English pronunciation for English children. English sounds for children: we read the transcription correctly. How to learn English with a child on your own - where to start

Each of us, when opening an English dictionary, came across such a phenomenon as transcription - this is a recording of the sound of a letter or word in the form of special phonetic symbols. This is a very important language element and today we will explore it together with you.

Why do children need transcription in English?

Transcription refers to phonetics. It is often found in languages Indo-European group. English transcription has its own characteristics, it conveys the word as it is read, and is necessary especially for beginners and for children studying foreign speech.

In English, words are not read the way they are written, as can be seen in Russian or Spanish. Each word of the English language, each letter combination, each diphthong or triphthong has its own characteristics, its own reading rules. It is this function that English transcription performs - to teach children to read and speak English correctly.

We work with the dictionary correctly

In one of our articles, we have already mentioned how important it is to work with a dictionary when studying a foreign speech. This is especially important for children. The dictionary represents the word in English, its translation into Russian and the transcription of this word, that is, it shows us how it is read, and, therefore, pronounced.

If we talk about Google translator, then it gives us voice pronunciation. It's also good. However, it is important for children to see the transcription of a word, read it aloud several times, remember everything visually. The child does the phonetic work himself.

The voice pronunciation of the Google translator can be traced by transcription in the dictionary, repeated after the speaker. But be sure to pay attention to the transcription signs in the dictionary! Thus, we and correctly pronounce the words. Understanding phonetics, you can read words on your own, without outside help.

Teaching children to work with English transcription

Memorize the rules of reading in English

So, let your phonetics and pronunciation lessons not be in vain. Pay attention to basic reading rules English words which have several types of syllables. But in order to understand the whole system, it is necessary to distinguish and remember only two types: an open syllable and a closed syllable.

  • open syllable must end in a vowel: stone , game , like - the vowel in the word is read in the same way as in the alphabet
  • Closed syllable must end in a consonant: cat, pen, bus - a vowel in a syllable gives a different sound, it does not correspond to the written letter.

However, it is often difficult for parents to determine how to pronounce sounds, and English language not everyone knows. The English alphabet with Russian transcription will help them with this. Although this approach to language learning cannot be called professional, but dads and moms can easily read how to pronounce sounds, and can independently convey this knowledge to children. Of course, the pronunciation of sounds by adults (not teachers) may be imperfect, but they can help kids at the initial stage of learning English.

You can download and print manuals that help you learn English on the website.

Teaching aids for learning English

Here is the English alphabet for children, which includes the transcription of sounds. Next to each letter is a picture of an animal whose name begins with one or another letter of the English alphabet. Thus, the baby learns not only the order of letters and the sounds that they represent, but also learns the simplest vocabulary.

The alphabet for children is made in a non-color format so that the child can color everything on their own, a transcription is written under each letter. The alphabet with transcription will help kids get acquainted with the English language.

You can use the alphabet as a poster: color it and hang it on the wall, use it for group activities by cutting it into cards. In general, it all depends on your imagination.

You can download the English alphabet with transcription for free here:


Black and white version of the English alphabet.

All letters of the English alphabet with transcription in Russian and English.

This alphabet is complemented by beautiful pictures of animals and objects starting with certain letters.

A poster, where each letter corresponds to a picture, can be successfully applied not only at home, but also in preschool educational institutions. With it, it is easy to work out the pronunciation of sounds with the guys and memorize the order of letters. If the kids are tired and need to be distracted, you can offer to color in a few letters and images below them.

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Cards with pictures of animals and objects, colorful images of letters can not only captivate children, but also help teachers and parents to quietly learn English together, the order of letters in it and the pronunciation of sounds. Each picture that accompanies the cards illustrates a word beginning with that letter.

Together with the guys, you can lay out the cards in order as the English alphabet suggests. In parallel, completing the task, offer the children words, expressions to memorize, hone the pronunciation of sounds.

The English language and its study require a particularly careful approach to pronunciation of words.. Separate sounds need individual staging, especially dental and labial. With them, children have the most problems. The order of the letters and knowing how they are called in the alphabet will help kids in the future to work with the dictionary and write down words from dictation.

