- 27 Aug 2020
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Fun language learning activities for children
Learning one's mother tongue begins in the womb. What is it probably like with learning foreign languages? Children do not ignore foreign languages either and do not set a fixed date. Parents can therefore start language-learning activities for their children at an early age.
The reasons for practising foreign languages in early childhood are obvious. Therefore, it is of great importance that parents know how to teach their children a foreign language. To this end, there are fun language-learning activities that you can do with your child.
With this post, we would like to as SLA Basel introduce these entertaining language-learning activities. These are learning activities that will prepare your child brilliantly for future learning at school.
Picture books for vocabulary development
Buy picture books so that your child builds a vocabulary. Children love bright colours, and the pictures help them remember the words that describe the pictures. Illustrated vocabulary books are also perfect for introducing your child to their first words.
You can point your finger at the drawings, pronounce the words and then describe the drawings in the target language. This gives your child some insight into the language, even if they might still be a tiny baby. If your child is more advanced in the language, you can make up more complex stories using the pictures from the picture book.
Let your child draw!
Drawings play an enormously large role in language learning activities. In this activity, your child has to draw something based on the description you give them. First, you must agree on what exactly you are going to draw – for example, a little boy, a house, or a car. Then, you describe the various elements of the drawing and what they should look like in detail in the target language.
For example, you can expect him to draw a tall, thin house with four small windows and a green door. The roof should be pink and a black bird should be sitting on it. If your child comes across a word they do not know, you can try to mime it and get them to guess what it means that way. Try to limit the use of your native language to maximise the value of this activity.
Through this activity, your child can have a bit of fun drawing, practise their listening skills and also learn vocabulary.
Singing and learning: One of the most effective language learning activities
One of the most effective language-learning activities is singing songs together in a foreign language. This can be a lot of fun and of great benefit to your child's language acquisition. For example, children who do not speak any English at all and yet learn English songs by heart will benefit from the huge advantages in the coming years.
Find a song that is very popular with children in the language you want to introduce to your little one. Young children will find this activity fun and it won't seem like “learning” at all.
New rhymes for memorising new words
Use rhymes to help your child learn new words. Using rhymes is a great way to help your child learn a foreign language. Rhymes exist in all languages – from nursery rhymes to rhymes for older children. You can also try poems, of course!
The end of each line in a rhyme ends with a similar sound, creating a pattern that is easy to remember. A line can contain a word that your child already knows, which rhymes with a new word – and this word is easier to remember because it rhymes with the more familiar one.
Rhymes also stimulate your child's imagination. This is very important when memorising new words. Your child is probably not even aware of it at this stage, but the words from the rhymes that they hear and say are etched into their memory.
Language courses in Basel: German, English and French courses for kids and teens
The language learning activities must of course be continued accordingly in the following years as your child gets older. For perfect foreign language skills, your child can even attend language courses. At SLA Basel are there such language courses with the course title „Language courses for teens and kids“ As part of these language courses, we offer in Basel German for teens and kids, English for teens and kids and French for teens and kids.