Teaching Your Child English from Zero: An 8-Week Plan with a Free PDF Book
Many children start English with no prior knowledge at all. Here is a practical plan for building their foundations at home from zero: 15 minutes a day for 8 weeks, with a clear order for what to teach each week, and a free printable foundations book.
- Suitable age
- 5 to 7 years (and older children, at a faster pace)
- Suggested time
- 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for 8 weeks
- What you need
- The free foundations book (PDF), a printer and coloring pencils
- the core principles of starting English from zero.
- an 8-week plan: what to teach each week.
- a 15-minute daily routine.
- signs of progress, and common mistakes to avoid.
The Principles of Good Foundations
- Listening before speaking: your child hears a word many times before being asked to say it.
- Speaking before reading: children read words easily when they already know how they sound and what they mean.
- Sounds before names, for reading: children read with letter sounds, as we explain in What Is Phonics?
- A little every day: a short daily session does more than a long weekly one.
- Play and movement: at this age children learn more from songs, games and movement than from explanations.
The 8-Week Plan
Each week of the plan is a unit of the Kitabcom book: one topic, its words, a few letter sounds and a value.
| Week | Topic | Some of its words | Letter sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greetings and friends | boy, girl, friend, teacher | s a t p |
| 2 | Family | mom, dad, brother, sister | i n m d |
| 3 | The school bag | bag, book, pen, pencil | g o c k |
| 4 | The classroom | desk, chair, door, floor | e u r |
| 5 | Colors and shapes | red, blue, yellow, green | h b f |
| 6 | Numbers and days | one, two, three, four | l j v |
| 7 | The body | head, eyes, ears, nose | w x y |
| 8 | Toys | ball, car, doll, plane | z q |
Why this order? The topics start with what’s closest to the child: themselves and their friends, then family, then school. And the letter sounds are ordered so your child can read short words from the very first week, like sat and tap.
The Daily Routine: 15 Minutes
| Time | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 3 minutes | A song | The alphabet song or the unit’s chant, with actions. |
| 4 minutes | A letter sound | A new sound from the week’s letters, or a review of an earlier one. |
| 4 minutes | Words | Two or three words from the week’s topic, with pictures and audio. |
| 4 minutes | A game or dialogue | A short game, or a question and answer like What’s your name? |
On the fifth day of each week: review what your child has learned, and do one sheet from the free worksheets.
Signs of Progress
| After… | Your child can usually: |
|---|---|
| Two weeks | Greet and say their name in English, and knows 8 letter sounds. |
| 4 weeks | Name family members and school supplies, and read words like sat and pin. |
| 8 weeks | Know about 70 words and all 26 letter sounds, and read short words and simple sentences. |
Every child learns at their own pace. If your child needs longer on a unit, give them an extra week without worrying.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Instead |
|---|---|
| Teaching all 26 letters in one week | Three or four sounds a week. |
| Translating every word into Arabic | Link each word to a picture or the real thing. |
| Starting with writing before speaking | Your child hears, says and understands first, then writes. |
| A long, tiring session | 15 minutes, ending while your child still wants more. |
| Correcting every pronunciation mistake | Calmly repeat the word correctly, and praise the effort. |
Download the Book
For the first 100 words with pictures and audio: 100 English Words for Kids. And for what children learn at school: Grade 1 English.
Start today with week 1 of the plan: the alphabet song and two greetings. Just 15 minutes.
The same plan works for a whole term: one unit a week, and a worksheet on Thursday.
Summary
- Foundations start with listening and speaking, then letter sounds, then reading and writing.
- Fifteen regular minutes a day do more than two hours once a week.
- Each week has one topic, a few words, and three or four letter sounds.
- After 8 weeks, a child knows about 70 words and all the letter sounds, and reads short words.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should I start teaching my child English?
Songs and words can start at 3 or 4. The full plan in this article, with sounds and reading, suits ages 5 to 7.
Should we start with writing or speaking?
Start with listening and speaking. Your child hears a word, says it and understands it first, then learns letter sounds, then reads and writes. Writing too early tires children and dampens their interest.
I don’t speak English well. Can I still teach my child?
Yes. Every word and sound in the Kitabcom book and on this site is recorded clearly, and at the bottom of every page in the book, the Parents’ Corner explains what to do step by step.
My child is nine and hasn’t learned English. Does the plan suit them?
Yes, in the same order but faster: one unit every three or four days instead of a full week, with an earlier focus on reading and writing.
