Any age. You can work with a newborn or an older child. I am currently teaching RFL lessons with a 2-year-old. Her name is Maria; she is American.
How are such RFL lessons different from lessons with a mother? The child is with the mother all the time, especially at this age. There is no communication plan and no tasks with the mother.
The teacher comes to communicate with the student for a short time. With the teacher, you need to concentrate on the material in a short lesson.
The mother may be busy with other things and not talk to the child at all (or the mother is tired and has no time for conversation). The teacher does not shut up; he talks constantly.
The mother can switch and start speaking the language of society. The teacher does not do this; he speaks only in Russian.
When my little student and I are walking outside, I tell her everything: “We are going outside. Look, there is a car here.” That is, I pronounce each action. The mother may not be able to do this. Firstly, not all mothers are talkative. Secondly, she can do something else when she is with the child — for example, she pays for purchases in the supermarket, while the child just sits there passively.
This is the main difference from lessons with a mother at such a tender age.
What is better, a mother or a teacher? For learning a language, it is better to have someone who communicates with the child in Russian.
Do you need to plan a lesson with a 2-year-old? I don’t plan. I follow the child. She touches my watch or bag; I tell her “watch,” “bag.”
Although there is no plan, I still adhere to some rules that I have developed over the years of working with children, and during the time of raising my own children.
I also follow the recommendations of Alla Akishina from her book “Learning to Teach Children the Russian Language: 111 Answers to Parents’ Questions.”
Alla Akishina recommends (from pages 26-27):
Touching. Stroking, patting on the shoulder, fingering. Accompany all actions with words.
Conversation. With gentle intonations. Address the child by name. More often reproduce sounds from the baby’s repertoire, as if speaking the same language with him. Be sure to listen to the baby’s “answer” and address him again, continuing the “conversation.”
Smile. Accompany all actions with a friendly smile, especially when the child smiles at you.
Gaze. Look into the baby’s eyes, try to prolong visual contact as long as possible. If you want the baby to repeat some sounds or words after you, smile, catch his gaze, and, looking into his eyes, repeat these sounds and words.
Finger training.
Of course, this is a long-term game. We will see the result only in a few years. Now the child can only say “hello” and “goodbye,” but she says it with excellent pronunciation.
A little family history. The girl’s mother is from a French-speaking family, although she was born in the USA. She herself regrets very much that her parents did not speak French to her, and that she does not know this language. Therefore, now her grandmother also speaks French to the girl, and I speak Russian. It turns out that she is a trilingual child.
She reacts normally to switching languages, does not worry, doesn’t demand from me be keep quiet (as sometimes happens with some children). A very friendly and cheerful girl.
I cannot show photos or videos, because the parents do not allow filming. This is understandable.
Write your questions about teaching a 2-year-old, I will be happy to answer.
