cartoons and educational videos in English. As they hear English more and more, they will eventually start speaking the language themselves. 

3. Practice English in a stress-free way

When practicing speaking in English, ensure you have a relaxed body language. This will help the child know that you are comfortable and happy with what they are saying. 

Don’t interrupt when they are speaking. Don’t stress your child to give long answers or form long sentences. Even if they are giving a single word or short answers, that is fine. Don’t stop your child while speaking to correct them, as it will affect their fluency and confidence. Save mistakes for later. Also, always have a growth mindset when talking about mistakes.

It could also be helpful to consider incorporating fun and engaging activities that naturally promote the use of English. For example, you could use storytelling sessions, where you and your child take turns telling parts of a story. This not only improves vocabulary but also enhances creative thinking. 

If you’re looking for more structured support, speech therapy as a part of the MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy services can go a long way to helping your children’s English speech development.

4. Make English-speaking fun

Encourage light-hearted and fun conversations in English. For instance, show different emotions on your face – make a happy face, a sad face, a grumpy face and sleepy face, then ask your child to talk about your emotions, and weave stories around the emotions. Use your imagination and identify opportunities for such fun conversations. 

Kids learn naturally from things and incidents in their surroundings. Be creative and plan speaking activities. For instance, when traveling, have small conversations with your child, “That car’s red!” or “I can see three buses!” 

Experts like Debra Mercora, Superintendent recommend a more project-based approach as opposed to lecturing children. A project-based approach gets your them involved in whatever they’re learning. This is even more important when you’re teaching a language, as children learn by doing, acting, and speaking.

So, think of what your child enjoys doing and then talk in English when doing such activities. Sing with your child. Interactive activities help children engage better when learning and enhance their speaking skills. Get crafty. Children love painting, making crafts, pasting stickers. Engage in these activities with your child and talk to your child in English during the activity.

Children learn fast through free play. Combine speaking in English when playing to improve child’s English-speaking skills. For instance, you can talk to the playthings in English or role-play in English. 

5. Practice English speaking daily

Children spend the majority of their time at home. In actuality, parents are their first teachers. Children engage in a lot of conversations when they are at home. So try to speak in English when doing household chores, playing with your child, planning a trip, or giving instructions to your child. This will help children understand that speaking in English is as natural as speaking in their mother tongue and build their confidence to speak in English in social settings as well. Motivate them at every step. 

Moreover, it’s no secret that kids and even adults are likely to improve their English skills the most by interacting with people in a country where English is the primary language. Your child will also benefit from spending time in a country where English is the first or one of the main spoken languages. Examples of countries include the UK, the United States, South Africa, and dozens of other nations. A family holiday to such a nation, or even looking at tours for students for high school-age children, can be a fantastic and exciting idea.

Before you go, if you are looking for resources to build your child’s English skills, check out the links below.

Print-at-home flashcards

English worksheets for Preschool

English worksheets for Nursery

English worksheets for Kindergarten