English for preschoolers: why the early years are ideal for learning English

The preschool years are a very good time to start English. Children aged two to six learn it the same way they learn their first language: by listening, copying and playing, without fear of mistakes and without a textbook. What matters is how much English your child hears every day, and in which situations. An hour once a week gives them a few songs. Daily contact with a person who speaks English with them at meals, while getting dressed and during play gives them understanding and, gradually, the confidence to speak.

On visits, parents ask us two opposite things. Some worry that English will confuse their child while they are still learning their first language. Others feel that if they do not start straight away, they will miss something for good. In this article you will find what research says and how a small child really learns a language. You will also find what you can expect after a few months and what you can do at home, even if you do not speak English yourself.

How a small child learns a language

Your child did not learn their first language from a textbook. They learned it because adults talked to them during everyday things: at bath time, getting dressed, cooking, playing on the rug. When a two-year-old points at a dog and says “woof”, Mum answers “yes, a dog, a big brown dog”. Your child hears new words exactly when the topic interests them.

Experts at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University call this principle “serve and return”. A child says, points to or does something, and the adult responds. These exchanges happen hundreds of times a day and, according to the Harvard centre, build connections in the brain that speech and social skills rest on.

A small child learns a second language the same way. When they hear “put on your shoes” every time they put their shoes on to go outside, the word “shoes” links to the shoes in their hands. Your child does not need to learn it by heart or copy it into a notebook. They remember it because they lived it.

Five reasons preschoolers pick up English naturally

1. They are not embarrassed by mistakes

An adult speaking a foreign language wonders whether the sentence was right, and would rather stay quiet. A four-year-old simply talks. They say “I want water please”, or mix Slovak and English into “daj mi more water”, and learn from people’s reactions what works. With languages, this boldness is a big advantage. Schoolchildren and adults gradually lose it.

2. Play is how they learn

For a preschooler, play is the main activity of the day. A song with actions, playing shop or a game of chase with English instructions is fun for them. They pick up new words along the way.

3. They listen closely and copy

Children of this age copy the melody of speech and pronunciation very precisely. That is why it matters that they hear the language from someone who speaks it well and talks to them naturally. A recording playing in the background teaches them little.

4. They have the time

A preschooler has no timetable and no homework. They can hear the language all day, whenever something is happening. For young children, the amount of contact with the language is what decides their progress.

5. They link the language with people they love

Your child links English with the teacher they laugh with and who comforted them when they fell over. This gives them a positive relationship with the language. They often carry it into school, where English becomes a subject with marks.

What research says about age

The most often cited study on this topic was published in 2018 in the journal Cognition. The authors, Hartshorne, Tenenbaum and Pinker from MIT and Harvard, analysed grammar tests from almost 670,000 people who had learned English at different ages. They found that the ability to learn the grammar of a foreign language stays high for a long time, into late adolescence. To reach a level close to a native speaker, however, the authors say a person also needs many years of learning. That is why people who started earlier came closer to native speakers as adults.

For parents, this means two practical things:

• If your child does not start English at exactly three, they miss nothing. The critical window does not close in childhood.
• An earlier start gives your child more years of natural contact with the language. This pays off later, especially in pronunciation and in how they “feel” the language.

The research, though, is about years and amount of contact. A child who goes to a half-hour club once a week from the age of three has around 20 hours of English behind them after a year. That is far too little to begin understanding everyday speech.

How much English your child really hears

When choosing a kindergarten or a club, a simple comparison helps. The figures in the table are a rough calculation for an ordinary school year of about 40 weeks.

Quality counts as well as quantity. English from a television left on in the background teaches a child little. They learn most from a person who talks to them and responds to what they say.

What you can realistically expect

Parents sometimes hope their child will speak English as well as their first language after three months. Small children, however, first understand a language and only start speaking much later. The usual course looks like this:

The pace varies a great deal between children. It depends on how much English your child hears each day, on their temperament and on how secure they are in their first language. A shy child may only listen for a long time and then suddenly surprise you with a whole sentence. Comparing with the neighbours’ child therefore tells you little.

Myths and facts about English for young children

“English will spoil my child’s first language.”

Research on bilingual children does not support this. Children who hear two languages generally reach speech milestones at a similar age to other children. Occasionally mixing languages in one sentence is a passing phase. We explain it in detail in Bilingual kindergarten: will my child mix up the languages?