Learn English with interest and passion, and colored cards, posters and manuals will certainly help you with this!

In addition to English lessons, I also recommend studying materials on such topics as: learning - here you can download multi-colored cards with English letters and pictures for them with words for free.

Hey, folks! In today's article, we will consider sounds in English. We will discuss how best to teach the transcription of sounds to children, what associations can be used to explain sounds, consider examples of letters and sounds in transcription.

There are 24 letters in English, but these letters can represent 46 different sounds. Almost every letter can convey several sounds. Interesting, isn't it?

Starting from the 1st or 2nd grade, the child gets himself a dictionary, where he writes down English words with translation and transcription. Then these words need to be learned. Writing a word and a translation is not so difficult, but how to explain to a child all the nuances of pronunciation of sounds in English and their spelling in transcription?

Let's try to figure it out today.

How best to learn the transcription of sounds for children

We propose to start learning English sounds with the help of rhymes and songs. They will help the child in a relaxed atmosphere to get acquainted with new letters and sounds.

The more often your child listens and pronounces letters and sounds, the faster he will remember the correct pronunciation.

Here are some video examples:

Associations can also help in learning sounds, especially if we are talking about sounds that are difficult to pronounce.

We select associations

ʊ - short [y] - very similar to the horseshoe icon.
æ - wide [e] - open your mouth wide and say "e".
ŋ - [n] - a funny sound that looks like an elephant from the cartoon "38 Parrots". You need to say "n", but "in the nose", as if you have a runny nose.
r- [r] - the English "r" is not like ours. In Russian, the tongue seems to tremble in the mouth. In English, the tongue "rolls" with its tip back toward the soft palate.
w- [y] / [v] - there is no such sound in Russian either. First, we stretch our lips, trying to say “y”, but then the lips should “spring”, as it were, without closing and returning to a smile. Remember how you say "Wow!".

ð - interdental [h].
θ - interdental [s].

To remember the last pair of sounds, the child can tell a fairy tale:

“There was a little bunny (our language). But he was very shy, so he sat in a mink (in his mouth) all the time. But one day he dared to stick the very tip of his nose out of the mink (we put the tip of the tongue between the teeth). At first he said softly [ θ ], and then loudly [ ð ].


e- narrow [e] - similar to the Russian "e" without "th". When pronunciation, we open our mouth quite a bit.
ə - deaf [e] - a deaf, slightly "stifled" sound, very short and almost indistinguishable. When you say the word "milk", for example, you pronounce approximately this sound in place of the first "o".
ɜ - middle [e] - reads like the letter "ё" in the word "ice".
j- [th] - it is very important not to confuse with the letter "J" ("jay"). In transcription, this symbol does not mean at all what the letter means.

Sound table with examples

Sound

Examples

box, table, about, black, abnormal, brother

ready, leader, dog, road, fiddle, dry

fill, fast, photo, life, left, friend

cat, key, America, school, neck, doctor

lip, look, life, late, small, play

my, milk, smell, man, him, sum

[ŋ /n]

long, song, bring, singer, win, ran

pen, peace, part, happy, help, lip

some, start, center, city, cycle

talk, tell, little, tea, water, cat

river, oven, never, view, very, visit

zoom, zebra, zip, puzzle, buzz

they, them, than, this, bathe

thick, theme, thin, myth, tenth

wool, woe, wait, well, wheel, with

Jim, Jill, June, danger, gym

add, bad, map, family, plan, narrow

bus, duck, dull, fund, love, come, luck

far, gar, palm, calm, father, garden

pin, pit, it, lip, fill, tip

leave, meel, peel, seen, neat

box, got, pot, bother, odd, often

wall, stall, talk, call, salt, raw

stood, hood, foot, loose, room

pen, bed, tent, egg, desk, end

bird, girl, first, learn, turn

If you find it difficult to understand the pronunciation of sounds, then there is transcription with simplified pronunciation rules for beginners.

Consonants in English

Consonants pronounced energetically, tensely and abruptly.

