Helen Doron Learning Centre Szeged

FAQ

You may quickly and easily learn about our language school’s strategies for assisting your child in learning the language as well as the specifics that are crucial to their growth by using the FAQs, which assist you in finding answers to frequently asked questions.

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Is it too early to learn a language at a young age?

We begin learning our mother tongue as soon as we are born; in fact, certain research indicates that language proficiency begins to develop even before birth.

Consider a family in, say, Switzerland, where it is normal for the father to speak French or Italian and the mother to speak German to her child.

Do they ever consider the possibility that their child learning two languages at such a young age would be premature? No.

By the age of six, a young child can naturally acquire any language—even multiple languages at once—easily, effortlessly, and at a level comparable to that of a native speaker. This is the foundation of the Helen Doron technique.

Will frequent English pronunciation affect my child's native-language development?

Indeed, some parents fear that early language instruction may affect a child’s speech development. But what they don’t know is that in the first six years of a child’s life, they can pick up any language without an accent.

Whereas perfect Hungarian pronunciation is learned primarily from your parents and your environment, English pronunciation is learned from the sounds in our curriculum and from our excellent teachers.

A key element of the method is regular daily listening to audio, which creates an artificial (but well-functioning) native language environment, ensuring that the child is exposed to English every day and thus acquires perfect English pronunciation.

Will my child mix the two languages?

A kid primarily associates a language to individuals and locations.

They become accustomed to speaking to people in Hungarian at home, in kindergarten, or at school, as well as to responding to queries in Hungarian. They also become accustomed to hearing solely English at our language school and responding to questions in English.

So children always answer in the language in which the question was asked.

It makes sense that in the early stages of learning a language, a youngster who does not have a large enough vocabulary in one language may replace terms they cannot recall with words from the other language. However, this eventually goes away as their language skills advance.

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Is my child able to listen for 45 minutes during the sessions?

Of course, we know that young children have a very short attention span, meaning they can only focus on one thing for a few minutes, so we have adapted the sessions to their age and ability.

We focus the youngest children’s attention on one task for 3-4 minutes at the beginning and then try to keep them occupied with a different task.

We expect that the method maintains the child’s attention by purposefully alternating between kinesthetic (i.e., ‘kinesthetic’ e.g., singing-dancing, show-and-tell, run-and-get) and sedative (i.e.,’sedentary’ e.g., sketching, puzzles, board games) tasks.

Do parents need to speak English to enrol their child?

Of course not. Since parents can be present in the classroom up to the age of 3-4, they can not only encourage and support their child, but also follow the curriculum and the child’s progress.

Older children, who are used to our language school and the classroom environment, are more able to listen to our teachers if parents wait for them in the common room.

Parents’ only “job” is to give their children the opportunity to listen to the daily audio material, whether it is in the bathroom, in the car or during dinner.

Is it possible to go further into the material students have studied in this course?

Our aim is for the child to have as much exposure to English as possible and to develop a love of the language.

Our students receive a Kangi Club access code, which gives them access to the website of the same name, where they can play a variety of online English games and practise what they have learned in class.

In order to become acquainted with the language, they will also have access to stories, music (via Helen Doron Song Club on YouTube), phone apps, and a number of forums.

But of course, we’re not obsessed with all this: when friends give the signal, it’s off to the playground and fun!

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After a few years of education, what level will my child reach in English?

While we do keep all parents updated about this, we think that what matters most to parents is how quickly their kid can apply the English words they learn to everyday situations rather than how many words they will learn in a day, month, or year.

Since the Helen Doron approach is a mother tongue approach, we will start our sessions with your child speaking to us ONLY in English.

We never translate words or sentences into Hungarian and even when someone asks a question in Hungarian, we respond in English.

Therefore, it quickly becomes natural for your child that “the teacher only speaks and understands English”, so he or she is forced to speak English.

You will notice results right away because in the first few years we solely teach spoken language. Additionally, situational tasks like shopping or restaurant ordering are added to the regular curriculum.

This way your child will be able to deal with everyday communication situations without any problems.

From grade 3, students in our language school are eligible to take the Cambridge Young Learners Exams (Starters > Movers > Flyers).

Although there is no stakes, the Young Learners Exams are a great boost to their confidence.

Students over the age of 14 will reach the level equivalent to the intermediate level (B2) in grades 8-9, provided they have started Helen Doron language classes at least at pre-school age.

Is this good preparation for English lessons in primary school?

Not just preparation, much more!

If your kid begins instruction with us in the preschool years, by the time they are in grades 6-7, they will be able to take the Cambridge Children’s English exam, which is the equivalent of the A2-B1 level.

That is why we recommend that if your child starts learning a language with us, they may want to choose a second foreign language when they start school.

Our experience shows that children who have studied English with us learn a second foreign language more easily, quickly and naturally at school.

In addition, because your child will receive lots of positive reinforcement and encouragement here at the Helen Doron Language School, they will have a sense of achievement in their language learning and will be more likely to speak a second foreign language with confidence.

My child is less successful in English lessons at primary school. Can this method help to motivate him to learn the language?

The most common problem in elementary schools is overcrowding in classrooms, and unfortunately, this often results in ‘frontal’ learning because there’s limited resources and facilities available.

In school, there aren’t many opportunities to practice speaking, engage in engaging and varied tasks, or receive positive feedback.

Helen Doron sessions assist youngsters overcome fears by providing a caring environment, lots of play, and encouragement.

A 45-minute class, in groups of four to eight kids, provides your child with lots of opportunity and inspiration to express themselves verbally. Your child is going to get used to speaking in a foreign language.

What are the benefits of listening to audio on a regular basis?

You are giving your child an artificial mother tongue environment by listening to the curriculum audio content on a daily basis. This has numerous advantages:

Every day, it sounds like a “nanny” is speaking to your youngster in English.
Because the audio content is only spoken, sung, and sung in native English, your child can acquire the language accent-free.
Without your child realizing it, they are picking up the phrases, set vocabulary, language patterns, vocabulary, and intonation that they hear on a daily basis.
When compared to children who do not use audio material, the lessons are absorbed more quickly and more permanently.