Learning from home – Languages!

Our top tips and resources for learning languages from home with Primary children

If you could go anywhere in the world… where would it be?

We all have to stay at home – but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring the world to us! Learning languages is a fantastic way to experience other cultures, and is an incredibly useful skill to learn early in life.

Here are some language learning activities you can do from home…

FOREIGN LANGUAGE BEDTIME STORIES

Do your children have a favourite bedtime story they know almost by-heart? Try finding it in a different language to read aloud! This could help them pick up sentence structures, or begin to recognise words in another language.

TV WITH A TWIST

Does your child have a favourite TV show? The beauty of Netflix is that you can change the audio and subtitles to different languages. This is a great way to learn if your child already knows the characters or story lines. For instance, Pocoyo is also available in Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Language Learning at Home put together a great list of other language learning suggestions on Netflix.

JE JOUE DE LA MUSIQUE !

A brilliant way for your child to experience another country’s culture and learn some new vocabulary is to listen to their music and look up the lyrics. Some great, child-friendly songs to listen to to practice different vocabulary and grammar:

• Joe Dassin – Les Champs-Elysées – Here’s a lyric video in both French and English
• Juanes – A Dios Le Pido (Great for practising the subjunctive and reflexive verbs in Spanish)
• Andrea Bocelli – Con Te Partirò (A beautiful song which is also useful for practising the future tense in Italian)

PHONE A FRIEND

Do you have a friend or relative who lives in another country with a different language? Teach your children ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in that language, and give them a call. See how many words they can pick up, and put post-it notes of those words around the house to recall later.

HAVE A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE NIGHT

Why not have a themed night where you adopt another country’s language, food and dress? This is the perfect opportunity to try a new recipe (or order in some tasty food) and learn some new vocabulary, as well as experience a new culture.

LINK TO LIFE:

Language learning doesn’t have to be time-consuming! Adding phrases to your everyday routine is a quick and easy way to keep your children learning – try replacing ‘good morning’ or ‘good night’ with a new language with your children. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they pick it up!