Harry Potter set to cast a spell on kids' language skills this summer

School is not over for some kids this summer, as parents plan to deploy their ‘secret weapon,’ Harry Potter, to keep children on top of their language skills.

With some school holidays lasting up to eight weeks across the nation, half of parents (56%) are overwhelmed at the thought of keeping their children entertained, according to a new study. Meanwhile, three-quarters of parents are on the lookout for educational as well as entertaining activities for their children to do during the summer break to keep their minds sharp.

The survey by Wizardingworld.com, which spoke to 1000 parents, revealed concerns that a lengthy break could impact key skills. Language and phonetics were called out as particular focus as more than half of parents (59%) confessed that they struggle to get children to focus on practising pronunciation, seeing it is a tricky task at the best of times, but even more so during the holidays.

Over nine in 10 parents (94%) agreed that the power of storytelling is one of the most effective tools to unlock their children’s interest in words and find that using stories helps their children develop their skills without realising it.

Out of 10 fictional worlds, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter emerged as parents’ number one ‘secret weapon’ for sparking children’s interest in discovering and understanding unusual words, sounds, and syllables.

Nearly two-thirds of parents (63%) frequently turn to the series’ glossary to entertain and spark their imaginations. It also helps to improve their pronunciation and brush up on dialect and phonetics skills as they try breaking the words down.

The research revealed that several of the most used spells in the series, including Imperio, Riddikulus, and Expecto Patronum, are deemed not only fun for children to say but also among the easiest to learn and pronounce. This combination, parents feel, makes them useful for phonetic practice as they dive into the magical stories they love.

Psychologist Honey Langcaster-James has explored the findings and has some advice for parents looking to find useful activities with a fun twist, as she said: “This research shows that many parents want to continue to support their children’s learning when they’re not in school, but sometimes they feel overwhelmed by the task. The key to success is to aim for activities that are genuinely fun for children, and which harness their imaginations in unique ways, but at the same time, are pastimes that parents can also enjoy alongside them.”

When developing children’s phonetics, Honey added: “Even very young children benefit from opportunities to engage with language in unique, exciting and entertaining ways. They develop their earliest reading skills through story time, and as they get a little older, through fiction books, playing games, completing activities and watching things they enjoy.

“There are some great activities that specifically teach children how to pronounce magical words from the Harry Potter series, by spelling them out phonetically. The language used can be complex for children to understand, but these activities provide a fun way to demonstrate how children can break down even complicated and fantastical words into their component parts so that they can pronounce them.”

Wizardingworld.com has created a ‘For Kids’ section on the official Harry Potter website with free, fun, interactive story-led ideas, including pronunciation guides, word games to play, crafts to make, character introductions, challenges, quizzes, and other essentials every wannabe Hogwarts student needs to know.

To find out more, check out the resources available on the specially created ‘For Kids’ tab on www.wizardingworld.com.

Top 10 easiest Harry Potter spells for children to learn to pronounce: