Printable Halloween Coloring Pages for Kids with Little Pim

With Halloween around the corner, print out these free Little Pim Halloween Coloring pages for your little ones to color and display them around the house or on the fridge for a festive decoration. Share your kids’ creation with us on social media using #littlepim - we’d love to see them!

Halloween 2020 will be like no other and we hope everyone stays safe and continues to practice social distancing while celebrating safely at home or outdoors. What are some fun ways you and your little ones are celebrating Halloween?

Many communities have planned safe events for kids to celebrate and parade around in their costumes. For trick or treating, we’ve seen a few ideas from creating a slide or shoot to drop candy down for kids to creating pre-packaged goody bags to place on an outdoor table for kids to grab without touching others’ treats. PopSugar has some great ideas for fun Halloween celebrations at home.

We have a local bakery here that is selling festive Halloween cookie and cupcake decorating kits - what a fun idea for little ones to get creative and enjoy a special treat!

incorporate language learning and World Culture in your Halloween celebrations

You can also incorporate language learning in your Halloween celebrations. While coloring, review the color vocabulary in your target language. You can also review harvest vocabulary for words like pumpkin, apple, farm, farm animals, barn, corn, etc.

It’s also a good opportunity to introduce your child to International Halloween traditions Perhaps the most famous outside of the American holiday, Mexicans celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, on November 1st and 2nd. It's a time for family and friends to remember departed loved ones. Day of the Dead bread, or "Pan de Muerto," is a quintessential dish made during Dia de los Muertos. Learn to make you own here.

We hope you have lots of fun this year with your kids and we look forward to seeing the creative ways families around the nation are celebrating safely. Happy Halloween!

Italian for Kids: Easy Calzone Recipe and Italian Food Vocabulary

Italian food is a big part of Italian cultural heritage. At the same time, pizza must be one of the most popular foods and, for sure, it’s one of the most consumed and kids love it! Traveling around the world, you can find pizza almost everywhere, as well as buy a slice of pizza at a street corner and in a luxury restaurant. La cucina Italiana (Italian cuisine) is also famous for flavorful pasta, lasagna, risotto, ossobuco, tiramisu, etc. These delicious preparations are just the tip of an iceberg in terms of all that this cuisine offers. Followed by these, the calzone rank pretty high in the popularity chart worldwide.

It is much like the stuffed version of pizza, with similar taste, flavors, and flexibility to choose (vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or vegan) filling as per your preferences. Over the years, people have experimented generously to figure out which food combination works best in this addictive preparation.

Typically, the calzone is stuffed with ham, vegetables, salami, or egg, and any of the cheese that melts well upon heating, such as mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, etc. The most popular calzone filling comprises fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, differently colored bell peppers, fresh herbs, and shredded mozzarella. However, various regions might have a varying filling that is usually associated with the pizza toppings popular in that region. Like in the US, calzones are mostly stuffed with meats, a combination of cheeses- ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, provolone, etc., and a few vegetables. Have your kids tried a calzone before? You can make them as a hand-pie for little ones with simply tomato sauce and mozzarella. It’s also a good chance to add secret veggies and protein to the filling for a balanced meal.

Other popular calzone fillings can include the combination of artichoke hearts, asparagus, differently colored bell peppers, broccoli, capers, eggplant, mushrooms, olives, onion, tomato, zucchini, cheese (Swiss, mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta, gruyere, goat, blue, etc.), and herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, etc.).

Use a wok for stir-frying the filling ingredient, as you need to keep the crunchiness of vegetables intact while preparing the calzone filling. This is because the filling ingredients will be cooked again in the oven when the bread dough bakes. Find the best wok buying options here; you will be amazed by the best reviews and purchase guide mentions on this page.

So, now that you are better aware of what all can be used as a calzone filling search for the ingredients of your interest to make one for yourself today!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)

Impasto per pizza

• 50g cottage cheese, small cubes

fiocchi di latte 

• 1 small red onion, chopped

Cipolla rossa

• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped

Peperone rosso

• 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

Peperone giallo

• 1 small capsicum, chopped

Capsicum

• 1 small zucchini, chopped

Zucchine

• ¼ cup mushrooms, chopped

Funghi

• 1 large red ripe tomato, chopped

Pomodoro rosso maturo

• ½ tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped

Basilico

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Oregano

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Olio extravergine d'oliva

• Salt, to taste

Sale

• ¾ cup mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1.      Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C and grease a baking tray with a few drops of oil.

2.      Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion until it turns pink in color.

3.      Stir in red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, and cook it for 3-4 minutes.

4.      Season the vegetable mixture with salt, black pepper, oregano, and basil.

5.      Stir in cottage cheese to the vegetable mixture and turn off the heat.

6.      Roll the pizza dough into ¼ inch thick circle and cut out 3-4 equal-sized circles from it.

7.      Equally divide and put the cooked filling at the center of each dough rounds.

8.      Top the filling with an equal quantity of mozzarella cheese.

9.      Now, pull half of the unfilled dough over the filled half and seal edges of each dough round to get half-moon shaped calzone pockets. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling.

