English/ESL/EFL
Ephesians 4:32 – Bible Verse in English, French, and Spanish
My 5 year old memorized this Bible verse this week for Sunday School: Ephesians 4:32 It got me thinking that a nice Sunday feature to my Foreign Language Fun blog would be a multilingual Bible verse that kids can memorize in English, French, and/or Spanish. Today’s verse is the first half of Ephesians 4:32: Be [...]
Let’s Talk About Zakumi in French and Spanish: The World Cup 2010 Mascot
A jolly, green-haired leopard named Zakumi is the official mascot of the 2010 FIFI World Cup in South Africa. The ZA in his name stands for South Africa, and KUMI means “ten” in various African languages. Find out more about Zakumi by visiting this page of the official FIFA website. Go to the top [...]
Use Silly Bandz to Learn Foreign Languages
So, are your kids swept away with the Silly Bandz craze yet? I just read this article from Time Magazine about schools beginning to ban the colorful, fun rubber band shapes. Personally, I love them! Here at the “Foreign Language Fun House” I’m taking full advantage of my kids’ obsession. First, I sprung for a [...]
A Foreign Language Vegetable Garden
Turn your garden into a language lesson! My kids are growing some vegetables on the deck this year. Every single morning the four year-old runs outside to check on his pots. Luckily, beans grow at a quick pace that is satisfying to a preschooler. Check out our tomatoes, beans, and peppers: We started to learn [...]
Recycling Gouin Series to Teach French, Spanish, and ESL
Sorting recycling in a foreign language is an excellent lesson for Earth Day on April 22. You can count, sort, identify colors, and talk about materials (plastic, paper, etc.) Try using the natural approach of a Gouin Series to present language in context. A simple, novice-level ESL gouin might go something like this: It’s recycling [...]
Foreign Language Numbers Game Inspired by Highlights: Eleven
I was just looking through my son’s Highlights magazine (www.Highlights.com) and I came across a fantastic game that can be effectively adapted to help kids practice numbers in Spanish, French, Chinese . . . any foreign language. In the March 2010 issue there’s an activity on pg. 38 by Jennifer Coleman called “Make 11.” Two [...]
Free Winter Olympic Mascot Worksheet for French and English (ESL) Learners
null The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are finally here! One way to engage your French or English language learners is by reading about the Vancouver mascots on the official website. Just go to the French or English version of the site to meet Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi. I prepared worksheets for your students to [...]
Teach Colors in French, Spanish, ESL: Fishing for Hearts
This Valentine’s Day, teach kids colors in French, Spanish, and English by fishing for hearts. This is a favorite pre-k activity, but it can be adapted for older kids, too. First, you’ll need some colored paper hearts. Click hearts for a free pdf. Make a few copies, cut, and laminate. Place a paper clip on [...]
Xtranormal: Make Movies in English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and German
// I’d like to thank la profesora Sarita at Mis Musicuentos for introducing me to what she calls “technology heaven.” It’s actually a site called xtranormal.com where you can type in text and create a movie. It is so fun and easy. You choose characters, sets, background noise, soundtrack, actions, and expressions. The automated voices [...]
Little Pim: Foreign Language DVD’s for Kids
I’ve recently become a fan of the award-winning Little Pim language learning dvd’s for children. They are cute, eye-catching, and age-appropriate for the littlest language learners. The short segments are just right for holding my 4 year old’s attention. He repeated some words in Spanish with no prompting, and then he asked to watch the dvd [...]
