3 Ways to Help Raise Bilingual Children

There's no doubt about it – bilingualism is an admired trait these days. Anyone who's bilingual becomes more attractive to employers in the global age, but learning a new language takes a considerable amount of time. Even if you aren't fluent in a second language yourself, you can help your child become bilingual while learning a new language alongside them. Recent studies indicate that even exposure to a second language helps to improve a child’s social and cognitive skills. Videos

Videos are a great way to get started with a new language because your child will start to hear the correct pronunciation of words. Fun and educational videos like the ones offered by Little Pim build a foundation in the new language, teaching some of the most basic words and phrases. Our program is designed to keep children interested as they learn the language, with short episodes starring our cute panda. After learning a few words, the storyline and characters helps them see the language in use. Visit our website to watch a demo video with your little ones.

Flashcard Games

When people think of flashcards, they might simply think about the "drill and kill" style of learning – simply showing the flashcards to the child and having the child say what they are. This can get boring, and most children will resist these methods. However, if you turn it into a game, it becomes a lot more exciting. For instance, spread the flashcards on the floor and have your child toss a beanbag. Your child then has to say what's on the flashcard the beanbag landed on. Make this game harder by having your child use the word in a sentence.

Exposure to Native Speakers

As your child's language skills start to blossom, exposing him or her to native speakers – and opportunities to use his or her language skills in meaningful ways – is a fantastic way to solidify them. If you're lucky enough to have family members that speak a foreign language, encourage them to only use that language around your child. If not, look for cultural groups in your city or consider taking a trip to a country where they speak the language your child is learning.

At Little Pim, we're focused on helping young children learn new languages in fun ways. We offer Little Pim's language learning program in 12 languages, including Spanish, French, Chinese, and English. Contact us to learn more about how our program can help your child learn a new language.

Being Bilingual Can Improve All Areas of Your Child's Life

We live in an increasingly global world where learning a second language can give your child many advantages. Learning a foreign language at an early age improves overall fluency, but the issue is that most schools do not offer the opportunity to learn a second language until high school. According to Forbes magazine, we have a "foreign language deficit" in our country, especially when we are compared to other countries. Overseas, most countries require their students to learn English as a second language from a young age. When researching the benefits of bilingualism, it seems that the pros are endless; speaking more than one language can improve social skills, school performance, emotional health, and so much more. With all of the positives that come from being bilingual, it's a wonder that more young children are not being raised bilingual.

Learning a Second Language Improves School Performance

According to a study performed by Stanford researchers on language, the language children are exposed to in infancy and early childhood has a massive impact on their academic abilities and ability to communicate later in life. The best way to set your child up for success is to teach them both their native language, alongside a foreign language, during the critical period between infancy and six years old. Bilingual children have been proven to score higher on tests throughout their entire school career.

Speaking Multiple Languages Improves Social Skills

In a piece exploring the superior social skills of bilingual children by Katherine Kinzler, published in the New York Times, she found that children who are bilingual or multilingual have an easier time understanding different perspectives. This is because they have to understand when to speak a certain language, and to whom. This greatly improves their ability to communicate and empathize with people from all different walks of life. For more information about this study, check out our blog post on "Raising a People Person."

Bilingual Children Tend To Be More Creative

According to a study performed by the University of Strathclyde’s School of Psychological Sciences and Health, children who speak two languages statistically scored higher when it came to creative thinking and problem solving. Bilingual children scored much higher than monolingual children all across the board, in fact; especially when it came to questions assessing their critical thinking skills. In other words, bilingual children's ability to think outside the box helped them eventually work out answers to questions that they otherwise may not have been able to answer.

It Can Even Improve Emotional Health

Language plays a large role in our emotional health, because it is the only way we can articulate our deepest feelings, whether we choose to write them in a journal or discuss them with friends and family members. The ability to express their emotions in more than one language offers children more opportunity to talk to more people; it's also a good way to vent their emotions when around those who are monolingual. Also, when observed in school, bilingual children showed a better ability to pay attention and exhibit inhibitory control. It has been shown that bilingual children tend to have better relationships with their teachers and peers as well. Those early experiences with teachers and friends are vital to a child's emotional health and social development; teaching your child a second language can help ensure those interactions will be positive ones.

