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Mommy & Me English · Trinity Certified

English for children — from a mother, not a tutor

Practical guides for moms teaching English at home to children 1–5: daily rituals, songs, stories, play and the science behind it all. By Trinity College London-certified Kateryna Ivanova.

Daily rituals Songs First words Reading aloud Bilingualism Method & science

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52 articles
1–5 age range
9+ years teaching
10 мін per day
Featured
A toddler holds up an empty cup and asks her mother for more milk in a bright kitchen
Teaching Methods 17 min read

Please, Thank You, Sorry: How to Teach a Toddler Polite English (Ages 1–5)

Please and thank you are only half of English politeness. Why Ukrainian "Дай, будь ласка" turns into an order in English, the four politeness jobs, the request ladder, and how to teach sorry without forcing it.

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All articles 52 Teaching Methods Parent Tips Child Development
English for Ukrainian kids abroad — the silent period, timelines and survival phrases, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 13 min read

English for Ukrainian Kids Abroad: The Silent Period, Timelines and Survival Phrases (2026)

A month of silence at the foreign nursery — and it is textbook normal. The silent period, honest timelines (playground English in 1–2 years, academic English over years), 10 survival phrases, the teacher conversation, and the biggest mistake: switching to English at home.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
Food words in English for kids — three built-in lessons a day: words, yummy/yucky and games, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 12 min read

Food Words in English for Kids: Three Built-In "Lessons" a Day (2026)

Food is the only topic that arrives by itself three times a day. The table is where a child's first English "opinions" are born: yummy and yucky. 40 words in the right order, the choice question as the engine, the uncountables moment — and borshch, which must not be translated.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
Family words in English for kids — mummy, daddy, grandma: words, Finger Family song and games, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 13 min read

Family Words in English for Kids: Mummy, Daddy and One Grandma for All (2026)

Mummy is the first English word a child says for real. The warmest topic of all: every "material" already lives at home. Why not mother, where English is simpler than Ukrainian (one grandma!), the three-level photo album game and Finger Family.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
Days of the week in English for kids — the day-equals-ritual method, pronunciation and games, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 12 min read

Days of the Week in English for Kids: The Day-Equals-Ritual Method (2026)

A child recites "Monday, Tuesday…" like a poem — and can't say what day it is. That's not about English: time is the latest abstraction to develop. Honest age milestones, the day-equals-ritual method (Pancake Monday!), three words worth more than seven names, and 6 games.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
English action verbs for kids — the first 30 verbs through movement and commands, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 12 min read

English Action Verbs for Kids: The First 30 Through Movement (2026)

A sentence is not born from a noun — it is born from a verb: "Throw ball!" is already speech. The first 30 verbs in the right order, the imperative as nature's first grammar, the do–say–swap method, and the moment a child first commands her mum in English.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
English animal sounds for kids — woof, moo, oink as a toddler's first English words, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 12 min read

English Animal Sounds for Kids: Woof, Moo, Oink — First "Words" (2026)

An animal sound is the first English "word" a child can say at twelve months: woof is easier than dog. 20 animals with sounds in both languages, why «гав» and "woof" are both correct, Old MacDonald as a teaching algorithm and 7 games.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
English body parts for kids — arm vs hand split, word list and games, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 12 min read

English Body Parts for Kids: Why One Word Becomes Two (2026)

Ukrainian «рука» is two different English words (arm and hand), «нога» is two as well, and «палець» is three. Every body part, the five "split" words, four levels of Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and 8 games that need only a mirror.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
English numbers for kids — teaching 1–20 through play, developmental stages, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 13 min read

English Numbers for Kids: Teach 1–20 Through Play (2026)

Between reciting "one-two-three" and understanding that five means five objects lies a gap no word list mentions. All numbers 1–20, the three stages of learning to count, the thirteen/thirty trap and 9 games that need only fingers, stairs and biscuits.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
English phrases for parents to use with kids — 100 everyday phrases, the 5-construction method, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 11 min read

English Phrases for Parents: 100 Everyday Phrases to Use with Kids (2026)

You don't need fluent English — you need 100 ready-made phrases that repeat daily. Every everyday phrase by situation, the 5-carrier-construction method that generates hundreds more, and a 4-week plan: one situation per week.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
English colors for kids — 11 basic colors with a real-world anchor word and the color-of-the-day method
Teaching Methods 11 min read

English Colors for Kids: 11 Colors with Pronunciation

11 basic English colors with pronunciation and anchor words (blue — sky, green — grass). The color-of-the-day method, 8 games without flashcards, and the unique trap for Ukrainian speakers: blue means both синій and блакитний.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
Why kids confuse English and Cyrillic letters — B H P C X Y look like В Н Р С Х У, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 11 min read

Why Kids Confuse English and Cyrillic Letters (2026)

B, H, P, C, X, Y look like В, Н, Р, С, Х, У — but sound completely different. It is not a mistake but the interference of two alphabets. The full trap table, the contrast-pair method and 7 games to fix it in 1–2 weeks.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova
English alphabet for kids — learn all 26 letters at home, names, sounds and pronunciation, 2026 guide
Teaching Methods 14 min read

English Alphabet for Kids: How to Learn Letters (2026)

The alphabet ≠ reading, and a letter's name ≠ its sound. All 26 letters with pronunciation, why lowercase comes first, a look-alike-letter table (B, H, P, C, X, Y) and a 4-week plan — no tutor.

Kateryna Ivanova Kateryna Ivanova