Table: Consonants

[c] cum tongue on alveoli

[h] cum tongue on the alveoli

weak [x], easy exhalation

[p] aspirated

[t] cum tongue on alveoli, aspirated

[d] cum tongue on alveoli

[k] breathy

[n] cum tongue on alveoli

[l] cum tongue on the alveoli

[r] ends tongue on alveoli but does not touch palate (no vibration)

lips "in a tube", sharply unclench, like [wa], only a single sound

interdental deaf, similar to [s] (bite your tongue a little)

interdental voiced, similar to [h] (bite your tongue a little)

[n], as if the sound comes out through the nose ([ng] "into the nose")

middle between [w] and [w]

soft [zh], almost [zh]

soft [j], almost [j], like a single sound

weak [th]

Main sounds in English

Vowels sounds divided into:

  • seven brief vowels (i, o, u, ʌ, e, ə, æ);
  • five long vowels (i:, ɑ:, ɔ:, u:, ə:);
  • eight diphthongs(eɪ, ɑɪ, ɔɪ, au, əu, uə, ɪə, ɛə);
  • and triphthongs(aiə, auə, juə, ...).
Table: Vowels

short [and], sound between [and] and [s]

short [o]

short [y], lips not in a “tube”, but slightly rounded

short [a]

short [e]

unstressed [e]

middle between [e] and [a]

long [and]

long [a]

long [o]

long [y], lips not in a “tube”, but slightly rounded

long sound between [e] and [e]

long [yu]

Conclusion

We hope that this article will help you explain to your child how to pronounce sounds correctly in English.

Pronounce words correctly, speak beautifully. To do this, you need to read, listen, speak and sing more in English. Make your English fly!

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

Teaching preschoolers (and children in grades 1-2) to read is a topic that raises so many questions that I decided not to write about it in about preschoolers, but to separate it into a separate article. So, today about the most pressing issues of teaching reading in English.

Very often, parents, remembering how they once learned the language, ask this, almost classic, question:

But what about transcription?

First, transcription does not teach reading.. And I never taught. Those who have studied transcription, confess: when reading a text in English, do you imagine it written in transcription marks? Of course not. You don't need transcription to read.

Transcription helps you learn how to pronounce an unfamiliar word. Previously, almost the only way to find out when there was no teacher nearby was a paper dictionary. Therefore, when studying the rules of reading (in the fifth grade, by the way), they immediately took transcription marks so that children could use the dictionary at home. I repeat, not for reading, for using a dictionary! But now we have a lot of various resources at our disposal. There is also a textbook with an audio application, where new words, texts, songs, etc. are voiced; there is a computer, smartphone or tablet with voiced dictionaries, and in extreme cases, almost any online dictionary provides the opportunity to listen to a new word. Children look into the paper dictionary less and less. And that's okay. This is progress.

Secondly, transcription will only confuse a small child. It can be given starting in early adolescence. In the same fifth grade, it is quite possible, although now it is no longer necessary. And imagine, a preschooler or a first-grader, who has just recently learned the Russian alphabet, is studying the English alphabet - these are already two sign systems that he must keep in mind. And here some introduce a third sign system, which is needed to decipher the second. Does it really sound difficult? Now imagine how difficult it is for a child. No, a child with a good memory, of course, will master this. But why? Everything has its time.

Why is it impossible to sign words in Russian letters?

Sometimes I see that some parents and even (horror!) colleagues sign the child under the word as it is read in Russian letters. You can't do that. Never. Generally.

Firstly, Russian letters cannot convey English sounds. When writing words in Russian letters, you yourself spoil the child's pronunciation. Which, by the way, is childhood formed most naturally.

Secondly, if the word is signed in Russian, what will the child do? That's right, he will read it. Do not remember how it is written in English, but read these same Russian letters. He will remember how the word sounds, but, having met this word in a new text, he most likely will not recognize it.

