Many parents would like to teach their children English at home, but don’t know how to start. It doesn’t matter if your own English is not perfect. The most important thing is that you give your children lots of encouragement and praise. 【小题1】 They will need some time to learn the language.

Make it a rule.

Try to do certain activities at the same time every day. 【小题2】 For example, you could read an English story with your children before bedtime. Repetition (重复) is important — children often need to hear words many times before they say them themselves.

Playing games

【小题3】 Cards are a great way to teach words and there are many different games which you can play with cards, such as Memory and Happy Families.

Using everyday situations

The advantage of teaching English at home is that you can use everyday situations to practice the language naturally. For example:

●Talk about clothes when your child is getting dressed (＂Let’s put on your blue socks＂, etc.).

●【小题4】 When you go to the supermarket, give your child a list of things to find.

Using songs

Songs are a really good way to learn new words. Songs with actions are especially good for very young children because they are able to join in. 【小题5】

Want to be successful? Write well!

Way back in 2012, Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, wrote in a blog post for Harvard Business Review that he wouldn’t hire anyone who used poor grammar. In fact, he required all applicants to take a grammar test before moving forward.

According to Wiens, he has found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing. What’s more, he believes that grammar skills indicate several other valuable traits, including learning ability, professional credibility and attention to detail.

A year later, in 2013, Grammarly reviewed 100 LinkedIn profiles (个人档案) of native English speakers and found that: Professionals with fewer grammar mistakes in their profiles earned higher positions and can get increased promotions.

So, writing well is really an essential ability that is treasured by your boss and you shouldn’t abandon.

On the other hand, writing is good for your mind and body. Writing, specifically by hand has numerous benefits for your health and well-being. For starters, it can improve your memory. When we write by hand, we have to coordinate verbal and fine movement systems. Researchers have also found that handwriting, in particular the forming of letters, is the key to not only improving your memory but also forming new ideas and learning. In fact, if you want to slow down mental aging, writing by hand is your best bet because it forces you to use more of your moving skills.

Consequently, you should improve your writing skills. The most obvious place to start is to begin writing frequently. After all, practice makes perfect. However, don’t force yourself to write daily. Instead, make this a weekly event-- allow yourself to write whatever’s on your mind.

Writing isn’t an antiquated skill best left in your school days. Written communication is—and will remain—essential.

Sarah Lynn, an educational consultant and teacher, thinks English learners can improve their ability to remember and use new words by testing themselves. She adds that self-testing improves retrieval(数据检索)--- the ability to use and remember new words.

If you are like most learners, you may have faced such a situation: You think you understand a topic. Yet when asked to use what you have learned, you are not able to remember the information. Not being able to retrieve new ideas could happen on a test or even in a conversation.

Learning takes effort. It takes effort because the learning process changes the brain, says Sarah Lynn. One way it changes the brain is by creating connections, which are called dendrites (树突）. Lynn suggests that dendrite connections are important for retrieval. There are three main ideas about how to grow dendrites and improve retrieval, making connections, using repetition and testing yourself.

Lynn is not the only expert who recommends self-testing. A paper in Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition says one benefit of testing practice is that it improves retrieval. Retrieving information once makes retrieving that information easier in the future. In addition, the paper says, when students test themselves as part of studying, they learn what they do not know. When students know what they do not understand, they can pay attention to overcoming their weaknesses. Lynn recommends that learners test themselves by getting away from what they are studying. Then, they speak something. Lynn suggests reading something or watching a video on the topic, then getting rid of the reading or audio material and summarizing it. This will allow learners to test what they know.

The benefits of such practice, Lynn says, are not just about improving your ability to remember information. By testing yourself, you can build confidence in the skills you have developed. When you test yourself, Lynn says, you will see how much progress you have made. This progress will satisfy and encourage you to do more in the future.

Next time you are studying English, try to test yourself. A simple way to test vocabulary is to create flashcards with clues on one side and the answer on the back. Another way is to use online services to create digital flashcards, through which learners can do a variety of activities based on one set of new words or information. You can match words with meanings, write a word after looking at a picture, or listen to a word and write it. You can also play games with the new words and meanings. Another way is to ask yourself questions at the end of the day, at the end of a study session, or at other times. Lynn recommends that learners ask themselves questions such as, “What did I learn today? What were those words that I thought were interesting? What was that verb tense I learned? How does it work?”

The important point is this: Effective learning takes time, effort and practice. Do not just assume that you can read something once or twice and fully understand it. Even if you highlight important points or take notes in a class, you probably do not fully understand what you learned. After all, Olympic athletes cannot learn how to swim or run just from reading a book. They have to practice swimming or running every day for years. They often compete in races to test their skills. Like those athletes, successful language learners practice as much as they can, and test themselves to improve their skills.

Self-testing is one way to improve your retrieval and inform your future course of study. Give it a try, and let us know how it works for you.