Have you ever noticed how children learn their first language? They hear it spoken all around them and slowly pick up the words or labels for the different things that are important to them – water, apple, juice, toy, ball, shoes, milk, and of course, chocolate!

To help children with early reading, their first picture books often use these familiar objects to teach them phonetic sounds and words. That’s why a lot of books start with “A for Apple” and “B for Ball” These are things that a child recognizes and understands. This cognition makes it easier to learn to read, recognize, and remember the words.

Let us extend this idea to early learning of a new language. As an example, let’s take a person who wants to learn English. When a person first starts learning, it makes sense to read words, phrases, and sentences that describe familiar things and situations. If you have never been to a circus, you may not connect with words like “clown,” “trapeze” or “acrobat.” If you have never taken a flight, terms like “check-in,” “security-check,” and “conveyor belt” may mean nothing to you.

As you start to learn and practice English, try to find learning material that is relevant to your context –words and situations that you understand and constantly use in your mother tongue or first language.

But, is relevant content enough? You also need to read and practice speaking at the right level. If you pick up text that is too difficult, you may find yourself frustrated and may want to give up. On the other hand, text that is too easy could bore you and you may not be motivated to continue. Finding text that is suited for your current level of proficiency in the language is very important.

Once you start your journey of learning through content that you can understand and enjoy, you will be on your way to second language success!