This Novakid article reveals why some children learn English faster than others — from personalised attention, to confidence, consistency, and cognitive style.
How to Tell If an English Course Is Right for Your Child: 5 Things to Look For
- Will My Child Have Real Opportunities to Speak?
- What Activities and Tools Will Help My Child Build Vocabulary?
- How Will the Teacher Help My Child Build Confidence when Speaking?
- Will There Be an AI Tutor for Extra Practice?
- Does the course offer extra activities to practise English between lessons?
- The Best English Course Is One That Helps Your Child Use the Language
How can you tell which course will really help your child learn to speak English? A good course should do more than teach grammar rules and introduce new vocabulary. Children need opportunities to use English in real conversations, make mistakes, build confidence and practise through activities that keep them interested.
To help parents make a more informed choice, we asked 347 Novakid English teachers to share their classroom experience. Their answers offer useful insights into what helps children learn and which questions are worth asking before choosing a course.
Takeaways
- Speaking practice: Choose a course that gives your child plenty of opportunities to speak and use English in real conversations.
- Vocabulary building: Look for flashcards, interactive games and conversation activities that help children remember and use new words.
- Confidence: Find out how teachers support shy children, encourage them to speak and help them feel comfortable making mistakes.
- Practice between lessons: Check whether the course offers extra activities, such as games, songs and videos, to keep children engaged with English at home.
- AI tools: Ask whether AI-powered activities or an AI tutor are available to give your child extra opportunities to practise speaking English.
Will My Child Have Real Opportunities to Speak?
Knowing English and using English are not quite the same thing. Children need opportunities to recall words and use them to communicate. That’s why speaking practice should be an essential part of any English course.
Our survey offers a useful reminder: 86.4% of teachers selected daily English conversation as the most helpful way to support English learning. Conversations give children a reason to use the language they are learning rather than simply recognise it.
Questions to ask
- Will my child have enough time to speak during each lesson?
- Will my child use English in real conversations?
Look for lessons where children take an active role. They should have time to answer, ask questions, describe things and talk about familiar topics.
What Activities and Tools Will Help My Child Build Vocabulary?
We asked teachers which classroom activities they considered most effective for helping children remember new words. Flashcards came first: 43.8% of teachers gave them the highest score, followed by real conversation practice at 40% and games at 39.8%.
These activities help children encounter and practise words in different ways. Flashcards connect words with images, games make repetition more engaging, and conversations encourage children to retrieve and use vocabulary when they need it.
For example, a child might first learn the word apple using a picture card, practise it in a matching game and then use it in a conversation: “I like apples.” Each activity offers another opportunity to remember the word and put it to use.
Questions to ask
- What interactive activities or games will help my child remember new words?
- Which tools are included in the course platform?
Digital flashcards, interactive games and other age-appropriate activities can make practice more engaging and give children extra opportunities to use English.
Learning can happen at home too. Watch our videos on How to have fun learning English at home, for ideas of activities you can do with your child at home
How Will the Teacher Help My Child Build Confidence when Speaking?
Some children are happy to speak English from the very first lesson. Others are shy, take longer to answer or worry about making mistakes. If your child is like this, it’s worth asking how the teacher will help them feel more comfortable speaking.
We asked Novakid teachers what reduces shyness and anxiety when speaking English, the most common answer was building trust and helping children feel comfortable, mentioned by 32.7% of teachers. Games and humour came next (25.8%), followed by familiar topics and children’s interests (25.5%) and praise and encouragement (23.6%).
So, what should you ask before choosing a course? And what kind of answers should you look for?
Questions to ask
- What do you do if my child is too shy to answer? Look for answers such as: “I’ll give them time to think”, “I’ll start with simple questions” or “I’ll use a game to help them feel more comfortable.”
- How do you encourage a child who is afraid of making mistakes? A good answer might be: “I praise their effort”, “I encourage them to try again” or “I don’t expect every answer to be perfect.”
- How do you make lessons fun for children who are reluctant to speak? The teacher might mention using humour, talking about the child’s favourite animals or games, or introducing playful activities that encourage them to join in.
These small details matter. A child who feels rushed or constantly corrected may become even more reluctant to speak. A child who is given time, encouragement and interesting things to talk about may gradually feel ready to say more.
Will There Be an AI Tutor for Extra Practice?
English practice doesn’t have to stop when a lesson ends. Some children enjoy revisiting vocabulary through digital activities, while others may be curious about using AI tools to practise simple conversations. But does AI actually help children feel more confident speaking English?
We asked teachers this exact question: “Do you think AI practice tools help, hurt, or have no effect on speaking confidence?” The answers were mostly positive. Overall, 73.2% of teachers said AI practice tools help speaking confidence. However, most saw a limited effect: 54.5% said they help a little, while 18.7% said they help a lot.
These results reflect teachers’ opinions about speaking confidence, not proof that AI automatically improves English proficiency. AI can offer an additional opportunity to practise, but it shouldn’t be treated as a replacement for meaningful conversations with teachers or other people. Read more on how AI is helping with learning English.
Questions to ask
- Does the course offer an AI tutor or AI-powered activities for extra English practice?
- How does the course balance digital practice with speaking to a real teacher?
If a course includes AI tools, find out how they are designed for children and what kind of practice they offer.
Does the course offer extra activities to practise English between lessons?
An English lesson once a week is a great starting point, but children also need opportunities to hear and use the language at other times. The more often they come across familiar words and expressions, the easier it becomes to recognise them and start using them naturally. The Novakid teacher survey confirms how valuable these everyday activities can be. 86.4% of teachers identified daily conversations in English as a useful way to support learning at home. Other activities were also considered very useful:
- English cartoons and videos: 73%
- Reading together: 64.9%
- Games: 53.9%
- Songs: 43.8%
- Educational apps: 42.9%
Questions to ask
- Will my child have access to a platform with extra English activities?
- Are there games, songs or videos they can use to practise between lessons?
When choosing a course, look at the whole learning experience, not just what happens during the lesson. Extra resources can help children revisit what they’ve learned, become more familiar with English and keep practising in a relaxed way, without feeling that they have been given more homework.
The Best English Course Is One That Helps Your Child Use the Language
The teachers in our survey highlighted the value of conversation, vocabulary activities and a supportive atmosphere. Together, these elements help children move beyond recognising English words and towards using them to communicate.
Try a free trial lesson with Novakid and see how your child responds to the learning experience and whether it feels like a good fit.
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