Children like it when their efforts are appreciated and supported by their parents. It motivates them to do better progress. 

Participate in one of our parent workshops.

Here are several things you can do to support your child and us in developing your child’s English:

Top Tips

  • Talk to your child about their English class – What did you learn today?, What did you enjoy most?, Why?, What new words did you learn?, What was difficult or easy? Be positive and encouraging!
  • Check your child’s Language Learning notebook and ask them about what they have written.
  • Check your child does homework regularly, but please don’t do it for them! Homework usually reinforces work done in class, so your child should be able to do it independently.
  • Reading stories in English together is a great way to improve vocabulary and structures. Some books come with CDs, but if not, don’t worry if you don’t have a perfect accent – the important thing is that you and your child enjoy the experience. (Examples on last page)
  • Encourage your child to watch films and TV programmes in English.
  • For more information about how to support your child’s learning, please visit Learn English Parents.
  • Useful links
  • Learning Hub - check your emails for log in details!  (Log in: FR + student no. / Password: LearningHub1 or click Lost/change password)
  • Learn English Kids has lots of free online games, songs, stories and activities for children to have fun and learn English too.
  • Learn English Kids YouTube - traditional nursery rhymes, stories from LearnEnglish Kids, website for children around the world who are learning English as a second or foreign language.
  • CBeebies is the BBC's site for pre-school age children. There are stories, games, songs and activities to print.
  • National Geographic Kids helps you learn about world cultures and animals. There are lots of cartoons, fun and games too.
  • Super Simple produces songs, videos and resources which are created by experienced educators to meet the needs of young learners and those who teach them.
  • Storyline - Popular children's stories read by famous actors, with related activities.
  • Sesame Street Podcast - Vocabulary building videos from the children's TV series Sesame Street.
  • Poptropica - Follow instructions to explore different islands. Complete missions, solve mysteries, and read digital books and comics.
  • Eslkidslab - Teaching materials, resources for children, materials for kids, preschool & primary school, parents and teacher of English, games and activities for ESL ...
  • The Grammar Gorillas is a great game for practising grammar.
  • Storynory is a large collection of stories to listen to. Great for older children.
  • UK's Museums and Galleries - Show Me is a collection of the best online resources and games from the UK's museums.

Top tips  

  • Talk to your child about their English class – What did you learn today? What was your favourite part of the lesson? Why? What new words did you learn? What was difficult? What was easy?
  • Check your child’s Language Learning notebook and ask them about what they have written.
  • Check your child does homework regularly - but please don’t do it for them!
  • Use the British Council Learn English Teens website. On here you will find many activities, videos and exercises directly linked to the magazine and content of the classes.
  • Encourage your child to read in English – this will help with sentence structure and enrich his/her vocabulary, as well as giving your child the opportunity to explore the world of books. Look for graded readers at your child’s level. And of course, support their participation in our “Reading Challenge”.
  • Encourage your child to watch films and TV programmes in English.
  • Consider encouraging your child to enter one of our British Council competitions. For example, our Creative Writing competition will start in March! 

British Council Apps 

Improve your English with our fun and exciting learning apps! Designed for all the family, our games, podcasts, videos and quizzes will help you learn English at home or on the move.

Useful websites 

  • Learn English Teens - a British Council site with lots of free stories, videos, podcasts and activities for teenagers to have fun and learn English too.
  • National Geographic Kids - information about world cultures and animals. There are lots of cartoons, fun and games too. More suitable for younger collège students.
  • UK's Museums and Galleries - Show Me  - a collection of the best online resources and games from the UK's museums.
  • Lyrics Training - For teens who love to learn through music and songs. 
  • Teen Ink - By teens for teens, to write stories, share work, and rate the work of others.  
  • How Stuff Works - An encyclopaedia for kids who are interested in science. 
  • Short Stories - For teens who want to enrich their vocabulary.
  • Cambridge English Activities can be filtered by level and time they will take. 
  • Many Things Quizzes, word games and puzzles for older, more serious teens.
  • News in Levels - Bite-size news stories at various levels to suit all learners. 
  • Ted Ed - For higher level learners, talks and lessons on many topics. 
  • Kahoot Quizzes on any language point or topic if you just search. 
  • Quizlet - Perfect for self-study of vocabulary items.

Top tips  

  • Talk to your child about their English class – What did you learn today? What was your favourite part of the lesson? Why? What new words did you learn? What was difficult? What was easy?
  • Check your child’s Language Learning notebook and ask them about what they have written.
  • Check your child does homework regularly - but please don’t do it for them!
  • Use the British Council Learn English Teens website. On here you will find many activities, videos and exercises directly linked to the magazine and content of the classes.
  • Encourage your child to read in English – this will help with sentence structure and enrich his/her vocabulary, as well as giving your child the opportunity to explore the world of books. Look for graded readers at your child’s level.
  • Encourage your child to watch films and TV programmes in English. 
  • Consider encouraging your child to enter one of our British Council competitions. For example, our Public Speaking Competition and Essay Writing competition will both take place after the holiday. 

British Council Apps 

Improve your English with our fun and exciting learning apps! Designed for all the family, our games, podcasts, videos and quizzes will help you learn English at home or on the move.

Useful websites

We encourage you to come along to our regular Parent Workshops. 

