Christinas Story: Teaching a Language Through Different Methods

All kids are different. Even a set of twins can be completely different from one another. So of course, the way they learn and how quickly they learn is also always going to be different. 

No two children are the same. When you decide to give your kiddos the gift of a second language, you need to remember that everyone learns in their own way.

We’ve got our kinesthetic learners with their love for hands-on activities and our auditory learners with their love for all things listening. There are also visual learners and kids who love reading in order to learn. 

I recently spoke to Christina, a mama who shared her wonderful experience teaching her kid her mother tongue.

Some background on Christina

Christina is the mama to an adorable 2-year-old, Anna. With an American dad and a German mom, Christina grew up bilingual. Being able to connect with her heritage and culture in Germany meant a lot to her growing up. 

Especially when she’d spend summer vacations and Christmas breaks with family in Germany.

However, her younger brother never quite got the hang of German and she remembers always feeling like he was missing out because of it. Right then and there is when Christina decided that she didn’t want the same future for Anna. 

Christina's journey to getting her kids started on the program

But she also knew that it was gonna be a lot harder for Anna if she didn’t start from birth.

Christina tried finding ways to make language learning a part of their everyday routine. In the beginning, she chose German nursery rhymes to get her groove on with Anna. Then she started watching only German television with her daughter – and eventually, she integrated music with TV to get the ball rolling.

Oh and let’s not forget about all the amazing German books out there! Anna loves flipping through pop-up books!

Despite all the steps she was taking to immerse her daughter in the language, there was still something missing. Christina knew she wanted to raise a bilingual daughter – but she didn’t quite know how to create an actual lesson plan that would track progress. 

Yes, she was fluent in German – and yes, she had that passion. But without any prior teaching experience, this fellow mama felt like her daughter was making no progress. 

How did Christina find The Cultured Kid German lessons?

Finding The Cultured Kid proved to be the boost she needed to really get things started. It provided structured and consistent lessons and keeps track of her child’s development  – and “to have that handed to [her] is the biggest dream!”

Just the other day, Christina put on a vocabulary video for Anna while making dinner in the kitchen – and the little girl just couldn’t take her eyes off the screen! 

She was repeating words and following along with actions in the video.

To fully ingrain the lessons, Christina got Anna to play with the phonetic flashcards and color them the next day. Anna was super receptive to the hands-on activity and had a great time making connections that way. 

So far, she’s been teaching Anna for 15 minutes on Saturday and another 15 on Sunday. These quick learning sessions are perfect for Anna because they draw her attention and never overwhelm her. However, she's definitely looking forward to integrating the lesson plans into Anna's schedule every day.

The best part about The Cultured Kids language lessons is how it caters to all types of learners and it’s 100% adaptable based on your kids' interests and schedule. 

It really can be as simple as 5 minutes a day of arts and crafts for kids who need to engage in physical activities or a 10-minute video during snack time for audio or visual learners. 

A little bit of effort can go a long way. By sprinkling a dash of language into your child’s routine, you’ll be well on your way to raising a bilingual citizen just like Christina!

Is there a language you really want to teach your kiddos mama? Let me know about it in the comments and I’d love to send you some helpful resources. 

✨ Psst... When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you get started with teaching your kids a foreign language at home...
1. Download my free 10 Page Guide for Parents to help you see how easy introducing a foreign language at home can be - especially if you don't speak the language at all.
2. Want a plan to run consistent language lessons that are fun and easy?
Access your first week of play based foreign language lessons for FREE here, all that's left is to select your language + start today!
3. Looking for a 12 month, step-by-step plan and play based resources to help you introduce a language to your little ones with EASE? Quit scrolling on Pinterest and Join our 12 Month Annual Lesson Bundles to get everything you need to started and KEEP GOING!