10.  Carefully transfer the calzones onto the prepared baking tray and bake them for about 15 minutes or until golden in color.

11.   Serve hot and enjoy!

Photo by Roberto Valdivia on Unsplash

6 Easy Multicultural Recipes to Make with Your Kids

One of the best ways to introduce culture and language into your home is through the kitchen. Everyone learns to love something that is the source of delicious meals and snacks. Whether your children are learning another language or just stretching their linguistic wings, cooking is the perfect time to explore the globe through language. 

Cook together and pick recipes from all over the world. Talk about the origin of recipes, why people cook the way they do in other cultures. Then name each ingredient in the language of the people who invented it. From toddlers to teenagers, cooking together is a great way to learn. Let's take a look at six multicultural recipes that are easy enough to cook with kids and will bring language to your kitchen.

Spanish: Soft and Crunchy Tacos

Everyone loves a delicious meal of tacos. Crunchy or soft, spicy or mild, tacos are the ultimate in hand food. Kids love tacos and most kids are crazy about taco night. Make it even more special by putting tacos together as a family and naming each ingredient in Spanish along the way.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef

  • Carne molida

• Seasoning

  • Condimento

• Lettuce

  • Lechuga

• Tomatoes

  • Tomates

• Shredded Cheese

  • Queso rallado

• Crunchy Taco Shells

  • Tacos crujientes

• Flour or Corn Tortillas

  • Tortillas de harina o maiz

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F

2. Pan-fry the ground beef (or other meats) until browned and fully cooked.

3. Chop lettuce and tomatoes

4. Lay foil on a cookie sheet. Place crunchy shells and soft tortillas, line each with cheese along the fold.

5. Place the sheet of shells and tortillas in the oven.

6. Add taco seasoning and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Let the water cook down and infuse the meat with flavor.

7. Remove the shells and tortillas, then distribute them onto plates. 

8. Load each taco with meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and a sprinkle of cheese.

French: Mini Breakfast Quiche

Quiche is one of the most simple and delicious French recipes in your cookbook. It's really very simple: Quiche is an omelet pie. If you can make a delicious omelet with your kids (or just delicious scrambled eggs) then you can make a delicious quiche. Explain the strange name and explore the French names for each ingredient as you put them together.

Ingredients

• Pastry Dough (optional)

  • Pate a patisserie

• Eggs

  • Des oeufs

• Milk

  • Lait

• Cheese

  • Fromage

• Diced Protein

  • Proteine en des 

  • Ham, Bacon, Feta, Tofu, Scallions, etc.

• Chopped Vegetables

  • legumes haches 

  • Mushrooms, Spinach, Tomatoes, Onion, etc.

Directions

1. Preheat the Oven to 350 F

2. Grease a muffin pan and line each cup with pastry dough. This can be pie crust, premade dough, or croissant roll dough.

3. Sprinkle in meat and vegetables into each cup

4. Fill each cup with egg

5. Top each cup with cheese

6. Bake 25-30 minutes

German: Deviled Eggs - Gefüllte Eier

Deviled eggs are hard-boiled eggs with a creamy kick. In fact, most families don't realize that this Easter classic has deep roots with the German people. They have a unique name for the recipe and introduced sprinkling paprika onto egg-yolks mixed with mustard. If your kids love to make deviled eggs, turn this treat into an all-year recipe by practicing the german names for each ingredient.

Ingredients

• Eggs

  • Eir

• Mustard

  • Senf

• Mayo

  • Mayonaise

• Salt and Pepper

  • Salz und Pfeffer

• Paprika

  • Paprika

• Optional

  • Dill or Sweet Relish

  • Tartar Sauce

  • Sour Cream

  • Onions

Directions

1. Hard-boil the eggs, give them an extra few minutes to boil quite-hard.

2. Peel each egg and slice it in half, longwise.

3. Scoop the hard yolk from each egg, carefully keeping the egg whites from breaking

4. Mix the egg yolks with mustard, salt, pepper, and mayo or a mayo substitute. Mix additional ingredients if preferred

5. Re-fill egg whites with deviled egg mixture

6. Top with sprinkled paprika

Irish: Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is filling and nutritious in a way that only very practical traditional foods can be. Stacked with all the good things a meal needs in one dish, kids love shepherd's pie. You can't go wrong with beef, mashed potatoes, and cheese. Enjoy the traditional recipe and Irish names for ingredients or mix it up and look up the Irish words for anything you add.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef

  • Mairteoil Talun

• Peas, Carrots, and Corn

  • Pisaenna, Caireid, agus Corn

• Onions

  • Oiniuin

• Worcestershire Sauce

  • Anlann Worcestershire 

• Seasoning

  • Seasue

• Mashed Potatoes

  • Bruitin

• Cheese

  • Cais

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Brown and break up ground beef in a pan

3. Fry chopped vegetables with the beef. Add Worcestershire sauce and seasoning to taste.

4. Load a casserole dish or muffin cups with beef-vegetable mixture

5. Top casserole or cups with mashed potatoes

6. Sprinkle with cheese

7. Bake for 30 minutes

English: Hand Pies

Every culture has hand-held recipes and in the UK islands, the favorite is definitely hand-pies. For children practicing English, explore the names of pastry dough, and name the fruit in the filling. Talk about street vendors singing about their pies and how hand-pies are an important part of traditional life in both rural and city England.