Top Tips

  • Speak to your child in English as often as possible to develop and maintain their relationship with the language.
  • Encourage your child to read for pleasure and help them find books they enjoy.
  • Read with your child and ask questions about the books, the characters and the plot.
  • Record new words and expressions they come across and use these in conversation.
  • Ask questions about the literature books they are reading in class.
  • Ask to see their Portfolio of work, in which they keep their finished work.
  • Help them prepare for their spelling test.
  • Familiarise yourself with the Learning Objectives for your child’s level on the Parent Portal and think about how best you can support them.

Suggestions for Reading by Age

The following websites contain suggestions for books for children of different ages. Our top picks of books for each level can be found on the appropriate Learning Objectives document on the Parent Portal.

Useful Internet sites

Studying in the UK

Books on Language Learning and Bilingualism

Learn more about bilingualism with the websites and books below:

  • www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual
  • A Parents' and Teachers' Guide to Bilingualism, Multilingual Matters, Baker, Colin (1993)
  • The Bilingual Experience, De Jong, Eveline, Cambridge University Press  (1986)
  • Children’s Minds, Donaldson, Margaret, Fontana (1978)
  • Life with two languages: An Introduction to Bilingualism, Grosjean, François, Harvard University Press (1982), 
  • Bilingual: Life and Reality, Grosjean, François, Harvard University Press (2010)
  • The Bilingual Family – A Handbook for Parents, Harding, Edith and Riley, Philip, Cambridge University Press (1986)
  • 7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child, Steiner Naomi and Hayes Susan, Amacom (2008) 
  • Raising a Bilingual Child, Zurer, Barbara, Living Languages, Pearson (2008)

The following sites are useful to help your child prepare for the exams:

Below are some suggestions and resources for you to share with your child.

We also encourage you to come along to our regular Parent Workshops. More information about these and about your child’s course can be found on our Parent Portal.

Learners also have access to a wealth of material on their course website.

To improve your academic language…

Test your knowledge of the most common words in Academic English with the following websites:

Or here, organised by subject area:

Practise new vocabulary by noting and practising new academic words on a flashcard app like: https://quizlet.com/en-gb

To improve your academic reading …

Learn strategies for academic reading at www.writingcenter.unc.edu/esl/resources/academic-reading-strategies/

Discover how to read critically:

Read articles that interest you and are linked to your future subject from this free database of academic articles: www.doaj.org/

To improve your academic speaking and listening …

Listen to podcasts and lectures from the following sources:

Attend British Council events advertised here: www.britishcouncil.fr/en/events

To help prepare for IELTS…

Explore the format of the test here: www.ielts.org/about-the-test/sample-test-questions

To help choose a university and a career path…

Books

  • English for Everyone - Junior 5 Words a Day ; Learn and Practise 1,000 English Words, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, 9780241439425
  • Mes premières comptines en anglais, Séverine Cordier, Grund, Mes Premiers Livres Sonores, 9782324011085
  • Don't Worry, Little Crab, Chris Haughton, Walker books Ltd, 9781406399042
  • Moose's Book Bus, Inga Moore, Walker books Ltd, 9781406385694
  • Spot Goes to the Farm, Eric Hill, Penguin random house children's UK, 9780141340845
  • Bee Makes Tea, Lesley Sims, Usborne publishing Ltd, 9781409550501
  • Three Billy Goats Gruff, Campbell Books, Pan Macmillan, 9781529052299
  • Today Is Monday, Eric Carle, World of Eric Carle, 9780698115637
  • Learning English magazine (3-5 yr olds)

Films & Series

  • Learning time with Timmy series -The British Council and Academy Award®-winning Aardman animation studios bring you Learning Time with Timmy. This innovative learning experience includes courses, apps and a video series to help children aged two to six learn English.
  • Number blocks -  British children's CGI-animated television series. The show teaches counting and maths concepts with playful characters and songs.
  • Word Party - American CGI-animated children's television series. The vocabulary-building program features five young animals who love to sing.
  • Peppa Pig - The show revolves around Peppa, a young female pig and her family and friends. 

Books

  • English for Everyone - Junior Beginner's Course; Look, Listen and Learn, 9780241415047
  • Qui sera le champion en anglais ? My happy 7 families game, 9782035935021
  • Will You Be My Friend?, Sam McBratney, 9781406351606
  • The Hospital Dog, Julia Donaldson, 9781509868322
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Dr. Seuss, 9780593434383
  • Spider!, Alison Steadman, 9781444933505
  • Paddington, Michael Bond, 9780007256556
  • We Love Underpants! Three Pants-tastic Books in One!, 9781398500129
  • The Slightly Annoying Elephant, David Walliams, 9780007581863
  • The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, 9781509830398
  • Learning English magazine (6-8 yr olds)
  • Learning English magazine (9-11 yr olds)

Films & Series

  • On Netflix watch in English with subtitles in English too!
  • Notre planète is a documentary about the natural world. 
  • Matilda lives at home with her parents and brother, who do not appreciate her. When her teacher is mean to her and a kind-hearted teacher, she uses her telekinetic powers.
  • Canvas - an animated film about a grieving grandfather struggles to reclaim his passion for painting after suffering a loss and finds the inspiration to create again.
  • Carmen Sandiego is a master thief who uses her skills for good. She travels the world foiling evil plans - with help from her savvy sidekicks.
  • Lost in space is a sci-fi series following the adventures of a family of space colonists whose spaceship veers off course.
  • Julie & the Phantoms - Julie lost her passion for music when she lost her mom. But when three ghostly guys appear and lift her spirits, they decide to start a band together.

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