5 Ways to Improve Your English From Home
Just because you are stuck at home, that doesn’t mean you have to put your English studies on hold. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to improve your English from the comfort of your home. Binge your favorite Netflix series, listen to that podcast your friend keeps talking about, dust off those board games in the closet, or join an online English course to practice and speak to students just like you. So, to help you keep your English studies on track, I’ve put together a list of 5 Easy Ways to improve your English from home:
1. Games Games Games
If boredom has got the best of you, why not take out some board games or peruse the app store and download a game to keep you both entertained and up to speed with your English studies? Some of the best board games for building your English vocabulary skills include: Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Bananagrams or Dixit.
You can also try out some more adventurous options like Catan, Dungeons and Dragons, Munchkin or Cards Against Humanity.
If you’d prefer to improve your English online, some of the best apps include: Head’s Up, Word Up, and Boggle With Friends. And if you fancy adding some booze into the mix, you can try apps such as Picolo.
2. Movies and TV
Watching TV series and movies in English is a great way to build your listening skills from the comfort of your home. Not to mention, it’s one of the best ways to hear how native English speakers communicate. If you’d like to focus more on growing your vocabulary, I recommend turning on English subtitles. That way, you can pause the show/movie and keep a list of new vocabulary words and expressions to look up and practice.
If you’re more interested in improving your listening skills, I recommend watching without subtitles. It’s okay if you don’t understand every sentence. It’s more about getting used to being in the real world, where, unfortunately, subtitles don’t float below a person’s mouth. Some of the best series for English language learners include: Friends, Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men, and Sex and the City. As for movies, the list is endless.
3. Listen to Music
Take some time to curate the perfect playlist and test your English listening skills by following along with the lyrics of some of your favorite songs. If you’d like to read along with the lyrics or check to see if you heard the right word, make our way to lyricfinder.org or lyrics.com.
You can also listen to songs and complete some fun online quizzes here. If you really want to sing with your friends, download Smule in the app store and karaoke solo or duet with people across the globe! Another great way to meet new people and practice your English online.
4. Learn a New Recipe
Whether you're a novice or a pro in the kitchen, trying out a new recipe is a fun way to learn new vocabulary and get up and moving while at home. In no time you’ll be mixing, pouring, stirring, simmering, and grating. And the best part is, you’ll get to feast on a new (hopefully) delicious dish in the end.
For access to recipes in English online, I recommend visiting Allrecipes.com or Delish.com. If you are a bit lazier and prefer scrolling on social media, you can also look for recipes on Instagram on accounts like Buzzfeed Tasty, Tastemade or Delish.
5. Take online English classes with us!!
Still wondering what to do to improve your English while at home? We've got you covered! Brooklyn School of Languages has just started offering online English classes. Whether you want to join us every day for our Standard Online English Class or twice a week for our Online Conversation Course, we will be able to find the right course for you.
Native teachers, live classes, interactive resources, social meetings with international students… what else could you need? Make use of your precious time and learn English with us!
Also, follow us on social media and test your English knowledge with our Instagram quizzes, blog, and much more! You can also take our Brooklyn quiz to get ready for coming here once we can leave our homes :-)
