7 Fun Ways to Learn a Second Language With Your Children

Learning a second language can be a daunting task, especially for young children. But with the right approach, learning a new language can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Not only will it help them develop cognitive and social skills, but it will also broaden their minds.

The key is to make the learning process fun and engaging—something that’s both stimulating and enjoyable for your kids to do. This could involve playing games or listening to songs.

7 Fun Ways for Your Children to Learn a New Language

From reading stories aloud to taking field trips, there are plenty of ways to get your kids excited about learning something new!

Here are 7 fun activities you could try with your children.

1. Take a Class

Taking a class is one of the best ways to learn a second language. Whether you and your children join an online course or a local language school, being taught by qualified professionals can make all the difference in learning a new language. But what if your children are too young?

It still pays for mom and dad to take lessons from native speakers. For example, you can discover Lingoda’s French lessons online and learn French rather quickly. Once the parents have a language base, they’ll be able to correct their children’s pronunciation and spelling.

2. Listen to Music

Research shows that playing an instrument is one of the best things you can do to keep the brain young, as it engages most of the central nervous system. Taking music lessons is beneficial for your child, but so is listening to music, even in another language.

To get started, choose songs that have lyrics that are easy to understand. These could be pop songs from another country or traditional music from where the language is spoken. As you listen, make a list of new words and phrases and look them up later for further explanation.

3. Read a Book

Many children develop a love of reading at a young age because they see their parents read or they’ve been read to. If you want to make reading fun for your children, find books that mix both English and the second language, like the incredible “Fabulous Lost and Found” book series.

You can also find books that have the text in both languages side by side. These are more commonly found in bilingual countries, but you can also locate them online. Finally, purchase an illustrated dictionary. It can show children a visual component of the words they’re learning.

4. Watch Television

While it’s recommended to limit screen time to 2 hours a day for children over 2, you can still fit in a lot of language learning in that time. Instead of turning on your children’s favorite show, encourage them to watch new movies or programs in a new language with English subtitles.

On the other hand, you could check if something they love to watch was already translated into another language. For example, Peppa Pig has been translated into 38 different languages. You could also find programs for bilingual kids, such as Dora the Explorer or Ni Hao, Kai-Lan.

5. Play Games

Gamification is one of the best learning tools on the planet, so if you can incorporate some of it into your learning, do so as quickly as possible! Games like Pictionary, Charades, and Scrabble can encourage vocabulary development and communication skills, all while having fun!

Another classic game that’s fun to play in another language is ‘I Spy.’ You can play it anywhere and help your children think of words and phrases on a time limit. If they see something, but don’t know the word, ask them to write it down, and you can both look it up together.

6. Have a Themed Day

Creating a themed day is a great way to get your children in the language-learning spirit. When they’re first learning, set a day once a month that’s dedicated to celebrating another language and culture. For that whole day, your children need to try to speak in that new language.

As they get better, consider selecting a day out of nowhere. This can help your children snap into the other language at a moment’s notice. If they’re ever in a situation where they need to use the language, these types of lessons can make them less shy to communicate with others.

7. Go on a Trip

While this option isn’t open to everyone, total immersion can be a game-changer. In some cases, you don’t have to go too far to be immersed. For example, if you’re in the UK and you want your children to learn Gaelic, you can take a day trip to Ireland (Highlands region).

With that said, there are hundreds of distinct communities in the UK where you can find language partners. On the British Isles, over 300 languages are spoken in UK schools. Popular languages include Polish, Punjabi, Arabic, French, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish.