There are several benefits to being bilingual or multilingual. It's an opportunity to think and solve problems in different languages, improve social skills by speaking different languages, and grow cognitive muscles. While all these benefits are amazing, they may not be visible to a young child. Teaching your toddler Korean is daunting, especially if you're a beginner, but it's possible. As a parent, providing guidance can improve your child's ability to learn a new language. Here are a few tips for teaching Korean to toddlers which really can be applied to any target language.
1. Find Fun Ways To Teach
Children learn well in relaxed environments where they can express themselves through fun. Play and entertainment are the best ways to introduce a toddler to a new language. There are several creative ways to add fun to your lessons:
Use Songs and Rhymes: The repetition and chanting in rhymes and the joy in singing are delightful for toddlers. You can teach your child a rhyme to help them learn the Korean alphabet. The lyrics are more comfortable for toddlers to remember, and the rhythm makes learning exciting. Toddlers can also learn pronunciations through singing.
Word games: Games such as scrabble and charades challenge your toddler to think of words and also remember their meaning. Print pictures and ask your child to describe the image using Korean words. Keep the game easy, according to their level of learning.
Body movement: Rhythmic body movements such as dance help toddlers learn. For example, teaching different body parts is an excellent opportunity to combine a rhyme and a dance that incorporates touching the necessary parts of the face and body.
Homonyms: You can test your toddler's comprehension by asking them to differentiate between words that sound the same.
Stories: Find Korean storybooks that match your child's comprehension and read the stories with them. Ask your child to read along and encourage them to speak up as you correct them. You can also try to tell everyday stories in Korean. Stories are also great for teaching because they tap into a kids' imagination. You can let their creativity grow and encourage them to tell their story in Korean.
Tongue Twisters are fun for both you and the child and are great for teaching pronunciations for words that almost sound similar.
Play: Playing telephone and doll games with your child can help them learn Korean better. Ask them words over the phone and wait for them to spell. You can also ask them to name their favorite toys in Korean.
2. Have Lots of Visuals
There's a reason why getting your child off their favorite cartoons is hard- kids love visuals. If the pictures can talk, dance, and sing, they pay even more attention. Children are also drawn to bright colors, which are often present in their books and animations. Animations also break down complex concepts to a toddler's level of understanding and make children laugh. Little Pim is the perfect way to introduce your little ones to Korean featuring a mix of fun, colorful animations, and real kids doing everyday things to describe their world.
You can find visual elements for naming objects and describing actions such as eating, dancing, or walking in Korean.
Buy books with drawings for learning, joining dots, painting, and coloring with pastels.
Create new and bright flashcards that you can use during word games.
Watch Little Pim Korean and use props around the house to help reinforce the vocabulary.
3. Talk to Your Child
Children also learn through observing and listening to the surrounding activities. When you speak to your child, use complete sentences. Ask them to also respond in complete sentences. This will help your child understand how sentence structures work. It will also help your child articulate themselves better in the future.
As you talk, ask the child to explain details. For example, if you show them a flashcard with a picture of a child on it, ask them to explain what they see. Is it a boy or a girl? What is the child wearing? What color are their clothes and shoes? Teach them to observe and voice what they see around them.
4. Structure The Classes Into Small Sections
The attention span of a child changes as they grow older. At two years, a toddler can focus for around 6 minutes before becoming bored and distracted. By five years, most kids can focus on a task for up to 15 minutes. With short attention spans, structuring the Korean lessons into short sessions with play is the best way to teach the toddler. Long lectures are a sure way of getting your kid bored and also disinterested in the new language.
However, you can improve their attention span by being actively engaged. Research indicates that children respond well to more attention, especially when they're young. Learning along with your child, rather than just being physically present or showing disinterest works well when introducing your toddler to new concepts.
5. Follow Your Child's Lead
Instead of forcing your child to express interest in something you like, allow them to lead the way. Learn to observe your child and pay attention to their needs both outside and inside the Korean lessons. What parts of learning interest them most? Do they prefer pictures? Do they need colors and flashcards? Once they're interested, engage them and encourage them to continue learning.
6. Invest In Structured Lessons
Having a structured manual with guided lessons and goals has several advantages:
You can help your child understand the basics before tackling complex terms.
You can track your progress and create a routine.
Professionally scripted lessons also guide the parent, which makes them ideal for homeschooling.
You can take advantage of pre-designed flashcards, printed stories, and animations within structured lessons and focus on teaching.
Join an online community of other parents teaching their child Korean for tips and playgroups.
Conclusion
Little Pim has a professionally scripted program that you can use to introduce your toddler to Korean. The lessons include play and repetition, great visuals and printable content you can access offline. The lessons are also scripted to guide you, as the parent, even if you have no prior knowledge of Korean. You not only guide your child through a new language but also acquire the skills for yourself. Try watching Little Pim with your loved one today!