Best Movies for Elementary School English Study: Fun Ways to Boost Your Child's Skills

Hello there! With summer break starting, many parents are likely wondering about their child's English education. Are you looking for a more engaging and effective method than traditional academies or textbooks? Today, I'll introduce how you can naturally boost your child's English skills by leveraging movies good for elementary school English study.

Why Is Learning English with Movies So Effective?

The most crucial thing for children is to spark their interest in English. Good English movies are the best way to make English fun for kids at their level and help them naturally develop language intuition.

Learning English solely from books can quickly become tedious, but movies offer both visual and auditory stimulation, making it much easier for children to stay engaged. Furthermore, the ability to rewatch movies repeatedly is a significant advantage, allowing them to naturally absorb English expressions.

Smart Criteria for Choosing English Study Movies for Elementary Students

Not every English movie is automatically beneficial. It's crucial to carefully select content that considers your child's level and interests.

1. Difficulty Level Appropriate for Your Child

Movies with difficult dialogue or abstract expressions from the start can quickly tire out your child. Choose movies with short, clear sentences, repetitive expressions, and many visual explanations. If your child says, "I don't understand what they're saying," they'll quickly lose interest. It's best to start with easier content and gradually increase the difficulty.

2. Dialogue-Centric Content

Avoid movies that are visually spectacular but have little dialogue or difficult pronunciations. For example, movies like Despicable Me or Minions, where character language isn't clear, can actually cause confusion. It's important to choose content centered around everyday conversational dialogue. Movies with many expressions that children can actually use will provide opportunities to naturally use English in real-life situations.

3. Storylines That Inspire Interest and Immersion

For children, the key is to approach it as a "fun story" rather than "English study." Selecting movies with themes your child loves, such as animals, fairies, or superheroes, will naturally lead to immersion and enjoyable rewatching. When their favorite characters appear, children will naturally become curious, thinking, "What is this character saying?"

Recommended List: Movies Good for Elementary School English Study by Level

Naonao, a specialized English education brand, structures its curriculum into 7 levels, from Pre-Level to Level 5, based on English proficiency. Here are movies good for elementary school English study recommended for each stage.

🌱 Pre-Level ~ Level 1: Recommended for English Beginners

• Frozen: With familiar songs and simple, repetitive dialogue, it's great for introducing children to English movies. Songs like "Let it go" allow children to naturally learn English pronunciation by singing along.
• Zootopia: Its clear pronunciation and character-driven story are suitable for listening practice. The animal protagonists are entertaining, and the movie also contains social messages that provide food for thought.
• Trolls: Upbeat music and simple, repetitive sentences make it effective for mimicry practice. It carries bright and positive messages, which can positively influence children's emotions.

🌿 Level 2 ~ Level 3: For Sentence Comprehension and Expression Practice

• Coco: Children can encounter various expressions within a story filled with emotion and culture. The warm theme of family values makes it easy for children to empathize, and they can also learn about Mexican culture, killing two birds with one stone.
• Kung Fu Panda: Through its humorous and adventurous story, children can naturally learn conversational English. Po the panda's growth story is engaging, and the action scenes keep it from being boring.
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Creative and humorous sentence structures stimulate learning interest. The imaginative storyline appeals to children and can also spark scientific curiosity.

🌳 Level 4 ~ Level 5: For Enhancing Natural Conversation Skills

• The Sound of Music: With a good balance of songs and story, it's excellent for practicing advanced expressions. Although a classic, it's a family movie that children can easily understand, allowing them to learn English alongside beautiful music.
• Matilda: Through complex emotions and longer dialogues, it can improve contextual comprehension and expressive skills. As it features a smart girl who loves books, it's especially recommended for children who enjoy reading.
• Carmen Sandiego: This content includes mystery elements, which can help improve critical thinking and English comprehension simultaneously. Its adventures set in various countries also teach geography, and the English expressions used in the deductive process aid in logical thinking.

How to Effectively Use Movies for Elementary School English Study

Simply watching movies will have limited effectiveness. You need to encourage your child to engage in speaking activities.

1. Step-by-Step Subtitle Usage

• Beginner: Korean Subtitles → English Subtitles: First, understand the story with Korean subtitles, then rewatch the same movie with English subtitles to learn the English expressions.
• Intermediate: English Subtitles Only: Practice listening and reading simultaneously with English subtitles. Try to understand unfamiliar words from the context.
• Advanced: No Subtitles: This stage involves understanding the video without any subtitles. By this point, your English listening skills should have significantly improved.

It's recommended to initially use subtitles to connect dialogue with scenes for better comprehension, then gradually practice following the video without subtitles.

2. Shadowing: Mimicking Expressions

Listening to and directly mimicking dialogue from favorite scenes (shadowing) is highly effective for improving speaking skills. By imitating the voices of their favorite characters, children can naturally learn pronunciation and intonation. Create a personal "favorite lines" notebook with memorable phrases like "Just keep swimming!" or "To infinity and beyond!" for future review.

3. Scene Analysis and Character-Centric Writing Activities

"Why did this character say that?", "What's the next line in this scene?" Engaging in writing or speaking activities centered around your child's favorite characters can develop both English expression and creativity. Writing simple English diary entries about movie impressions or role-playing with friends as characters are also great methods.

Essential Tips for Parents Using English Movies

1. Encourage Child-Led Selection

Encourage your child to choose the movie themselves. Instead of you unilaterally deciding, offer a few options and let your child select. This will lead to more active participation.

2. Support Repeated Viewing

Don't worry if your child wants to watch the same movie repeatedly. Support and encourage rewatching, as it helps them discover new expressions and hear things more accurately each time.

3. Build Confidence in Making Mistakes

It's crucial to instill confidence in your child, letting them know "it's okay to make mistakes." Encourage them even if their pronunciation isn't perfect or their sentences are grammatically incorrect. Remember, English is a tool for communication, not a test subject that requires perfection.

4. Establish a Regular Viewing Habit

Watching for 30 minutes at a regular time each day is most effective. Creating a habit of watching movies at the same time daily will make it a natural routine for children, allowing them to engage with English without pressure.

How Does Naonao Connect Movies with Lessons?

Naonao goes beyond simply showing movies; it expands movie content into lesson topics.

• Using Frozen in lessons: We conduct speaking lessons on the topic "Why do people like Elsa?", allowing children to express their opinions about Elsa's charm in English, naturally enhancing their opinion-expressing skills.
• Using Kung Fu Panda in lessons: We conduct discussion lessons on "What makes a hero?", where children think about the qualities of a hero and debate in English, developing both critical thinking and English expression.
• Using Trolls in lessons: Through singing along to lyrics and practicing emotional expressions, children can learn English rhythm and emotional expression simultaneously.

In this way, movies stimulate children's interest, and Naonao lessons act as a bridge, transforming that interest into English expressive ability.

In Conclusion

Learning through movies good for elementary school English study doesn't just improve English proficiency. It's an excellent educational tool that can also foster children's imagination, creativity, and understanding of other cultures.

This summer break, start your child's English journey by watching fun movies together. You might just experience the moment your child says, "English is fun!" English learning lasts longer when it's enjoyable. Start your child's English adventure with movies good for elementary school English study! 🌟

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