Online English lessons for children in South America: a parent's guide by country

Which countries does this guide cover?

We have a guide for parents in each of these countries, written for families with children aged 4 to 12: Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia. Each one covers school English there, the home language or languages and what they mean for learning English, and practical tips for the school year.

School dates differ by region and school, and change from year to year, so check your child's school calendar for the exact dates.

How does English fit into school in South America?

In every country in this guide, English is the main foreign language children learn at school. When it starts differs: some schools begin in the first years of primary school, others in the later primary years or at the start of secondary school. Private and bilingual schools often start earlier and give English more hours than state schools.

Whatever the starting point, the hardest thing for a classroom to give is speaking time. A child in a busy class may say only a few sentences of English in a lesson. That is where short, regular 1-to-1 lessons help: your child talks for most of the lesson, at their own pace.

What do Spanish-speaking children find tricky in English?

Children in Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Ecuador and Bolivia mostly grow up with Spanish. Spanish is spelled very regularly, so children who read Spanish well can be surprised by English spelling. A few sounds also take practice.

• Vowels. Spanish has five vowel sounds and English has many more, so pairs like ship and sheep, or cat and cut, can sound the same to a young child at first.
• Words starting with s. Spanish words don't start with s followed by another consonant, so school can come out as eschool and star as estar.
• B and V. In Spanish they make the same sound, so berry and very need extra listening.
• H and J. Spanish h is silent and Spanish j is a throaty sound, so the soft English h in hat takes practice.
• The th sound. Latin American Spanish has no th, so think may sound like tink or sink at first.

There are also false friends: embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed, a librería is a bookshop, not a library, and actual means current. Children find these funny once they know about them, which helps them remember.

What do Portuguese-speaking children in Brazil find tricky?

In Brazil, Portuguese words rarely end in a consonant sound, so children may add a small ee sound after English words: book becomes booky. Brazilian Portuguese also turns t and d into ch and j sounds before an i sound, and has no th. English short vowels need practice too. As with Spanish, phonics helps children read English words without reading them the Portuguese way.

Where do the CEFR and Cambridge Starters, Movers and Flyers fit?

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) started in Europe but is used widely in Latin America to describe language levels. For young learners, the first levels are Pre-A1, A1 and A2. CEFR Pre-A1, A1 and A2 correspond to the Cambridge English Young Learners levels Starters, Movers and Flyers. CurioKids is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge University Press and Assessment. These exams are optional. They can motivate a child who likes a goal, but regular speaking and reading practice matters more than a test date. Read CEFR levels for children explained.

When can a child in South America fit in an online lesson?

A 25-minute lesson fits easily after school, before dinner or on a weekend morning, with no travel. Choose a time when your child is fresh rather than tired, and keep it the same each week so it becomes a habit.

Brazil (on Brasília time), Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia keep the same time all year, so a weekly slot stays put. Chile changes its clocks, so check lesson times when the clocks change. The long summer holiday, over December to February in most of the region, is a good moment to start, because a new routine is easier to set up before the school year begins.

How would CurioKids lessons work for families in South America?

CurioKids gives children aged 4 to 12 live, 1-to-1 online English lessons with a real teacher, 25 minutes each, in the CurioKids online classroom with video, an interactive whiteboard, lesson slides and games. Most children start with Phonics Starter; a child who already reads can be placed straight into a CEFR-based level after the free first lesson. Phonics Starter is our 52-lesson reading course, from letter sounds to reading sentences. Teachers can't teach until our team has confirmed a background check and they have signed our teaching agreement. Lessons happen only inside the CurioKids classroom, and your child's teacher gives feedback after lessons. See our levels and safety pages for more.

Each country has its own page (in the table above), where you can see how lessons work. Where lessons are open, you can book a free first lesson there; where they haven't opened yet, leave your details on the page's waitlist and we'll let you know when you can book.