What’s a number two? When you’re potty training it’s that thing you definitely don’t want to end up on the floor, the one it’s the hardest to train and the smelliest. Poo. ( less commonly in the UK, poop) With children you can ask, do you need a poo? Do you want to go numberContinue reading “English for parents – number two”
Tag Archives: speaking to children
English for parents – Dad and Papa
The majority of English native speakers call their father Dad, or Daddy, and there’s not a lot of variation wherever people live in the English speaking world. Papa is beginning to become more fashionable with new Dads, who think it’s softer and more friendly than Dad. Like Mum and Mama, Dad and Papa are thoughtContinue reading “English for parents – Dad and Papa”
English for parents – mum, mom, mam
It is true for almost every language in the whole world that the word for mother starts with a ma or mu sound. (Apart from the Georgian language, but there must be an exception) In most of Britain Mum is commonly used, and younger children say Mummy. In Wales, Northern England and Ireland Mam isContinue reading “English for parents – mum, mom, mam”
English for parents – fast asleep
Miffy’s parents are so lucky. Miffy always falls asleep at the end of every adventure they have. But, on the other hand there’s no book called Miffy Stays Awake All Night, so maybe I shouldn’t judge. At the end of every book, Miffy is fast asleep and her parents take her home. She was fastContinue reading “English for parents – fast asleep”
English for parents – open up and shut up
Open up! Shut up! These are not opposites. No. Nope. Nuh-uh. But they have very subtle differences depending on who is speaking. A parent can ask their child to “open up” and brush their teeth. But a dentist would say “open wide”. You can knock on a door and shout “open up” if you’re angryContinue reading “English for parents – open up and shut up”
English for parents – brush your teeth
The phrases that strikes fear into toddlers and parents alike: Brush your teeth. We say brush your teeth, open up*, don’t forget the back ones, a bit more, finished! Many books, songs and videos cover this very important learning point. My absolute favourite is Elmo’s Brushy Brush song. If you can understand the words theContinue reading “English for parents – brush your teeth”
English for parents – leave it alone
You know toddlers, those little darlings aged 2-3 years old, who love to prod, poke, touch, thump and lick everything, put it in their mouths and, sometimes, spit it out again. You know parents, they are the ones constantly saying; Leave it alone! Don’t touch it! Stop it! And apologising. A lot. Leave it alone.Continue reading “English for parents – leave it alone”
English for parents – Clean up or Tidy up?
I’m a big believer in consistency, especially around children. I think if you are going to teach them something you should use the same word for it every time. Especially around toilet training time – it’s no good telling your kid to pee one day and the next day telling him to wee. How willContinue reading “English for parents – Clean up or Tidy up?”
English for parents – Come on and Hurry up
I probably use these two phrases about nine hundred times a day. Come on, put your socks on now. Hurry up, we’re waiting. Come on, let’s go. Hurry up! Come on – used for telling someone to hurry. Hurry up – telling someone to do something more quickly. Come on and hurry up meanContinue reading “English for parents – Come on and Hurry up”
Learn English with Abigail 