Any good German learning apps or programs for kids 7-10 ??

[NatYoung17]

HI!

 

I'm trying to teach my kids German (I'm a native speaker), but I'm having a hard time sticking to it, without some kind of program to follow... (I've lived in the US 17 years and have nobody here to speak it with, so I automatically speak English to them...)

I've looked at different programs but it seems that it's either for Toddlers or Teens/Adults. I haven't been able to find anything that would appeal to them. Anybody have any suggestions?

I would greatly appreciate any ideas!

Thanks!

 

P.S. We'll be going to Germany next year to visit my Mom and I would like for them to be able to communicate somewhat with others while we're there.

Thanks.

[scoutingmom]

http://www.knowitall.org/instantreplay/content/LanguageIndex.cfm

[3 ladybugs]

I have only seen Powerspeak and Rosetta Stone. Both I felt were too advanced for my 6 year old. So I put him in formal classes. http://www.germanschools.org/Schools/List.htmThis will tell you if there is anything near you.

 

Good luck!

[Homeschoolmom3]

We use Muzzy my kids love it..., check on ebay used for cheap!

[Mrs Twain]

My 12, 10, and 8-year-olds use Duolingo.  It is free.  It is better on the computer than on the phone, but the phone is okay, too.

www.duolingo.com

[Amy Jo]

My 11yo uses Duolingo (he started at 10 last year). I agree with the new update it is better on the computer. For fair warning some kids get frustrated (my 12yo does). I'm TRYING to encourage my 11yo to do Harry Potter in German. I might just assign it ...

[Steven]

Muzzy is a possibility. We used Muzzy with my daughter when she was really young (18 months) when she still had the interest in watching it over and over again. But the only reason it worked for us was that we reinforced it by watching it with her and we talked about the story and characters all the time. That might be harder to do with kids that are 7 and 9. I do not believe it is enough to just sit them in front of it. 

 

Note that there is a problem with Muzzy. Muzzy was developed to teach English, and the story line illustrates English grammar. The other languages are simply dubbed in, and there is no adaptation to illustrate the grammatical features of German (or the other languages). So there is, for example, no explanation of the German gender or case system. 

 

If you buy Muzzy, buy it used. Do not pay full price. The most economical way to buy it is to find the old video tapes on e-Bay. 

 

As an alternative, you can just watch German cartoons. My daughter always liked the Tom Films (http://www.kindernetz.de/tom/-/id=40242/17kd2c2/index.html) which have a repetitive story line that makes them easy to follow. 

 

But, again, I suggest watching it with them and talking about it as you watch. 

 

If your kids have patience for it, Duolingo might work. I suggest doing it with them. 

 

If you find a decent text book, I also suggest entering the vocabulary you learn into the flashcard system called Anki. I use this with my ten-year old daughter in Spanish and Latin. It allows you to create cards with text, sound, picture, and movie files. I find funny pictures on the internet to illustrate the words. Anki is a cross-platform system, and most of the versions are free, although the iPad version costs $25. Here is the link: http://ankisrs.net

 

Anki has made a huge difference in our ability to retain vocabulary in Spanish and Latin. At first I did it with my daughter, but now she does it independently in just a few minutes a day.