10 German Words Every Young Child Can Learn This Week

You do not need a curriculum to give a small child their first German words. You need ten good words, a bit of repetition and a sense of humour. These are the ten I would start with, chosen because they carry a lot of daily life and because children genuinely enjoy saying them.

The family words

Mama and Papa are the easiest gifts in the language, since they are nearly the same in English. Oma (grandma, say OH-ma) and Opa (grandad, say OH-pa) come next, and they tend to stick instantly, especially once a real Oma or Opa answers to them.

The animal words

Der Hund (the dog, say hoont) can be practised on every walk. Das Pferd (the horse, say pfairt) has that lovely pf sound children find hilarious. Die Eule (the owl, say OY-luh) is a favourite in our house for story reasons, and it hoots beautifully in either language.

The bedtime words

Der Stern (the star, say shtairn) is for the walk home in the dark. Das Buch (the book, say boo-ch, with the soft throaty ch) is for the moment before lights out. And gute Nacht (good night, say GOO-tuh nacht) is the whole reason bedtime exists.

How to make them stick

Use one word in its real moment, three or four times, for a few days. Point at the actual dog. Whisper the actual gute Nacht. Children pick up words from moments. Ten words woven into a normal week will beat a hundred on flashcards every time. When the ten feel easy, swap in ten more, and let your child hear how proud you are.

Stories that grew up bilingual

Every one of our five bilingual picture books began as a real story told by someone we love, written as English verses and German poems that each rhyme on their own. And if you would like something to do together this afternoon, our free Words and Wonder activity pack has matching games, counting and family words in both languages.