Calling all italkiers! italki is turning 15 and is getting ready to celebrate all month long! Join our #italkiAnniversary to get in on the action. Do you have a great story about how you found out about italki? Maybe a favorite moment among your italki experiences? Or tell us about your whole journey on italki and how we’ve changed your language learning! Don’t be shy, come and share your story for #italkiAnniversary. We need you to hit us with your best italki stories on themes chosen every 10 days. The first round begins July 1 and lasts until July 10. We'll pick the top 15 Posts and send the winners $15 italki Credits! But wait, that’s not all! Click the link below to explore more fun on italki Lands. Add a screenshot of your italki Land to your post and improve your chances of winning a prize! 🎁 https://www.italki.com/promotion/15thanniversary

I don't have kids, but if I were a mother, I'd look for some teacher who is: - positive, kind and smiled (all the time) - patient and with full of love (ready to share it with kids) - creative and full of empathy - flexible and dynamic so that this person can entertain the young kids and/or become their friend at that same time. - not too much relax nor too much demanding (if there is some balance, the kids will definitely know where they limits are, but at the same time they are going to love this teacher). - Working experience wouldn't be essential for me, but definitely would be an advantage. - If a teacher knows my native language (Serbian, or any other language of ex Yugoslavia) that would be a huge advantage. However, if this person doesn't speak Serbian, then English would work perfectly (because in Serbia we mostly get online education through English, we watch so many scientistic programs on TV in English, etc . Let's say we get too much exposure in English).

In my experience, I have found that if you want your child to be interested in language learning, you need to be enthusiastic and involved in the language as well and they will begin to show interest. For example if your child is learning English and they see you watching films and speaking English, they will be inspired to do the same as well. Also motivating them to learn the language will give them the inspiration they need to actually get started. Self confidence is very important when it comes to language learning so by constantly motivating kids, you provide them with the self confidence that they need. It also makes a big difference to allow your child to choose the language that they want to learn, this way they will be naturally interested in learning the language compared to when they feel they’re being forced to learn a language that they are not interested in. Remember to make the learning experience fun for your child by also using online apps or online language learning games.

The way in which I improve my child’s interest in language learning is by speaking the language she’s learning with her. My daughter is currently learning French and even though I’m not fluent in French, I always make sure to speak French with her everyday using the few phrases that I know. I have found that this technique helps her to be more comfortable to speak the language daily because when I make a few mistakes intentionally and unintentionally she would giggle and correct me. This then helps her to remember certain things that she would have easily forgotten and it’s also a fun way to keep her interested in learning the language. The other strategy I use to keep my daughter interested in language learning is my helping her find entertainment within the language. I do this by listening to French music with her and even picking out a French movie which we watch together and pick out our favorite phrases. Through my experience, I have seen that this strategies help a lot when it comes to keeping a child interested in language learning. Always remember to be interactive with your little ones, it goes a long way.

Learning a foreign language is very efficient for children because it contributes to its bigger and enlarged sight of the world, it open a new world for the child and the child can discover a new culture and read the news of that different country or different area where this language is spoken. Moreover it might help the child in achieving better marks in schools if this language is thought there. Also starting to learn another language from an early age on might be beneficial because of the common belief that they are able to learn a language fastwr and easily and the child still has more time to spend with the language. It might also be able to communicate with foreigners or refugees in the country and to help and learn from them.

Time flies! We’re halfway through 2022 already! Was anyone's New Year's Resolution to master a foreign language? How are things progressing so far? Come and share with us what achievements encouraged you to keep going, or what difficulties kept you where you were. You can also sum up some useful learning tips for exchange. We'll pick the 15 most liked posts and send the winners their prizes! Cheer up! Push yourself just a little bit more – you’re almost at the finishing line!

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For students