4 Fun Ways to Teach Your Child Spanish

With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, it's the perfect time to start teaching your child Spanish! Cinco de Mayo commemorates the unlikely 1862 victory of the Mexican army over the French army in the Battle of Puebla. Celebrations around Mexico and the United States highlight Mexican culture, cuisine, and music. We've compiled a few Spanish vocabulary words that follow the theme of the festivities, as well as 4 fun ways to teach your child Spanish!

La batalla – battle La revolucion – revolution La bandera – flag El heroe – hero La independencia – independence La victoria – victory

Teaching your child Spanish has benefits that go beyond the obvious advantage of a bilingual child; the opportunity to strengthen your bond with your child as you work together learning a new language is invaluable. As you and your child begin the journey of learning Spanish, remember to have fun. According to research, learning actually takes place best when the child is having fun. Here are 4 fun ways to teach children Spanish:

Music

Music is an excellent way to aid in memory. John Hopkins University had this to report, “Music can also create a highly focused learning state in which vocabulary and reading material is absorbed at a great rate. When information is put to rhythm and rhyme these musical elements will provide a hook for recall.”

Little Pim's Spanish Bop will have your whole family singing while learning Spanish at the same time! And don’t worry if you don’t know Spanish–the album comes with a 16-page lyrics book that highlights vocabulary from our Spanish video series and includes an English translation of all the songs. Incorporating Spanish music in your lessons is definitely helpful for gaining your little one's attention and makes language learning fun!

Visuals

Research reveals that the mind is able to process visuals 60,000 times faster in the brain than textual information. Simply put, your child will learn more quickly and effectively when visuals are a big part of the learning model. By utilizing pictures, flashcards, videos, and board books, the information will solidify in his/her mind.

Games

Everyone loves a fun game. Furthermore, for the tactile learner (which is the child who learns through touching and doing), games are a tremendous way to connect positive experiences with the act of learning the language. Depending on the age of the child, you will have to modify the games. Here are a few suggestions for an older child.

Once the child knows a few basic words (learned from the Little Pim videos or flashcards), set flashcards on the floor in a path leading to a surprise, treat, or just a big hug. The object of the game is the child says either the word in Spanish or tells you the translation (what it means in English). As they advance along the path, they pick up the cards and if they get the right answer, they move on to the next card until they win by reaching the end.

A variation of the game above is to use the flashcards, but for each one that the child gets right, he or she can put a stuffed animal in the “zoo” (a sectioned off area you designate to be a zoo) to be with all its friends. When she gets all the animals in the zoo, then the game is over.

Play a Spanish song that your child knows pretty well, then periodically pause the CD for your child to fill in the missing word. To add some child fitness exercises to the mix, you could make learning new words into an action game. For each word your little one is able to say, they get to do a jumping jack, hop like a bunny, or some other fun action your child enjoys!

You can also try this free online game from Scholastic: Spanish Heritage – Piñata Game

Multicultural Events

Learning about the Spanish culture, experimenting with Mexican foods, and even taking a trip to Mexico are also wonderful ways to immerse your child in the experience of the Mexican culture. As the child identifies with and learns about the culture, he or she will have a more well-rounded educational experience.

Learning the Spanish language is an asset for children. Making it enjoyable goes a long way in making it stick in the child’s mind. At Little Pim, we produced the #1 language learning program for kids ages 0-6 and products such as flashcard sets and board books to make language learning fun for little ones.

Celebrate "Kodomo no Hi" - Children's Day in Japan

When children are learning new languages, introducing them to multicultural activities that relate to the new language is a fantastic way for them to get involved. If you are teaching your child Japanese, they'll love learning about "Kodomo no Hi" (Koh-doh-moh noh Hee) or "Children's Day" in Japan, which falls on "the fifth day of the fifth month," or May 5th. Kodomo no Hi was initially known as "Boys Day" in contrast to a "Girls Day" that is held in March. In 1948, though, the government moved to change it to "Children's Day" to celebrate, respect and honor all children. Children in Japan enjoy the day off from school on Children's Day. Below are some traditional ways families celebrate this special holiday and some fun activities to engage your little ones!

Japanese Folklore

Japanese children often listen to the story of "Kintarō" or "Golden Boy" on Children's Day. This famous legend tells the story of a young boy who was very strong and rode a bear rather than a horse. It's custom for families with boys to decorate their home with a Kintarō doll in hopes that their boys will grow into brave, strong men. You can find a version of this story in English in "Kintaro's Adventures and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories" by Florence Sakade on Amazon.

