Language learning for infants

Captain Havoc

Hi everyone,
I know I'm planning waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy ahead, but my wife is expecting our first child. We are both in agreement that it should learn a foreign language from an early age. I speak a good level of both French and German, better French though. I am concerned about teaching it anything myself as it may pick up my eternally long list of mistakes. Furthermore, I don't think there are many options for schools etc from a really young age. My wife wants me to teach it French, but I want to teach the kid German as I think every Tom, Dick and Harry can speak French, also German is more spoken. However, there is the Alliance Française here in Kilkenny, where I probably could send a child from 5 or so.

Has anybody here taught their child a language other than their mother tongue? Are their specific resources that you could recommend? What are the things you did well, and where did you fall down?

is_that_so

Flash cards all the way! Also make it the only language one parent will speak, if you can. Handier if you are a native speaker.

Also check out Sandmännchen on Youtube. It's an institution in Germany!

Captain Havoc

is_that_so wrote: »

Flash cards all the way! Also make it the only language one parent will speak, if you can. Handier if you are a native speaker.

Also check out Sandmännchen on Youtube. It's an institution in Germany!

Thanks, no we're both Irish, but I studied modern languages and set up a sideline giving tours in both French and German. I'm aware of das Sandmännchen, I don't think you could study German and not be. Do you know any good flashcard apps? I have the ZDF app downloaded on the smart TV which has loads of stuff not geo blocked.

New Home

Search age-appropriate youtube videos, radio programmes, cartoons, etc. You can often switch the language on TV programmes, too. Or get a German au-pair.