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Welcome to Small World Languages! We are a language school in Cheshire, Connecticut focused on providing early language exposure to children, with options for all ages! Research supports the benefits of learning a foreign language and that these benefits are magnified in young children. Some of the many benefits include enhanced cultural understanding, communication skills, problem solving, academic achievement, ease of learning additional languages, and more. At Small World Languages, we offer:
– Language Classes for Pre-K to Grade 5
– Canta Y Baila Conmigo® Spanish Parent/Toddler classes
– Parent/toddler Baby Sign Language classes
– Private / semi-private lessons and tutoring for all ages – even adults!
–After School Programs
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Our unique curriculum has been designed by a combination of experienced preschool and middle school teachers, fluent foreign language speakers, and professionals with degrees in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction. Each eight week session is designed with three concepts specific to Small World Languages:
Enough Structure So That YOU Know What to Expect.
Congratulations! You’ve read all the research, heard about all the benefits, and have signed your child up for lessons in a foreign language. But you don’t speak the language. How can you assess whether-or-not investing your hard-earned dollars in your child and this class was actually beneficial?
Each eight-week session has a specific set of basic vocabulary and practical phrases that our instructors will address. We will equip you with simple take-home materials so that you can help reinforce what your child has learned. This basic structure and set of materials allows both the instructor and the parent to assess the student’s progress at any point during the session. Who knows, maybe you’ll even pick up some new words and phrases for yourself!
But Not Too Much Structure For THEM.
Sitting and memorizing vocabulary? Yawwwwnn. Fixed and rigid lesson plans? No thanks! At Small World Languages, we know children learn best when they are engaged, active, and curious. Our sessions are taught using a variety of activities, games, songs and dance, storytelling, art activities, and sometimes even fun video clips. And while each instructor and class addresses the same basic principles each session, no two classes are alike. Our teachers are trained to adjust their approaches based on the interests and dynamics of their students. So while a Friday class may love using crayons and markers to explore foreign words for colors, the Saturday class may be more interested in building towers with colorful blocks, playing Twister, or signing songs. What we teach is structured – how we teach it is not.
While Immersing Them In Language And Fun!
Most importantly, we design our activities to make learning a second language fun and natural. We want our students to be excited for and interested in each new class while also remaining engaged during at-home reinforcement. When they are laughing, playing, and being creative, they won’t even realize they’re learning something that is supposed to be challenging.
While we identify the benefits of full immersion foreign language learning, our methods are based on an approach that we term ‘sandwich immersion.’ This means that during a class, the instructor will regularly direct students or ask questions in the foreign language, then English, and then again in the foreign language. Sandwiching the English and the foreign language together provides a context for the students to associate the new phrases they just heard.
If having fun in another language isn’t enough for you, check out our Research & Benefits pages for information on why you should make this investment in your child.
Still unsure? Consider that our unique Refund Policy means that while your child has much to gain from our classes, you have nothing to lose.