Children's Day Crafts

Japanese families often fly a "koinobori" flag outside their home to bring in good luck and fortune. This flag consists of a large black koi or carp fish to represent the father, a smaller red one to represent the mother, and smaller fish of different colors to represent each child. The koi fish symbolize strength and determination in Japanese culture as these fish are known for swimming upstream through strong currents. To celebrate Children's Day in your home, you could make a similar koinobori flag to represent your family following these directions from the Asia Kids Society.

Get out the crayons - your kids will love this coloring page from Activity Village that showcases two children dressed in traditional Japanese dress. While they choose their colors, teach them how to say each color in Japanese to make language learning fun!

• Red - aka
• Orange - daidaiiro
• Yellow - kiiro
• Green - midori
• Blue - ao
• Purple - murasaki
• Pink - momoiro
• Black - kuro
• Brown - chairo
• Gray - haiiro
• White - shiro

Children's Day Treats

The traditional food for Children's Day is mochi, a pounded-down rice cake. If you have a Japanese or Asian grocery nearby, you might be able to buy pre-made mochi made with a sweet bean filling. Alternatively, purchase mochi powder to make your own. Kids will love rolling their own mochi balls.

For more ideas on how to celebrate the Japanese holiday, Children's Day in your home, visit The Japan Society for photos and other fun activities for kids. If you're interested in teaching your child Japanese, Little Pim can help. Learning a second language is a real brain booster for young kids. The Japanese Complete Set introduces 180 fundamental words and phrases your kids will want to repeat again and again. Watch a free trial of Japanese for kids.

New Brain Studies Indicate Early Childhood is the Best Time to Learn a New Language

It's proven that the best time to learn a new language is under the age of 6. New studies from the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences indicate "the notion that not only are very young children capable of learning multiple languages, but that early childhood is the optimum time for them to begin."

In the video below, research scientist and the study's lead author, Naja Ferjan Ramirez summarizes the results from the brain studies performed on sixteen 11-month-old babies, half raised in bilingual homes and the other half in monolingual homes:

[iframe id="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TAYhj-gekqw" align="center" autoplay="no"]

Our results suggest that before they even start talking, babies raised in bilingual households are getting practice at tasks related to executive function. This suggests that bilingualism shapes not only language development, but also cognitive development more generally, said Ramirez.

It's amazing to see the results from the brain-recording technique used in the study called magnetoencephalography. "The brains of bilingual babies were specialized to process the sounds of both languages, Spanish and English. The brains of babies from monolingual families were specialized to process the sounds of English and were not sensitive to Spanish," says Ramirez. No surprise there!

What's more interesting is that as early as 11 months old, we're able to see that the bilingual brains showed increased activity in areas related to executive functioning. According to The Center on The Developing Child at Harvard University, when children have the opportunity to develop cognitive skills early on, individuals and society experience lifelong benefits.

Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully....Providing the support that children need to build these skills at home, in early care and education programs, and in other settings they experience regularly is one of society’s most important responsibilities.

Are you ready to teach your little ones a new language? Check out the research behind our method to learn more about how we integrate scientific studies like these to help kids effectively learn languages, both native and foreign.

Limited Time Offer! Save 20% on Little Pim with code KIDS

Celebrate Crayola Crayon Day with Little Pim's Springtime Coloring Page

Spring is in the air! What a great day to celebrate Crayola Crayon Day by having your kids color in Little Pim's Springtime coloring page. Print out this coloring page today and teach your kids how to say each color in a different language to incorporate language learning into your day.

When you're done, you'll have a finished picture to hang on your fridge! Share your kids' page with #littlepim on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Enjoy your colorful day!

Bringing Culture Up Close: 5 Multicultural Activities for Kids

To best incorporate language, culture, and an expanded worldview into a child's day, it's wise to use what is already set in place: a weekly schedule! Repeat these 5 multicultural activities for kids on a weekly basis, and your son or daughter will begin thinking outside-the-ordinary. Have fun!

Start by choosing a different culture every week. Use these weekday suggestions as parameters to build upon. Then, as a pattern develops, watch your child eagerly anticipate the ways new cultures come alive in your home.

Monday Meals:

Spell new language words using alphabet cereals, carrots, or noodles. Make pancakes into Chinese letters, for example. Count healthy food pieces using the culture's language, or make a cultural dish, together, as you discuss other common foods of the region. While you're in the kitchen, review your food vocabulary with the kids with the help of Little Pim videos or flashcards. You can also learn and teach the kids about the variety of eating utensils from other cultures.

