Tag Archives: swedish for children

Learn words in Swedish (or any language) – fun idea for repeating vocabulary

It is fun to learn a language. However repeating vocabulary is not always all that fun. I love to come up with creative ways to inspire learning Swedish (or any language). Today I instructed my young students to keep a word cloud application open during our Skype lesson in Swedish. We spoke about toys and playing, and tried to come up with all possible nouns for toys (we also used a toy store catalogue for the visual). The two students took turns to type the words in Swedish, making sure spelling was correct. Typing/writing helps in remembering and learning the words. After the lesson they will print the cloud in a few copies and go through all the words again; looking up any word they cannot remember the meaning of. They will also circle words that take “en” on one sheet, and “ett”-words on another. One copy goes up on the wall as today’s achievement!

Remember that repeating is key.

We used Tagxedo for today’s “Learn words in Swedish”. I have used a few other similar applications as well. If you search for “word cloud” you will get suggestions enough!

 

Swedish vocabulary for toys

We had to leave out all the words with the Swedish letters ÅÄÖ; they were not supported by this application.

Here they are:
fågelbogunga
fotbollsmål
dockskåp
låtsasmat
grävskopa
tält
häst

Mellan hägg och syren – a Swedish expression rich in scent and joy

 

The Swedish expression “mellan hägg och syren” really says it all.

I love this time of the year. Late spring (which came early this year) that promises a long, beautiful summer with endless time outdoors. The green shades are soft and crisp; the white blossoms are abundant and simply breathtaking, and sometimes the white petals fall graciously through the air like soft snow.

It is the time “between Bird Cherry and Lilac” – “mellan hägg och syren”. The expression is said to originate from a cobbler’s sign saying he was closed “mellan hägg och syren”.

The Bird Cherry is in full bloom (depending on where in Sweden you are) and we are awaiting the Lilacs. Both add a wonderful scent to the gardens and the neighborhood.

Another word describing this time of the year is “försommar” – “pre-summer” 🙂

 

 

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Tip for encouraging your child to speak a language

Here is a useful tip for encouraging your child to speak in another language.

Sometimes children can be a little hesitant to speak a language which is not native to them. Well, there are some tricks to help them. For instance you can use hand puppets, teddy bears or dolls. Let them “do the talking”. This makes the children feel more confident since they use another voice – it is not “them” who is speaking.

Even if children happily speak a language bringing in another character is a fun way to stimulate and encourage a conversation.

Today I met with “Bob”. Boy, did he speak a lot, in Swedish!

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If you are interested in individual Swedish language classes for children or adults read on.

Swedish children’s songs

Having moved to Sweden with children your family might want to listen to Swedish children’s music. Kid’s music is very much part of the cultural context, and apart from having fun a few bonuses to listening to it include

  • learning the classic Swedish tunes
  • following what they are singing at preschool (dagis) and school
  • improving your Swedish while singing along
  • acquiring intonation and pronunciation of Swedish

Barnplaneten (Children’s planet) provides lists in Spotify such as lists for classics, nap time, animals, play and dance as well as a teacher’s list.

Link to one of the song lists