Cultural Curiosity and Tolerance

Bilingual children often have a natural curiosity about the country from which their second language originated. From a very young age, they have also been shown to be more tolerant of other cultures; they play more easily with children who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, they are more likely to engage in play with children who do not speak their language, and they show more of an interest in socializing outside of their usual social circles. Since our world is becoming more globalized every day, the ability to tolerate and show interest in other cultures is an important advantage.

The Benefits Are Endless

There are endless benefits to teaching your child a second language from an early age - this article has only covered a small handful of the advantages your child will get through becoming bilingual! If you would like to introduce your child to a new language, try out Little Pim for free by watching a demo video to get started as soon as possible!

Easter Celebrations in Russia

Spring is beginning to bring forth its many blooms, and children everywhere are enjoying more seasonal temperatures. We also just celebrated the holiday that marks the start of Spring – Easter. Americans who celebrate this special holiday may attend church services on Easter Sunday and participate in Easter egg hunts, decorating eggs, attending parades, and/or visiting the Easter bunny. But there is one country just getting ready to celebrate this big holiday. Russia’s Easter will be on May 1st.  Let’s take a look at Russian Easter celebrations. Orthodox Easter Services

For the Russians, Easter is a highly religious celebration. A church service is held the evening before Easter that begins just prior to midnight and lasts into the wee hours of Sunday morning. The large churches are filled with church attendees who participate in the celebratory service. Thousands of candles are lit and fill the beautiful church.

Food

The Russian people enjoy a scrumptious Easter breakfast when the church service is completed. Three popular Easter dishes include Kulich, Paska, and colored eggs. Kulich is a Russian sweet bread which looks like a vanilla cupcake with white frosting and sprinkles. Paska is a “rich and very sweet cheese pudding." The great feast lasts for seven days as people visit family, friends, and neighbors.

Children’s Activities

Russian children enjoy Easter with games and fun, just as American children do. One such game the Russian children play involves Easter eggs. Children try to crack each others eggs as they roll them down a hill. Candy is often used in the game, as well. The Easter eggs are beautifully decorated and painted. Easter morning begins with children visiting neighborhood homes handing out Easter eggs.

Social Activities

The Russian celebration of Easter involves some interesting social activities. One such custom begins the evening before Easter during the night service and lasts forty days; people recite a specific greeting to one another. The first person will say “Khristos voskres!", meaning Christ is risen!  The next person is supposed to reply, "Voistinu voskres", meaning truly He is risen! Traditional hugging and kissing three times will follow the greeting. This is called the "kiss of peace".

Also, if following the older Russian customs, people will give gifts to the poor, orphaned, and those in hospitals or prisons.

Learning about how other countries celebrate major holidays is one way in which children can be more culturally aware; this inspires a love for learning the language of that culture. As you and your child embrace new cultural experiences and learning a new language, Little Pim is right alongside you with products to enhance immersion learning. Try a free demo video to teach your child Russian with Little Pim today!

Fun Earth Day Activities for Kids

Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd and we have a bunch of fun ideas on how you can celebrate with your little ones! More than a billion people around the world celebrate Earth Day and you can too! Find Earth Day events in your area on Google maps via earthday.org or enjoy one of the activities below that your kids will love:

Plant a Seed

Planting seeds with your kids is a great way to help them understand why nature is so valuable. You can simply plant a bean or marigold seed in a cup and help your children take care of their growing plant.

Seed Starting Tips:

• - Once your seed germinates, place your plant in full sun by a window or use fluorescent light
• - Keep your seedlings warm (70-75 degrees) and your soil moist
• - Choose easy-to-grow annuals (flowers such as sunflowers, zinnias, or cosmos or vegetables like radishes, lettuce, and dill)
• - Be sure to label your cups if you're planting a mix of seeds (kids can have fun with creating their own labels!)

Create a Bird Feeder

This is a fun recycling art project reusing your toilet paper rolls via The Resourceful Mama. The best part is that you only need 5 supplies to build this simple bird feeder with your little ones. Note: This project is not recommended for children who have peanut allergies.