“Let them learn their first language properly first.”

A small child’s brain can handle two languages at once. A strong first language matters, and your child gets it from the family and the world they live in. Putting off a second language “just in case” gives your child no advantage.

“English cartoons on a tablet are enough.”

A video can add variety, but a small child learns language mainly from a person who responds to them. The World Health Organization also recommends that children aged two to four spend no more than an hour a day sitting in front of a screen. Less is better.

“If we don’t speak English at home, there’s no point.”

There is a point, because your child learns English where they hear it. If they hear it all day at kindergarten, what helps most at home is a rich home language and your interest in what they did.

English in everyday situations: what it looks like

Children pick up English fastest in situations that repeat every day. Here are a few examples from an ordinary day at kindergarten:

• Morning: “Good morning. How are you today?” on arrival, while your child takes off their shoes.
• At snack time: “Would you like some water?”, “Thank you.”, “Can I have more, please?”
• Before going outside: “Put on your jacket and shoes. Let’s go outside.”
• During play: “It’s my turn, it’s your turn.”, colours, counting bricks, “Build a big tower.”
• Tidying up: the “Clean up” song, instructions like “Put it in the box.”
• When something hurts: “Are you okay? Let me help you.” Children remember sentences like these too, because they are tied to a feeling.

Because these sentences come up every day, your child understands them after a few weeks. Sooner or later they start using them on their own, often at home while playing with their soft toys.

Ten things to do at home, even if you do not speak English

1. Talk to your child in the language you know best. A rich home language is the best foundation your child can build English on. You do not have to force yourself into English.
2. Sing songs with actions together. “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” or “If You’re Happy and You Know It” link words with the body, so your child remembers them sooner.
3. Read picture books. You can “read” a simple English book by pointing at the pictures and letting your child tell you what they know.
4. Let your child teach you. Ask: “What did you say today when you went outside?” Children love playing teacher.
5. Count and name colours during ordinary things. In the car park, ask how many cars there are, then add “Two? Three?” in English. Name the colours as you hang up the washing.
6. Play shop. A soft toy is the shopkeeper who only speaks English. “Apple, please.” “Here you are.”
7. Say hello in English at home. A morning “good morning” and an evening “good night” are a small ritual your child will enjoy.
8. Ask with interest, do not test. “Which song did you sing today?” works better than “What’s the word for cat?”
9. If you put on a video, watch together. A short cartoon you talk about together brings more than an hour of watching alone.
10. Praise the effort and do not correct mistakes out loud. When your child says “I want red car”, repeat “You want the red car? Here it is.” and let them carry on playing.

What to ask when choosing a kindergarten with English

“Kindergarten with English” can mean a club once a week or English throughout the day. You will see from the price list whether English is included. On a visit, three questions are enough:

• Is English a short lesson, or does my child hear it throughout the day?
• What do you do when a child does not understand English at first?
• In which language is the preparation for Slovak primary school?

How to prepare for a visit is covered in How to choose a kindergarten: the questions worth asking on a visit. If your child is two and you are thinking about starting, Kindergarten from age 2 may also help.

How we do it at Sovička

At each Sovička kindergarten, in Kramáre, Ružinov and Vrakuňa, an English-speaking teacher will be with your child all day. They talk with your child during play, meals, drawing and getting dressed to go outside, in situations your child knows well and that come up every day. Your child does not have to learn words by heart and nobody tests them. Some children start answering in English after a few weeks, others listen for longer. If your child only listens at first, that is fine, and we will give them as much time as they need.

Slovak remains the foundation. Your child prepares for school in Slovak through our “Me and the World” programme, which is based on the Slovak state curriculum. They leave for a Slovak primary school well prepared, with English on top. You pay nothing extra for English, because it is part of the monthly fee at all three kindergartens. Once a week your child also has our speech-therapy club, Jazýček šikovníček, included in the fee, which helps with clear pronunciation in Slovak.

What a day with two languages looks like is described on our Bilingual kindergarten in Bratislava page. You will find the whole programme on our Curriculum page.

Come and talk to us, and bring your child. Book a visit at a quiet time, when the kindergarten is not busy. The head teacher will tell you how English sounds during the day, and your child can see whether they like the classroom.