Ingredients

• Pastry Dough

• Fruit Filling

• Meat Filling

  • Cooked and minced

• Butter

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 

2. Shape dough into flat circles the size of a spread-out hand

3. Add 2-3 tablespoons of filling to the center of each dough circle

4. Fold each dough circle in half and press the edges together

5. Brush the tops with butter, line pinched crusts with foil

6. Bake for 20-30 minutes

Japanese: Sushi (Philadelphia) Rolls

Sushi is the single most recognizable meal from Japan and something every kid can enjoy. Both a refined entree and a healthy finger-food, practice Japanese with your children while rolling your own sushi rolls.

Ingredients

• Short Grain White Rice

  • Sushi to Gohan

• Seaweed Sheets

  • Nori

• Fresh Raw Salmon

  • Furesshusamon

• Avocado

  • Abokado

• Stick of Cream Cheese

  • Kruimuchizu

Directions

1. Cook 2-3 cups of sticky white rice

2. Slice thin strips of sushi-grade raw salmon

3. Slice equally thin strips of avocado

4. Lay out one sheet of nori seaweed on a bamboo rolling mat

5. Distribute an even layer of sticky rice over the nori

6. Lay salmon in a line down the center of your rice, same direction as your bamboo mat sticks are pointing

7. Lay avocado in a line next to the salmon

7 Children's Books About Diversity

When the word diversity is mentioned, many different things come to different people's minds, including racial diversity, cultural diversity, language diversity, sexual diversity, religious diversity, etc. A true fact is that there are vast and amazing differences stretching from North America all the way to South Africa. Without this diversity, the world would probably be a pretty boring place.

Why it's Important to Teach Children About Diversity

As our world grows increasingly diverse, there has never been a better time for parents to teach their children how to live respectfully than now. Since young children form ideas about themselves and others long before they start kindergarten, it's imperative to start teaching diversity early.

If parents reinforce diversity lessons early, children can learn to appreciate, rather than fear differences. They can also learn to recognize stereotypes and biases when they see them. Furthermore, teaching children about diversity helps to promote empathy and reduces prejudice.

Books About Diversity

There are different ways you can teach your children to respect and value other people regardless of their skin color, language, religious background, financial standing, and physical abilities. Children's books are among the most effective tools to engage with young children about diversity and other important issues. The following are seven children's books that are great at teaching children about diversity:

1.      The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

This is an engaging children's book that celebrates the different shades of skin color. The author has written it in a cute, entertaining, and innocent way to offer an unbiased view of multiple cultures.  It's a thoughtfully-written book that helps children see that we are all both different and the same.

Karen Katz wrote this book for her adopted daughter, Lena, who she adopted from Guatemala six years before she published the book. The book is perfect for children between four and eight years.

Click here to buy The Colors of Us book from Amazon.

2.      Everyone Matters by Pat Thomas

Written by an experienced counselor and therapist, Everyone Matters is a book that teaches children an important lesson that having respect means treating everyone fairly. It also expounds on the types of respect that each individual must earn for themselves, by being polite and respectful of others, as well as by keeping promises and being honest in what they do and say.

The book promotes positive interaction among kids, parents, and teachers. The author has written the book in a simple language so that children can understand easily. The book is written for children aged four to seven years.

Click here to buy Everyone Matters from Amazon.

3.      We're Different, We're the Same by Bobbi Jane Kates

This is a Sesame Street picture book that celebrates diversity and encourages tolerance and kindness. This colorful and enchantingly illustrated children's book provides an easy and enjoyable way for children to learn about differences and what truly matters.

The book features Jim Henson's Sesame Street Muppets with people of all ethnicities, shapes, and sizes to show the ways in which all people are the same despite obvious physical differences. The book is an interesting read for 3-7-year olds.

Click here to buy We're Different, We're the Same from Amazon.

4.      Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

If you have children aged four to seven, this children's book will be an ideal option to teach them about diversity. This essential book acknowledges in the simplest of terms our common humanity.

At a time when lessons tolerance needs to be taught not just to kids but to adults as well, Whoever You Are persuades us to recognize our similarities, accept our differences, and, most importantly, to rejoice in both. The book targets young readers aged four to seven.

Click here to buy Whoever You Love from Amazon.

5.      It's Okay to be Different by Todd Parr

This is one of the children's books that parents should read out loud to their little ones to teach them about diversity. The book is not only fun to read for kids, but it also has positive messages of confidence and acceptance that foster understanding.

The book features simple images that bring out the concept of tolerance in an easy way for kids aged three to six years to understand. The drawings create a visual representation of what the book is talking about, capturing children's attention.

Click here to buy It's Okay to be Different from Amazon.

6.      Say Hello! By Rachel Isadora

The book features the story of a girl named Carmelita, who loves greeting everyone in her neighborhood while walking her dog. Since people from many different cultures live in the neighborhood, Carmelita says hello in different languages, including English, Spanish, French, Japanese, and many others.

