Although it is often said that there is no age to learn, several studies have shown that to achieve a better knowledge of the language, at least at a grammatical level, it is better to start between the ages of 8 and 10. Therefore, teaching English to children is much easier than teaching it to adults, but this does not mean that it is impossible to learn English at an older age.
Fortunately, there are many methods for learning English as an adult.
However, it is important to note that learning a language is not something you do temporarily, but is a long-term journey that you need to be involved in for a lifetime.
In this article from Fun Talk, our English language school, we are going to tell you what is the best way to learn, regardless of your age.
English levels by age: what to teach at each stage?
As we grow up, we develop different parts of our personality and cognitive abilities.
Therefore, depending on how old you are, you may approach teaching English in one way or another. In general, the earlier you start, the better and the more you will learn, so ideally you should start teaching English to children in infancy and continue studying in adulthood . However, as we have already mentioned, there are now several methods for learning English for adults that make everything easier.
Below, we explain how English levels are divided by age.
Teaching English to babies
Babies are more accustomed to paying attention to sounds, since it is at this time that the ability to speak and listen develops.
If you want your child to be bilingual, the best thing to do is to surround him/her with native speakers from an early age, so that he/she can imitate the intonation.
English classes for babies often use songs, stories, games and other sensory stimulation activities.
Teaching English to children
Once the child has gained some awareness, they begin to have more advanced cognitive skills, especially linguistic skills.
They also process information in a similar way to adults, so English classes for children focus on elements such as grammar, musicality and pronunciation. However, starting to study English during childhood or adolescence means already having certain influences from the mother tongue in terms of tonality and accent.
Teaching English to adults
Adults have longer attention spans, which allows for more intense lessons and more complex aspects of the language.
While it is true that young children have an easier time learning, adults have a higher level of education and a greater capacity for problem solving. Therefore, the best method to learn English for adults is to attend classes of English classes for adultsThey are actually the most prepared to deal with one.
However, adults are also the people who find it most difficult to attend classes, as their work life hinders their schedule.
What are the benefits of teaching English to babies?
A person who has learned English from a young age will have better pronunciation and a larger vocabulary, as they will have been more familiar with the language throughout their lives and the sounds come more naturally to them.
On the other hand, they will not have had to deal with the embarrassment that many adults suffer when trying to pronounce a foreign word correctly, so they will be more fluent when speaking.
However, this does not mean that this is the only way to learn.
As you have seen, it is possible to learn English at any age, especially now that English learning technologies are available to everyone. Different stages of life give us different advantages for learning other languages, so no matter what age you are, make the most of your strengths and get the most out of your study!