• - Toilet paper rolls
• - Bird seed
• - Peanut Butter
• - Craft or Popsicle Sticks
• - Twine

Simply spread the peanut butter on the outside of the toilet paper rolls using the craft sticks and roll them around in the bird seed. Once the outside of the roll is covered in seeds, thread a piece of twine through the roll until your desired length and tie a knot. Hang your bird feeder outside on a tree and wait for the little birdies to enjoy!

Sing an Earth Day Song

Sometimes singing a song can help young children learn the importance of Earth Day and conserving the world's natural resources in a fun and meaningful way. The Earth Day Song by Let's Play Kids Music is a great way to get the whole family involved with song and dance. Sing the lyrics to the tune of 'Nick Nack Paddy Wack' and enjoy the playlist they put together to celebrate the Earth all day long!

Visit a Farmer's Market

Take the kids to the farmer's market or a local farm to learn about the fruits and vegetables grown in your local area. Farmers can explain to your kids about what produce is in season and where they were grown. Let your little ones pick fresh fruits and vegetables to take home to prepare an Earth Day picnic. Show them how to wash and prepare fresh produce into fun-sized bites for kids.

Earth Day Reading

Visit your local library to read books about Earth. One of our favorites is "Talking with Mother Earth" by Jorge Argueta, which is a great bilingual/bicultural read as it's beautifully expressed in English and Spanish.

Color a Tree

Do April showers have you and your little ones stuck inside today? No worries, you can print out this coloring page via ABC Teach for the kids to color in an Earth Day tree with leaves in the shape of hearts.

Join the Community

Most local communities host Earth Day events throughout the month of April to celebrate Earth Day. Be sure to visit earthday.org to find events in your area to participate in with your little ones. It's a great opportunity to help raise your global citizens and meet like-minded parents aiming to make a difference- not only on April 22nd, but year-round!

Do you have any fun ideas for Earth Day? Please comment below to share your activities! Happy Earth Day & Stay Green!

4 Fun Ways to Teach Your Child Spanish

With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, it's the perfect time to start teaching your child Spanish! Cinco de Mayo commemorates the unlikely 1862 victory of the Mexican army over the French army in the Battle of Puebla. Celebrations around Mexico and the United States highlight Mexican culture, cuisine, and music. We've compiled a few Spanish vocabulary words that follow the theme of the festivities, as well as 4 fun ways to teach your child Spanish!

La batalla – battle La revolucion – revolution La bandera – flag El heroe – hero La independencia – independence La victoria – victory

Teaching your child Spanish has benefits that go beyond the obvious advantage of a bilingual child; the opportunity to strengthen your bond with your child as you work together learning a new language is invaluable. As you and your child begin the journey of learning Spanish, remember to have fun. According to research, learning actually takes place best when the child is having fun. Here are 4 fun ways to teach children Spanish:

Music

Music is an excellent way to aid in memory. John Hopkins University had this to report, “Music can also create a highly focused learning state in which vocabulary and reading material is absorbed at a great rate. When information is put to rhythm and rhyme these musical elements will provide a hook for recall.”

Little Pim's Spanish Bop will have your whole family singing while learning Spanish at the same time! And don’t worry if you don’t know Spanish–the album comes with a 16-page lyrics book that highlights vocabulary from our Spanish video series and includes an English translation of all the songs. Incorporating Spanish music in your lessons is definitely helpful for gaining your little one's attention and makes language learning fun!

Visuals

Research reveals that the mind is able to process visuals 60,000 times faster in the brain than textual information. Simply put, your child will learn more quickly and effectively when visuals are a big part of the learning model. By utilizing pictures, flashcards, videos, and board books, the information will solidify in his/her mind.

Games

Everyone loves a fun game. Furthermore, for the tactile learner (which is the child who learns through touching and doing), games are a tremendous way to connect positive experiences with the act of learning the language. Depending on the age of the child, you will have to modify the games. Here are a few suggestions for an older child.

Once the child knows a few basic words (learned from the Little Pim videos or flashcards), set flashcards on the floor in a path leading to a surprise, treat, or just a big hug. The object of the game is the child says either the word in Spanish or tells you the translation (what it means in English). As they advance along the path, they pick up the cards and if they get the right answer, they move on to the next card until they win by reaching the end.

