What Does Language Learning in a Language Preschool Look Like?

A child’s mind is like a sponge and absorbs everything with maximum strength! The early years of life are the best time to immerse a child in the English language!

Knowledge of foreign languages is one of the key competencies of a modern human being. Aware of this fact, parents are increasingly choosing language preschools for their children. Why? Starting language learning in preschool is the best way to equip a child with basic language skills that will pay off in the following years.

Are you considering a language preschool for your child? Are you hesitating between a bilingual or trilingual concept? Do you want to know what language learning looks like in such institutions?

What is language immersion? There are many different ways to learn languages, using a wide range of tools and materials. However, language immersion stands out among others for its effectiveness and universality. What is language immersion? It is the learning of a chosen foreign language or languages through “immersion” in it or them. Its high effectiveness primarily stems from its comprehensiveness – language immersion engages all senses, simultaneously exercising passive and active language skills, often with complete disregard for the native language.

The most effective way to completely immerse oneself in a foreign language is… to go to a country where the inhabitants use the chosen language in their daily lives for a certain period. In such a case, the language you want to learn surrounds you closely – you hear it around you in every situation, on the street, in a shop, or in a restaurant, as well as on the radio or television. You see advertisements and information in that language, and you use newspapers, menus, or timetables… Of course, not everyone can afford such language learning!

An alternative to traveling is language preschools and schools!

Language immersion and language preschools A language preschool is an institution where educators with a wide range of qualifications work. These are teachers who provide competent care for children, implement standard curricula, and teach foreign languages. The best language preschools include native speakers who guarantee maximum effectiveness in language learning.

In a language preschool or multilingual preschool, a child learns the language through immersion. In their daily life, they have contact with teachers who use only the foreign language, which is used in the institution on an equal footing with the native language. In a language preschool, the foreign language is primarily the language of instructions and communication, and in the following weeks of the child’s stay at the institution, depending on the individual predispositions and abilities of the little ones and older children, it also becomes the language of communication with teachers and other children.

Learning through play – the essence of language education in preschool Learning a language through immersion and play produces spectacular results. A child learns a living, authentic foreign language comprehensively, without extracting individual words from contexts or laboriously memorizing grammatical rules. Intensive contact with the language causes the child to start thinking in that language and directly formulating sentences in it – without going through the time-consuming process of translation, using intuitively correct word order and grammatical forms.

Play in preschool, partially or entirely conducted by native speakers, utilizes the so-called “in-between time” to familiarize the child with the language, overcome barriers, and practice effective communication. All of this takes place in the most secure and comfortable conditions for the child. Alongside language learning, children develop their social and cognitive competencies, fine and gross motor skills, and prepare themselves for starting primary school.

Multilingual preschool offerings Language preschools can operate in various systems. The most popular is the bilingual system, which means bilingual preschools. At ITSW, we raise the bar and focus on trilingualism! We are convinced that this is the optimal solution, allowing the youngest to quickly and efficiently internalize the chosen languages. Importantly, in ITSW preschool, children do not strictly learn languages – they are communication tools used within general activities and play.

Which languages are taught in language preschools? Primarily English, which can be combined with other selected languages such as French, Spanish, or Chinese. In ITSW language preschool, educational activities conducted in the chosen languages take place within three blocks throughout each day. The activities are always tailored to the children’s abilities, adjusted to their temperament.

Advantages of learning in a multilingual preschool Learning in a multilingual preschool is the safe and happy “here and now” of your child, as well as an invaluable investment in their future! A language preschool allows you to unleash your child’s full potential in the most comfortable conditions, through activities and lessons that holistically stimulate their development.

In a rapidly changing world, language skills and the ability to continuously reeducate oneself are the key to achieving desired goals and pursuing any passions. Open the doors to the world for your child as wide as possible!