If you have family members who have a different cultural background than you do, invite them over to teach you and your kids about their cuisine and you can even prepare a meal together. Your family can pick up on new words and ethnic ingredients you've never tried which can be fun and tasty!

Tuesday Topics:

Tuesdays are about learning the traditions of a culture. Find pictures which display these traditions and common hobbies most popular there. Review parenting traditions and how life events are celebrated differently, for example, have you heard of the "baby grab" tradition celebrated in Korea? The parents give their baby a basket of items associated with a career, i.e. a book for scholars, ball for athletes, food for chefs, toy stethoscope for doctors, etc. Tradition says that the item the baby reaches for first will have some bearing on his or her future.

How do children from these cultures spend their day? Is family important? What is same or different from who we are?

Wednesday Wardrobe:

What do children, moms, and dads wear in China (for example)? Does this culture dress special for occasions or holidays? Find articles of clothing or hit the thrift shop to role play with your child as though you live in the area of study. Put on a play or skit to show what you've learned. Alternatively, you can find pictures of cultural attire to share with the kids.

Thursday Thinker:

Using story books, articles, and Little Pim, engage in activities suitable to your child's comprehension. Have young children color a picture of a significant holiday, symbol, or food item from the culture you're studying. Start discussions with older children, for example, you might discuss the culture's schooling system or the country's flag. Ask, "What do you think?"

Visit your local library to find books about the culture of the week and take turns reading. You can find children's books that introduce kids to different cultures around the world, focused on cuisine, holidays, and traditions.

Friday Flick:

Find a movie, short, or some kind of visual representation of the events, foods, and cultural differences discussed this week. What are some famous children's characters from each culture? Learn a native song or cultural dance important to the people.

Go out and explore!

Discover local events within your community to expose your young children to different cultures in your very own neighborhood. For example, if you're living in the NYC-area, here are some fun upcoming events you can attend with your kids:

• Multicultural Food Festival - Thursday, April 14th
• NYC Holi Hai - Saturday, April 30th
• The Queens International Street Market - Saturdays, 6PM-Midnight, starting on April 23rd
• Japan Day at Central Park - Sunday, May 8th, 2016

For further ways to develop your child's awareness of cultures and new languages, start teaching them a second language with Little Pim. If you have any suggestions or upcoming multicultural events in your area, please share them in the comments below. We look forward to growing with you and your child!

6 Benefits of Raising Bilingual Children

According to the American Community Survey, close to 20% of people in the United States are bilingual. The number of individuals who have the ability to speak more than one language is on the rise. So, why are parents opting to teach their children an additional language (or two)? Just what are some the advantages of being bilingual? Let’s examine 6 benefits of raising bilingual children:

Increased Cognitive Ability

Jeffrey Kluger in a Time Magazine article says, "Babies are born with the inherent ability to speak and understand the world’s 6,800 languages, and that babies, and then children, are able to continue to easily learn multiple languages up into early grammar school."

Kluger goes on to say that later in life, having gained these language abilities as babies and children, multilingual adults “are better at reasoning, at multitasking, at grasping and reconciling conflicting ideas. They work faster and expend less energy doing so, and as they age, they retain their cognitive faculties longer, delaying the onset of dementia and even full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.”

More Flexible Brain

The ability to balance two separate languages and alternate between the two when the situation dictates would require a certain degree of flexibility. And as is true with any muscle, over time exercise will increase flexibility. Because bilinguals may acquire two languages in the time in which monolinguals acquire one, they quickly become more flexible learners*. The speed and apparent ease with which young infants learn the basics of a language regularly astound parents and scientists alike*.

Increased Listening Skills 

As children begin to tune their hearing to learn unfamiliar sounds and words in the new language, their listening skills develop. It is somewhat similar to a musician having a trained ear for the sounds of the notes over time.

Did you know that babies hear their mother’s voices before birth and as newborns, they already know the rhythm of their native language? Once born, babies can actually recognize differences in languages*.  Babies are particularly attuned to hearing phonemes, the sound elements or building blocks of language, and repeated studies show that babies are actually more attuned to perceiving phonemes than adults.

Higher Memory Retention

As children memorize new words, they are actually helping their brain to be better at memory work in the future. How is that? As you stimulate the brain with difficult, new challenges, you work it out; thus, giving the brain a boost in overall health, vitality, and increase in memory power.

Dr. Andrea Mechelli of University College London published her team’s research that found “grey matter” density in scans of the left-brain was greater in bilinguals than in monolinguals. The brain’s left side is responsible for processing information and controlling aspects of sensory perception, memory and speech. Dr. Mechelli found this increase was most significant in children who had learned a foreign language before the age of five.

