What Are The Best Online Resources to Help Your Children Learn Foreign Languages ?

In a previous post, we explained the various advantages of learning foreign languages from an early age. With the rise of digital technologies, there is now a wide range of online resources that make this learning process more accessible and fun for children. Below we've summarized some of our favorite online resources, which enable children to learn English or French without even realizing it!

1. Educational Mobile Apps

DinoLingo

DinoLingo is a popular app that uses videos, games, songs, books, and even quizzes to teach more than 50 different languages, including French and English. The activities are interactive and playful, the design is colorful and thus suitable for children. They also offer unlimited access to a large number of additional resources such as booklets, flashcards, and other online games.

Holy Owly

Holy Owly is an app designed for children aged 3 to 8 that offers daily or several times a week English lessons. The lessons are short and based on interactive games, allowing children to learn vocabulary and improve their pronunciation while having fun!

2. Educational Websites

SpeakyPlanet

SpeakyPlanet is a website designed for children aged 4 to 11, offering online educational games to learn English. The games are divided into difficulty levels, allowing children to progress at their own pace while having fun.

3. Videos and YouTube Channels

The Singing Walrus

The Singing Walrus features educational songs in English for children. The videos are very colorful, with catchy melodies featuring animal characters (bear, pig, chick...). Children learn basic English concepts such as numbers, letters, days of the week, colors... by singing along with the video in karaoke mode (thanks to the subtitles) or without the video!

Pinkfong Songs

Pinkfong is a YouTube channel famous for its song "Baby Shark", but it also offers many other educational songs in English. The videos are also very colorful, and instead of animals, children can learn a wide range of vocabulary while reproducing different choreographies made by the children dancing on the videos.

Wormhole Learning

Wormhole Learning provides videos in English or Mandarin. The videos are similar to those of The Singing Walrus, except that they also feature videos that allow children to dance or exercise with cute animals. The videos are also very colorful and fun.

Barefoot Books

On the Barefoot Books YouTube channel, you'll find a variety of videos with book-like designs. They mainly upload songs targeting specific vocabulary (like pirates, for example). The videos are also subtitled, making it easier for children to retain the vocabulary, especially if they can read. They also offer videos in Spanish and even yoga videos for the little ones, in English.

KidzBop

With KidzBop, your kids can learn easy choreography, performed by kids to their favorite English-language music. As they sing and dance, kids learn the meaning of their favorite songs, and get a lot of exercise at the same time!

MC Grammar – Educational Rap Songs

MC Grammar offers an original concept: songs in the form of rap to learn English vocabulary. The songs are designed to be entertaining and educational, helping children memorize grammar rules and vocabulary in an innovative and above all fun way!

Blabber Beasts

To learn practical French vocabulary, kids can watch videos from the "Blabber Beasts" YouTube channel. These videos are great fun for young children. The little monsters have facial expressions and voices that your kids will love, plus all the videos are accompanied by typical French accordion music.

If you are interested in how music can positively affect children's capacity to learn other languages, read our article on the matter!

4. Online Games

KokoroLingua

KokoroLingua proposes immersive videos in which native children teach their mother tongue, as if your children were attending a real language class! The aim is to watch the videos on a daily basis (as if your children were actually spending time with other English-speaking kids), and each session focuses on a specific theme, such as (among others) colors or animals.

5. Complementary Resources

Lunii

Lunii is an interactive story box that lets children create their own stories by choosing the elements (characters, places, etc.). Available in several languages, including French and English, Lunii stimulates your children's imagination and language learning. The characters with whom they create their stories can be of different origins (e.g. Spanish) and talk to their French friends about their gastronomic, cultural, or historical heritage.

Storyplay*r

With Storyplay*r, children rediscover the pleasure of reading in a whole new way. They offer over 1,700 books to listen to in French and other languages (such as English) for children aged 3 to 15. They offer audiobooks as well as tools to make reading easier for children. You can even record your own voice to narrate your own stories!

6. Tips for Using Online Resources Effectively

Create a Learning Routine

To maximize the effectiveness of online resources, it's important to create a regular learning routine. Set aside a specific time every day or several times a week to help your children learn foreign languages. For example, you could suggest that your children play with these resources after their snack or before dinner.

Involve yourself!

Parents play a crucial role in their children's language learning. Get involved by playing games, watching videos and reading books with your children. Your support and encouragement will make a big difference. Your children will love to see you having fun and interacting with them in a playful way. In the end, they'll associate foreign languages with fun!

Diversify the Resources

It’s important to use a combination of different resources to keep your children interested in learning foreign languages such as English and French. Combine apps, websites, videos and books for a richer and more complete learning experience. This is precisely what we offer in our Kidioma workshops. In fact, we punctuate our workshops with a variety of activities so that children are always having fun without getting bored. Our aim is to encourage them to associate foreign languages with pleasure, so that they are more inclined to express themselves in a language that is not their own.

Conclusion

Online resources for language learning are numerous and varied, offering unique and original opportunities for your children to develop their language skills in a playful and interactive way. By integrating these tools into your daily or weekly routine, you can help your children learn English or French while having fun. At Kidioma, we believe in the importance of learning through play and fun, and we encourage you to explore these resources to complement our language workshops at home.