We all know that the younger our children are the easier it is for them to learn and retain new information. It makes sense to take advantage of the impressionable years in which our children’s brains are like sponges. I think one of the best ways to benefit from this gift is to teach our little ones a second language. Let’s take it a step above Dora, Elmo, and, Madeline. Here are some of the best products I have seen on the market to aid in this quest.
Learn a Language is a very nifty starter DVD. It is geared towards 2 and up but offers a variety of languages on one disk for only $20 on Amazon. Your little one can follow friends across the world to learn simple numbers, colors, and items in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese! All they have to do is sit, watch, retain, and repeat!
For an easy and free introduction to introduce another language to your little one try, Duolingo. They offer Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Esperanto, Turkish, Norwegian, and Ukrainian. All for free! Essentially the way that the program works is that it guides you in baby steps through the language, similar to a Rosetta Stone program but $500+ cheaper! You begin with simple words and pictures. The app tests your ability to recognize, read, write, and speak. You are unable to move to the next lesson until you have grasped a basic understanding of the first lesson. This is a great free way to introduce your child to another language.
If you have a little smarty pants that is ready for the next step and you are ready to invest a little bit of money into your child’s new language endedevour, Little Pim has some ridiculous awards to back their products including, The Toy Man Award of Excellence, Mr. Dad Seal of Approval, Mom’s Best Award, and tons more. They offer their products in 12 languages; Spanish, French, English, Manadrin Chinese, Russian, Italian, German, Japanese, and Arabic. They use several different learning mediums including videos, CDs, interactive games, and flash cards. But the consensus is clear; Little Pim works to help your little one learn a new language. Check out their free trial here. Prices range from $20-$200 depending on which products you choose.
Give your little one the head start we all wish we had and pack a new language in their head while it’s super easy for them! Don’t you wish you could just whip out some French, German, or Spanish?! I know I do. Start slow with a free program and progress from there. Happy learning!
