English has become a dominating language in all walks of life in the past few decades and it has become imperative to inculcate a culture of speaking clean English among the younger generation at a young age in this day. Parents are tasked most overwhelmingly with the burden of teaching their children English and improving both, their grammar and vocabulary. Here are a list of methods to help your child hone their English grammar and vocabulary-
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- Have them read good literature
Developing a habit of reading good literature from childhood not only goes a very long way in improving English grammar and vocabulary in a child, but also helps with developing a reading habit and general knowledge. Children should be introduced to authors like Enid Blyton, Carolyn Keene, and Agatha Christie in elementary school and J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, and Eoin Colfer in secondary school. Once a habit of reading is inculcated, the child will start gravitating towards books by themselves and will begin reading for pleasure which will continue to broaden their vocabulary and horizons.
- Lead them to watch rich online content
Documentaries, especially by platforms like BBC, are excellent ways to develop vocabulary and language. Alongside reading books, watching documentaries will help children learn the English language from context and they will soon seldom start needing a dictionary when they encounter the language. Actively acknowledging this fact will also lead them into the world of etymology of words which can be its own journey in improving English grammar and vocabulary.
- Read them stories in English
Doing bedtime reading together in English or recreational reading out loud in English can help immensely, especially when your child is a little younger and is still learning to read and write. Listening to English from a young age will always help children to develop a habit of reading, speaking, and talking in English which will inadvertently help with the child’s grammar and vocabulary.
- Buy them a copy of Wren and Martin
Wren and Martin’s High School English Grammar and Composition has been guiding students into the world of excellence in English for a few generations and working on exercises in the book along with your child will help both of you excel in the semantics of the language. This can be a weekly exercise for the family that can help everybody stay on top of their toes.
Note that there now exists a children’s illustrated edition of the Wren and Martin book on the Indian market! You can later continue the tradition by taking a jab at Norman Lewis’ Word Power Made Easy which is also used by many competitive exam takers to stay on top of their grammar and vocabulary game.
- Communicate with your child in English along with the mother tongue
Listening to English and speaking in English is an excellent way to practice grammar and vocabulary for children. Children tend to speak in regional languages with peers and in school, so teachers and parents are the only reservoirs of the English language remaining in a child’s life that can help them to keep communicating in the tongue and perfect their diction and pronunciation along with their grammar and vocabulary.
- Appreciate your child when they use clean language, good grammar, and unexpectedly excellent vocabulary
Appreciating your child for their language-related accomplishments will push them to continue working hard on improving their use of the language. Children are always encouraged by words of appreciation so it is important for parents and teachers to play such a role in relation to the child’s language-related accomplishments.
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