With preschoolers and younger students, learning to read begins with alphabet and sounds. AND leading role It is not the alphabet that plays, but the sounds. It is very easy to memorize the alphabet - it is enough to regularly turn on alphabetic songs to the child, which are on YouTube great multitude. But in order to start reading, the child must learn which letter of the alphabet makes which sound. To do this, the students and I (using card games, videos, TPR - about it) remember its sound for each letter of the alphabet and one or two words that begin with this sound. For example, when seeing the letter Bb, children immediately remember the ball - ball, and hence the sound /b/. At home, you can additionally listen to such phonics songs.

There are two ways to teach children to read. And the best effect will be if you use both methods at the same time.

Whole word method.

This method of teaching reading is offered by the authors of most children's textbooks. According to this method, new words are given as follows: picture + word. Children look in the textbook at pictures with words signed to them, listen, repeat after the announcer, play with cards. Typically, the teacher uses two sets of cards: picture cards and word cards. In special educational games with these cards, children remember which word fits which picture.

That is, the mechanism is this - the child does not parse the word into sounds, he correlates the visual image of the whole word with its sound (due to this, the method of whole words can be used in parallel with the study of the alphabet and sounds, without waiting until all the letters are learned). Then, seeing the studied word in the text, the child remembers how it sounds and can read it. This method is good because almost half of the words in English are exceptions that are not read according to the rules and there is simply no other way to learn these words how to remember.

Method of learning by phonics.

The whole word method alone is still not enough. In order for the child to read really well, it is better to reinforce the textbook with its method of whole words by learning to read according to the rules. To do this, phonics are used with kids from the age of 6 - these are aids where words are collected in groups, depending on which rule it is read. Listening and reading these groups of words, the child deduces reading patterns. For example, after listening, repeating after the speaker, and possibly beating the words cat-fat-mat-bat in games, most children themselves will be able to read the word sat and the like.

Usually, phoenixes are beautiful books with pictures, audio and sometimes a video application (of those that I like - Oxford Phonics World for preschoolers and Sounds Great for starters, both in 5 parts), there are also interactive programs (Starfall , Teach Your Monster to Read) and video courses (for example, the amazing course Hooked on Phonics). Some authors give phonics directly in the textbook, for example, there are phonics in the Family and Friends textbook, but they are stretched over several years (!) of study. In fact, one school year is enough to learn all the rules of reading for kids.

Gradually, when children learn how to put letters into words, you can begin to select simple books for 4-5-year-old carrier children, in which there is a huge picture and one small sentence on each page. In many of them, the vocabulary is simple and already 80 percent familiar to the students, but there is a sea of ​​\u200b\u200bdelight from such books - still, to read a whole book in English!

Like this, since kindergarten it is possible to teach a child to read in a fun and interesting way, without discouraging him from learning a transcription that is incomprehensible to him, and instill a love of reading.

I hope this article was useful for you. If you have questions or additions - please write in the comments. Good luck with your learning English!

We, adults, learn English for a long time and painfully. We are looking for a suitable way, trying to put the rules of a different linguistic system in our heads, “re-educating” our articulatory apparatus for other sounds.

It is much easier for a child to learn English from scratch: children literally absorb it! Those grammatical constructions that we diligently memorize, they instantly “absorb”. Without analysis, which they are not yet capable of, but just like that.

The child can speak both two and three languages. The main thing is to constantly deal with it. Therefore, dear adults (current and future parents), we are getting ready to raise English-speaking kids! And we will help you with this.

So, on the agenda (the table of contents of the article):

How to start learning English with a child on your own: the “immersion” technique

Recently, our whole country was conquered by a baby named Bella Devyatkina. This girl, at the age of 4, speaks 7 (besides her native) languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Arabic.

In fact, a child can master more languages, because, as Masaru Ibuka wrote in the sensational book “After three it's too late”:

“…the brain of a child can accommodate an unlimited amount of information…”

So, if in the family the mother is Russian, the father is English-speaking, and the nanny, say, is German, then the child will speak all three languages ​​​​without any difficulties. And there will be no “mixing” of languages ​​(as many skeptics say). Just a mother will have a baby for "The Forest Raised a Christmas Tree" and dad for ABC songs. 🙂

But Bella's parents are Russian! How then is this possible? It turns out that her mother spoke to her only in English since childhood(that is, the conditions for bilingualism were created artificially). After her parents noticed her interest in languages, they hired native tutors for her - and that's how the little polyglot turned out.

