Parent guides: teaching kids a second language at home
Practical, research-aware guides for parents teaching young children Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Dutch at home — even if you don't speak the language.
Comparing options? See our fair comparisons of kids' language apps.
Getting started
- How to teach your child Spanish when you don't speak itA practical plan for parents who don't speak Spanish: learn alongside your child, use songs and routines, find real speakers, and keep it to 10–15 joyful minutes a day.Read the guide →
- Raising a bilingual child at home: a practical guideHow to raise a bilingual child at home — whether one parent, both or neither speaks the second language. Compare OPOL, minority-language-at-home and time-and-place, and build a plan you can keep.Read the guide →
- How to choose a second language for your childSpanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Dutch? A practical framework for choosing a language for your child: family heritage, community, school, travel, sounds and how long you can keep it up.Read the guide →
- Homeschool foreign language curriculum for preschool: a year-long planA free, theme-based scope and sequence for teaching a foreign language to preschoolers at home: a 36-week plan, a weekly lesson template, observation-based assessment and record-keeping tips.Read the guide →
Age & research
- What age should kids start learning a second language?A balanced look at the research on age and language learning: what starting early helps with, what it doesn't, and how to start well at 2, 5 or 8 years old.Read the guide →
- Why songs help kids learn languages (and what they can't do)What the research says about singing and language learning, why rhythm, repetition and chunks help young children, the honest limits of songs, and how to use them well at home.Read the guide →
- Screen time and language learning: a parent's guideHow to use apps, videos and songs for language learning without overdoing screen time: what pediatric guidance says, why interaction matters, and practical ways to keep screens small and shared.Read the guide →
Routines & games
- Daily routines that build a second languageA morning-to-night routine map for families teaching a second language at home: what to say at breakfast, in the bath and at bedtime, with phrase tables and habit-stacking tips.Read the guide →
- Car-ride language games for kids (ages 2–8)15 screen-free, audio-only language games for the car, sorted by age: I spy, counting cars, color hunts, call-and-response songs and more, in any language.Read the guide →
- Bedtime routines in two languagesHow to build a calm bilingual bedtime: goodnight phrases in Spanish, French, German, Italian, European Portuguese and Dutch, quiet songs, bilingual books and screen-free audio.Read the guide →
Languages
- Spanish vocabulary list for toddlers: the first 50 wordsA themed list of the first 50 Spanish words for toddlers, with articles, English meanings and easy pronunciation, plus practical ways to teach them at home through songs and routines.Read the guide →
- Best ways to learn French for toddlersHow toddlers actually pick up French: songs, rhymes, picture books, routines and real speakers. A practical plan with first words, pronunciation tips and what to expect.Read the guide →
- German for kids: where to startA practical starting plan for German with young children: first words with pronunciation hints, the sounds to listen for, routines, songs, games and what progress looks like.Read the guide →
- Italian for kids: a practical guide for familiesHow to start Italian with young children: first words with pronunciation hints, songs, routines, games, finding Italian speakers and what to expect in the first months.Read the guide →
- Portuguese (Portugal) for kids — and how it differs from Brazilian PortugueseA parent's guide to European Portuguese for kids: how it differs from Brazilian Portuguese (sounds, tu vs você, everyday words), which to choose, first words and how to start at home.Read the guide →
- Dutch for kids: how to get started at homeStarting Dutch with young children: where Dutch is spoken, the sounds to listen for (g, ui, ij), first words with pronunciation hints, diminutives, routines, songs and games.Read the guide →
Language pages
See the songs, the free first unit and what children learn in each language.
Try 6 songs free, in any of 6 languages
Bilingual call-and-response songs for ages 2–8, with every line and its English meaning on screen. The first unit is free forever, no card needed.