Moms and Bilingual Children
How and when should a child begin to learn a foreign language? We all pose this question to ourselves … When is not the most important factor, but rather what type of instruction should be chosen. Children are already born quite perceptive, and it is therefore best to begin learning as soon as possible.
Not in vain is it said, “What you learn in youth, you’ll find in old age.”.
For most children, standard instruction of a foreign language can mean an inadequate, stressful burden, among others, an insensitive attitude can even cause a child’s aversion to the foreign language. Pedagogues and psychologists therefore strive to develop as suitable methods as possible for children and adults, which aid the effective process of learning and the practical use of a foreign language.
Light Point language school has prepared courses designed for moms and dads with children on maternity leave; furthermore for parents who want to be a part of the education of their children and are interested in learning how to teach their children a foreign language.
We’ve prepared two types of courses for moms on maternity leave:
Moms with kids up to three years of age
ENG/GER/SPA for moms on maternity leave – the course is focused above all on the improvement of the language abilities of the mothers, while the child plays and totters about in the same area where the course takes place.
Hocus and Lotus is for children up to three years of age – the course is focused on the instruction of children through the presence of one of the parents. Instruction is carried out with the help of performed scenes, songs, video recordings and other activities. For this type of course, you can choose from five international languages: English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian.
Hocus and Lotus for kids from three years of age
The course Hocus and Lotus for children from three years of age takes place without the accompaniment of the parents. Instruction is carried out through performed scenes, songs, video recordings and other activities. For this type of course, you can choose from five international languages: English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian. Parents have the possibility of purchasing all the teaching materials, which can subsequently be used at home with children to learn the subject.
Hocus & Lotus
Hocus and Lotus is an innovative teaching method, which we would like to present to you. Its author is a psychologist, prof. Traute Taeschner of the Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza,” who conceived and scientifically verified this new method of foreign language instruction for children from ages three to ten. The methodology is certified in more than 120 Italian schools and grammar schools, and currently taught by more than 4,000 lecturers throughout all of Europe.
This method builds on psycholinguistic studies focused on monitoring the acquisition of children’s first language. It includes an innovative theoretical concept of a psychological substance such as narration (the telling of a story), showing emotion in speech, correct communication, using facial expressions, voice intonation, perspective focus, actions and gesticulations, which comprise the character of multilingual products and means of class activities.
Every story must have a main character. This method of tuition revolves around two main characters, those being Hocus and Lotus. Hocus (a male) and Lotus (a female) are dinodiles, or rather dinosaur-crocodile figures, who lead children through the entire story. Individual stories are composed in such a way so as to expose children to various life situations. The stories are designed for children in a fun way with the usage of the most often utilized forms of speech, presented through short songs. Each story lasts about five minutes and is accompanied not only by music and passages, but also by visual aids through animated fairy tales.
How does instruction proceed?
The instruction of a foreign language designed for children up to three years of age proceeds with the presence of the parents, who actively partake in all activities. Children ages three and older attend the course without their parents. The process of the course is non-traditional in that it is not only concerned with “cramming in” a store of vocabulary, but also dancing, singing, acting and many other activities relating to the story at hand. In this way, children have the possibility of acting out the entire story, and therefore learn the vocabulary not by studying a text, but rather by imitation and connecting together what is actually happening. Thr most important goal of this course for children must be fun and a casual form of instruction. That means not only for kids, but for adults, too!
Hocus and Lotus materials
Do you want to find out more or visit one of our classes? Don’t hesitate to contact us by the email or phone numbers listed under our contact information.