And this example is not the only one. Masaru Ibuka also talks about such bilingual children in his work (by the way, read this book - it is amazing).

If you you speak English very well and feel confident enough to speak only it, then no theory and articles like “how to start learning English with a child from scratch” will not need. Just speak to your baby in English. That's all.

Note: in this case, you will not be able to talk to the preschooler in Russian. Other family members speak Russian to him, but you ONLY speak English.

But What should parents do who are not so confident in their English? After all, in this case, learning according to the “immersion in the language environment” method will be impossible (unless you hire a native speaker as a nanny). We will answer this question in the article.

At what age should you start learning English with a child?

Regarding this issue, a whole discussion unfolded between teachers: when is it better to start, is it worth learning English with kids or not? Our answer is yes, it is. But the main thing is to wait until the child completes the formation process mother tongue . That is, he will have a clear sound pronunciation and a properly developed coherent speech. Since each child develops differently, it is impossible to name any exact time frame. But minimum ≈ from 2.5 years(Not earlier).

How to learn English with a child on your own - where to start?

The best thing send the child to a special language nursery if possible. Then you will not have to take on such a serious responsibility, besides, the child will have the same “separation of languages” in his mind (at home - Russian, in the nursery - English). And you yourself can support the interest and progress of the child with games, cartoons, songs, etc.

If you still want to learn English with your child on your own, then you can motivate him with an “English doll”. You get a doll (you can use a glove doll) and introduce her to the baby, saying that she does not understand anything in Russian. To communicate with the “Englishwoman”, he will have to learn a new, but very interesting language. Well, then you play with this doll, watch cartoons, learn songs and poems ... all this will be discussed below.


For example, characters from Sesame Street are perfect as a doll.

What language skills can be developed in preschoolers?

Of course, no grammar, spelling, etc. A preschool child may:

  • listen to speech,
  • speak myself
  • read (together with the parent, and then study / look at the book on their own if it interests them).

That is the child will learn all the same skills English as Russian at this age.

By the way, you don’t have to worry much about “speaking” and the correct pronunciation of English sounds. It is we, adults, who are rebuilding our articulatory apparatus after the Russian sounds familiar to us. A the child will learn the correct pronunciation much faster.

To develop this skill best to sing songs and learn Nursery Rhymes for an English-speaking announcer: children's “monkeyness” and unique children's hearing will do their job. If there are still some shortcomings, then just correct the baby, but without any complicated explanations.

We invite you to understand the English sounds yourself. Read articles:

How to teach English with children from the very beginning: 5 concrete ways

1. Watch cartoons in English with your child. Do you think he will not understand? You are mistaken 🙂 Children at this age have an incredible linguistic intuition. They may not understand the words, but the emotions in the voices of the characters and on their painted “faces” will help them, the music will help them, etc. You will be surprised, but after watching the cartoon, he may begin to repeat the words from it, sing songs.

Also use special Russian-language cartoons to learn the language.

2. “Learn” English words and phrases with him(the first word is not just taken in quotation marks). These are not lessons or training sessions. This is your daily communication with your child, during which you speak English vocabulary to him.

- Mom, look - a car!
Yes, it is indeed a car. Do you know how it would be in English? car! This is a car.

Main rules:

  • Words to be used in the context of the situation: during lunch we talk about food, while walking around the zoo - about animals, etc.
  • Accordingly, we master only those words that are associated with the current life of the child: family, colors, clothes, animals, fruits, etc.
  • Any word should immediately back up visually: for the word “dog” is a toy, a picture / photograph or a shaggy and barking dog next to you 🙂


Such a visual image will help you easily learn new words.

One more: so that the child immediately “mastered” English grammar(again in quotation marks) tell him whole sentences. After all, if you tell him individual words, he will repeat the words, and if you tell him whole sentences, he will use sentences.

– Dog!
– This is a dog!