The book clearly emphasizes the rich diversity of America's neighborhoods. Reading this book will encourage your kids to celebrate diversity, so it is a must-have addition to any preschooler's bookshelf.

Click here to buy Say Hello from Amazon.

7.      Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o

Written by the Academy Award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong'o, Sulwe is a powerful, moving picture book about colorism and self-esteem. One of the important lessons in this book is that true beauty comes from within.

The book follows the story of Sulwe, a beautiful girl whose skin is darker than everyone in her family and school. Sulwe creates a fanciful and cheering story to inspire the young ones to see their own unique beauty differently.  The book targets children aged four to eight years.

Click here to buy Sulwe from Amazon.

Final Thoughts

The above seven books are delightful children's books that are sure to weave in meaningful messages about diversity and the beauty of uniqueness and inclusion. The books are aimed specifically at preschool and early school-going kids. They teach children in kid-friendly language that differences in ability or physical appearance are not a reason to treat each other differently. What's more, is that all the books featured on this list are affordable. Get yourself a copy of either of these books and start teaching your children about diversity now when they are young.

9 Fun Summer Activities for Kids That Incorporate Language Learning

For most kids (and some adults) summer means one thing: fun! Whether your family is going on a road trip or making sandcastles on the beach, summer offers some great opportunities for family time — and you may be able to sneak some language learning into your activities with the kiddos!

Here are 9 fun summer activities that you can do with your kids that incorporate language learning. Feel free to add your own spin to each one!

Road Trip Games

1. Name the Color/Object

Road trips can be a lot of fun, but even the most patient of children will get bored after several hours in the car. Keep your kids engaged by playing some simple games! One easy game is "Name the Color." Ask your kids what color a passing car is, or ask which colors are on a road sign. Give them a point for each color in the target language they get right! Then, mix it up by playing "Name the Object," and ask them to name things that they see along the road.

2. Made-up Lyrics

Are your kids musical? Do they like to sing? If so, help them to make up lyrics in the target language to one of their favorite children's songs. Pick simple songs, and make the translation as simple as possible. For instance, change the English words in "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to French or Spanish words. Then, once you have the lyrics, sing out together!

3. Scavenger Hunt

Every kid loves a scavenger hunt! Keep your children engaged by giving them a list of objects in the target language to look for. Then, when they spot one they have to say the word out loud. It's super easy and will make your road trip that much more fun. Best of all, your kids will learn a bunch of new words!

Outdoor Activities

4. Playing Catch

When people think of summer, they may think of playing ball. If you want to enjoy the outdoors with your kids, play a game of catch with them. Here's how you can incorporate language learning into this pastime:

• Pick a logical sequence of words in the target language (such as numbers, the days of the week, and so forth).

• Say the first word in the sequence out loud, and then toss the ball to your child.

• Have him or her repeat the word, and toss the ball back to you.

• If he says the word correctly, go to the next word in the sequence. If not, repeat the first word until he nails down the pronunciation.

• If you are playing with more than one child, have the first child toss the ball to the second, and then have him toss the ball back to you. Or have each child toss the ball back to you, and alternate between them.

Scientists believe that incorporating language learning into physical activity can aid memory and increase the speed of comprehension. This is a great way to entertain your kids and get in some language learning at the same time.

5. Name that Animal!

If you are on a hike with your kids, point out any animal that you see and ask them to name it. This activity will make your walk more exciting for the kids. It will also teach them common animal names, like bird, butterfly, goose, or other animals that live in your area.

6. Charades

Kids love charades! If you're relaxing in your backyard, then spend some time playing charades with your children. Tell them that if they guess what you're pretending to be, they have to say the word in the target language. This is another great way to teach your children animal names. Depending on the age and knowledge of your child, you can also pretend to be historical figures, or even re-enact well-known events in your family's culture.

Fun at the Beach

7. Counting with Seashells

For many people, the beach is the ultimate summer destination. If your family is soaking up the sun and strolling on the sand, use this opportunity to teach your kids how to count in the target language. As you walk along the beach, ask your kids to count how many seashells they see on the shore. Count out loud, and keep counting until your child gets the next number wrong. Then you can correct him or her, and start over. It's simple, relaxing, and fun!

8. Comparisons with Sand Castles

Building sandcastles is a time-honored beach tradition for families. Work with your children to build a sandcastle. Then, once the sandcastle is done, use it to teach them some concepts in the target language. For example, you can teach your child the difference between "over" and "under," "on top" and "below," "through" and "around," and so on. This is a great way to give your child a jump on more abstract language concepts, like directions.

9. Speed Writing in the Sand

One other fun activity with your kids that you can do on the beach involves sand, the tide, and teaching them how to write. Show your child how to write certain words in the target language (you may need to do this beforehand). Then, have your child practice his writing skills in the sand. When you think he's ready, tell him that it's time to race against the water! Go out to the tideline, and when the wave recedes have him trace out a word in the sand before the next wave comes in. Give him a point for each word he completes before the water washes it away. It's a fun and pain-free way to develop your child's writing skills!

