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Thinking about your child’s language learning? Here is some food for thought…

It’s interesting to consider what your school’s language learning strategy is, what their LOTE (Languages other than English) objectives are and whether they have considered some of the aspects listed below in providing a program to inspire little linguists?

Economic aspects: how are bilingual programs / LOTE study financed and resourced (time/people/money); which governmental institutions have a role to play and what support can they provide; how will bilingualism and LOTE study be financed in the future; which language/country to choose as your target language/cultural connection; language learning policy in education – between states and nationally; the benefits of language for career, business and communication.

Political aspects: the politics of bilingualism in Australian and beyond; election campaigns and bilingualism; immigration and bilingualism.

“So what did you do in language club today, darling?”

“Nothing” says your child, as you bundle them into the car. And any further attempt to elicit any form of foreign contribution to the conversation is met with a blank stare and … silence.

I have been there myself with my own children. And I apparently did it to my German mother, particularly when I started school.

If this sounds familiar, let me assure you that the SILENT period is a perfectly normal stage in second language learning.

Over the many years that I have been teaching languages to young children in Australia and other parts of the world, I have come across many parents who wonder if they are doing the right thing by introducing their child to a second or third language….or, heaven forbid, maybe even damaging them.

The more they expect to come out of the child’s mouth, the more silent they become.

Language learning at any age can be affected by the child’s temperament and motivation but there are four defined stages of language learning.

For many children (and adults!), Maths is seen as a foreign language in itself.

So the idea of numeracy in another language and children becoming more proficient in language-based numeracy is both a challenging and an exciting opportunity. 

Integrated language and content instruction also known as content-centered or content-based language learning is an effective way for learners of other languages to develop both their second language skills and their academic skills at the same time.

In everyday life, in every language, children are confronted by numbers; from reading the time, getting on the right bus or putting coins in a meter, to buying fruit from the shop and cutting up the afternoon tea.

With our FUN teaching methods, integrating numeracy with language learning gives us an opportunity to consolidate familiar lifestyle activities and conversation with numbers.  And strenthens our little linguists’ numeracy and problem solving skills in both English and their newly acquired language.

In our language classes, our instructions, our learning outcomes, the encouragement and feedback we give are all opportunities to use numeracy examples and vocabulary and to showcase solutions to problems in the target language.

Exactly what do the kids get up to in their foreign language lessons with Fun Languages?

Although sessions may differ slightly from language to language, club to club and from week to week – depending on the lesson plan – many of the songs and games are repeated each week to consolidate the children’s memory and to build their confidence.

Each lesson builds on the previous one and our fantastic, native speaking, language teachers involve the children in many fun activities, as you’ll see below in a sample lesson outline from one of our immersion preschooler Mandarin clubs in Bendigo, Victoria.

Group storytelling, calligraphy, large dice games, tea sets, mock shops, playdough, games of hide & seek, treasure hunts, duck duck goose game, “What’s the time Mr.Wolf” game, musical cushions game, caterpillar/butterfly game, and dress ups are just some of the very engaging activities for our little linguists.  

And the kids LOVE them so much, they don’t even realise they are learning another language!