A kids English learning plan you can run at home in 15 minutes
You want your child to pick up English, but you are not a teacher and screen-time apps only go so far. This prompt has your todo.is agent build a weekly plan of short, playful activities you can do together: picture words, simple phonics, songs, games and stories, with audio for pronunciation and a printable sheet for the fridge.
The prompt
- Create an English learning plan for my child. Age: [CHILD’S AGE]. Their first language is [FIRST LANGUAGE] and their English level is [CURRENT LEVEL]. My own English is [YOUR ENGLISH LEVEL]. We have about [MINUTES PER DAY] minutes a day, [DAYS PER WEEK] days a week. They love [INTERESTS]. Plan [NUMBER OF WEEKS] weeks with a theme each week (colours, animals, food, family…). For each day give one simple activity: a game, a song or rhyme, a picture-word activity, a short story, or a phonics sound, with clear instructions for me. Add MP3 audio of the week’s words and phrases so we both hear the right pronunciation. Make a printable PDF of the plan with a picture-word sheet for each week, and send me each day’s activity on WhatsApp at [TIME].
What to change
- [CHILD’S AGE]: E.g. "5" or "8". Activities change a lot between 4 and 10.
- [FIRST LANGUAGE]: E.g. "French" or "Arabic".
- [CURRENT LEVEL]: E.g. "knows a few colours and numbers", "complete beginner", "goes to an English-speaking school".
- [YOUR ENGLISH LEVEL]: Be honest, e.g. "basic". Your agent writes simple instructions and adds audio when needed.
- [MINUTES PER DAY]: E.g. "15". Short and regular works better than long and rare for young children.
- [DAYS PER WEEK]: E.g. "5".
- [INTERESTS]: E.g. "dinosaurs, drawing, football".
- [NUMBER OF WEEKS]: E.g. "4" or "8".
- [TIME]: E.g. "17:30", after school.
Example result
- English plan for Lina, age 6
- First language French · complete beginner · 15 minutes, 5 days a week · loves dinosaurs and drawing
- Week 1: colours (with dinosaurs)
- Words: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, black, white
- Phrases: "What colour is it?" "It's green!"
- • Monday: colour hunt. Say a colour; Lina runs to touch something that colour and says "It's red!". Swap roles after 5 turns.
- • Tuesday: song. Play the colours song MP3 twice, then sing it while pointing to crayons.
- • Wednesday: draw a dinosaur. You say "A blue dinosaur with a yellow tail", Lina draws it. Then she gives you the instructions.
- • Thursday: phonics, the "r" sound. Red, run, rex. Make a growling "rrr" like a T-rex; compare it with the French r.
- • Friday: picture-word game. Cut out the 8 colour cards from the PDF and play memory. Say the word when you turn a card.
- Week 2: animals
- Words: dog, cat, bird, fish, lion, elephant, monkey, dinosaur. Phrases: "I like…", "It's big / small".
- Week 3: my body
- Song with actions (head, shoulders, knees and toes) and a "Simon says" game.
- Week 4: food
- Phrases: "I'm hungry", "Can I have…, please?" Play a pretend café with toy food.
- Tips for you
- • Speak in English only during the 15 minutes, using gestures. Don't translate every word.
- • Praise trying, not correctness. Repeat the word correctly instead of saying "no".
- • Stop while it's still fun. Ten happy minutes beat twenty tired ones.
- Progress check (end of week 4)
- Can Lina name 6 colours, 6 animals and 4 foods, and say "I like…" and "Can I have…, please?"
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your child’s age, languages, level, interests and your schedule.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp.
- Print the PDF and its picture-word sheets, and play the MP3s together during activities.
- Tell your agent how it went ("too easy", "she loved the song") and the next week adapts.
Tips for a better result
- Link English to a fixed moment, like after snack time, so it becomes a habit rather than a lesson.
- Use your child’s interests in every activity. A dinosaur that is "big and green" is far more memorable than a generic flashcard.
- If your own English is basic, let the MP3s model pronunciation and learn alongside your child. That is fine and motivating.
- Ask for a short bedtime story in English each week using the week’s words, as text and audio.
kids English learning plan: FAQ
- What is the best age to start English? Children can start at any age. Young children often pick up sounds easily, but regular, playful exposure matters more than starting age.
- How much English per day is enough for a child? Short daily sessions of 10–20 minutes work well for young children, especially when you add English songs, stories or cartoons at other times.
- I do not speak English well. Can I still help? Yes. The instructions are simple, the audio gives the right pronunciation, and your agent can add a translation in your language for every activity.
- Will my child mix up the two languages? Mixing words is a normal stage for children learning two languages and usually passes by itself. Keeping English to a clear time or activity helps.
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