The above 9 activities are great ways to have fun with your children — and sneak in language learning at the same time. Of course, you don't have to go "low-tech" with all of your games and activities. Try out Little Pim's award-winning foreign language program with our free 3-day trial offer. It's specially designed for kids aged 0-6, and is perfect for traveling and road trips. You can download Little Pim on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. Check us out today!

(Featured image via Unsplash - Leo Rivas)

Fun Fourth of July 2020 Activities for Kids

It’s hard to believe that the 4th of July is this weekend! 2020 has been quite the year so far. We hope you are all doing well and staying safe during these challenging times. With summer in full swing and another holiday coming up, you may need more fun activities to do with your little ones. Here are some fun activities to keep your little ones busy at home while enjoying the festivities.

Fourth of July Coloring Page

Print out this free festive coloring page with Little Pim celebrating the 4th of July! Setup your kids with crayons or markers and hang the finished artwork as decoration for the weekend’s festivities. Share with all the kiddos to help keep them entertained (at least for a few minutes).

Kids Art

Feeling a bit more creative? Check out this fun project using salt and watercolor paint to create a fireworks painting from Busy Mommy Media. It’s actually fairly easy and only requires a few materials you probably already have in your home: table sale, paper (black works best), watercolors, brushes, white glue, and a cookie sheet. Visit their website for step-by-step instructions.

Festive Recipes

I don’t know about your little ones, but my toddler loves helping me in the kitchen and she absolutely loves all fruits. Last year, we created festive 4th of July fruit skewers with fresh strawberries, banana slices, and blueberries. We went strawberry picking in CT a few days ago and have a surplus of fresh berries to use. Make the flag design with the fruit, but be careful with the sharp ends of the skewers.

We also found some great recipes via the Food Network this year that the little ones can help with, especially when it comes to decorating cakes and desserts!

DIY 4th of July Slime

This can be a messy, yet fun activity to do with your little ones. We recommend doing this activity outside so clean up will be a breeze! This recipe is fun and safe for kids as it doesn’t use Borax and you can color them red and blue, perfect for the 4th of July!

What you’ll need:

• Plastic bowls

• Water

• Cornstarch

• Food coloring (Red and Blue)

In a bowl, combine 1 cup of cornstarch and 1 cup of water. Mix until you have a good and slimy mixture.

Add 1 to 3 drops of food coloring.

Repeat with other colors.

Then play away.

We hope you all have a great and safe holiday weekend. Be sure to incorporate Little Pim and language learning in your family summer fun! You can have your little language learners name each color in a different language when making crafts or recite the names of the fruits in their second language when prepping summer treats in the kitchen. If you’re traveling this holiday weekend, you can take Little Pim with you with our free video player app for iOS and Android. Happy Independence Day, America!

6 Tips for Teaching Korean to Toddlers

There are several benefits to being bilingual or multilingual. It's an opportunity to think and solve problems in different languages, improve social skills by speaking different languages, and grow cognitive muscles. While all these benefits are amazing, they may not be visible to a young child. Teaching your toddler Korean is daunting, especially if you're a beginner, but it's possible. As a parent, providing guidance can improve your child's ability to learn a new language. Here are a few tips for teaching Korean to toddlers which really can be applied to any target language.  

1.      Find Fun Ways To Teach

Children learn well in relaxed environments where they can express themselves through fun. Play and entertainment are the best ways to introduce a toddler to a new language. There are several creative ways to add fun to your lessons:

Use Songs and Rhymes: The repetition and chanting in rhymes and the joy in singing are delightful for toddlers. You can teach your child a rhyme to help them learn the Korean alphabet. The lyrics are more comfortable for toddlers to remember, and the rhythm makes learning exciting. Toddlers can also learn pronunciations through singing. 

Word games: Games such as scrabble and charades challenge your toddler to think of words and also remember their meaning. Print pictures and ask your child to describe the image using Korean words. Keep the game easy, according to their level of learning.

Body movement: Rhythmic body movements such as dance help toddlers learn. For example, teaching different body parts is an excellent opportunity to combine a rhyme and a dance that incorporates touching the necessary parts of the face and body.

Homonyms: You can test your toddler's comprehension by asking them to differentiate between words that sound the same.

Stories: Find Korean storybooks that match your child's comprehension and read the stories with them. Ask your child to read along and encourage them to speak up as you correct them. You can also try to tell everyday stories in Korean. Stories are also great for teaching because they tap into a kids' imagination. You can let their creativity grow and encourage them to tell their story in Korean.

Tongue Twisters are fun for both you and the child and are great for teaching pronunciations for words that almost sound similar.

Play: Playing telephone and doll games with your child can help them learn Korean better. Ask them words over the phone and wait for them to spell. You can also ask them to name their favorite toys in Korean.

2.      Have Lots of Visuals

There's a reason why getting your child off their favorite cartoons is hard- kids love visuals. If the pictures can talk, dance, and sing, they pay even more attention. Children are also drawn to bright colors, which are often present in their books and animations. Animations also break down complex concepts to a toddler's level of understanding and make children laugh. Little Pim is the perfect way to introduce your little ones to Korean featuring a mix of fun, colorful animations, and real kids doing everyday things to describe their world.

You can find visual elements for naming objects and describing actions such as eating, dancing, or walking in Korean.

