Online English lessons for children in Lebanon: Arabic, French and English together

How does English fit into school in Lebanon?

Arabic is Lebanon's official language, and schools teach in Arabic alongside French, English or both. Most schools are either francophone, teaching maths and science in French, or anglophone, teaching them in English, and the other foreign language is usually taught as a subject. Some schools give equal weight to both.

So a child at an anglophone school uses English across the timetable, while a child at a francophone school may have English as their third language, with fewer hours. Your child's school is the best source for what they expect in each class, and how much English they will need in later grades.

What can 1-to-1 lessons add for my child?

• At a francophone school: more English speaking and listening time, and clear English phonics so English reading doesn't lag behind French.
• At an anglophone school: reading for meaning, vocabulary for maths and science, and confident writing in their own words.
• For any child: a patient teacher who works at your child's pace and helps them speak up. See when a child is shy to speak English.

Do French and English get mixed up?

Sometimes, at first, because they share an alphabet and many similar-looking words. But the sounds are different. In French, many final consonants are silent, ch sounds like the English sh, and i always sounds like the ee in see. In English, final consonants are spoken, ch is the sound in chip, and i can be short, as in sit, or long, as in time.

Learning English phonics clearly, as its own system, helps children keep the two apart. Mixing languages in one sentence is also normal for multilingual children, and Lebanese children are often expert at it. See bilingual children who mix languages and what phonics is.

Which English sounds take practice for Arabic speakers?

• P and b, as in park and bark, because Arabic has no separate p.
• V and f, as in van and fan, because Arabic has no v, though children who speak French usually find v easy.
• English vowels, as in ship and sheep.
• **The th sounds**, which French speakers find tricky too.

These are normal and improve with listening and practice. A teacher who models each sound and shows the mouth shape on camera helps a lot.

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

The simplest option is usually to choose a 25-minute lesson after school, between about 4pm and 8pm, or a Saturday or Sunday morning. With no journey, a lesson fits easily around school, homework and family time.

Lebanon moves its clocks forward in spring and back in autumn. If your child's teacher is somewhere that changes its clocks on different dates, or not at all, the lesson time can shift for a week or two. In those weeks, check the time of your next lessons. Online lessons can also continue if you travel, as long as you check how the times show in your new time zone. Our guide to online lessons across time zones explains more.

If power or internet is unreliable at certain times of day, choose a slot when it's usually steadier, keep the device charged and test with a short video call first.

Is three languages too many for a young child?

No. Children can learn several languages, and many Lebanese children do so with ease. What helps is giving each language regular, relaxed time and keeping Arabic strong at home. If one language is lagging, a little extra focused practice, such as a weekly English lesson and English stories at bedtime, usually brings it along.

What should I look for in online English lessons?

• A live, real teacher who talks with your child.
• 1-to-1 lessons that follow your child's level and school.
• Clear English phonics, separate from French.
• A starting level, feedback after lessons and visible progress.
• Clear safety rules: checked teachers, lessons only inside the provider's classroom, and a way to report a concern.

To describe English progress alongside French, the CEFR is useful because it covers both languages on the same scale. 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 Lebanon?

• Give English its own time, such as an English story at bedtime on certain nights.
• Read English books aloud and point out letters that sound different from French.
• Watch an English cartoon together and talk about it in English, even for just a minute or two.
• Sing English songs in the car; rhymes are great practice for English sounds.
• Keep Arabic strong at home; it supports every other language.
• Ask your child to retell an English story in French or Arabic, and a French story in English.

How would CurioKids lessons work for a family in Lebanon?

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