You can also use various games, handouts (coloring books, assignments, etc.), when working with which the child will get great pleasure!

3. Learn children's songs and rhymes with him. You can find them on the sites below (or search in Yandex and Google). It is best to present the verse to the child in the form of a small “staging”, because many rhymes have a certain plot under them and are easily played out (live or on puppets).

The kid can ask to translate the verse into Russian - you translate, and then again you play the “staging” in front of him. The main rule: DO NOT ask the child to repeat after you. Your the task is to interest him in this incomprehensible language. Many children can at first just listen and listen and listen, and then suddenly start “spoofing” these verses by heart 🙂


For example, the song "Old Macdonald had a farm" is played in many different cartoons. The lyrics are .

Stages of work on the verse:

  • First, you yourself study the content of a poem or song, work out your pronunciation (sounds in words, intonation, rhythm).
  • Then you train to read it expressively and think over a visual support for the child: a performance with toys, some kind of dance ... in general, turn on your imagination!
  • Now you can submit your work to the court of the baby. After that, discuss the performance with the child: what he understood, what moment he liked the most.
  • Then invite the child to “join” your production and prepare a joint act for other family members. But for this, the baby will have to learn this rhyme (so motivation will appear).
  • You can also find (or invent) a finger or gesture game based on this rhyme. Then you can periodically offer the child to play it in any suitable situations (of course, if he wants to).

4. Read books in English with your child. You can start when he already knows individual words. Simple plots will be quite clear to children, and pictures will explain the incomprehensible.

If any book really interests him, then he will take it on his own and look at it, study it (this will create motivation to learn to read). In addition, the child will “photograph” the words with his eyes and memorize them. appearance. It turns out, your task is to interest him in reading.

Systematic learning to read begins only at the age of 4-5 according to the principle from simple to complex:

An amazing site will help you teach your child to readwww.starfall.com . For example, go to this section and learn to read words with a short sound / a / (æ) with your baby. Each sound is pronounced in a cheerful children's voice and is accompanied by an explanatory animation. Just a find!

Where can I find books to read in English:

And remember that all the same electronic book does not compare to the real, which you can touch, and then flip through with enthusiasm. So be sure to buy some colorful English books to your library!

5. Play fun games with your baby! And he will not even notice that during this game you are teaching him something. When the child is very young, organize joint games. An older “student” can be offered online games to learn English. Below you will find a list of both.

Learning English words for kids - games

The classic way to learn new vocabulary is vocabulary cards(i.e. word + translation + picture). By the way, our blog has a whole .


Examples of vocabulary cards from Lingualeo. Full list located .

But it will be even better if you create them with your child. Pick up pictures together, stick them to pieces of paper or cardboard, etc. Then, already during the preparation for the “games in English”, the child will learn something. What to do next with the cards? Here are some options:

1. Cards can be used to play mime. First, you tell the baby an English word (and show it on the card), and the child must depict this word with gestures. Then you can play “reverse” pantomime - the child (or you) depicts an animal, an action, an object that he pulled out, and the rest of the participants guess.

2. The game "Show me". Put several cards in front of the child, and then name one word from this list - the child must touch the desired card.

3. Yes-No game. You show cards and say the words right or wrong (showing a hippopotamus, say "tiger"). The child answers "Yes" or "No".


Is it a tiger? – No!!!

4. The game “What’s missing”. Lay out a row of cards (4-5 pieces). Look at them with your baby and pronounce the words. The child closes his eyes, and you remove one word. Tell me what's missing?

5. The game "Jump to ...". You lay out the cards in a vertical row on the floor and give the child the task of jumping to a word (perfect if the baby is bored).

These are just a few mechanics using cards. By turning on the fantasy, you can come up with even more variations of games. And we will go further. What other games can be used?

5. The game “Is it. …?”. You gradually draw some object, and the child tries to guess it. For example, draw half a circle, and the child wonders:

– Is it a ball? Is it the Sun?
– No, (continue to draw)
Is it an apple?
– Yes!🙂

6. Another version of the game “Is it. …?” - a card with a hole. Cut a hole in a piece of fabric (or a sheet of paper) and put it on a vocabulary card. Move the hole in the picture, and the child guesses what is hidden there.

