Why children may still struggle to speak after years at an English academy

If you rarely hear your child speak English even after 1–2 years at an English academy, the likely reason is not a lack of effort but insufficient speaking practice in their studies. In classes where several students learn together, each child has little time to actually speak English aloud, and much of the class may be spent listening and solving questions.

Unlike simply knowing something, speaking begins to improve only through repeated, hands-on use. In addition to the input of learning new expressions in academy classes, children need daily output time to say and practice those expressions before they can begin speaking comfortably. CATS English is an online English program for elementary students that provides academy-style learning at home. It is designed to include not only lesson input but also output through exposure, speaking, and repeated practice, making it one option for addressing this lack of output.

01Why don’t words come out in speech even when a child knows them?

Many children earn reasonable scores on vocabulary tests but struggle when asked to form and say sentences in English. This is because knowing something and actually using it are different abilities. Learning vocabulary and grammar visually is input that builds knowledge, while retrieving and saying those expressions aloud in the right situation is output. If input continues to accumulate without enough opportunities for direct speaking output, a child may know many expressions without developing the ability to say them.

So if your child seems to do well on tests but cannot speak, it helps to look first at how much speaking practice is built into their current learning rather than questioning their comprehension.

02Speaking time in academy classes is shorter than you may think

For example, when 8 students share a 50-minute class, an even split gives each child at most about 6 minutes of direct English speaking time. Much of the remaining class may be taken up by teacher explanations, classmates’ presentations, question-solving, and waiting for one’s turn. Listening can make English more familiar to children, but speaking skills develop naturally only with sufficient time to use and speak English repeatedly.

In addition, because an academy class follows the same pace for the entire group, the class may move on to the next unit before your child has had enough opportunities to say a particular expression. When this keeps happening, expressions the child understands on the page but has not become comfortable saying gradually accumulate. This can be why a child’s level rises while their speaking seems not to improve.

This does not mean the academy is teaching incorrectly. Understanding that the structure of a group class can make it difficult to provide each child with extended speaking time makes the next choice much easier.

03Speaking develops through repeated use

Speaking does not improve by memorizing a complete sentence once. Expressions gradually become a child’s own when the child says them aloud several times with small changes and builds experience exchanging them as in a real conversation. Speaking briefly but consistently every day is more helpful for getting started than practicing for a long time all at once.

When children begin speaking English, they often start by connecting words they know and saying something brief rather than producing perfect sentences. The more often they speak in an atmosphere where small mistakes are acceptable, the more natural those expressions become. In contrast, when children feel pressure to speak accurately, they may hesitate to say even what they know. For speaking practice, how often and how comfortably a child speaks therefore tends to come before how accurate the speech is.

04Three ways to increase output at home

However, it is realistically difficult for parents to manage this practice every day. What matters, then, is whether the child has an environment that allows them to continue speaking practice independently. If children are given something to talk about each day and a partner initiates the conversation, output practice can continue much more naturally.

05How does CATS English provide output practice?

CATS English combines input and output so that children continue into speaking and practicing what they learned in lessons. Foxly, an AI English friend, starts conversations to give children an opportunity to speak English every day, with conversations suited to each child’s level based on 8 levels and 20,000 dialogues. Children can also continue practicing words, sentences, speaking, and reading through an intensive practice app (5,807 types, 42,026 sections) linked to the entire set of coursebooks.

In addition, a specialist English teacher listens to and assesses the child’s expressions directly in Live Class 1–2 times each week, helping address areas that can easily be missed during independent practice. This approach fills the gap in speaking practice left by academy classes through daily learning.

This learning is also based on 2,120 professional coursebooks used by academies, 4,783 lessons, and 36,312 content segments. This means speaking practice is not a one-time activity but continues steadily within the curriculum. The structure covers 6 core areas—reading, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and writing—with speaking practice placed naturally throughout. It is built on the content and curriculum of Danbi Education’s CATS, used by 82% of academies nationwide, and is also a learning approach that has been used by many academies.

06Try this approach as your child learns to speak

First, check which expressions your child can currently say. It is helpful to see how much they can produce when asked to speak, rather than relying on test scores. Starting with an assessment of the child’s current level, such as a level test, makes it easier to decide which area to practice first.

Next, create a routine of speaking English every day, even briefly. Once a habit of speaking aloud at the same time each day is established, even for 10 minutes a day, it is more effective at easing the pressure of speaking English and helping the child get started than practicing for a long time all at once. A conversational format with a partner who guides the discussion at the child’s level can make it especially easy for the child to continue consistently without becoming bored.

Finally, look at how your child changes and grows each month. Notice whether the child begins to use learned English expressions in their own speech and whether they more often initiate speech, even with short sentences. This can help you judge whether the current approach suits your child.