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Language Tutors For Kids
I was talking to a good friend of mine just now and she was telling me that she is frustrated because she can not find any language tutors or other resources that specialize in teaching small children language. My friends child is two years old, and my friend wants to get her immersed in as many languages as possible while she is still very young. They speak both Spanish and English at home, so she is trying to find a French tutor to come in and talk to the girl and tutor her in French. I said, Wow! She's so young! But my friend said that's the point. Get the child as comfortable with learning languages as possible at an early age and then she will not have to struggle with it when she gets older. Good point! So my question is, does anyone know of any websites, language tutors or other resources that specialize in teaching new languages to children? If so, please post to the forum and I will pass the info on to my friend!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by devon on
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welang.com is a website for language teachers and students. But i have not found some useful information about teach a young child online. I think it's better to teach a Child face to face.
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Permalink Reply by LoquellaGirl on
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I found a great site for kids that shows the same story in multiple languages. The text is displayed under each little story video! So cute.
It's called Book Box:
http://bookbox.com/
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Permalink Reply by Ellen ODonnell on
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I would suggest contacting the Federation of Alliances Francaises, USA, to see if there is a program in your friend's area. There are quite a few pre-school programs across the country and they sound like fun for the kids. Private tutors are very expensive and he/she would probably not be a native speaker.
Quote from site: Children's Classes
The nature and structure of children's classes varies greatly from Alliance to Alliance but all follow the same basic philosophy.
Young children, as research shows, have the mental flexibility to acquire a new language with a native or near-native accent, provided that they have native teachers as models. At the same time, children have a rather short attention span and learn best when they are actively involved in physical activities.
The teaching philosophy of the Alliance Française children's classes is based on the following precepts:
Classes are taught in French using songs, stories, and movement - that is, the entire class period is an immersion experience in the French language.
Emphasis from the outset is on comprehension - that is, students are encouraged to participate by interacting with stories, performing hand movements with songs, and acting out commands, for example, in games like "Jacques a dit..." (Simon Says).
Classes are structured to include a variety of activities so that the children are constantly stimulated and alert. For children to become engaged, classes must be fun and fast moving.
Activities are selected to appeal to different learning styles: listening to stories, coloring pictures, manipulating objects, mimicking and acting out songs, playing language games, identifying flash cards, and (for older children) learning to read and write.
Teachers are native or near-native speakers of French who enjoy working with children. This means that the children are always in contact with authentic French and excellent pronunciation, presented in a warm participatory environment.
Children's classes incorporate a wide variety of teaching materials ranging from songs and stories to flash cards, puppets, and art projects. Older children use age-appropriate French textbooks and worksheets
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P.S. Just joined so I don't know how to edit this comment but the site also says that Saturday classes are available. Good luck. Ellen
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Permalink Reply by mopsley on
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Hi,
Just a big thank you for sharing the web site BookBox. It is wonderful and a terrific help with learning French.
Mopsley
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Permalink Reply by Voces on -
At that age, exposure to the language is the way to go. You can't really "tutor" a two-year-old in a foreign language. :D If your friend wants her child to learn French, the best option would be to hire a French nanny or housekeeper who will help take care of the child and speak to the child in French. That's how children pick up languages, by being exposed to it and getting opportunities to interact with native-speaking adults through games and other language-rich activities like storytelling.
Here's a good book on the topic: http://www.thebilingualedge.com/
And here's an interview I did with the author about how to raise bilingual (multilingual) kids: 5 Ways to Create a Bilingual Home
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