What Your Child Should Be Doing in English at Every Age (3-16)

Parents ask us this constantly: "Is my child where they should be?"

The honest answer is that every child is different. But there are patterns. After working with hundreds of families across seven countries, here's what we see at each age — what's normal, when to worry about your child's English, and what to focus on.

Below is a guide to English skills by age — from first sounds at age 3 to test performance at 16. Find your child's age. Read that section. Ignore the rest for now.

Ages 3-5: Sounds Before Words (English Milestones Age 5)

What's normal: Your child picks up English sounds from songs, cartoons, and short phrases. They might sing along without understanding what the words mean. They mix languages freely — when a child mixes English and their first language, this is completely normal and healthy.

What to focus on: Let them hear English. A lot. Songs, stories, simple conversations. Don't push speaking yet. Their ear is learning to separate English sounds from their first language. That takes time.

Red flag: If they're in an English-speaking environment (international school, English-speaking country) and show no interest in English sounds at all by age 4-5, it's worth checking in with a speech specialist — not because anything is wrong, but because early support makes everything easier later.

Don't worry about: Grammar, reading, writing, or "falling behind." At this age, exposure is everything. Pressure is counterproductive.

Ages 5-7: Hearing Turns Into Copying (English Milestones Age 7)

What's normal: Your child repeats phrases they've heard. Short sentences. They might sound "scripted" — using whole chunks from shows or songs in conversation. This is actually a sign their brain is working. They're storing patterns.

What to focus on: Rhythm and pronunciation. Not perfection — natural flow. Can they say a short sentence with the right stress pattern? "I WANT to GO" vs flat "I want to go." This matters more than vocabulary size.

Red flag: They can read English words but have no idea what they mean. When a child can read but not understand English, it means they've learned decoding without comprehension — common in schools that push phonics without listening first.

Don't worry about: Spelling mistakes, mixing languages, or refusing to speak English with you at home. They're building an internal system. It comes out when it's ready.

Ages 7-10: From Phrases to Real Sentences

What's normal: Sentences get longer. They start telling stories (messy ones). They can describe what happened at school. They still make grammar mistakes — and will for years. That's fine.

What to focus on: Sentence building and description. Can they look at a picture and describe it in 3-4 sentences? Can they tell you about their day with a beginning, middle, and end? These are the skills that connect speaking to writing later.

Red flag: They only speak in single words or short phrases despite years of English exposure. Or they can read fluently but can't explain what they read. Both suggest a gap between what they've memorized and what they can actually use.

Don't worry about: Perfect tenses, articles ("a" vs "the"), or prepositions. These are the last things to click, even for advanced learners. Focus on meaning and flow.

Ages 10-13: English Becomes a Thinking Tool

What's normal: Your child can read a text and tell you what it means — not just translate word by word. They can write a paragraph with a point. They start having opinions in English, not just reporting facts.

What to focus on: Structure in writing and reasoning in speaking. Can they explain why they think something? Can they write with a clear idea, a reason, and an example? This is where English stops being a subject and starts being a skill they use to learn other things.

Red flag: They can speak conversationally but fall apart on academic tasks — writing essays, reading textbooks, explaining concepts. This gap between "social English" and "academic English" is the most common issue we see at this age. It doesn't close on its own.

Don't worry about: Accent. By this age, their accent is mostly set. It doesn't affect their ability to communicate or their test scores. Energy spent on accent is better spent on writing and reasoning.

Ages 14-16+: Performance Under Pressure

What's normal: Your child can communicate well in English but struggles under pressure — timed tests, presentations, interviews. Their English is "there" but it doesn't come out when it matters.

What to focus on: Retrieval under pressure. This is what exams like IELTS, TOEFL, and the DET actually test — not how much English you know, but how much you can access in real time. Practice with timers. Practice with surprise questions. Build the habit of organizing thoughts quickly.

Red flag: They've been studying English for years, take test after test, and the score doesn't move. This usually means the problem isn't English — it's how they're preparing. More study doesn't help if the study method is wrong.

Don't worry about: Comparing their score to students who grew up in English-speaking countries. That's not the benchmark. The benchmark is: can they do what they need to do with their English? Get into university, survive academically, communicate professionally.

The Most Common Mistake at Every Age

Pushing Stage 3 skills on a Stage 1 or 2 child.

Grammar worksheets for a 6-year-old who hasn't learned to hear English yet. Essay writing for a 10-year-old who can't describe a picture in four sentences. Test prep for a 14-year-old who freezes when asked an unexpected question.

Every child moves through the same stages. The ages above are guidelines — your child might be ahead in one area and behind in another. That's normal.

What matters is matching the support to where they actually are, not where their class is.

If you're not sure where your child is, that's what our diagnostic is for. In one session, we'll tell you exactly what stage they're at, what's blocking them, and what to do next.

Book a free diagnostic lesson →

Related Reading

• How Your Child Actually Learns English (The 3 Stages Most Schools Skip)
• 5 Things You Can Do at Home to Help Your Child's English
• Why Your Bright Child Can't Remember to Turn In Homework