Teach your children English and English will teach them everything.

This is not a joke but a reality that I inferred from my teaching experience. A positive too early experience with foreign languages can help our children develop self esteem and very positive attitudes to English language learning .Motivating young learners to master the acquisitions of foreign language is the responsibility of the education ministry, the teachers and the parents. Very young learners exposed to the English language learning are equipped with greater confidence at old ages and can bring high order thinking and cognitive skills to the formal and the abstract learning that they experience later in their lives. The key to the success of our young children in the studies of foreign languages mainly English is the motivation factor. And the first step in this process of getting the child involved in the learning in general is the responsibility of the parents. Some people would argue that it is not fruitful for preschool children to be taught a second language other than their first one. And that it would be futile to introduce children to a new second or foreign language . However, recent studies proved that the first three to four years of life is the best time for a child to learn a another language. According to Jeanette Vos Ed,D, there are some important reasons for exposing children to early second language learning. For Jeanette Vos Ed.D , when people immerse themselves in a language like children, through play and exploration, they can learn a language quickly and easily. So, if parents grow their children in a well -rounded environment, they would learn to speak at least 2000 words by the time they are four years old. We would like parents to observe how their babies learn to talk proves that their children are natural learners, A baby brain will then discard the ability to speak in language he or she does not hear, (Kotulak, 1996). Our message for parents that preschool years are vital years. Ronald Kotulak, author of Inside the Brain, said that during this period and especially the first three years of life, the foundation of thinking, vision, language, attitudes, aptitudes, and other characteristics are laid down. Most parents are aware that it would be mad to let the childs natural ability to learn foreign languages go with the wind during her/his most vital years.Simply because during the first few years of life, young learners form their main learning pathway in the brain (Bloom, 1964). There are six main pathways to the brain. They include learning by sight, sound, taste ,touch, and doing ( Dryden and Vos,1997) Later in life, all individuals learnings will grow from the information gained during these years. I would like to tell our parents the famous story of the Mother-cat who took her kittens for a walk on a sunny day and suddenly a huge dog appeared in front of them and started barking. The kittens were frightened and started meowing in panic. Mother -cat, however, picked up her courage and started barking at the dog who was astonished and disappeared. The cat said to her kittens: You see children how important it is to speak foreign languages! I think we all agree that the roles of foreign languages teachers are crucial and substantial. Most people think that language learning is an enriching experience for all ages, but children have the most to gain from this wonderful adventure provided that best teachers are the ones who must instruct and scaffold the English language learning at the very beginning. A study conducted by researchers from UCLA and the University of Honk Kong however, shows that young learners with significant exposure to language in early childhood can end up speaking like a native. It is up to teachers of foreign languages to raise their students awareness and expectations about the English language learning. From my experience with teaching English and French to very young learners I concluded that introducing children to languages when they are young helps them accept the fact that bilingualism and multilingualism are normal in our world. My students got to the tradition of speaking more than one language before puberty. For them it is an element of belonging to the global society. In other words , all foreign languages teachers should be aware that exposing their children to other languages and cultures at very young age through books ,videos, songs and objects, will have the opportunity to feel comfortable growing up in a world where languages and cultures intertwines on a daily basis. Teachers should be aware to select books for their students that are about their favorite stories and songs. The selection when done appropriately will make a learner more eager to learn to read the books himself. According to a recent study done by a foreign language teacher on

classroom management for young learners , Noamen Amara opines that to maintain order and keep the group on task and moving ahead , not to stop and punish their students who are misbehaving , best teachers should anticipate when misbehaviors are likely to occur and intervene early to prevent them. The study also stated that language teachers should establish and discuss classroom rules with their students to set up the scene for a comfortable learning setting for young learners. Noamen also opines that one of the successful ways in motivation is when the teacher is resourceful and skillful enough in using pair work and group work appropriately. I recommend my colleagues to vary techniques when teaching foreign languages to very young learners using role plays this is a technique ,says Noamen to vary the pace of the lesson and to respond to the fundamental notions of variety in teaching. Teachers are advised to use the role play actively in order to motivate their students and to help the less motivated learners take part in the lesson. Parents and teachers substantial roles in motivating students to learn foreign languages should be enhanced and boosted by the educational authorities and curriculum specialists efforts and measures. Assuming that an early start to learning English is automatically better, makes the ministry of education work on providing kindergarten and primary schools with skilled language teachers and appropriate resources. The provision of well selective language materials for each grade level and the availability of teaching school tools and equipments is at the core of high motivation and engagement for our very young learners. From my experience, the results are bewitching with students being instructed through a white interactive board and internet connectivity. A classroom well equipped with what a foreign language learner needs, is a key to motivation of children acquiring the foreign languages. I know it would be very costly for the ministry to provide these tools to every school, but the implementation of these tools should be done gradually and step by step. In a decade the ministry will have provided most of the schools with the above mentioned school equipments. The ongoing expansion of English language teaching for young learners has been a notable feature of ELT in recent years and up to curriculum specialists in our country to consider implementing the latest approaches and strategies for motivation and updating school teachers for rewarding results. Finally, I would like to refer parents, teachers and education authorities to the Swedish experience with teaching foreign languages to very young learners. In Swedish schools you will find three-year olds speaking three different languages fluently (Dryden and Vos, 1997). Here in our country we can turn this dream into reality following the Swedish model and other countries with successful results in motivation and engagement. References Noamen Amara :http://teachingenglish-alexenoamen.blogspot.com/ John Dryden: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_ Dryden Kotulak,1996. Bloom s taxonomy 5 flag