5 Ways to Teach a Foreign Language to a Child

Teaching a Foreign Language to a child can often seem overwhelming. But there are a lot of different resources out there that can make teaching a child a foreign language easier.

Why should you teach your child a Foreign Language?

There are a lot of reasons to teach a foreign language to a child. The simple and most obvious reason because it allows that child to be able to communicate with more people.

Other reasons to teach your child a foreign language include the fact that learning a foreign language can increase academic achievement help with cognitive abilities and cause the child to have interest and a better attitude toward the people who speak the language. For research on why to teach your child a foreign language click here.

What is the Best age to Teach a Foreign Language to your Child?

There are a lot of different ideas about when the BEST time is to start teaching your child a foreign language. But most agree that the earlier and longer a child is learning a foreign language the better it is.

5 Ways to Help Your Child Learn a Foreign Language

There are so many different ways to teach your child things. The challenge is not having enough resources but finding the resources that work for your family.

Speaking the Language

If you or your spouse speak a second language this is a great way for your child to start learning that language. My husband speaks Spanish and will tell the kids different words in Spanish and it’s so cute to hear them repeat the words back. We could be doing a lot better with having Jared speak more Spanish at home, but my kids are getting a little exposure to the language this way.

When I was growing up for the first few years of my life my dad mainly spoke to me in Portuguese. So at the age of 3 when I went to Brazil with my parents I played with the Brazilian children and could understand them. I only spoke English though. About the age of 4 my dad didn’t speak Portuguese as frequently.

Now as an adult I am able to understand some Portuguese and some Spanish but my ability to understand and speak are very limited even after taking classes in both of these languages for years.

Play Games

There are a lot of different apps that can help with learning a foreign language. Two awesome Free apps are Gus on the Go and Duolingo. Both of these apps are rated for ages 4+.

Gus on the Go has a different app for each language. This app is the one I would recommend for toddlers and young kids. It helps kids learn a second language by diving into their favorite stories. Not only does the app teach vocabulary and short sentences it has interactive lessons and mini-games.

Duolingo is a fun app that I have been using for myself as a way to learn languages. This app feels like a game and makes it easy to stay motivated. There are over 30 languages you can choose to learn. When you first select a language it starts out easy but progressively gets harder. Duolingo is also available on desktop so you don’t have to use the app to learn.

Read Books in the Language

Reading is important no matter what language it is in. Reading stories in the foreign language as well as the child’s primary language is a great way to expose a child to different languages and increase their language understanding.

Even if you don’t read in the foreign language it can be good for kids to see the different languages and texts.

Language Lizard is a company that strives to Inspire Kids through Language. The company sells dual-language books, CD’s and posters that are in English as well as your choice of over 40 Languages.

Each book from the Language Lizard has the story written in both English and the other language you selected. The languages available include both popular and less commonly taught languages. Languages include Spanish, French, Yoruba, Albanian and more.

The books that are available include popular titles as well as well as titles I have never heard of. For example “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?” is available in 16 different languages. “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” is available in 10+ languages.

Language Lizards is a great place to get books in languages other than English that are actually stories not just picture dictionaries. I love the fact that the books also have English so both you can read the same story in 2 different languages. Check DealSpoter for the latest discounts and deals to purchase these books.

Music in Second Language

Music is an awesome tool when learning something new. Songs can make it easier to remember things and they just make learning fun! There are a lot of different songs out there in different languages. A quick google search “learning desiered language songs” should give you a good place to start.

When I was taking Portuguese in college our professor would often play different popular songs in Portuguese for us to listen to this was a great way to hear the language and gain an appreciation for the beauty of it.

Videos

We all know kids love screen time and videos making that time educational is a great way to get kids learning without them realizing it. YouTube has a lot of different learning Language videos for kids and adults.

The Series Little Pim available for free with a Prime membership is a great way series for kids wanting to learn a new language.

Many movies you already own have the option to change the language. We have watched several Disney favorites in another language as a way to help hear and get familiar with the language.

Free Printables

Printable games and activities are a great way to help your child remember the foreign language even more.

Gus on the go has several free printables in a number of different languages.

Education.com has a ton of different worksheets, charts and coloring pages for different grade levels and languages.

No matter how you decide to incorporate learning a second language into your child’s life make it fun. Even if they don’t become fluent at the language they will have been exposed to and learned something new. You will have the time spent together as a way to strengthen your relationship and make memories.