Blog - Nursery Talk

The Best Approach for Children to Learn a Foreign Language – Raksha Kotecha

Research states that learning a foreign language before the age of six or seven is much easier. Little ones are like sponges they absorb new sounds and are less embarrassed about making mistakes. We at Boys & Girls Nursery work with La Jolie Ronde, an award winning world-wide provider of foreign languages, who attend our nurseries on a weekly basis. Raksha Kotecha one of their leading tutors explains their successful approach and the reasoning behind their lesson plans.

Children acquire skills which will apply to learning any foreign language.  They learn to listen, observe and imitate.  They look for clues to help them understand – they learn to interpret gesture, expression and body language and to respond within the context of the conversation. These are skills which will be invaluable at secondary school.

The transition to secondary language learning has been carefully prepared. The tutors are carefully selected and trained so that your child starts learning from the very first day by imitating the best accent possible. They encourage children to express themselves in French as much as possible and not to worry too much about making a mistake. French is used as much as possible for instructions and easy phrases. However, English is used too, as it is important for your child to understand exactly what is said and what is expected of him/her.

Children learn that they need to practise to become fluent. Practise takes many forms from the exercises, games and activities completed with the tutor, to the use of the learning CDs and activity books at home. Being actively involved means having fun and feeling confident. La Jolie Ronde is more than a club, it is an enjoyable learning experience.

The structure of each lesson involves repetition and reinforcement in order to build confidence, but new vocabulary is also introduced during every lesson. Each session is very varied with songs, games, stories for the younger ones and role-plays and drama for the older children. Emphasis is very much on spoken French.

The La Jolie Ronde method presents basic grammar through the language activities so that it is taken on board naturally as part of the process of learning to communicate. Everything is introduced through interesting and enjoyable tasks. The whole programme is tested and proven.