When you learn German it will be more fun if you vary the activities you do. Our great range includes activity books, colouring books, word searches, and games. 

With 6 great topics in each book, Cool Kids Speak German is a range of activity books which is ideal for children aged 7 to 11 learning German.  Each topic starts with a picture page showing all the words for that topic.  These words are then practised and sentences are built.  Each topic ends with a fun word search.   At the back of the book is a German - English word list, a German word game and the answer section.

Cool kids speak German - book 1

Cool kids Speak german - book 2

Cool kids speak german - book 3

All our books are available from Amazon and bookstores worldwide.  If you would like to order a book, make a note of the book title, the author name Joanne Leyland and the ISBN.  You can then enter the book title or ISBN in the search box on your favourite website which sells books.

Young cool kids learn German

Ideal for young children learning German. This enjoyable book introduces and practises key vocabulary for eight popular topics.  The fantastic topics include: numbers, the teddy's bear picnic, greetings & useful words, colours, farm animals, the garden, toys, ice creams.  The German words are introduced a few words at a time, then practised in a fun way so as to help embed these words in your child's memory.   

The fun activities for practising German include matching German words to pictures by drawing a line, circling the correct word, copying words or writing just a few words per page. The book is full of German words and lovely images for these words that the children can colour as they look at the German words.  At the back of the book is a fun game, a useful German - English word list and the answers.

This book is available from Amazon and bookstores worldwide.

First 100 words in german coloring book

The 100 German words in this brilliant book include a marvellous mix of favourite children’s characters (for example a fairy, a dragon, a mermaid, a dinosaur or a unicorn) and useful German words like some food, types of transport, animals, toys and clothes.

The 30 delightful pages all have borders and are single sided. On each page there are 3 or 4 German words, making a total of 100 German words throughout the whole book.  Once completed, this is a lovely book to refer back to.

Interested in this book?  This book may be purchased from Amazon or bookstores worldwide.

German colouring book for kids ages 5-7

Colour And Learn Your Very First Words In German

40 German word searches

With 40 exciting topics, this book is ideal to help learn or revise useful German vocabulary. Throughout the book the word searches appear in fun shapes and pictures accompany the German words so that each word search can be a meaningful learning activity. At the back of the book there are German - English vocabulary lists for the 40 topics that are covered in this book, and an answer section.

This great book is available to order from Amazon and bookstores in many countries all over the world.

Photocopiable games for teaching german

Differentitated activities for children of various abilities learning German

German word games

Have fun learning German with this lovely collection of games.   Topics include ice creams, family, colours, the pencil case, vegetables, drinks, the house, furniture, the dessert, fruit, the town / city, animals, transport, weather, zoo. 

At the front of the book is a dice with the numbers in German on it and this can be photocopied and made to use with the games. The fun games are printed in colour and include snakes & ladders and other games in the style of a board game, dice games, guess the word game, pairs card game and 3 in a row.

All of our books may be purchased from Amazon and bookstores worldwide.   Learn more

Sophie and the german magician

With two great stories in each book, learning German is fun with the German magician! In the first story, the German magician asks everyone to clap and say three times various German words as he makes a coin vanish and some animals appear. In the second story, it’s Sophie’s birthday party and the German magician makes teddies of various colours appear, as everyone claps and says three times some colours in German.

The German vocabulary in this fantastic book includes:
Essential words: Hallo / Wie geht’s? / sehr gut / danke / Auf Wiedersehen
Introductions: Ich heiße
Numbers: eins / zwei / drei
Animals: ein Kaninchen / ein Vogel / ein Hund
Colours: rot / orange / gelb / grün / blau / lila / rosa
Food: Süßigkeiten

At the back of the book there are two pages that may be photocopied for class or home use:

• Useful German words and phrases - To help learn some German words you could create a poster by copying some of the words and pictures.
• A short song that could be sung or made into a rap - how many different versions can you create?

All our books can be purchased from Amazon or bookstores worldwide.   Learn more

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. 

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!  

Why learn German?

1.  German and English have the same Germanic roots.  And as a result of this there are many similar words.

2. German is spoken in Germany, Austria and part of Switzerland.

3. There are about 95 million native German speakers worldwide.

4. German is considered important for business.  Germany has the biggest economy in the European Union.

5. Many brilliant scientists, inventors, artists and musicians are German.

6. German is one of the most spoken languages in the European Union.  

7. German is useful for travel to countries where German is spoken as a first or second language.

8. A knowledge of German can enhance your CV.

Are there any English words used in German?

There are many English words that are used in the German language: Baby, Ball, Bus, Computer, Hobby, Hotel, Job, Name, Park, Radio, Taxi, Tourist, T-shirt, Zoo.

Are there any German words that are similar to English words?

There are many German words that are similar to English words as both languages have the same Germanic routes.  Here are some examples: Apfel - apple, Buch - book, Foto - photo,  Garten - garden, Haus - house,

Lampe - lamp, Mann - man, Maus - mouse, Milch - milk, Wasser - water

What is the best way to learn German words?

1.  Keep a record of the German words your child is learning.

2. Start by focussing on 3 or 4 new words at a time for children under 7.

3. For children over 7, try introducing 6, 7 or 8 new words at a time.

4. Review a few words on a regular basis, either by asking your child to say some words in German or English. or by incorporating the words you are reviewing into a homemade board game or poster.

5. Praise your child as much as possible to help build their confidence in their ability to learn German.

6. Ask your child to look back through a German activity book or colouring book they have completed to choose a page that they feel they deserve a sticker or a tick and the German word "Gut" (good) written on.

7. Ask your child to quiz their favourite teddy or soft toy on how to say some words in English or German.  

(And either the parent or the child can pretend to answer on behalf of the toy!)

8. Practise writing the words in different coloured pencils or pens.

Let's make learning German fun!

Looking for a copy of one of Joanne Leyland's books?   Her books are sold worldwide, and below you will find a selection of links to where her books are sold:

The Cool Kids Group is located in Manchester in the North West of England and publishes the fantastic books by author Joanne Leyland.

Joanne has enjoyed travelling around Germany, Austria and Switzerland.   Joanne has found the public transport to be very good in these three countries, making it easy to travel and explore.  Her favourite city in Germany is Berlin.  The German food she particularly enjoys eating when in Germany is a Pork Schnitzel (The pork is covered in breadcrumbs and then fried) and Bratwurst (a German sausage).   And as a treat she also likes two typical desserts which are both made with apples:  Apfelkuchen (apple cake) and Apfelstruddel (an apple pastry).  Although the Apfelstruddel is popular in Germany it is originally from Austria.  The last time Joanne went to Austria she visited Zell am See and Salzburg, and she likes both places very much.  Joanne hasn't yet visited Vienna (the capital of Austria) but it is on the list of places she would like to visit one day.   Another country Joanne likes is Switzerland.  In the German speaking part of Switzerland her favourite city is Luzern as she has very fond memories of visiting there with her family as a child.   Luzern is well worth a visit as it is a city with beautiful architecture and it has a stunning location as it is situated on the edge of lake Luzern and has snow capped mountains in the distance.