How to Teach Your Kids a Foreign Language on The Road: Andreas Story

No one really tells you how easy it is to learn a new language. More often than not, you get people discouraging you by saying it’ll be too hard or that you’ll never really be fluent. 

It was only when I committed to the language learning journey myself, that I realized just HOW much is truly possible if you put your mind to something. 

I like to think that one of the biggest turning points in my life was when I was in Germany at just 15 years old, wandering around the city like a lil’ explorer. It taught me the importance of learning a foreign language and I believe the experience opened the door to a whole new world of possibilities for me – I knew then that I wanted the same future for my kids.

So when I had my kiddos and they reached that pivotal language learning age I began to incorporate language lessons into their daily schedules – and much to my utter delight they were actually learning AND having fun! 

I was in absolute AWE seeing them play their way to fluency! That’s when I realized that learning doesn’t have to just be behind a boring ol’ desk at school – and I know I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Because recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with another mama, Andrea, who told me ALL about how her kids learned a new language on the road!

Some background on Andrea

If there’s one thing Andrea and her beautiful family is big on, it’s traveling! After living in Hawaii for some time, they set off on a beautiful journey around the world.

Andrea is a mother to four lovely kids: a 16-year-old boy and three girls aged 5, 8, and 14. The one thing they all have in common is the desire to expand their worldview and communicate with people from all over the world. (Me too, kiddos! Me too.)

On their recent trip to Paris, the family had a blast immersing themselves in French culture and hearing locals speak the language. This little adventure motivated the kids to learn the language themselves in hopes of actually speaking it the next time they visit. 

What finally got things going for Andrea and her munchkins was a post shared about The Cultured Kid by one of her friends. That was all it took for this mama to receive a confidence boost and embark on a new adventure – and so she did!

Andrea’s journey to teaching her kids 

Andrea and her little linguists were instantly blown away by just how engaging the language lessons were.

Her kids couldn't seem to get enough of the fun videos and colorful flashcards. And Andrea herself loved the simplicity of these lessons. All around a win-win!

One of the best parts about learning a new language is that all kids do it differently and TCK allows them the flexibility even within the same program. While her 5-year-old loves learning through the worksheets as her dad does pull-ups, her 15-year-old loves taking notes from the lessons to review later. 

Andrea’s 16-year-old can’t resist either! He initially thought that these were cute lessons for kids (which they are) - but even he couldn’t help but bob his head to the catchy tunes and get engrossed in a story or two.

Sometimes the kids will even correct Mama Andrea’s pronunciation – and then they’ll have a little laugh about it! So as the family fumbles and giggles their way to bilingualism, they’re also making lifelong memories – and what could possibly be better than that?

Andrea’s words of advice to her fellow mamas

Don’t be afraid to get started! It’s okay if you don’t know how to speak a word of the language yourself – and it’s okay if you’re a busy bee mama with limited time on your hands. TCK makes learning super duper fun AND easy!

You don’t have to schedule your day around these lessons. They’re tailored to fit around YOURS! Even 5 minutes a day is more than enough to make a difference in your child’s life.

Andrea’s family is literally learning a whole new language on the road as they explore the world. 

Maybe you could listen to a song in the car or play vocabulary videos during breakfast! The possibilities are endless – and your kiddos will receive the cognitive and social-emotional benefits of a lifetime in the process.

Let me know if Andrea and her kids have inspired you to pick up some French with your babies in the comments.