You can teach your child English vocabulary at home even if you don’t speak English: set a short daily routine of 10–15 minutes, let a clear audio model provide the pronunciation, and turn practice into simple games. Your job is not to be the teacher of English — it is to be the organiser, the encourager and sometimes a fellow learner. Consistency and a relaxed atmosphere matter far more than your own level.
Your role as a parent: coach, not teacher
Many parents worry that they will “teach it wrong”. That worry often stops them from helping at all. In reality, the most useful things a parent can provide do not require any English:
- A regular time and place for practice.
- Interest: asking “What new words did you learn today?”
- Encouragement when something is difficult.
- Play: turning words into games.
- Good sources for the sounds: audio, songs, videos, apps with recorded pronunciation.
If you are unsure how a word is pronounced, do not guess — let the recording speak, and learn it together. Children love it when a parent says, “I don’t know this one either, let’s find out.” It shows that learning is normal at any age.
A 10–15 minute daily routine
Short and regular beats long and rare. A routine at the same time each day — after school snack, before dinner, or after homework — quickly becomes a habit.
- Warm-up (2 minutes): your child shows you three words from yesterday using pictures or objects around the house.
- New words (4 minutes): 3 to 8 new words from the current school unit. For each one: see the picture, hear the word, say it aloud two or three times.
- Game (4 minutes): one of the games below, mixing new and old words.
- Quick check (2 minutes): you say the Turkish word, your child says the English — then swap directions.
- Finish with praise (1 minute): name something specific: “You remembered butterfly without help!”
On busy days, even five minutes keeps the habit alive. Missing a day is fine; missing a week makes restarting harder.
Games that need no English from you
Picture hunt
Lay out picture cards (or point to objects in the room). Play the audio of a word; your child runs to the right picture. Then your child plays the word for you and you have to find it.
Label the house
Stick small notes on objects at home: door, window, table, fridge. When your child passes by, they say the word. Change the labels every week as themes change at school.
“I spy” with colours
On the way to school: “I spy something red.” Your child names the object or the colour in English. This works with shapes, numbers and animals too.
Memory cards
Make pairs of cards: one with a picture, one with the English word. Turn them face down and play a matching game. This combines pictures, words and recall in one simple activity.
Teach the parent
Ask your child to teach you five words from today’s lesson. Explaining to someone else is one of the strongest ways to strengthen memory, and children enjoy being the expert.
Keep it pressure-free
A child who feels anxious about English will avoid it. A child who enjoys it will come back on their own. Some guidelines:
- Praise effort, not only results. “You tried really hard on that long word” builds resilience.
- Avoid constant correction. Pick one thing to improve per session, at most.
- Don’t compare with siblings, classmates or cousins.
- Stop while it’s still fun. Ending on a high note makes tomorrow easier.
- Let mistakes be normal. Getting a word wrong and trying again is how memory works.
Balancing screens and offline practice
Screens can be genuinely helpful for language learning: they provide correct pronunciation, pictures and instant feedback that a non-English-speaking parent cannot easily give. But they work best as one part of a varied routine.
| Activity type | Strengths | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Learning app (short session) | Correct audio, pictures, instant feedback | New words, pronunciation, quick quizzes |
| Songs and cartoons | Fun, natural rhythm, repeated phrases | Listening, motivation |
| Card and memory games | Social, active recall, no screen | Reviewing old words |
| Labelling and “I spy” | Words in real life | Daily use, long-term memory |
| Drawing new words | Creativity, dual coding | Abstract or tricky words |
A simple balance rule: for every screen session, add one offline activity that uses the same words. Sit nearby during app practice when you can; a short “Show me what you learned” afterwards makes it social rather than solitary.
Follow the school curriculum
The easiest way to choose words is to follow what your child is learning at school. Ask for the current unit or check the coursebook, then practise those words at home. This way home practice supports the lesson instead of competing with it, and your child arrives in class already familiar with the vocabulary.
In Türkiye, the Türkiye Century Education Model (Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli) is the new curriculum being phased in from the 2024–2025 school year, so the unit or theme names may differ from what older siblings studied. Checking the current coursebook avoids confusion.
Signs that it’s working
- Your child uses English words spontaneously: “Look, a bird!”
- They recognise words in songs, cartoons or on packaging.
- They ask how to say something in English.
- They remember last week’s words without help.
These moments are worth celebrating. They show the routine is turning into real learning.
A helpful tool for Turkish-speaking families
If your family speaks Turkish, the free Let’s Speak / İngilizce Konuş app can supply the part you might find hardest: correct pronunciation. Each word has a picture, its Turkish meaning and an audio recording, organised by grade (2 to 6) and by the units and themes of the Turkish school curriculum, covering both the previous curriculum and the Maarif model. Children can hear and say words in Learn by Speaking (Konuşarak Öğren), practise in both directions in Learn Words (Kelime Öğren), and you can look up any word your child mentions — in Turkish or English — with Search (Ara).
The interface is in Turkish, it needs no account, and progress is stored only on the device. For speaking practice we recommend the Android app; the web version at speak.quansystem.com is handy for trying it out on a computer. Ten relaxed minutes a day, together, is a gift your child will keep.
Frequently asked questions
Can I help my child learn English if I don't speak English?
Yes. Your role is to create a routine, show interest and play simple games, while audio or a clear pronunciation model provides the correct sounds. Learning a few words alongside your child is a powerful motivator.
How long should a child study English vocabulary at home each day?
For primary school children, 10 to 15 minutes a day is usually enough. Short, regular sessions are far more effective than one long session at the weekend.
Should I correct my child's English pronunciation?
Gently and rarely. Let your child compare their voice with a recorded model instead of correcting every word, and praise effort more than accuracy.
Is screen time with English learning apps good for children?
Short, purposeful screen time can be useful, especially for hearing correct pronunciation. Balance it with offline activities such as games, drawing and labelling objects at home.