Category: Educational

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Educational Foreign Language Spanish Language

Women’s History Month – a message from the CEO

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Women’s History Month is a time to ponder on all the accomplishments we’ve had as women. I use this month to reflect on what truly motivated me to start the program Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids®. After years of searching for a quality foreign language program for my children, I decided to take the initiative and develop my vision – one that incorporated fun as children take on the goal of learning a second language. It took me years to perfect this program, but with tenacity, hard work, and motivation, I developed a program that children from all levels of learning would find enjoyable.

As a mother of three boys, I started language education early on so that my children can experience the benefits of bilingualism. Building on what I learned by observing my sons’ education and coupling that with a preference for fun activities, I put together a curriculum to teach Spanish and Mandarin that uses humor as a key component. Kids have the benefit of time to learn, so it is critical they enjoy learning a second language or they will tune out or quit. My goal has always been for children to be excited about knowing a foreign language and was relentless in my efforts to develop this particular program. As a result, Foreign Language for Kids by Kids® has been recognized by experts as an effective program for foreign language learning and has won more than 15 top education awards in the company’s first two years for its Spanish videos and Spanish board game, including Game and Media of the Year Awards.

During this Women’s History Month, it is important to remember that women must pursue their passions and explore new possibilities. There are many obstacles that stand in the way of pursuing dreams so it is incredibly important to remember to keep moving ahead if you truly believe in your vision. It is not always easy, but with the right combination of determination, positivity, and passion, anything is possible. For me, it was the idea of coming up with a foreign language program that my kids and others would truly find amusing while making language learning fun!

As always, our team takes your viewpoints and suggestions very seriously, and we look forward to hearing from you again. Please be sure to leave a comment below. We want to hear from you!

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See you next time!

Warmly,

Kit
Founder, Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids®
www.foreignlanguagesforkids.com

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Educational Foreign Language Spanish Language

Five Reasons to Teach your Children Spanish

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Did you know that Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese? Over 400 million people throughout North, Central and South America, Europe, and Africa speak the Spanish language. In the United States, Spanish is the most widely spoken language with over 37 million speakers. There are many advantages to learning Spanish, including expanding your curiosity about the cultures, increased educational and career opportunities, and another perspective on how others see the world. Here are five reasons to teach children Spanish:

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT SKILLS: Learning a language like Spanish is a significant step in anyone’s life. It offers the opportunity for children to gain exposure to the language and enhance their capacity to pronounce unfamiliar words and sounds. Children also demonstrate heightened creativity and better problem solving and thinking skills.

EXPANDS CULTURAL HORIZONS: Knowing Spanish will help your child understand and appreciate Hispanic culture, such as Spanish films, music, and literature.

PROVIDES A FOUNDATION FOR OTHER LANGUAGES: Children who learn to speak Spanish can better grasp the ability to learn other languages with Latin roots.

LONG-TERM BENEFITS: In our increasingly globalized society, children who grow up with Spanish as a second language will acquire long-term benefits. Increased opportunities for employment and travel are two such benefits. Being bilingual can broaden career options and make it easier to be eligible for a variety of jobs. International travel can also expand children’s perspectives and allow for deeper connections and understanding while traveling.

IT’S FUN! Your child can learn Spanish and feel a sense of achievement from taking on a new language. Kids will have so much with Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids®: SPANISH, that they won’t even realize they’re learning!

As parents, we only want the best for our children. That is why Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids aims to provide an innovative teaching approach and a variety of materials to aid in the study of foreign languages.

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As always, our team takes your viewpoints and suggestions very seriously and we look forward to hearing from you. Please be sure to leave us your comments below! We want to hear from you!

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Educational Foreign Language

3 Tips to Support Your Child’s Foreign Language Learning

3 Tips to Support Your Child’s Foreign Language Learning
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Learning a foreign language brings a plethora of benefits for parents and their children. Not only does research show the increase in overall school performance, but children gain additional skills that aid in their personal and professional development. As parents, we strive to enrich our children’s lives by signing them up for activities such as soccer, dance, and music lessons. Supporting your child in learning a foreign language can be difficult, especially if you don’t speak the language yourself. Nonetheless, there are techniques that can aid in your child’s overall learning process. Here are the top three tips parents can use to support their children’s foreign language learning activities.

  1. Plan ahead: Parents should have a plan in place to get children engaged in foreign language learning. Parents can do this by setting up weekly goals, making time to practice with children, and building further exposure to the foreign language. Once the plan is in place, parents must stay consistent with their study plan. As parents will see, learning a language requires tenacity, steady progress, and organizational skills to keep the children on track.
  2. Practice makes perfect: Learning a foreign language is like playing an instrument or a sport. The more children make time to practice, the better they will do. Parents can contribute to their children’s overall understanding by reinforcing concepts at home. This can be done by speaking to them in the language they are studying, using picture books, and labeling household items in the language being studied. As long as your child is practicing for even as little as 5 minutes a day, they will improve their chances of developing fluency.
  3. Have reasonable expectations: Language learning takes time. No one ever said that it would be easy. To aim for a favorable learning outcome, it is important to create a positive learning environment at home by encouraging your kids to practice the language, to allow for mistakes, and to exercise patience when faced with the challenges of learning a new language at a young age.

As parents, we only want the best for our children. That is why Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids aims to provide an innovative teaching approach and a variety of materials to aid in the study of foreign languages.

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As always, our team takes your viewpoints and suggestions very seriously and we look forward to hearing from you. Please be sure to leave us your comments below!