A variation of the game above is to use the flashcards, but for each one that the child gets right, he or she can put a stuffed animal in the “zoo” (a sectioned off area you designate to be a zoo) to be with all its friends. When she gets all the animals in the zoo, then the game is over.

Play a Spanish song that your child knows pretty well, then periodically pause the CD for your child to fill in the missing word. To add some child fitness exercises to the mix, you could make learning new words into an action game. For each word your little one is able to say, they get to do a jumping jack, hop like a bunny, or some other fun action your child enjoys!

You can also try this free online game from Scholastic: Spanish Heritage – Piñata Game

Multicultural Events

Learning about the Spanish culture, experimenting with Mexican foods, and even taking a trip to Mexico are also wonderful ways to immerse your child in the experience of the Mexican culture. As the child identifies with and learns about the culture, he or she will have a more well-rounded educational experience.

Learning the Spanish language is an asset for children. Making it enjoyable goes a long way in making it stick in the child’s mind. At Little Pim, we produced the #1 language learning program for kids ages 0-6 and products such as flashcard sets and board books to make language learning fun for little ones.

Celebrate "Kodomo no Hi" - Children's Day in Japan

When children are learning new languages, introducing them to multicultural activities that relate to the new language is a fantastic way for them to get involved. If you are teaching your child Japanese, they'll love learning about "Kodomo no Hi" (Koh-doh-moh noh Hee) or "Children's Day" in Japan, which falls on "the fifth day of the fifth month," or May 5th. Kodomo no Hi was initially known as "Boys Day" in contrast to a "Girls Day" that is held in March. In 1948, though, the government moved to change it to "Children's Day" to celebrate, respect and honor all children. Children in Japan enjoy the day off from school on Children's Day. Below are some traditional ways families celebrate this special holiday and some fun activities to engage your little ones!

Japanese Folklore

Japanese children often listen to the story of "Kintarō" or "Golden Boy" on Children's Day. This famous legend tells the story of a young boy who was very strong and rode a bear rather than a horse. It's custom for families with boys to decorate their home with a Kintarō doll in hopes that their boys will grow into brave, strong men. You can find a version of this story in English in "Kintaro's Adventures and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories" by Florence Sakade on Amazon.

Children's Day Crafts

Japanese families often fly a "koinobori" flag outside their home to bring in good luck and fortune. This flag consists of a large black koi or carp fish to represent the father, a smaller red one to represent the mother, and smaller fish of different colors to represent each child. The koi fish symbolize strength and determination in Japanese culture as these fish are known for swimming upstream through strong currents. To celebrate Children's Day in your home, you could make a similar koinobori flag to represent your family following these directions from the Asia Kids Society.

Get out the crayons - your kids will love this coloring page from Activity Village that showcases two children dressed in traditional Japanese dress. While they choose their colors, teach them how to say each color in Japanese to make language learning fun!

• Red - aka
• Orange - daidaiiro
• Yellow - kiiro
• Green - midori
• Blue - ao
• Purple - murasaki
• Pink - momoiro
• Black - kuro
• Brown - chairo
• Gray - haiiro
• White - shiro

Children's Day Treats

The traditional food for Children's Day is mochi, a pounded-down rice cake. If you have a Japanese or Asian grocery nearby, you might be able to buy pre-made mochi made with a sweet bean filling. Alternatively, purchase mochi powder to make your own. Kids will love rolling their own mochi balls.

For more ideas on how to celebrate the Japanese holiday, Children's Day in your home, visit The Japan Society for photos and other fun activities for kids. If you're interested in teaching your child Japanese, Little Pim can help. Learning a second language is a real brain booster for young kids. The Japanese Complete Set introduces 180 fundamental words and phrases your kids will want to repeat again and again. Watch a free trial of Japanese for kids.

New Brain Studies Indicate Early Childhood is the Best Time to Learn a New Language

It's proven that the best time to learn a new language is under the age of 6. New studies from the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences indicate "the notion that not only are very young children capable of learning multiple languages, but that early childhood is the optimum time for them to begin."

In the video below, research scientist and the study's lead author, Naja Ferjan Ramirez summarizes the results from the brain studies performed on sixteen 11-month-old babies, half raised in bilingual homes and the other half in monolingual homes:

[iframe id="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TAYhj-gekqw" align="center" autoplay="no"]

Our results suggest that before they even start talking, babies raised in bilingual households are getting practice at tasks related to executive function. This suggests that bilingualism shapes not only language development, but also cognitive development more generally, said Ramirez.

