Strategies to teach your little ones Arabic!
Today, we want to bring you 3 time-tested strategies of how to teach your little ones Arabic. These points are all things I have tried myself!
#1 Start Young
My daughter's first word was "papa" around the age of one. But from when she was just a day old, I was already making it a point to only speak Arabic in front of her. She wasn't speaking then, but I knew she was like a sponge absorbing all the language around her. I would also read her books when I started her bedtime routine at the age of six weeks. What I was doing didn't seem to make sense, she had a short attention span, would snatch at the books and put them in her mouth, and so on. Yet, just a few short months later, she was stumbling towards her bookshelf, curiously rifling through the pages, and bringing me her favorite books to read to her.
#2 Be Interactive
At the age of two, my daughter wanted to be able to do everything herself. She would constantly monitor everything I did, from pouring a cup of milk, to cleaning a spill, and insist on copying me exactly. That is why interactive books and flash cards have proven to work very well. She brings me the flash cards herself and wants to flip each one and say the right word or letter. Books with puzzle pieces or puppets or buttons are always so fun for her. She wants to press the buttons and copy the sounds she hears - and of course do everything herself.
#3 Be Funny
Whenever I find a character in a story who does something funny or makes funny faces, I know this is going to be a hit. That is why books with excellent illustrations are always worth it. After all, while an adult reads the text, a child always reads the images first. Other times, when it comes to books that I have read to her countless times and so she knows by heart, I create a twist by reading the book wrong! So instead of: "أدم شاف الكرة ... أدم شاف الأرنب!" It's ridiculously simple but an absolute hit with the almost 3 year olds. I often get the response "No, Mommy!!"
Here are some product recommendations currently available on our store:
- Squeaky Sheep / الخروف
- Namur and the numbers/ نمور و ارقام
- The Journey of Selecting the Lantern! / رحلة اختيار فانوس
- Kalamna Phonics Book and Flashcards bundle
Be sure to tell us what else you use or like!