The importance of a strong command of English in a student’s tool kit cannot be overstated. This is especially so for foreign students studying in Singapore, like Milchelians. Many parents want to send their children to study overseas to learn English, but the child will face difficulties if they are unready to live in an English speaking society.
Whether or not the child is already in Singapore, parents can effectively support their children in building a strong English foundation. Here are some practical tips that parents can try out.
Create an English-Rich Environment. Like what we do in Milchel’s English Reading Programme (ERP), we immerse Milchelians in as much English language as possible. Constant exposure through texts, videos, and music helps students become familiar with the language’s sounds, vocabulary and sentence structure. Consequently, thus will make learning English more natural and less forced.
Encourage Reading. With as little as 20 minutes a day, students who read gain a competitive advantage over students who do not read at all. Reading consistently for shorter periods of time (e.g. 20-30 minutes a day) has been found to be better than a once-a-week reading session of 2 hours each. Space out your child’s reading schedule throughout the week. It is also very important that you discuss the books with your child. This practice will help improve their vocabulary and comprehension. Moreover, this stimulates their imagination and critical thinking. Remember: Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to reading.
Practice Writing. Encourage your child to write regularly. Though it’s no longer popular among children and teens nowadays, keeping a journal is a good practice for students who want to improve their command of the English language. Slowly, they will become comfortable and gain confidence in their daily journal writing. Later on, this comfort and confidence will translate in writing more complex texts like essays and reports.
It is important to start small when building an environment for your child aimed at building strong English foundation. “Small and steady, slow and incremental” is the formula you could follow. It would be unrealistic to expect immense improvement in your child’s English standard in a short amount of time. Like in any other goals, consistent effort and patience will pay off in helping your child achieve their goals to achieve a good command of the English language.