How many minutes a day are enough?
In teachers' experience, about ten minutes of English practice a day is a good starting point for elementary school children. Younger children, in first and second grade, do well with five. Older children can go up to fifteen if they want to.
It is better to end practice while your child is still focused and in a good mood. Practice that stops just before it gets tiresome is practice a child is willing to come back to tomorrow.
Why does short daily practice beat one hour a week?
The first reason is memory. A new word fades quickly if a child does not meet it again. When they return to it the next day, and again a few days later, it stays. One hour a week gives one meeting, followed by six days of forgetting.
The second reason is attention. A young child learns well in the first minutes, and then focus drops. Six sessions of ten minutes are six fresh starts.
The third reason is habit. Practice that happens every day stops being something to argue about. Practice that happens once a week has to be decided on all over again each time.
| Compared | Ten minutes a day | One hour a week |
|---|---|---|
| Meetings with a new word | Several times a week | Once |