Fun ways to learn a foreign language

Learning a foreign language from scratch is a difficult task for children and for adults. But there are some fun ways to learn a language:

Children's learning material

No matter how old you are, children's books have a very easy approach of explaining the basics of a language. They also have a lot of visual material so it's easier to remember. Another good idea here is watch language teaching videos for kids. These are far less intense than walls of text in your coursebook.

Change language settings on your phone/computer

We use our phones and computers all the time and if you change language settings to your chosen language you will learn the words you use everyday much quicker as you will be seeing them all the time. And yet another plus side, you can justify using facebook by saying you're learning a language.

Read your favourite book in the chosen language

Reading is a great way to learn a language, but I would advise reading a book that you already know very well. This way you are already familiar with the translation and it will be much easier for you to follow the story and learn the language.

Watch films or TV in the chosen language with English subtitles

Watching television or movies in your target language is yet another fun and efficient way to learn it. You will be able to focus on listening and pronunciation and at the same time enjoy your favourite shows. Same as with a book, pick something you have already seen and know or otherwise put on English subtitles so you have a chance to see translation immediately.

Listen to songs and radio podcasts

Listening to music and radio podcasts gives you an opportunity to really focus on the accent and pronunciation. You will be able to learn slang and a more colloquial language and you can always look up song lyrics and add a handful of new words and phrases to your vocabulary.

Go to shops/restaurants where they speak your target language

Why not do shopping while studying a new language? Just pick local shops where you know the language is spoken and just chat with people to practice your basic skills. Or go to a cuisine specific restaurant and show what you've learned there. People will gladly help you with your studying.

Homemade visual material

Create your own learning material. You can label everything in your room with names in your new language - you will definitely learn what they are called very quickly as it'll always be in front of your eyes. Make flashcards with a word in two languages on different sides - easy to make and very helpful. Draw diagrams or pictures, like a human body with parts labeled on it.

Make a game out of it

What could be more fun than a game? Another game. Turn learning a language into a game. You can play scrabble, charades, alias or trivia games in your chosen language. Learning a language this way will really help you improve your vocabulary fast.

Cook using recipes in your new language

While cooking you need to make sure that the ingredients and the way the meal is prepared are exactly right. And because of that you have plenty of motivation to learn all the words correctly, and you'll also have an opportunity to try international cuisine at home!