• Buy books with drawings for learning, joining dots, painting, and coloring with pastels.

• Create new and bright flashcards that you can use during word games.

• Watch Little Pim Korean and use props around the house to help reinforce the vocabulary.

3.      Talk to Your Child

Children also learn through observing and listening to the surrounding activities. When you speak to your child, use complete sentences. Ask them to also respond in complete sentences. This will help your child understand how sentence structures work. It will also help your child articulate themselves better in the future.

As you talk, ask the child to explain details. For example, if you show them a flashcard with a picture of a child on it, ask them to explain what they see. Is it a boy or a girl? What is the child wearing? What color are their clothes and shoes? Teach them to observe and voice what they see around them.

4.      Structure The Classes Into Small Sections

The attention span of a child changes as they grow older. At two years, a toddler can focus for around 6 minutes before becoming bored and distracted. By five years, most kids can focus on a task for up to 15 minutes. With short attention spans, structuring the Korean lessons into short sessions with play is the best way to teach the toddler. Long lectures are a sure way of getting your kid bored and also disinterested in the new language.

However, you can improve their attention span by being actively engaged. Research indicates that children respond well to more attention, especially when they're young. Learning along with your child, rather than just being physically present or showing disinterest works well when introducing your toddler to new concepts.

5.      Follow Your Child's Lead

Instead of forcing your child to express interest in something you like, allow them to lead the way. Learn to observe your child and pay attention to their needs both outside and inside the Korean lessons. What parts of learning interest them most? Do they prefer pictures? Do they need colors and flashcards? Once they're interested, engage them and encourage them to continue learning.

6.      Invest In Structured Lessons

Having a structured manual with guided lessons and goals has several advantages:

• You can help your child understand the basics before tackling complex terms.

• You can track your progress and create a routine.

• Professionally scripted lessons also guide the parent, which makes them ideal for homeschooling.

• You can take advantage of pre-designed flashcards, printed stories, and animations within structured lessons and focus on teaching.

• Join an online community of other parents teaching their child Korean for tips and playgroups.

Conclusion

Little Pim has a professionally scripted program that you can use to introduce your toddler to Korean. The lessons include play and repetition, great visuals and printable content you can access offline. The lessons are also scripted to guide you, as the parent, even if you have no prior knowledge of Korean. You not only guide your child through a new language but also acquire the skills for yourself. Try watching Little Pim with your loved one today!

6 Fun Earth Day 2020 Activities for Kids

Staying home with kids can be fun.  We bet after a few weeks of unplanned confinement, you have doubts. 

You are stuck at home with your active and inquisitive two (three, four, five, six, take your pick)-year-old or  (oh, no!) a few of them. The ideas of fun things to do are running out at the speed of light.  Is it time to panic?

Not at all! With Earth Day coming up, we've created a list of fun activities to help you take the mandatory isolation in stride. Your kids will love every minute, helping you relax along the way.

1. Fighting Plastic Waste: Sewing a Tote Bag

• Good for kids: 4 -6 years old

• Time: 2 – 3 hours

Bright and colorful tote bags are always in demand. Your kids will love making something on their own and using it to save the planet. Thankfully, the process is fairly easy. All you need is fabric, canvas straps, and some patience.

While it's nice to have a sewing machine to complete this project, you can do it by hand. Uneven stitches made by little hands will make your new tote bag sweet and unique.

Does your 5-year-old have younger brothers and sisters? They can pitch in by taking a couple of markers and drawing exclusive patterns on the bag.

We loved this bag-sewing tutorial.

An interesting fact to share: Every second 160,000 plastic bags are used around the planet.

2. Saving the Birds: Building a Bird Feeder

• Good for kids: 2 -12 years old

• Time: 1 – 2 hours

Building a bird feeder is always fun. While the activity can give your children new and exciting skills, it also has hidden potential. Your children will love putting food into the feeder and watching birds take full advantage of their creation.

Depending on how old your kid is, you can choose the type of bird feeder to build. While wooden birdhouses are the best, not all parents possess the skills (maybe it's time to learn?) or tools to build them. So we suggest taking an easy way out.

Since it's Earth Day, consider creating feeders out of recycled materials. Plastic bottles or empty milk cartons work just fine.

An interesting fact to share: When it comes to bird feeders, squirrels are birds' worst enemies. So you should squirrel-proof the feeder by placing it at least five feet away from the tree.

3. Exploring Ocean Contamination: Oil Spill Cleanup

• Good for kids: 3 - 12 years old

• Time: 1 – 2 hours

Earth Day is an excellent opportunity to teach your kids about oil spills. While you are explaining the dangers of oil spills, you can create a little cleanup experiment. You'll need:

• Vegetable oil

• Detergent

• Water

• Spoon

• Cloth pads

• Pan

• Rock

• Bird feathers (if you don't have any, you can just use a piece of cloth shaped like a feather)

We've found an excellent video experiment to help teach your kids all about oil spills and how hard they are to clean up.

An interesting fact to share: The largest oil spill to date occurred in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico.

