| Re: English Improvement Ideas for my daughter
Dear Timpy,
As an English speaking family (originally from the UK), living in CH for 11 years (just outside Basel, so German speaking), with 4 children (ages 18 - @ college - UNI next year, 16 - year 10 @ school, 9 - year 3 and 7 - year 1). My children have are in the Swiss education system, except my 16 year old, who has received a Rudolf Steiner school education (so German language education).
My own experience is this; in CH schools we have always been criticised for not speaking German at home ... my husband speaks OK German (but far from perfect), my German is 'rubbish', but I do understand Swiss German! The Swiss education system on 'thinks' inside the box! But you do what is best for your child and do not punish yourself when your daughter's teacher makes comments about your child's deficiency in language skills.
My advice:
German - you child should be receiving extra help with German (extra lessons @ school), also what is really helpful is the Logopädisher Dienst (Speech therapy), this really helps with pronunciation - my children all received/receiving this through school, but your pediatrician can also help here.
English - practice is the only way, TV, books - we have always encourage our children to read in both languages (much to the annoyance of the children's school teachers) ... but let them read whatever makes then happy and they enjoy (we have a complete set of Harry Potter books, 50% in English the rest in German and sometimes a book twice, so in both languages).
All my kids speak BOTH languages at home - in fact they swap and change language in one conversation when they speak together (but only English to us, their parents - as we do not speak well-enough German for them).
But take heart, kids are so versatile ... your daughter is very young and she will master both languages, let her learn English at home with joy and play, leaving the education to her school, where she will master German and also have English classes later on.
Finally, my children all speak both languages the older two are fluent and have perfect accents in Swiss German and in English, they also speak perfect High German, but with a slight Swiss accent (so our German friends comment). They also speak very good French. My youngest, well he is learning and doing OK, he has his lessons at school, his speech therapy, his Swiss German friends and us speaking English at home and his English TV and he is Happy (which is most important).  |