Online English lessons for children in Bhutan: supporting learning in an English-medium school

How is English used in Bhutan's schools?

Dzongkha is Bhutan's national language, and English has long been the main language of teaching in its schools. Children learn most subjects in English from the early years, and Dzongkha is taught as a subject. Outside school, many children speak another language at home, such as Tshangla or Nepali, so English may be their second or third language.

This gives Bhutanese children a lot of English, early. It also means a child who finds reading English hard can find other subjects hard too, simply because the textbooks and questions are in English. Your child's teachers can tell you how your child is getting on across subjects.

What English skills matter most for learning other subjects?

• Reading new words confidently, by sounding them out. This is what phonics teaches.
• Reading for meaning: following a paragraph and answering questions about it. See when a child reads but doesn't understand.
• Subject words such as compare, explain, estimate and describe, which appear in instructions across the timetable.
• Writing clearly: putting ideas in order in full sentences, in their own words.
• Speaking up: answering a question in class or explaining their thinking aloud.

Does learning in English affect my child's home language?

It doesn't have to. Children can grow strong in several languages at once, and a strong home language supports thinking and learning in English. Keep talking, reading and telling stories in your home language and in Dzongkha. Mixing words from different languages in one sentence is normal for multilingual children. See bilingual children who mix languages.

What can a 1-to-1 lesson add to school?

A class teacher has many children to teach. In a 1-to-1 lesson, the teacher works only with your child: they listen to your child read, notice exactly where reading slows down, ask questions to check understanding and give your child plenty of time to speak. For a child who is quiet in class, that one-on-one attention can make a big difference to confidence.

It also lets your child go at their own pace: back to the basics of sounding out words if needed, or on to longer stories and more challenging writing if they're ready.

When can a child in Bhutan fit in an online lesson?

Bhutan doesn't change its clocks, so a weekly slot stays at the same local time all year. Try to choose a 25-minute lesson after school, between about 4pm and 8pm, or a weekend morning. A lesson at home saves travel, which helps in the hills and in winter.

Before the first lesson, test your internet with a short video call at the planned time, and choose a quiet, warm corner with good light. A laptop or tablet works better than a phone, so your child can see the teacher and the lesson slides clearly.

What happens in a good first online lesson?

A good first lesson is relaxed and mostly about your child. The teacher says hello, chats about what your child enjoys, and uses pictures, games and a little reading to find out what they can already do. Your child should be talking for much of the time, even if their answers are short at first. By the end, you should know roughly where your child is and what the next lessons would focus on. Watch whether the teacher waits patiently for answers and praises effort: those are good signs. Our guide on what to look for in a free first lesson has a full checklist.

What should I look for in online English lessons?

• A live, real teacher who listens and responds to your child.
• 1-to-1 lessons that follow your child's own level.
• Reading taught with phonics, and plenty of talk about what your child reads.
• Feedback after lessons, so you can follow progress.
• Short, lively lessons with games for younger children.
• Clear safety rules: checked teachers, lessons only inside the provider's classroom, and a way to report a concern.

The CEFR, an international scale of language ability, is a useful way to describe progress. Its early levels for children are Pre-A1, A1 and A2. See CEFR levels for children explained.

How can I support English at home in Bhutan?

• Read together for ten minutes most days, and talk about the story.
• Ask your child to explain something they learned at school, in English.
• Encourage short writing for real reasons: a card, a list or a diary.
• Keep your home language and Dzongkha strong at home.
• Play word games on walks: name five things you can see, in English, then in Dzongkha.

How would CurioKids lessons work for a family in Bhutan?

CurioKids gives children aged 4–12 live, 1-to-1 online English lessons, 25 minutes each, with a real teacher in the CurioKids classroom: video, an interactive whiteboard, lesson slides and games. Younger children usually start with Phonics Starter; a child who already reads can be placed straight into a CEFR-based level after the free first lesson. After lessons, you get teacher feedback and can follow progress in your parent dashboard. See our levels and safety pages.

Visit our Bhutan page to see how lessons work, what your child will learn and how we keep children safe. If lessons for families in Bhutan haven't opened yet, the page has a waitlist: leave your details and we'll let you know when you can book your child's free first lesson. Plans for families in Bhutan are priced in US dollars: see the prices for Bhutan.