7. Magic bag. Put in a bag miscellaneous items, and the baby takes them out and calls them. An even more interesting option: he puts his hand into the bag and guesses the contents by touch.

8. The game “Touch your…nose, leg, hand…” (generally body parts).

“Touch your mouth,” you say, and the baby touches his mouth.

9. Games will help children learn English colors easily. For example, you give him items different colors and ask them to find and select things of a certain color from them (by the way, the same task may concern words that begin with a certain letter, etc.).

10. Another example of playing with colors– “Find something…. in the room".

“Find something red in the room!”, - and the child is looking for something of the indicated color.

11. How to learn verbs. Perform some action with the baby and say what exactly you are doing:

- Fly! We are flying,” and pretend to be flying.
– “Let's sing! We are singing!” and hold an imaginary microphone in your hands.
– Jump! Jump!” and jump around the room merrily.

Don't forget about role-playing games. For example, play “shop”. The task of the child is to buy products from an English-speaking saleswoman (that's you). Before that, you remember the words and phrases that will be useful to him in the store, and then the child plays out this situation. Such a game can be cranked out with any fictitious conditions.

And be sure act out plays, fairy tales etc. For example, invite your child to make a video or film! The girls will definitely be delighted. 🙂

Useful sites. Learn English from scratch for kids: games, alphabet, videos, printables

When the child has grown up, you can invite him to play online games. Particularly when you need free time to do chores around the house.

1. Online games for kids: learn English alphabet and words

www.vocabulary.co.il

This site has already been mentioned above when it was about the game "Gallows". It has a huge number of online word games. For instance, Whack a mole game helps to repeat the alphabet in a fun way: you need to hit the letters with a hammer and collect the correct sequence of the alphabet.


We aim and hit with a hammer on the desired letter

Or the game Word paths, where children must collect words from the available letters with a certain vowel sound. As you can see, the games are designed for different ages, which means the site will help your children for many years.

www.eslgamesplus.com

Another great site with online games for kids. For example, this game, where hidden behind emoticons:

  1. verb,
  2. picture for this verb.

The challenge is to match. With each attempt, the words are voiced. Playing is a pleasure.

The game Pirate Waters Board Game also deserves special attention. First, choose a topic that is already known to the child (for example, parts of the body). Then you throw the dice (to do this, click on the image of the cube) and walk along the board. You are asked a question and you choose an answer. If it is given correctly, you roll the dice again.

If you get on a pirate - start over. In this case the child will repeat the correct construction several times while the game is running. The only drawback is that there is no voice acting for the correct answer (which would develop listening skills). Therefore, advice: for the first time, play with your child in order to:

  1. help him deal with the conditions of the game (then you can’t drag him by the ears),
  2. teach him to pronounce the correct answer on his own every time (so that the constructions are deposited in memory).

www.mes-english.com

This site also has printables (+ ability to make your own worksheets), and videos, and games. Let's focus on the games. For example, there is a great online vocabulary game. First, we go to the Vocabulary column and listen-memorize the words. Then we go to the Question and answer section and listen to the question and answer:

- What's this?
– It's a Lion!

And then in the Question only column, where you already need to answer with the baby.

supersimplelearning.com

This site also has cartoons, songs and games. For instance, interactive alphabet games which are suitable for beginners. Choose a set of letters and a level (Level 1 first).

Next, click on the letter (for example, “a”) and listen to the pronunciation of this letter (or rather, the sound, of course, but kids don’t need to know such difficulties) and the word that begins with it. All this action is supplied with a cheerful picture.


The voice acting and animation of the game are just great!

At the next level, you are asked to choose a letter from the word you heard. At the third level - only by sound.

learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org

Another super-useful site (it's not surprising - it's the British Council). For instance, word games where you need to match the word and picture. Or Trolley Dash game, where you need to quickly buy all the products from the shopping list (verified: very exciting!)

www.englishexercises.org

A large number of tasks (online and for download). For example, you need watch the video and fill in the blanks the right words (for older kids).