It's amazing to see the results from the brain-recording technique used in the study called magnetoencephalography. "The brains of bilingual babies were specialized to process the sounds of both languages, Spanish and English. The brains of babies from monolingual families were specialized to process the sounds of English and were not sensitive to Spanish," says Ramirez. No surprise there!

What's more interesting is that as early as 11 months old, we're able to see that the bilingual brains showed increased activity in areas related to executive functioning. According to The Center on The Developing Child at Harvard University, when children have the opportunity to develop cognitive skills early on, individuals and society experience lifelong benefits.

Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully....Providing the support that children need to build these skills at home, in early care and education programs, and in other settings they experience regularly is one of society’s most important responsibilities.

Are you ready to teach your little ones a new language? Check out the research behind our method to learn more about how we integrate scientific studies like these to help kids effectively learn languages, both native and foreign.

Limited Time Offer! Save 20% on Little Pim with code KIDS

Celebrate Crayola Crayon Day with Little Pim's Springtime Coloring Page

Spring is in the air! What a great day to celebrate Crayola Crayon Day by having your kids color in Little Pim's Springtime coloring page. Print out this coloring page today and teach your kids how to say each color in a different language to incorporate language learning into your day.

When you're done, you'll have a finished picture to hang on your fridge! Share your kids' page with #littlepim on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Enjoy your colorful day!

Bringing Culture Up Close: 5 Multicultural Activities for Kids

To best incorporate language, culture, and an expanded worldview into a child's day, it's wise to use what is already set in place: a weekly schedule! Repeat these 5 multicultural activities for kids on a weekly basis, and your son or daughter will begin thinking outside-the-ordinary. Have fun!

Start by choosing a different culture every week. Use these weekday suggestions as parameters to build upon. Then, as a pattern develops, watch your child eagerly anticipate the ways new cultures come alive in your home.

Monday Meals:

Spell new language words using alphabet cereals, carrots, or noodles. Make pancakes into Chinese letters, for example. Count healthy food pieces using the culture's language, or make a cultural dish, together, as you discuss other common foods of the region. While you're in the kitchen, review your food vocabulary with the kids with the help of Little Pim videos or flashcards. You can also learn and teach the kids about the variety of eating utensils from other cultures.

If you have family members who have a different cultural background than you do, invite them over to teach you and your kids about their cuisine and you can even prepare a meal together. Your family can pick up on new words and ethnic ingredients you've never tried which can be fun and tasty!

Tuesday Topics:

Tuesdays are about learning the traditions of a culture. Find pictures which display these traditions and common hobbies most popular there. Review parenting traditions and how life events are celebrated differently, for example, have you heard of the "baby grab" tradition celebrated in Korea? The parents give their baby a basket of items associated with a career, i.e. a book for scholars, ball for athletes, food for chefs, toy stethoscope for doctors, etc. Tradition says that the item the baby reaches for first will have some bearing on his or her future.

How do children from these cultures spend their day? Is family important? What is same or different from who we are?

Wednesday Wardrobe:

What do children, moms, and dads wear in China (for example)? Does this culture dress special for occasions or holidays? Find articles of clothing or hit the thrift shop to role play with your child as though you live in the area of study. Put on a play or skit to show what you've learned. Alternatively, you can find pictures of cultural attire to share with the kids.

Thursday Thinker:

Using story books, articles, and Little Pim, engage in activities suitable to your child's comprehension. Have young children color a picture of a significant holiday, symbol, or food item from the culture you're studying. Start discussions with older children, for example, you might discuss the culture's schooling system or the country's flag. Ask, "What do you think?"

Visit your local library to find books about the culture of the week and take turns reading. You can find children's books that introduce kids to different cultures around the world, focused on cuisine, holidays, and traditions.

Friday Flick:

Find a movie, short, or some kind of visual representation of the events, foods, and cultural differences discussed this week. What are some famous children's characters from each culture? Learn a native song or cultural dance important to the people.

Go out and explore!

