Can Novakid Help Improve My Child’s Pronunciation?

Busra Yener Özkan

English teacher

Can Novakid Help Improve My Child’s Pronunciation?

Table of contents

The importance of pronunciation
Improving pronunciation with Novakid
Feedback
Teachers
25-minute lesson concept

Paying attention to pronunciation while learning English helps prevent misunderstandings and saves time that would otherwise be spent correcting the mistakes children make.
Novakid aims to improve children’s pronunciation by means of group and individual lessons.
The 25-minute lesson concept at Novakid helps children, whose attention spans are still in the development stage, stay engaged throughout the lesson.

Learning a language often feels like walking on a rocky road: sharp edges disrupt our process and make learning challenging. One of these challenges when learning English is pronunciation.

English is a language pronounced inconsistently, with many irregularities. That is because English has borrowed words from many languages such as Latin, French and Old Norse, and these borrowed words usually do not always follow the pronunciation rules of English.

For children whose native language sounds completely different from English, pronunciation can be especially challenging. This is where Novakid plays a key role in helping children develop confidence with pronunciation. Before we do this, however, we need to understand exactly why pronunciation is important in English.

The importance of pronunciation

One of the main reasons pronunciation is important in English is the abundance of sounds in it. Despite the English alphabet having only 26 letters, there are 44 different sounds to match them. This abundance of sounds means that there are many words in English with the same spelling but different pronunciations and meanings.

Are you a parent and want to share your experience?

Reach out to tell your story.

Fill in the form

One of the most common examples of this is the word “live”.

I live right next door to Harry.

Here, the word “live” is used as a verb and hence pronounced as /lɪv/.

We are reporting live from the scene of the crime.

In this example, the word “live” is used as an adverb, and because of this, pronounced as /laɪv/.

Learning the correct pronunciation of words is important to convey meaning clearly and avoid misunderstandings. Correct English pronunciation is important because:

It enables us to use English correctly: It helps us distinguish words better and avoid misunderstanding words that sound similar.
It helps with the English learning process at advanced levels: Learning pronunciation correctly from the get-go keeps us from repeating mistakes and minimises errors. It is a known fact that learning things correctly from the start is easier than correcting past mistakes.
It builds confidence: Children with clear pronunciation are more motivated to improve in other areas of English. It also encourages them to participate in class activities.
It improves listening skills: Clear pronunciation is obtained by paying attention to sounds. Particular attention to sounds is what improves a student’s listening skills.

Improving pronunciation with Novakid

Each child learns in their own unique ways. When it comes to improving pronunciation, some children might feel more comfortable with individual lessons where there are no other students in the class. Meanwhile, other children might prefer group lessons if they find the existence of peers less nerve-wracking.

Group lessons

Some children are less likely to participate in a classroom where there are no other students to confide in. Novakid gives children the option to be a part of a group of 6 and have peers to practice speaking with. These group lessons have several advantages.

Intercultural interaction: In group lessons, children have the opportunity to meet and interact with children from different cultures. This is a great opportunity not only for speaking exercises but also for learning about new cultures.

Sufficient time for practice: Parents may be concerned whether their children get enough practice during group sessions. Novakid’s speaking classes consist of no more than 6 students. This gives children the opportunity to not only have enough time to practice speaking but also to interact with other children.

Opportunity to improve social skills: Group lessons also provide children with the opportunity to come out of their shells and socialize with their peers. Children who struggle with socialization can especially benefit from group lessons.

Individual lessons

For some children, one-on-one lessons could be a better fit. The choice should be made based on not only the child’s preference but also on their needs.

Novakid’s individual lessons offer various benefits.

Tailoring the lesson to the student’s needs: The teacher is only responsible for teaching one student, and therefore is able to tailor the lesson to the student’s needs. This gives the teacher the flexibility to adjust the lesson during class and allows the student to concentrate more on the topics they find difficult.

More time to speak: While each student gets sufficient time to speak during group lessons, that time only increases in individual lessons. The mistakes made by the students are also able to be corrected sooner.

Comfortable speaking environment: Some children may not be comfortable speaking in front of their peers, therefore individual lessons can be more beneficial and effective for these students.

Feedback

Regular feedback is essential for improvement. Through clear and constructive feedback, which is given after each class, students are able to become aware of their weak areas and work on them to improve.

Teachers

Teachers are of the utmost importance for a student’s learning process. A teacher who understands a student’s needs and adapts the lesson accordingly can make a noticeable difference. At Novakid, we make sure to work with experienced teachers who always take the student’s needs into consideration.

25-minute lesson concept

In a world full of stimuli, children – whose attention spans are still developing – are most affected by the decline in attention. Taking into account that each age group has a different attention span, Novakid provides children with lessons that last 25 minutes and ensures that children are able to stay engaged throughout the lesson.

Meet Novakid!

At times, learning English can be challenging for children. Novakid helps overcome this by offering fun and engaging lessons catered to your children’s needs. Start your children’s Novakid journey today and help them step into the world of English.