English language courses for elementary school students aged 7 to 9 years Englishgood will be a great addition to the school curriculum.
Classes will help children build up a basic vocabulary and, in the future, develop it, easily build sentences, and read large texts fluently. Small groups, consisting of a maximum of 8 children, contribute to a better assimilation of the material by each of them.

Why learn transcription?

V English alphabet- 26 letters, but twice as many sounds. A letter can have two or more sounds at the same time. But do not be afraid of this - a list of exercises for transcribing English words for children will help you remember how to read and pronounce certain words correctly. In order to fulfill them, each student in the English class has a separate notebook, divided into three such columns:

  1. "Word"
  2. "Transcription"
  3. "Translation".

New words are entered into it to be learned later.

What is transcription?

Transcription should be understood as certain instructions on how to read a word correctly. Most often it is enclosed in square brackets. For example, book - [‘buk]. One character stands for one sound. The characters in the transcription may differ from the letters of the alphabet, the number may also be different. Remembering these rules, as well as understanding transcription, is difficult for children at first. Our specialists understand this and in their work use non-standard methods of presenting the material, one of which is given below.

"Association" - the best transcription exercise

In learning something new, the method of associations is the best help. Here are some examples of how you can correlate sounds from transcriptions with objects familiar to children.

  • ʊ - short [y] (reminiscent of a horseshoe)
  • æ - wide [e] - open your mouth and pronounce "e" (the symbol resembles a crawling bug)
  • ŋ - [n] - you need to read “in the nose” (as we often talk when we have a runny nose)
  • ð - interdental [z]
  • θ - interdental [s]

To learn these sounds, you can read a short fairy tale: “There was a little rabbit (tongue) who was afraid of everything, so he always sat in the house (in his mouth). But one day he decided to show the tip of his nose from the house (we put the tip of the tongue between the teeth). First he uttered a quiet [θ], and then a voiced [ð].” The pronunciation rules are as follows:

  • s, d, n, t - [s], [d], [n], [t] - when pronouncing, the tongue touches the upper palate (closer to the row of teeth)
  • ɜ - medium-length [e] - pronounced like ё (remember the word "ice").

Writing exercises for transcription of English words for children

The list of exercises for transcription of English words for children, provided to our students, allows them to easily navigate the above rules and hone the correct pronunciation.

Exercise #1

Write a transcription of the vowel sounds of the following words:

  • be, feel, we, me, see, meet
  • it, is, in, ill, sit, fill, live
  • bed, pen, ten, tell
  • tie, lie, my, pie, die, life
  • man, bad, hat, lamp, fat, cat
  • day, late, tale, main, rain
  • park, mark, arm, are
  • air, chair, care, fair
  • there, where
  • here, near, mere
  • hire, fire, tire, buyer, flyer
  • our, flour, power, flower, down, town
  • her, term, bird, turn, learn
  • story, warm, door, taught, talk

Exercise #2

Write a transcription of the consonants of the following words:

  • think, thing, thin, thought, death, threat
  • sing, song, bang, long, something, going, hung, wrong
  • this, that, those, the, these, there, other, another
  • ship, shop, she, clash, sharp, shine, shame, shape
  • chess, chop, chamber, charm, charity, future
  • phone, photo, phenomenon, phantom, pharos, phase
  • knife, know, knock, knit, knight, knee, knack
  • what, where, when, wheel, whiff, whip, whim.

Exercise #3

In Russian, there are no unambiguous analogues of the English sounds [ð] and [θ], which makes it difficult for students to pronounce them (for which you need to stick out your tongue a little), due to a certain constraint. To remove this fear, learn a cute rhyme about kittens.

little kitty laps her milk,
Lap, lap, lap!
her tongue goes out,
her tongue goes in,
Lap, lap, lap!
Little kitty loves her milk,
Lap, lap, lap!
Oh, see her tongue
Go out and in
Lap, lap, lap!

In our classes, the child learns to cope with complex sounds, deal with embarrassment and experiment, and teaching methods are aimed at high performance without nerves and tears. That is why they trust us.