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Educational Foreign Language

Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

World Languages
World Languages
Reading Time: < 1 minute

In an increasingly interconnected world, learning a second language can be both an exciting and challenging endeavor for children. Not only does a foreign language allow children to embrace other cultures and deepen their understanding, but it also offers them a glimpse into how the world works. Children who speak a second language can communicate with diverse communities, expand their educational and social opportunities, and prepare for overall success in their adult lives.

Children reap significant advantages when learning a foreign language at an early age. Research studies demonstrate the benefits of cognitive strengths such as creativity when children begin to learn foreign languages at a young age. Additionally, children develop listening, observation and problem-solving skills which improves performance on standardized tests. On a personal note, children who become bilingual tend to have more self-confidence and tolerance than their peers who are considered monolingual.

Encouraging children to learn a language will benefit them both personally and professionally. In addition, bilingual children feel comfortable growing up in an increasingly globalized society. Our purpose with this blog is to keep parents and educators excited and informed about the prospects of foreign language learning and its impact on children. As we continue to move forward with interactive language learning tools, we will use this blog to provide tips, explore the latest research findings, and provide tips on how parents can support their children with foreign language learning.

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As always, our team takes your viewpoints and suggestions very seriously and we look forward to hearing from you. Please be sure to leave us your comments below!

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Educational

How to Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with Kids

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and if you’re like me, you may not know much about this celebration.  I plan on fixing that with breaking down what Cinco de Mayo is, why you should celebrate it with your kids, and even some fun activities and more to get you started.

When is Cinco de Mayo?

Despite what you may think, Cinco de Mayon is not the same day as Mexican Independence Day. That day is celebrated on September 15th. Cinco day Mayo falls on the 5th of May.

What is Cinco de Mayo? 

Cinco de Mayo is not an actual American Holiday but it is celebrated, more here than in Mexico. In Mexico, the larger celebration is their Independence Day. Cinco de Mayo is a day set aside to celebrate the courage of the Mexican people during the battle La Batalla de Pueblo on May 5, 1862. On this day Mexican soldiers defeated the Mexican traitors and French Army at Puebla Mexico.

This victory did not win the war but became a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. Today, the celebration of Cinco de Mayo has become highly commercialized. It is known as a time for fun and dance. It is also a celebration of Mexican culture, food, music, and beverage.

The holiday is most celebrated in California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. Why?

  •  Texas was annexed to the United States in 1845, which led to the Mexican-American war.
  • The other three states were annexed from Mexico in 1848 following the US victory in that war.
  • Despite the war, all of these states continue to have close ties to the people and culture of Mexico.

The town of Puebla, the site of the battle, has the most extravagant and colorful celebration in Mexico OR the United States. They celebrate with large festivities as well as with a reenactment of the battle.


Why Should I Celebrate it With My Kids? 

So, why should you celebrate Cinco de Mayo with your kids? Here are a few things to consider:

  • It is a great way to educate them on the heritage of Mexican Americans.
  • You can study important icons, events, and people from the time period.
  • You can introduce your children to Mexican food, dance, and music.
  • It shows them that you value other cultures.

So, how will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo this year? If you need some ideas and suggestions check out the resources below.

Resources for Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Categories
Art Educational

7 Multi Cultural Crafts for Kids

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As our children grow it is important to teach them about the world around them. Our children need to learn to appreciate different peoples and places.   We have heard from many parents who struggle with this. They are not sure where to begin when it comes to teaching their children multicultural lessons. We believe there’s no better way to introduce cultural traditions than hands-on activities and crafts. Here are a few great multicultural crafts for kids.

Birds of New Zealand

As the weather warms we will begin to see more and more birds enter our backyard feeders. This is a great time to learn about birds from other countries. This site has a huge collection of different hands-on crafts all about the birds of New Zealand.

Rainstick Instrument

Rainsticks are a fun and loud way to celebrate other cultures. The history of rain sticks is believed to have come from Chile. They were created with long, hollow cactus tubes and dried in the sun. Small pebbles were placed inside and the sound was like falling rain. This is believed to be used in ceremonies to bring in rain.

Japanese Cherry Tree

In much of Japan, cherry trees (Called sakua in Japan) come into bloom in April. This is also when a new school year starts for Japanese children, and businesses start their new year. Many people think of the cherry blossom as a sign of new beginnings. This is a fun craft for kids old and young, and even comes with book recommendations to continue learning!

Australian Aboriginal Boomerang

Learn about Australian art and aborigines with this multicultural activity. This craft requires simple household items and is a great activity to do as the weather warms. The kids can go outside and play with their new multicultural craft.

Kool-Aid Tie Dye 

This Kool-Aid tie-dye activity may remind you of the 60’s, BUT, the history of tie dye dates back to Pre-Columbian times and Peru. The time from is believed to be around 500-800 A.D. send you

The best part of this activity is that it can be easily made with simple household items. The finished tie-dye shirts will be vibrant and full of wonderful colors and designs. It’s a kid-friendly activity that never gets old!

Chinese New Year Fan

These Chinese Cherry Blossom Fans are a bright and simple craft that is perfect for the Chinese New Year OR a spring craft as we all celebrate the warmer weather. All you need is paper and paint!

Aztec SunDial 

Not only does the sun give us warmth and help plants grow, it can also be used to tell time! With this craft, your children will make a  sundial that really works! The history of the sundial comes from the Aztecs. They were brilliant people that taught us much of what we know about the Earth and the world around us. Your child will love learning more about the sun, life with the Aztecs and creating a working sundial.

Which multicultural craft for kids will you be making first?