EAL holiday challenge – Fun English practice ideas

What to do:

• Choose five objects in your home, for example fridge, chair, or window.
• Write the English word clearly on a sticky note or piece of tape.
• Place the label on each object so your child sees it often.
• Repeat the word together when passing the object, for example: “This is the fridge”.

Why this helps:

• Seeing words in context helps your child learn and remember English.
• Labelling supports the connection between what they hear, see and read.
• It turns your home into a language-rich environment, giving steady, easy exposure without quizzes.

What to do:

• Each day, ask your child to write a simple sentence like I played football today, I ate an apple, or It is sunny.
• They should write the date at the top of the page to encourage more entries.
• Encourage them to spell the words themselves and only help if necessary.

Why this helps:

• Builds daily writing habit, which boosts confidence and fluency over time.
• Helps learners practice grammar, spelling and sentence structure in a low-stress way .
• Supports vocabulary growth as they write about everyday experiences.

What to do:

• Choose or make a postcard.
• Start with a greeting: Dear [Name], for example, Dear Grandma, or Dear Sanju.
• Help your child write a short message in English – just 2 to 3 sentences. They could say what they did, where they went, or what they’ve learned during the holidays. For example: I visited the beach. Or, I learned new words.
• Finish with From [Child’s name], for example, From Anika.
• Post it or hand deliver it when home.

Why this helps:

• Writing to a real person gives children a purpose and it makes writing feel meaningful and fun.
• It helps build a child’s writing confidence, especially beginners, because it’s short and personal .
• Postcards or letters are easier than long writing tasks and bring joy through connection, while helping with spelling and sentence structure

What to do:

• Choose a short story or comic with pictures.
• Read it together with your child.
• Pause to talk about pictures. Ask questions like, “What is happening here?” or “What does this word mean?”

Why this helps:

• Pictures give clues to help children understand words and the story.
• Reading together lets you support your child gently, helping them feel confident.
• Stories build vocabulary and help with reading skills in a fun way .

What to do:

• Ask your child to pick five new English words they have learned.
• Ask your child to explain each word’s meaning to a family member or friend with a simple sentence if possible, for example: Mum likes apples.
• Encourage your child to talk slowly and clearly and to show how the word is used.

Why this helps:

• Teaching boosts memory — explaining new words helps strengthen working memory and embeds the words more deeply.
• Learners engage more deeply when they know someone else will learn from them.
• Confidence grows as children see themselves helping others and using their new English skills successfully.

What to do:

• Help your child pick a topic, for example colours, animals or food.
• They write 3–5 simple questions in English, for example: What colour is the sky? or How many legs does a cat have?
• Ask a sibling or adult to answer the questions. Your child checks the answers and gives a sticker or tick for each correct reply.

Why this helps:

• Quizzes use active recall, which improves memory better than just reading.
• It lets the child see what they remember and learn from mistakes.
• Quizzing boosts confidence and motivation, especially when they do well.
• It builds critical thinking and language use, not just vocabulary learning.

What to do:

• Open the FlashAcademy® app and work through short lessons or games.
• Keep completing activities until you reach 100 XP points.
• You can check your XP score in the app.

Why this helps:

• XP (Experience Points) are like small rewards for each lesson – you earn points for completing each activity.
• Working towards 100 XP encourages your child to use the app regularly instead of doing everything in one session.
• This makes learning feel like a game and earning points motivates ongoing practice and progress.

What to do:

• Give your child paper and pens, pencils or crayons.
• Ask them to draw something simple, like their family, house, favourite toy or a meal.
• Help your child write English labels for parts of their drawing, for example mummy, door, table, ice cream.
• They can then say each English word out loud as they point to it.

Why this helps:

• Drawing helps children understand and remember new words because it connects images with English vocabulary.
• When learners themselves create visuals and labels, it makes new language feel meaningful and personal.
• Seeing their own drawings with labels builds confidence and supports their journey in learning English

What to do:

• Open the FlashAcademy® app.
• Choose a topic that interests your child, for example, School, Clothes, or Feelings.
• Complete lessons and activities in that topic until your child feels confident.