Discover local events within your community to expose your young children to different cultures in your very own neighborhood. For example, if you're living in the NYC-area, here are some fun upcoming events you can attend with your kids:

• Multicultural Food Festival - Thursday, April 14th
• NYC Holi Hai - Saturday, April 30th
• The Queens International Street Market - Saturdays, 6PM-Midnight, starting on April 23rd
• Japan Day at Central Park - Sunday, May 8th, 2016

For further ways to develop your child's awareness of cultures and new languages, start teaching them a second language with Little Pim. If you have any suggestions or upcoming multicultural events in your area, please share them in the comments below. We look forward to growing with you and your child!

6 Benefits of Raising Bilingual Children

According to the American Community Survey, close to 20% of people in the United States are bilingual. The number of individuals who have the ability to speak more than one language is on the rise. So, why are parents opting to teach their children an additional language (or two)? Just what are some the advantages of being bilingual? Let’s examine 6 benefits of raising bilingual children:

Increased Cognitive Ability

Jeffrey Kluger in a Time Magazine article says, "Babies are born with the inherent ability to speak and understand the world’s 6,800 languages, and that babies, and then children, are able to continue to easily learn multiple languages up into early grammar school."

Kluger goes on to say that later in life, having gained these language abilities as babies and children, multilingual adults “are better at reasoning, at multitasking, at grasping and reconciling conflicting ideas. They work faster and expend less energy doing so, and as they age, they retain their cognitive faculties longer, delaying the onset of dementia and even full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.”

More Flexible Brain

The ability to balance two separate languages and alternate between the two when the situation dictates would require a certain degree of flexibility. And as is true with any muscle, over time exercise will increase flexibility. Because bilinguals may acquire two languages in the time in which monolinguals acquire one, they quickly become more flexible learners*. The speed and apparent ease with which young infants learn the basics of a language regularly astound parents and scientists alike*.

Increased Listening Skills 

As children begin to tune their hearing to learn unfamiliar sounds and words in the new language, their listening skills develop. It is somewhat similar to a musician having a trained ear for the sounds of the notes over time.

Did you know that babies hear their mother’s voices before birth and as newborns, they already know the rhythm of their native language? Once born, babies can actually recognize differences in languages*.  Babies are particularly attuned to hearing phonemes, the sound elements or building blocks of language, and repeated studies show that babies are actually more attuned to perceiving phonemes than adults.

Higher Memory Retention

As children memorize new words, they are actually helping their brain to be better at memory work in the future. How is that? As you stimulate the brain with difficult, new challenges, you work it out; thus, giving the brain a boost in overall health, vitality, and increase in memory power.

Dr. Andrea Mechelli of University College London published her team’s research that found “grey matter” density in scans of the left-brain was greater in bilinguals than in monolinguals. The brain’s left side is responsible for processing information and controlling aspects of sensory perception, memory and speech. Dr. Mechelli found this increase was most significant in children who had learned a foreign language before the age of five.

Increased Marketability in the Future Workplace

A study from a Los Angeles-based recruiter found that almost 9 out of 10 headhunters in Europe, Latin America, and Asia reported that bilingual skills is critical for success in today's business setting. In this increasingly global world, bilingualism carries many benefits. Furthermore,

“66 percent of North American recruiters agreed that being bilingual will be increasingly important in the next 10 years.”

Better Problem Solvers

Language is like a puzzle. Letters and sounds fit together to make words, and then words fit together to make sentences. By fitting the pieces together in a new language, children become naturally more adept at problem-solving abilities. Visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's website for more advantages of being bilingual.

People everywhere have discovered the Little Pim program to their delight. Celebrities who have utilized the program offered these words of praise for Little Pim:

• Alyssa Milano – “Thank you so much for sending Milo The Little Pim language. . .”
• Tori Spelling – “Thank you so much for  sending us Little Pim -  Spanish. The kids love it – and I am learning from it too!”
• Kevin James – “We [love] little Pim. . .”
• Bill Horn & Scout Masterson – “Thanks for the Panda. . .We’re actually fans of Little Pim. . .”

At Little Pim, we have developed an award-winning program that taps into the young child’s unique capability to absorb new languages at a rapid rate.  Using what children love most, lively adorable animals and other babies, we developed language learning videos that have been highly effective. Try us free today to start teaching your little ones a new language!