ESL tools for a preschooler

[Omaha_Dave 0]

Hi all, I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

My fiance's daughter is a precious 4 year old who has a basic understanding of English. She understands words like Mother, Father, colors and numbers. By the time her Mother and I wed she will be old enough for Kindergarten here in the states.

Now as an self-confessed over-protective father (I have 2 kids of my own), I want to make her transition here as easy as possible and reduce the stress of her trying to blend in with her peers. So I am trying to find a good computer program or CD/Bookset to help her learn English. Any suggestions would be a great help as everything I am finding is geared towards Spanish speaking children.

Thanks,

Old Dog

[Mononoke28 134]

You will be amazed at how fast children adapt and learn another language. Even if she just watches a few shows like "Dora the Explorer" or "Blues Clues" she will learn so much. Once she enters kindegarten you will see that in less than a few months she will be fluent with no accent.

I came to this country when I was 13 and in 3 months I was fluent.

She'll be fine.

Diana

[MIDUVIL 34]

hello,

Don't worry for her.

I always heard about young children and their admirable skills to learn a new language.

Some teachers living on a frontier said me how they were surprised by children and how those children are able to communicate in two languages (talking at home in their mother language and talking at school in french).

And they are able to succeed without problem.

But for adults it's really more difficult, you will be surprised by the progress of this little girl.

[Omaha_Dave 0]

Thanks for the responses. I've heard the same about how quickly children pick up languages. I guess I am just a bit paranoid as I had a speech impediment as a child and I remember how cruel the kids were then, but those were different times.

Thanks again,

Old Dog

[stardusted 0]

As an ESL teacher of many years, I have to agree that television does help. I am a big fan of "Sesame Street," "Blue's Clues," "Dora the Explorer," and "The Backyardigans." There are tons of flashcards and worksheets to be found on www.edhelper.com, with a very low subscription fee. (I use this site for my youngest kids to my oldest teens.) www.abcteach.com is also great. Play English music CDs when in the car and during meals and snacks, that's great in helping kids pick up language.

[kaffy 2]

I agree with those who say don't worry about her. I moved to an English speaking country when I was 4 and learned to speak English very quickly. My parents dropped me off at kindergarten on their way to English school every morning and I picked up the language quicker than they did. But if it helps Sesame Street was my favorite show at that age.