4. Being Waste Conscious: Making Recycling Bins

• Good for kids: 1 - 7 years old

• Time: 1 – 2 hours

Waste sorting is one of the easiest ways children of all ages can help take care of our planet. Even if you already have different bins for paper, plastic, glass, and organic waste, your children can make a couple of them for their rooms.

While organic waste should stay in the kitchen, your kids can create personal bins for paper and plastic. All you need is a couple of old cardboard boxes and crayons. Let them decorate the boxes and write "paper" or "plastic" on them. If you don't have the boxes, you can make them!

An interesting fact to share: Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water!

5. Breathing Easier: Planting Seeds

• Good for kids: 1 - 12 years old

• Time: 1 - 3 hours

Planting seeds is always a fun activity. It's an excellent opportunity to tell your children why we should take care of plants and trees. It doesn't matter what kind of seeds you plant, kids will love the process.

You can either plant something in the backyard or extend the fun by making DIY flowerpots or decorating existing ones.

It's possible to make flowerpots out of recycled materials. You can use plastic bottles, old paint cans, tires, and even old shoes. What an excellent way to recycle the little shoes your children grew out of!

An interesting fact to share: Trees don't just help us breathe. They cut energy bills. The shade produced by trees can save up to 30% of the energy we use for air conditioning.

6. Saving Energy: Using Candles

• Good for kids: 1 - 99 years old

• Time: 1 - ∞

Earth Day is an excellent opportunity to teach your children about saving energy. Turn off all the lights in your home, light candles, and tell stories.

To make candles for the energy-saving evening, you can use the old and boring candles you have at home and give them a new life.  

You can also use this opportunity to teach children about fire safety.

An interesting fact to share: The custom of putting lit candles on the cake and making a wish dates back to ancient Greeks. They thought that smoke from a blown-out candle carried their thoughts to Gods.

Have Fun While Learning a New Language

Earth Day isn't just about saving our planet. It's also aimed at bringing people together. Closing the distance doesn't always have to be physical. You can do it by learning a new language.

At Little Pim, we focus on making learning fun. Contact us to find out about engaging, easy, and accessible programs for your children. Being stuck at home is an excellent opportunity to beef up your language skills!

Parent and Teacher Guide on How to Use Little Pim

First of all, congratulations on choosing the most effective method for introducing babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers to a second or third language at the time they learn best. The foreign language learning series is specially designed to take advantage of the critical window when young minds are hard-wired to learn up to three languages with ease, which is up to six years old.

This parent and teacher guide includes information and tips so you can become your child’s first language tutor even if you don’t speak the language yourself. You can find full scripts for each language here.

The Little Pim series stars an animated panda bear named Little Pim who is also the teacher. Using our unique Entertainment Immersion Method™, Little Pim makes learning easy and fun. The videos combine live-action segments showing children eating, playing and engaging in everyday activities, along with the adorable animation of Little Pim the panda. The entire series is in the foreign language for total immersion, with optional subtitles.

We are always eager to hear from parents, teachers, or caregivers about their experience with our program. You can email us at info@littlepim.com. Thank you for choosing Little Pim for your little learner.

- Julia Pimsleur, Founder of Little Pim

Each Little Pim theme is broken up into seven short episodes. Because we know babies and toddlers have short attention spans, Little Pim was designed to allow you to start and stop after any of the five-minute episodes. Older children (2-6) may enjoy watching the seven short episodes in one sitting. You can pause the episodes at any time and interact with your child to help reinforce the new vocabulary.

Below are some tips on how to use Little Pim effectively at home:

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why should my child learn a foreign language?

There are numerous benefits to learning a second language early in life. Children who are consistently exposed from a very young age to the sounds of a foreign language are more likely to achieve native or near-native fluency in adulthood and have a much easier time learning other languages later in life. Research shows that these children also tend to have stronger verbal, cognitive and analytical skills – giving them a head start in school. Simply put, learning a second language boosts brainpower, even if the child does not achieve total fluency

Will my child be confused?

Children are uniquely equipped to learn up to three languages without affecting their progress in their mother tongues. Countless people grow up in multilingual environments: for example, many Swiss, Belgians, Canadians and Africans learn two or even three languages from birth. In the first half of the 20th century, the prevailing view was that bilingualism and second-language acquisition early in life confused children and interfered with their ability to develop normal cognitive functions and succeed in educational environments. These ideas were reversed in a landmark study by Peal and Lambert that showed a general superiority of bilinguals over monolinguals in a wide range of intelligence tests and aspects of school achievement. Please refer to our books on page six to learn more about the many benefits of studying a second language at a young age.

What if I don’t speak any foreign languages?

The Little Pim series can be enjoyed and used by adults with no prior experience in speaking a foreign language. Although adults will not have as easy a time repeating the vocabulary as young children, they too will be amazed at how quickly they pick up a few new words. There are also aids built-in for adults: optional subtitles in English, writing on the screen, and a free downloadable script for each language on our website.

THE RESEARCH

Language Exposure At An Early Age

Study after study shows that from birth to age six, the human brain is optimally equipped for learning and producing language. Little Pim was specifically created for young children to be able to take full advantage of this window for learning.

