What is the best way to teach kids German?
1. Gather some resources and make a plan
Collect some resources which you can use to teach your child German and make a list of the topics or themes that are covered. The German words will be more memorable and meaningful if you teach them in topics or themes.
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Activity books which offer a variety of fun activities and are topics based are a good starting point for children learning German. Two good activity books are:
Young Cool Kids Learn German is ideal for 5 - 7 year olds.
Cool Kids Speak German - Book 1 is ideal for 7 - 11 year olds.
Try to relate the German you teach to the interests your child has. If your child enjoys playing with toy cars, then you can use this interest to teach them colours, the correct word order for the colour of nouns and sizes. You could also revisit toys from an earlier age and use these to teach your child German.
Keep it simple: To start with, when you teach kids German, introduce either singular words for something you see around your home / when you go out or just a few words for a specific topic. For a young child you could introduce 3 or 4 words at a time, and for a child over 7 you could introduce 6 to 8 words in a lesson.
And finally plan to practise all 4 skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
2. Review often
It is important to keep a record of what your child is learning as that will make it easier for you to review their learning with them, so make a learning notebook together. You need to revisit your child's previous learning on a regular basis so they don’t forget what they have previously learnt.
You could begin each lesson with a recap on something your child has previously learnt before moving on to introduce and practise some new German words or phrases. Or you could quiz your child for a few minutes on the German words every now and then throughout the week. Don’t worry if there are things your son or daughter forgets, this is normal to happen, and your child will quickly relearn the things they once knew but have now forgotten.
3. What kind of learner is your child?
Observe what kind of activities your child likes to do so you can build these types of activities into your German lessons. Some children love activity books, word search puzzles and stories while others prefer games, colouring in activities and being creative. Although it is good practice to include a mixture of activities in your German lessons, it is also useful to make a note of what type of activities your child responds best to.
4. Use German words and phrases in your daily activities
When you go to the park or a shop, play a game by first naming some things in German, then say a German word and ask your child to point to the item. As you point to something, encourage your child to repeat the words. Once your child is familiar with these words you can get them to tell you the German words when you point at the things.
You can also teach or review German vocabulary when you go shopping - You could write a shopping list in German and ask your child to help you find the things on your shopping list.
Mealtimes are also good opportunities for speaking a little German, whether you are giving your child options about what to eat or drink or asking your child if they like what they are eating.
5. Play games
Games create a fun learning environment, allowing you to share your knowledge of German with your child and support their language development.
German Word Games and Photocopiable Games For Teaching German both have a great selection of games in the style of a board game, and there are also some other types of games in both books, like 3 in a row.
Guess the word game - Write a list of the German words you are teaching your child. To start choose a word each - you can secretly write down your word if you want to. Next, take it in turns to guess the other's word. Whoever guesses the word first wins a point, and you both then choose a new word. The first person to get to 5 points wins.
6. Get creative with arts & crafts / cooking
Flashcards are useful visual clues to use to teach / review German vocabulary. By making your own flashcards you can enhance your child’s learning by making it more engaging. And once you have a few flashcards you could create a routine for some learning time with flashcards. This may be a few minutes after breakfast or before a story at bedtime. Once your child is familiar with a word you can make up a sentence using words that are relevant to what your child has already learnt.
Many children enjoy arts & crafts as well as cooking. By incorporating simple German instructions as you create arts & craft projects or cook with your child you can teach / revise useful words for everyday objects, colours and food. Your child will also learn how to listen and follow instructions in German in a fun and meaningful context. Even a young child can help make a sandwich (without a knife of course). Biscuits and cakes are popular things to bake with children, so why not try out baking a German apple cake or some German cookies?
7. Make it a family thing
Involve the whole family, whether they know German or not. Different members of the family could pick up various objects and ask a young learner what the object is called in German. If the child says the correct word you could either praise them or the person asking the question could pretend they didn’t know, and ask the child to repeat the word so they can pretend to learn it. Sometimes people remember more if they teach something to others.
You could play games which practise German vocabulary and phrases. Bingo is a good game to play with the whole family. To play, write a list of at least 20 German words and ask each person to choose 4 words to write down on a piece of paper. The bingo caller then randomly chooses one of the words, and if the players have this word they cross it off. Who will be the first person to get all 4 words?
8. Reward effort as well as achievement
Look for small triumphs as well as how hard your child is working. Reward your child for their effort / achievement to help motivate them and keep the learning process exciting. The reward could be something small like a sticker or a new pencil. If your child feels they are good at what they do, they are more likely to have a positive attitude towards German. Children often enjoy what they feel they are good at, and with languages it is important to match your child’s ability with the amount of German you introduce or practise.
If you find your child is tired or not concentrating, let them have a break. Learning German at home should feel fun rather than formal education. If your child is finding a lesson hard, support them by breaking down the chunk of German they are studying into smaller chunks.
When you teach German to your child, try to make what you teach both meaningful and enjoyable. Ask yourself, are you both having fun? Your child will notice your enthusiasm if you are passionate about what you teach. Look for ways to make your German lessons positive for both you and your child. Depending on your own knowledge of German you may want to improve your own proficiency or even learn German from scratch along with your child.
It’s certainly a challenge to teach your child German, but with the right tools and the right attitude you can soon get your child speaking German! Learning German could help your child academically, in the workplace and when they travel to a German speaking country. And what a great parent you are teaching your child German!