How to Learn English in a Fun Way
I am not a native English speaker. English is the foreign language that I have learned since elementary school.
I liked English not because my teacher taught me. I liked it before he taught me because my father introduced it to me first. Yap. He was an English teacher. But he never taught me the material intensely. He just encouraged me to learn by myself.
I still remember when I asked my father about the meaning of some words. He answered the first word. But he didn’t answer the next.
Then he said, “You have to find it by yourself.”
“What?”
I didn’t like what my father said to me at the time. I just wanted to know something, but he didn’t teach me.
Then, I started to realize that learning is my responsibility. I could not ask people about the material all the time. I should find it first.
That’s what I call self-taught.
I continued my English study at school and autodidact. I didn’t ask my father anymore, except if I couldn’t find it everywhere. Because of my effort, thanks to my father, I found some ways to learn. I found the value of self-taught and authentic learning. These are related.
- Self-taught is about being a teacher and learner at the same time.
- Authentic learning is the willingness to learn what we need.
Because sometimes we study something that we don’t need. That’s why it’s easy to forget what we don’t need to learn.
On the other hand, if we learn something because we need it or we ‘thirst’ for it, we will do it with pleasure. And, we won’t forget it easily. You cannot study English effortlessly if you don’t ‘thirst’ for it. You have to need it and love it.
The moment when my father asked me to find by myself made me fall in love with language, especially English.
But, a few years later, I realized something. I missed the part about using English. I didn’t practice the productive skill seriously, meaning I was a passive English speaker for many years.
And then, I committed to change. I started to practice my productive skill by writing or speaking in English.
Now I thirst for it. I know there were some mistakes. But I believe it’s the process of learning. And the learning process should not be serious. It could be fun, right?
Here, I want to share some ways of learning English in a fun way.
Learn without study
Whatever we read and watch can fill our memory banks unconsciously. It means you can learn English by reading or watching something you like. So, you can learn something in English effortlessly. You can absorb knowledge without having to remember it. You will unconsciously remember it.
For example, if you like watching a cartoon, you can learn from it. You can learn the phrase or the sentence there. Guess the meaning before searching in the dictionary. Don’t worry about the grammar. If you can mimic the sentence, you start to think in English. It must be fun.
What do you like then? Hollywood movies? TV shows on Netflix? BBC News? Whatever. It’s up to you.
Learn in a group
The environment is a vital part of supporting our English progress. If you cannot find a supportive environment, you must create one. You can create an English language group on social messenger where the member should use English in chatting or talking inside the group.
For example, you invite your close friends to a group and interact in English. You create a rule. And you all should commit to it. One of the rules is using English every single time. No excuses. You have to force using English before it becomes habitual. Once it becomes a habit, you will thirst for it. Once you become thirsty, you will do it effortlessly.
Just make it fun
The third way is to have fun. That’s it. There is something more priceless than loving what you do. Don’t make learning a nightmare or a villain. Learning English can be joyful. Just have fun.
When you are bored with learning, find another material that you like or make an English game in the group. And sure, have fun.
I think those simple but fun ways will help you become fluent in English. To me, English is not just a lesson. It is a tool. We should use it all the time. It is like a baby who doesn’t understand the mother language but tries to understand and use it while growing.
I guarantee if you follow those ways persistently, you will be better at using English. The key is you. You do it, or you don’t do it.
So, I dare say that learning English is not always serious. You can make it fun instead. The thing is that you have to use it. Not only remember it. Do you agree?
