Key Takeaways
- Afrikaans can be learnt by children at any age.
- It's easy to make Afrikaans lessons fun.
- There are many benefits to learning Afrikaans in South Africa.
Ek vat jou saam soos 'n storie sonder 'n storielyn.
Jolene Enswell
The quotation above states," I am taking you along like a story without a storylines." Providing lessons in Afrikaans is like taking learners along similar to a story without a storyline. There is no hard and fast rule as to how to provide your Afrikaans lessons, what matters is making these lessons meaningful and worthwhile. If you are engaging learners in a discussions in Afrikaans and providing activities that informally assess their knowledge of Afrikaans language (taal) rules, you are already winning.
Children’s brains are not yet as wired in a particular way, as are adults. Theirs are clean slates on which virtually anything (think language) can be written. The earlier a child starts, the better.
You don’t speak Afrikaans well, but would like your child to. No problem.
Here are some tips for you to help your child learn Afrikaans.
Is There a Particular Age That a Child Should Speak Afrikaans?
In South Africa, children have to offer a second language at school. In essence, it would be brilliant if you child could start Afrikaans lessons way before he or she starts school. Your child would really be in the pound seat if he or she started Afrikaans lessons before the age of five. Regardless, get them started as soon as you can!
Learning a language and gaining fluency in it takes time … lots of time.
Think of your or your child’s growth in his or her mother tongue. Consider it a life-long expedition and realise that results will not be instantaneous!
Young learners will benefit in a number of ways from learning a new language:
Afrikaans Lessons for Kids
There is not only one way to teach Afrikaans as a second language. Each teacher, tutor or parent has to find what works best for them and the learner in the care.
Try to build an element of fun into the learning process. If the child is encountering Afrikaans for the first time, it is important the he or she is eased into it. There is no need to rush it! Language acquisition is not an overnight thing. Making it fun, will have to relieve the tension they’re obviously experiencing.
A wonderful way to start developing their listening, comprehension and speaking skills is to get children to learn recitations or to sing along to popular kiddie songs, like Jan Pierewiet (available on YouTube). Singing the Afrikaans alphabet is another great, fun activity which will give your son or daughter the opportunity to show off his or her Afrikaans pronunciation.
Search for a reputable Afrikaans tutor Cape Town here on Superprof.
If your child is a primary school learner, play memory games with him or her, using pictures and flashcards.
What a child has to learn in Afrikaans is the same as what an adult has to. Both have to adapt to listening to Afrikaans, extend their vocabulary and learn its grammar. The important difference is that, for the child, the learning experience must be so much fun that he or she doesn’t even realise that he or she is actually working.
Afrikaans Kiddies Movies and Series
Everybody growing up in good old SA, during the 70’s or 80’s remembers watching and singing along to Heidi and Liewe Heksie or repeating their favourite lines from Karel Kraai or Bennie Boekwurm. Now it’s time to share these classics with your off-spring! You can even watch classical movies like Pinnocchio in Afrikaans.
Afrikaans Kiddie Songs
Afrikaans also has a number of wonderful little rhyming songs which young learners will enjoy. Several, such as, Aai, Aai die Witborskraai, Swart Skaap, Swart Skaap and Vader Jakob have reached near classic status amongst Afrikaans-speakers.
It would be great for you to sing along and make the activity a more relaxed and fun activity for your little one. How lovely to have Mom or Dad singing along and taking their little one’s mind off the fact that he or she is learning!
To keep the mood light, check out the Internet for activities and, even, musical games, that may teach your little darling Afrikaans and music, all in one go!
Afrikaans Stories for Kids
There are still people today who prefer a book in hard copy form as opposed to reading it on a tablet or on a Kindle. Printed text still has a special allure and allows for greater absorption and remembering of content.
Young learners will be immersed in a different and deeper level when they read stories which are presented in book form. Against the backdrop of computers, smartphones and tablets, a printed book can offer a child many of hours of entertainment while they are also learning.
Online Afrikaans Activities for Kids
Your Afrikaans lessons don’t have to cost an arm or a leg. There are numerous resources on the Internet which are available for free. Many Afrikaans language sites have a presence, not only as websites, but also on YouTube, where your child’s learning can progress at his or her own pace, as videos can be viewed as many times as necessary.
There are also several apps which can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Playstore, including Learn Afrikaans Free, ABC Kinder Pret in Afrikaans and Free 500+ Afrikaans Flitskaarte (flash cards). The latter app assists your child to improve his or her pronunciation and vocabulary.