Increased Marketability in the Future Workplace

A study from a Los Angeles-based recruiter found that almost 9 out of 10 headhunters in Europe, Latin America, and Asia reported that bilingual skills is critical for success in today's business setting. In this increasingly global world, bilingualism carries many benefits. Furthermore,

“66 percent of North American recruiters agreed that being bilingual will be increasingly important in the next 10 years.”

Better Problem Solvers

Language is like a puzzle. Letters and sounds fit together to make words, and then words fit together to make sentences. By fitting the pieces together in a new language, children become naturally more adept at problem-solving abilities. Visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's website for more advantages of being bilingual.

People everywhere have discovered the Little Pim program to their delight. Celebrities who have utilized the program offered these words of praise for Little Pim:

• Alyssa Milano – “Thank you so much for sending Milo The Little Pim language. . .”
• Tori Spelling – “Thank you so much for  sending us Little Pim -  Spanish. The kids love it – and I am learning from it too!”
• Kevin James – “We [love] little Pim. . .”
• Bill Horn & Scout Masterson – “Thanks for the Panda. . .We’re actually fans of Little Pim. . .”

At Little Pim, we have developed an award-winning program that taps into the young child’s unique capability to absorb new languages at a rapid rate.  Using what children love most, lively adorable animals and other babies, we developed language learning videos that have been highly effective. Try us free today to start teaching your little ones a new language!

Raising a "People Person": New Studies Indicate Multilingual Exposure Improves Children's Social Skills

It's commonly accepted that bilingual children tend to have more opportunities to succeed in life than those who are monolingual. Speaking more than one language opens doors and allows for increased understanding of the world, not to mention the people in it. Studies have already shown that bilingual children may have increased cognitive function, consistently performing better than their monolingual peers at problem solving.

Now, it seems there may be other, equally important benefits to bilingualism and exposure to multilingual environments. In a recent piece entitled, "The Superior Social Skills of Billinguals," published in the New York Times by Katherine Kinzler, associate professor of psychology and human development at Cornell University, covers new studies which indicate that multilingual exposure improves children's social skills.

How does this work, exactly?

Being bilingual enables a child to view the world from another's perspective. They must understand when and to whom they should speak a certain language. Children who are not bilingual, but are consistently exposed to another language often have the same ability. Being raised in a multilingual environment is the driving factor, for example, young children who had grandparents who spoke another language or parents who introduced their kids to new languages and cultures at an early age with products like Little Pim.

Recognizing that other people have different perspectives and experiences allows bilingual children and those with multilingual exposure to put things into context. This greatly aids in communication.

We live in an increasingly global world – one where bilingualism carries many benefits. Luckily, the studies show that even exposure to languages before a child can speak is beneficial. In fact, the earlier a child is immersed in another language or culture, the more familiar they are with recognizing other perspectives.

Starting your child early with languages can help them to not only excel in school and, eventually, in the workplace, but can equip them with the skills they need to communicate effectively with people from all different backgrounds and perspectives.

For more information about helping your child build the skills they need for success in the global community, check out these articles and studies about the benefits of teaching your child a foreign language and why starting early is so important.

Are you considering teaching your child a second language? Comment below with your thoughts and experiences.

International Mother Language Day

Today is International Mother Language Day which is a day proclaimed by UNESCO to celebrate the languages spoken around the world and to promote cultural diversity and multilingualism. IMLD honors the day in 1952 when “language martyr” students demonstrated for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of what is now Bangladesh.

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

Mother languages in a multilingual approach are essential components of quality education, which is itself the foundation for empowering women and men and their societies.

-Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General

Celebrate this special day with your little ones by attending local multicultural festivals or by bringing language learning into your home with Little Pim. Now you can stream Little Pim on Hulu and Roku or you can instantly download your choice of our 12 languages for kids on our website.

At Little Pim, we believe that all children deserve to learn a second language. Our program makes learning a foreign language easy and accessible to all kids–at the age they learn best, from 0 to 6 years. Our videos, books, flashcards, and CDs keep kids entertained while inspiring in them a lifelong love of language learning.

We live in an increasingly global world – one where bilingualism carries many benefits. Research shows that bilinguals, especially those who have learned a second language before age six, demonstrate superior reading and writing skills, as well as advanced analytical and social skills. Bilingualism has also been shown to improve vocabulary in a child’s native tongue.

