Top Multi-language Learning Apps and Resources for Kids

Our guest blogger this week is Jennifer Birch. Jennifer is a devotee of technological solution for education. She’s always looking for the recent trends and top tools for learning. This would be a great article to share with your families!

The rapid pace of technological innovation has brought about significant developments in the area of language learning. From the printing press in 1400s to the phonograph in 1800s to the portable audio player in the late 1900s; each innovation serves to advance the accessibility of language learning materials across the globe. With the rise of smart devices, new learning modules and instructions have emerged with linguistic precision and multi-lingual ability. However, with hundreds of these digital learning tools and resources available for your consumption, you may find it difficult to stumble on the right curated language learning apps designed for your youngsters. To help you out, here’s a rundown of the top multi-language learning tools and resources you can leverage to teach your kids aged 5-10.

1. Count To Ten – International Numbers Game

To keep them interested and engaged, you should first present them with a basic module that doesn’t have any complicated lessons and content. For starters, the Count to Ten – International Numbers Game for iOS is a basic application that will help them learn how to count in 23 different languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Portuguese, Slovak, Hungarian, and Romanian. As for its interface, the app features a simple giant on-screen number that when tapped with a finger, a pre-recorded native voice will narrate its proper pronunciation. There’s also a duel mode for one-on-one games and counting challenges.

2. Duolingo

Another multi-language learning app that you can check out is a freemium app Duolingo that provides a comprehensive and child-friendly vocabulary database on the following primary languages: Spanish, English, Italian, French, Portuguese, and German. Verizon suggested this app and said “you won’t have to suffer through ads as you sift through images, vocabulary and pronunciations of new foreign words.” For home school parents, you’ll be happy to know that Duolingo is equipped with a fully laid out course with lessons and units presented in a suggested order.

3. Gus On The Go

Gamification, a strategy where you integrate games in your lectures, is an effective methodology to entice your kids to learn multiple languages. This is the main feature of Gus On The Go for Android and iOS devices that features over 14 different global languages, including French, old Hebrew, and Spanish. The game features an animated traveling owl named Gus that guides the users in an interactive series of ten activities and exercises for each language. Each time a lesson is completed, Gus will encourage your kids to review what they’ve just learned to unlock the next adventure. The visual-auditory lessons presented ranges from lessons on numbers, shapes, colors, cultures, and more.

4. Little Pim

Little Pim provides a comprehensive multi-language learning resource for your kids.  Modules here are presented in 8 different languages – Italian, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and Portuguese. Available for iOS and Android, each word is presented with an adorable hand-drawn flash card image, phonetic pronunciation, English translation, and an audio recording being read out loud by a native speaker. A status board is also included in the app showing the percentage and level of mastery of your child.

5. BASHO & Friends Language Fun

Basho & Friends Language Fun for Android and iOS is an interactive and musically-themed “edugame” that allows kids to learn and explore new languages and cultures, simply by visiting a fun virtual neighborhood. It has three main activities: wheel of animals, dress-up, and educational videos. In the dress-up task, kids are entrusted to dress Croco in preparation for his trip to the city. From there, they can hear and learn several articles of clothing and various colors in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. In the Wheel of Animals portion, your child needs to listen to the sounds of the domestic animals (bee, dog, horse, chicken, cow, pigs, cats, and duck) and recognize the pronunciation of the word in the chosen language. The educational videos section is where they could view engaging clips and music videos introducing ABC’s in Mandarin, English, and Spanish. Before finishing an activity, there is a quiz mode to let them practice what they’ve just learned.

Items one, three, four, and five are basically fit for ages 5-6, while the Duolingo is for aged 10 and above, as its modules are more complicated as compared to the other apps we’ve presented. For more app recommendations like this article, read the More On Technology: Apps of PACE.

What language learning apps or software are you seeing families use successfully with their children?

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