These apps are a wonderful resource as they a great companion at home, on a plane or train, or even in a restaurant. Your child’s learning will have no boundaries! Also, the learning is presented in a format all children gravitate towards nowadays. Voice recognition technology will also help to make lessons interactive, something your young child will definitely enjoy.
Afrikaans Tutors for Kids
If you don’t have the time, expertise or energy, reach out to a tutor today!
A good tutor can be instrumental in getting young children to progress at primary school level. A good pre-K teacher would be a wonderful resource in terms of grounding some of the fundamentals in Afrikaans, which will serve as building blocks for future learning. You can find local Afrikaans lessons in Johannesburg on Superprof.
Superprof has a host of experienced, caring tutors, some of whom have been full-time teachers, who will help your little one grow in leaps and bounds.
Dedication to the task at hand is all-important. Your child, in a sense, will have to be immersed in the Afrikaans language. He or she may have to forgo buddies’ birthday parties and play-dates over weekends and even sacrifice portions of their school holidays and commit themselves to practising all of their Afrikaans skills.
To add an element of fun, add in some educational games at least once a week! It must never come across as hard work!
Discover different Afrikaans tutor online on Superprof.
What Are the Benefits of Learning Afrikaans as a Child?
A study of a language, like Afrikaans, has so many great benefits for the learner.
It can be taught to an infant in the cradle, even in the womb, for that matter. Unborn children are known to be influenced in some way by the circumstances the mother finds herself in. Babies apparently listen to their mothers talking in the last ten weeks before they are born. So, it’s never too early to start using Afrikaans around your ‘little’ one.
As mentioned above, your child will benefit greatly from being bilingual.
There’s no time to waste. Get them started today!
Ensure that the activities that your child engages in are varied, to avoid him or her losing interest or becoming bored. Intersperse their formal lessons with Afrikaans rhymes and stories, songs, cartoons, films and YouTube clips. Lessons can also be done online, on an app or on your phone.
Tips for Teaching Afrikaans to Kids
Here are some tips that parents of Afrikaans learners can follow.
Speak Afrikaans to them daily, and let them speak back. As your day progresses, they will learn what a cup, saucer, spoon, knife and plate are in Afrikaans. Word choice and order will also be cemented as you correct their little foibles in an informal, maybe even playful way.
At the eating table, teach children the names of all the objects on the table.
Example: spoon = lepel, fork = vurk, plate = bord, knife = mes.
Enrol your child in Afrikaans lessons for beginners. If you can’t help you child yourself, this would be a wonderful platform for them to start from.
Have Fun While Learning Afrikaans
If children are having fun, they will learn quicker and they will learn a whole host of skills subliminally. Expose them to Afrikaans role-playing games, lullabies or Afrikaans educational games.
As mentioned earlier, identify an Afrikaans jingle, song or recitation that they can sing along to. The beauty of this is that you may find them singing the song or jingle during their quiet moments. That’s when you’ll know that you’ve made a break-through.
Find an Afrikaans book or print a story off the internet, and choose a few that are appropriate to be read at bedtime.
Getting Your Child an Afrikaans Au Pair is a Superb Idea!
Working or playing with an Afrikaans-speaker will definitely accelerate your child’s progress. He or she will soon be surprising you when they find Afrikaans ways of saying things before they can think of a word or phrase in English.
Immerse Your Child in Afrikaans
Spend some time in a park in an Afrikaans-speaking neighbourhood or have your child spend a part of their day with an Afrikaans-speaking family. Your child will have to use Afrikaans close to 100% of the time spent playing with the local children or engaging with the host family.
This is similar to throwing someone in at the deep end of a pool. They immediately have to adapt to that environment and move or stay afloat! However, immersion will be more supportive than threatening!
Ensure That Afrikaans is His or Her Second Language of Study at School
Every South African learner has to learn a second language at school. Your child will, therefore, be amongst many others who may be at a similar point in the journey through Afrikaans. This means they will have a good support structure.
As you can see, there are quite a number of ways for your child to learn Afrikaans. Depending on their temperament, they could go it alone or choose to work with a partner or tutor. At school, they will also get lots of help, support and encouragement! Your task, as a parent, is to help out as much as you can, especially ensuring that fun time is regularly included in the learning!
Search for classes in Afrikaans here on Superprof.
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Very informative
Hi Annette,
We’re really pleased that you found this article helpful.
Hi thank you for the info, very well done. How do I become involved as a tutor?!
Hello Nicci
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