Learning a foreign language can open a whole new world up for your child. Little Pim gives children the ticket to this world–by making it fun and easy for kids to learn a second language.

Little Pim Appoints New CEO: Alyson Shapero

NEW YORK, NY - December 21, 2015 Little Pim Appoints New CEO: Alyson Shapero

Little Pim, the leading foreign language learning platform for young children, announced today the appointment of Alyson Shapero as the new CEO, effective January 1, 2016.

Alyson Shapero has been SVP of Sales and Marketing at Little Pim since 2012. Julia Pimsleur, current CEO and Founder of Little Pim, will remain involved with Little Pim as Founder, Board member and spokesperson for the company.

“Alyson has successfully driven our digital and customer acquisition strategy for three years and is one of our greatest assets at Little Pim.” Julia Pimsleur commented. “I have full faith in her leadership and look forward to supporting her and remaining involved on the Board of Directors.”

Shapero brings new leadership to Little Pim at a time when the children’s digital media world is changing rapidly. Shapero has background in digital children’s distribution, customer acquisition and consumer products, having previously worked at Warner Music Group, School of Rock and Razor & Tie Entertainment. She has been instrumental in securing many of Little Pim’s 20+ partnerships and mapping out the vision for Little Pim’s digital future.

Alyson Shapero commented, “Little Pim is increasingly a digital company with strong partnerships across the media landscape and we will continue to build and expand on those. With over three million children ages 0-6 having used our products in the U.S. and in 22 other countries, I look forward to talking Little Pim to its next level of growth and development.”

Julia Pimsleur will work with female entrepreneurs to help them scale up their businesses past $1M in revenues via speaking, online courses and coaching. She recently authored Million Dollar Women: The Essential Guide for Female Entrepreneurs Who Want to Go Big (Simon & Schuster, October 2015, Amazon Top 20 Women & Business).

About Little Pim (www.littlepim.com) · Little Pim 's proprietary Entertainment Immersion Method® has won 25 awards and is the only method designed for the youngest learners, ages 0-6.

· The company has sold over two million products via Direct to Consumer, Retail and Licensing in 22 countries. Partners include Hulu Kids, iTunes, PBS Kidsplay, LeapFrog, VTech, Toys R Us, Roku and Mango Languages.

· Little Pim is available in 12 languages, is platform agnostic and can be viewed on screens of any size in any country.

Read to Them and Let them Read

(Some rights reserved, David D via Flickr Creative Commons)

A few days ago, Little Pim shared some great ways to make snow days fun, and we’ve certainly had a wonderful time picking out family-friendly winter movies to watch while curled up on the couch together. But here’s another idea: read your children a book.

Reading to kids is a great way to bond, but more than this, reading to them can have great benefits for their education. According to research discussed by the USA’s National Education Association, children who are read to not only develop stronger reading skills, but stronger language skills as well, with kids who read or are read to at home having better reading proficiency and even higher math scores. Parents who are trying to help their kids learn a new language through Little Pim may actually find that reading to their kids in the language they wish for them to learn can be of great benefit, as research has shown that reading aloud is great way to help them recognize the sound patterns of the language being used. As children are exposed to more of the language, so too do they learn how to formulate different sentences and learn how to use the words they are learning.

This is also supported by research discussed by UNESCO, who state that reading is one of the most effective ways to encourage systemic language development, and that “At a higher level and with longer texts, the comprehension of relationships, of construction or structure, and interpretation of the context, becomes more significant.”

The only problem is that, for many of today’s kids, reading can seem like a boring activity. Contending with gadgets and TV shows and cartoons these days can be difficult, but parents should find that encouraging their kids to read can be much easier depending on their mindset. In an interview he did with childrenswear manufacturing brand Tootsa MacGinty, preschool teacher James Ross said that the best way to get kids to enjoy reading and writing is to, “Be positive and enthusiastic yourself! Children are like sponges: if you delight in reading with/to your children (or at least for their sake pretend that you do!) it will be a fun experience for you both. Children love stories, so try to weave them into everything they see and do. Make sure that they enjoy reading and writing and don’t see it as a chore. Praise them for effort… and persevere!” And because children respond to different teaching methods differently, he also adds, “If you have a really reluctant reader, don’t think of books as the only option. Put subtitles on when they watch films; comics or simple worded picture books work too. Find a format and context that works for your child.”

It’s great practice to read to your kids every day, and if you want to start reading to your kids this winter, you can check out Common Sense Media’s list of 50 books your kids should read before they're 12.

Exclusive for Little Pim Written by BeingMommy