Online English lessons for children in Georgia: from the Georgian alphabet to English

How do children in Georgia learn English at school?

English is the main foreign language in Georgian schools and is taught from the early primary grades, starting with songs, games and simple phrases and building towards reading and writing. Many families in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and other towns also choose English classes or tutors outside school.

Schools differ in how much English they teach and how, so your child's school is the best guide to what they expect in each grade. Children of the same age often have quite different levels, and that's normal.

What does the Georgian alphabet mean for reading English?

Georgian has its own alphabet, with rounded letters and a very regular link between letters and sounds: once children know the letters, they can read almost any Georgian word aloud. English is different in three ways that are worth knowing.

• New letter shapes. The Latin alphabet is new, so children need time to learn it, sound by sound.
• Capital letters. Everyday Georgian writing doesn't use capitals, so the idea that A and a are the same letter, and when to use a capital, is new.
• Irregular spelling. English spells the same sound in several ways, as in see, sea and me, and some common words, like said and one, don't follow the usual patterns.

Phonics handles all three: it teaches English letter sounds in a clear order, then blending into words, then the common spelling patterns. See what phonics is and sight words vs phonics.

Which English sounds are easy, and which take practice?

Georgian has plenty of words that start with several consonants together, so English clusters like str in street or spl in splash are often easy for Georgian children. Other sounds take more work:

• English vowels. Georgian has five vowel sounds; English has many more, as in ship and sheep, cat and cut.
• **The th sounds** in think and this.
• W and v, as in wet and vet, which can sound alike at first.
• The little words a and the, which Georgian doesn't use, so children often leave them out.

These are normal and improve with listening and practice. Repeat the sentence back correctly rather than stopping your child, and keep the conversation going.

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

Georgia 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. With no journey, a lesson fits easily between school, sport and dinner.

Keep the slot the same each week so it becomes part of the routine. Test your connection with a short video call first, and set up a quiet corner with good light.

What age should my child start English lessons?

Children can enjoy short, playful English lessons from around four, built on songs, pictures, games and letter sounds, with no pressure to write. From six or seven, as reading in Georgian takes off at school, English phonics and simple reading can grow alongside it. Children who start later, at eight or ten, often move quickly because they already read well in Georgian and know how to learn at school. See English at 6 and 7 and English for 8 to 10 year olds.

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 only in short answers at first. By the end, you should know roughly where your child is and what the next lessons would focus on. See what to look for in a free first lesson.

What should I look for in online English lessons?

• A live, real teacher who talks with your child.
• 1-to-1 lessons with plenty of speaking time.
• Clear phonics for reading, including capital letters.
• A starting level and feedback after lessons.
• 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.

To describe your child's level on an international scale, the CEFR uses “can do” statements. 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 Georgia?

• Read English picture books together and point out capital letters at the start of sentences and names.
• Play vowel games: which word is it, ship or sheep?
• Sing English songs and watch short English cartoons together.
• Keep reading in Georgian too. Strong reading in one language helps the other.

How would CurioKids lessons work for a family in Georgia?

CurioKids gives children aged 4–12 live, 1-to-1 online English lessons with a real teacher, 25 minutes each, in the CurioKids classroom: video, an interactive whiteboard, lesson slides and games. Most children start with Phonics Starter, our 52-lesson reading course, then move on to CEFR-based levels. After lessons, you get teacher feedback and can follow progress in your parent dashboard. See our curriculum and safety pages.

Visit our Georgia page to see how lessons work, what your child will learn and how we keep children safe. If lessons for families in Georgia 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 Georgia are priced in US dollars: see the prices for Georgia.