Why this helps:

• Learning words grouped by topic helps children make connections between related vocabulary, making it easier to remember and use them.
• When learners pick topics they care about, they’re naturally more motivated.
• FlashAcademy® uses images and sounds to support learning, making it easier for children to understand and remember new words.

What to do:

• Pick a short song or podcast episode in English, ideally one that’s simple and clear.
• While listening, you or your child can note down a few new words, or try to sing along to the chorus.
• If it’s a podcast, pause occasionally and ask questions like: What was that sentence? or What new word did you hear?
• Replay the song or podcast once or twice to help understanding.

Why this helps:

• Listening to English helps build your child’s vocabulary and pronunciation, even outside class.
• Hearing English naturally through songs or stories exposes them to real conversations and rhythms of English speech.
• It’s easy and flexible: they can listen while walking, cleaning or relaxing, making English part of the daily routine

What to do:

• Pick a theme or starting word, such as fruit, play, or happy.
• Brainstorm and write down as many words as you know that fit the category.
• For fruit, you might list: orange, apple, pear, banana, grape.
• You can write this as a list, draw it as a mind map with the theme word in the middle of a page or even draw images as well as writing the words.

Why this helps:

• Studying word families (words that share the same root or theme) helps children see patterns in English, making spelling and vocabulary easier to learn.
• This supports understanding and remembering new words by grouping them meaningfully.
• It strengthens spelling and vocabulary skills, since knowing one family member gives clues to others

What to do:

• Find a simple recipe in English like smoothies, sandwiches, brownies or pancakes.
• Identify the ingredients and tools needed from the recipe and get them all together.
• Read each step aloud with your child, one at a time.
• Let your child help with tasks they can do safely: measuring, mixing, spreading.
• As you cook, use English for food names (banana), actions (stir), and measurements (grams, spoon).

Why this helps:

• Cooking together teaches English vocabulary for ingredients, kitchen items and actions in a real, hands‑on way.
• It involves following instructions step by step, which supports reading skills and concentration.
• Measuring ingredients shows English numbers and fractions in action, building practical maths and language skills.
• Cooking together supports healthy eating, confidence and family bonding – all while naturally using English

What to do:

• Open the FlashAcademy® app on a smartphone or tablet.
• Tap the camera icon to activate the object translator.
• Find 10 objects at home or outside.
• Point the camera at each item, take a picture and watch the screen translate and say the English word aloud.
• Repeat the English word together as each object appears.

Why this helps:

• The object translator shows both the picture and spoken word in English, helping learners connect real items to language.
• It works anywhere – at home, the park, or on a walk – making learning natural and contextual .
• Hearing the pronunciation and seeing the translation helps with listening, speaking and vocabulary building all at once

What to do:

• Open the FlashAcademy® app and log in.
• Choose one short lesson each day (e.g. 5–10 minutes), until you’ve done three in total this week. You can find lessons under themes like At Home or Food & Drink.
• For younger children, select phonics lessons to practise sounds and simple words.

Why this helps:

• Keeps children practising English regularly, rather than all at once.
• Helps them learn new vocabulary and topics.
• Builds a good habit of studying a little every day.

What to do:

• Pick a cartoon or film your child already enjoys and play it in English.
• Turn on English subtitles (captions in the same language as the audio).
• Watch together, pausing if needed. You could ask your child to repeat a phrase or write down a new word they liked.

Why this helps:

• Seeing words while hearing them helps your child match the sound and spelling, improving listening and reading.
• Subtitles help the listener to hear words clearly, even when accents or fast speech are hard to hear .
• This builds new vocabulary naturally and encourages confidence through familiar content.

What to do:

• One person looks around and picks an object that everyone can see, for example car.
• They say: I spy with my little eye something beginning with… and say the first letter of the object, for example, C.
• Everyone else takes turns guessing what it is.
• When someone guesses correctly, they become the next one to play I spy.

Why this helps:

• This simple guessing game helps your child learn and practise new vocabulary.
• It encourages them to use English to listen, think and speak.
• You can play it anywhere – at home, in the car, or while you walk – making English a natural part of everyday life.