Teaching English to a Chinese speaking 5yo?

[5LittleMonkeys]

Hello all. I have a neighbor, from China, who only comes to the US twice a year for a couple of weeks. She has a 5yo son who she is trying to teach how to speak English. She said that he knows his alphabet and beginning phonics sounds but that they have stalled out because she doesn't know how to proceed. She does try to talk to him in English and tells him the names of things in English but that she is the only person he is exposed to who speaks English so there is no opportunity for immersion. She doesn't want him to speak English with a Chinese accent so she is loathe to continue teaching him herself.

 

What programs can I direct her towards to help her? She told me that she wants to get an education visa in order to put him into a private school here but that she wants him to be speaking English before she does that.

 

TIA.

[SonshineLearner]

The Japanese Kid I met (who grew up in Japan) said his lack of accent was because he learned English through listening to "Odyssey.... " from the Dobson site.... (James Dobson) And, when asking about language teaching to a small child, last year, I was told to read tons... and play games with them. :)

Also, what is the cartoon language program?? Berlitz??? They have an ESL version, I think :)

[rlugbill]

I used to teach ESL in school. Children that age will pick it up from playing with friends, from watching cartoons, etc. She can arrange playdates with kids to play. She can take him to the playground. They don't need to speak the same language to play at that age.

 

She can enroll him in some sort of class for kids that age- gymnastics or something. He will pick up some English that way.

 

And, she can get a tutor to teach him- immerse him in English.

 

But, she won't be able to teach him much herself at this age. Because at this age, the child has a certain relationship with her in Chinese and doesn't want to lose that relationship. If she starts speaking English with him, he will fear losing that relationship and won't like it.

 

However, if someone else speaks to him in only English, he will start picking it up.

 

Once he is a little older, she can teach him some Enlish using a program, but it is like teaching him math or science or something. He'll actually learn more if he just plays and learns English naturally with others. But, the combination of a couple different methods will ensure that he learns English. And at his age, he'll learn to speak it without an accent.