Swedish education company EF Education First introduced its upgraded English teaching solutions for the Chinese market in Shanghai on Tuesday.

File photo: VCG

The lessons, which will focus on vocabulary, phonics, talking and reading, integrate offline and online learning and is catered to children aged 3 to 6. A 25-minute one-on-one online class with a foreign English teacher with content synchronized with EF offline lessons will be available to young learners as part of the new solutions.

A "study buddy" in the form of a portable smart speaker is also included in the new package to create an immersive learning environment for children. Containing contents including songs, conversions, stories and games, the lessons encourage children to be involved in autonomous learning, according to the company.

Studies have shown that the best time for children to master a foreign language is when they are aged between 3 and 6, said Adele Bai, president of Kids & Teens at EF China.

"All the upgraded products are intended to stimulate children's interest in learning English as well as cultivate their interpersonal skills and ability to express themselves. This would ultimately empower them to communicate with the world confidently and smoothly," said Bai.

Hi Yu, vice-chairwoman of the Shanghai Municipal Society of Education, said that a high-quality education at the preschool stage lays the foundation for a child's all-round development in the future.

"We're delighted to see that foreign language education providers today are also touching upon children's soft skills, including teamwork and problem-solving capabilities, to ultimately help them become more competent in the future," she said.