Babies hear their mothers’ voices before birth and know the rhythm of their native language as newborns. Once born, babies can understand and discriminate the sounds of every language in the world. Infants detect different sounds and hear the nuances in foreign languages with perfect clarity and precision. The sound elements of language are called phonemes, and repeated studies show that adults perceive phonemes differently than infants.

Young children’s ways of assimilating language are distinctly different from adults, especially in pronunciation. As children become “tuned” to their native language (or languages), they gradually lose the ability to tell the subtle sounds in foreign languages apart. When people are introduced to foreign sounds later in life, they have much more difficulty hearing the differences, thus making it that much harder to imitate these sounds.

Babies gain understanding long before they can speak and benefit from having a rich language environment. That is because babies learn to talk by listening. Research tells us that the more words babies hear, the more quickly they learn to talk. Frequent exposure to words and active social engagement helps the brain pathways that foster language learning to develop more fully.

Children need to hear language in relation to what is happening around them. It must capture the child’s attention, thus the “motherese” - speech with rising and exaggerated contours - is very effective when speaking to one’s baby or toddler. In addition, surrounding children with language materials such as books, objects, and pictures for naming help to support language learning. Little Pim’s voice mirrors “motherese” and the series uses sharp and colorful images of objects and actions, allowing young viewers to connect the sounds they hear with actions and objects in real life.

Little Pim makes it easy and fun for parents to take advantage of the best window of opportunity for successful foreign language learning and give them all the cognitive benefits of being multilingual.

How to Start Introducing Foreign Languages into Your Child’s Life

It’s common knowledge that the earlier you can start teaching and incorporating language into your child’s life, the easiest it will be for them to learn and the more benefits they’ll get out of the experience; both in terms of enhancing their learning capabilities and for being more cultured and diverse when they’re older.

However, whether you speak multiple languages yourself or just speak the one, introducing the ideas of learning a new language can be hard work and requires consistency and perseverance. In today’s guide, we’re going to detail everything you need to know to get started.

Introducing Language in a Bilingual/Multilingual Home

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

The best way to teach a child anything is to repeat it over and over again, so it becomes embedded in their minds. Never forget that a child’s brain is like a sponge, and when teaching something like a language, the more you can repeat the words and phrases, the more it will become something they don’t forget.

Be Expressive with Language

Many children are visual learners, and by being able to see what they’re learning in the form of actions, role play, or images, the easier it will be to help them remember what they’re learning. 

Use all kinds of movements, including facial expressions, exaggerated physical gestures, and by physically acting out whatever it is you’re learning. This can be a lot of fun for both you and your children when introduced in the right way.

Keep Things Positive

As with all kinds of learning experiences, if you’re not creating a positive environment for your child to learn in, they’re not going to want to stick with it, and the whole experience will quickly turn sour. 

Always practice positive reinforcement and always try to make the learning process into a game which can be enjoyed, rather than turning into an activity associated with resentment.

Be Creative with Learning Activities

“Sitting down and learning a language through reading a textbook is quickly going to get boring for everyone involved, or just sitting and talking to each other on repeat, so get creative with your approach and try to make the learning process as entertaining as possible” explains Nick Hardy, an educator for Academic Writing Service and Do My Research Paper.

There are endless ways you can do this, such as creating flashcards or your own board games or using online videos or foreign children’s books you can read together.

Roleplay with your Children

Of course, the majority of language is going to be used on a conversational basis, so why not roleplay with your child, giving them an easy way to use the language they’re learning. Use your child’s favorite games, such as buying food in a shop or taking public transport.

Introducing Language in a Monolingual Home

Introduce Native Speakers

While you may not speak another language yourself, getting a native speaker of the language you’re teaching can be a great way to help your child understand and learn it on a native level. Whether you have a family friend or colleague that can help, or you hire an actual tutor, communicating with native speakers is the best way to learn.

Use Available Software

There’s plenty of software applications out there that are designed to help you learn a language, whether you’re learning it yourself, with your child, or if just your child is using it. Make sure you do your research to see what kind of software is out there and available on your budget to ensure you find the best application for you.

In fact, Little Pim has recently released a video player app, across platforms, in which your child can start learning one of twelve languages, at any age.

Use Available School Clubs

For school-aged children, their school may offer extra-curriculum language learning activities, classes, or clubs, so ask around to see what’s available.

“More often than not, they’ll be plenty of languages to explore, plenty of opportunities, and your child will have access to someone who is trained to teach the language properly and to give your child the best possible start” shares Charlotte Harrison, a teacher for Thesis Writing and Ox Essays.

Learn with your Children

It’s always far more encouraging for your child to learn a language if it’s something you’re doing with them. For children, you, the parent, are the best role models in the world; you’re the king or queen of their reality, and whatever you’re doing, the child will want to do as well.

Learning a new language comes with so many benefits, and the fact you’ll be sharing that activity with your child is only going to strengthen your relationship as a parent and will make the learning experience infinitely better for everyone involved.

About the Author:

Beatrix Potter is a professional parenting writer at BoomEssays and Essay Service. Bea writes about language learning; she also tutors at Essay Help Australia website. Beatrix enjoys helping families make the most of modern opportunities.