German curriculum for little kids?

[Neige]

My son (3yo) currently spends about 10hrs/wk with a German-speaking babysitter, who has taught him a few basics (Hello/Goodbye, Goodnight, Sleep well, etc.) and a song. He is very eager, so I am wondering if there is a curriculum out there that would help him to be more organized (knowing what to teach). It would have to be mostly oral, rather than written.

 

I'm thinking something like Tatou le Matou, but for German, if that helps anyone.

 

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Loesje22000]

Spielerisch Deutsch Lernen?

KIKUS?

he is too young for Planetino

[madteaparty]

Listening in, I'd like to teach my 4 year old German. I found a great little up called Gus (I think). We are taking a video and ap approach now and actual books like the bilingual one Ich bin Klein?

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

If he is spending 10hrs with this care provider, I would just encourage the care provider to speak to him exclusively in German.  10 hrs of face time with a native speaker should be more than enough for him to pick it up, and far more effective than any book learning.  

[cottonmama]

52 Weeks of Family German is a nice, lightweight option that would organize lessons for a teacher who knows the language.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

And to answer the original question, we have the Usborne 1000 first words in German book, and it makes a good "point and say" book.

[4KookieKids]

If he is spending 10hrs with this care provider, I would just encourage the care provider to speak to him exclusively in German.  10 hrs of face time with a native speaker should be more than enough for him to pick it up, and far more effective than any book learning.  

 

Absolutely agree! Then add in just a little fun german tv at home. Something like der Sendung mit dem Elefanten that you can watch online. He'll pick it up quickly!

 

Beyond that, the best "curriculum" for him would actually just be a curriculum for *you* to learn some basics (start with colors, numbers, shapes, body parts, clothes) and reinforcing those with him as you go through your day. :)

[regentrude]

If he is spending 10hrs with this care provider, I would just encourage the care provider to speak to him exclusively in German.  10 hrs of face time with a native speaker should be more than enough for him to pick it up, and far more effective than any book learning.  

 

This.

My kids learned to speak English by attending an English pre-school for four mornings a week.

 

[Brad S]

If he is spending 10hrs with this care provider, I would just encourage the care provider to speak to him exclusively in German.  10 hrs of face time with a native speaker should be more than enough for him to pick it up, and far more effective than any book learning.  

 

Absolutely agree! Then add in just a little fun german tv at home. Something like der Sendung mit dem Elefanten that you can watch online. He'll pick it up quickly! ...

 

 

This.

My kids learned to speak English by attending an English pre-school for four mornings a week.

 

 

Watching some fun German TV at home may make the transition to speaking German with the provider go more smoothly (and more quickly).  It's also nice to reinforce the language and hear it in different contexts.  I would focus on the spoken language until DC can read in English and gets to fluency or close to fluency in spoken German.  [My DW spoke Spanish to DS from birth and I spoke English to him.  A few months after he learned to read in English, I sat down for 5 minutes with him on two different days to explain how the "rules" for Spanish were different than the English rules (to the extent that English rules exist), and he was reading basic Spanish.]  Since German, as Spanish, follows regular rules between the written language and spoken language, it may not be that hard to learn to read German once speaking.  But if DC picks up a strong English accent speaking German, it will be difficult to get rid of that and make it harder to be understood when speaking German.   So I'd focus very heavily on the spoken language.  But I think you may need some other oral, audiovisual materials, including songs and TV, to supplement the time with the day care provider.  What a great opportunity for your DC!

[wintermom]

Songs are a wonderful way to learn language, too. If you can find a CD of German children's songs, and have him sing along, and see if the babysitter can sing along as well, it's a great way to build vocabulary. The rhyming words in songs are so helpful in remembering language.