Special thanks to Sabina, for this guest post today. I think that foreign language is a subject that can be intimidating for many homeschool parents to include, but it doesn’t have to be! Sabina shares with us today 6 Simple Ways to Add Foreign Language To Your Homeschool.
This post contains affiliate links, which give me a portion of the proceeds when you make a purchase using them at no extra cost to you. You can find these links marked with a **.
Have you been thinking about teaching another language to your children? This blogpost is meant to help you with that.
First, I would like to share with you my story and how language learning has been a big part of it:
Did you know Switzerland has four official languages? German, French, Italian and Romansh. I grew up in a region that speaks German, but another area of the region speaks French.
My first foreign language learning experience wasn’t until third grade. We were taught French, because we lived in a bilingual region.
After sixth grade one of my friends planned a summer exchange student trip to France. I ended up going too, but went to a different town called St. Malo. This was my first experience with a host family. The language learning success turned out to be limited, because our whole group talked to each other in German when we weren’t in class. At the end of the trip, we spent a couple of gorgeous days in Paris.
I studied English for one semester, before my exchange student year in the United States. That’s when I met my husband.
After college, I attempted to build a life for my new family back in Switzerland. It didn’t work out and a lengthy immigration process brought us back to the States.
Coming back to America was an adjustment. It was different than before, because I wasn’t a student anymore, my career goals failed, and I was now in charge of raising two children.
A few years later, after an encounter with God, I started homeschooling and actively learning how to build a home-based business helping others.
Now that you know a bit about my background and connection with language learning, let’s talk about teaching foreign language in your homeschool.
Attempting to teach your kids a foreign language can feel overwhelming.
We were blessed to recently be able to go back to Switzerland for a visit. Due to the small size of the country, it is relatively easy to take the kids for a day trip to a different area of the country to practice a language.
In the US, the accessibility to a foreign language and culture depends on where you live. Each of the major cities in the U.S. usually have Chinatowns and other ethnic communities. New York City and San Francisco have famous Chinatown districts. In Michigan, Dearborn is known for its Arab community. Greater Detroit also has a large Jewish community. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois have large Amish communities that speak German and English. While their community is centered more around their religion than language, it is yet another culture. Areas close to the Mexican or Canadian border are influenced by the neighboring countries and it’s easy to take a day trip there to show the children the different country. For instance, we have poutine, because we live close to the Canadian border.
Regardless of where you live, thankfully you are not limited by your location.
Let’s look at some common concerns and ways you can approach them in your homeschool.

How can you teach a language, if you don’t speak it yourself?
Ideally, your children learn the language from you speaking it, but if you are willing to seek out the proper resources, you don’t have to be able to speak the language to teach it to your children. In fact, one of the cool things about homeschooling is that you can learn alongside your children. Simply look through the suggestions below and find something that works for your family.
How can my children build vocabulary?
There are many ways to acquire vocabulary. It is a process of trial and error and depends on the child’s age. With younger ones simple first words of x language books may be a good place to start. If you don’t know how to pronounce the words in the book, simply find the audio for the word online. You can find kids songs in x language. Music has been helpful for my kids to help them memorize. Or you could find appropriate cartoons in the language. Someone once told me he learned a language by watching Sesame Street. My cousin recently told me that what has helped her learn a language was simply to listen to it daily.
There are also a variety of programs to learn a language in a more structured way. Here are some examples:
- Computer programs, like Rosetta Stone, work better for older students who can work on them mostly independently.
- Apps, like Drops, help build vocabulary one small dose at a time. While some of them are free, they have limitations for the free level. Again, more geared for older students.
- If you would prefer a family program, Talkbox.Mom is a subscription service. Each box focuses on a theme, like snacks. This program comes with a lot of support.
- Different approaches: There are also unique programs out there. I recently purchased a journal from The Thinking Tree where the student learns a language by filling out themed notebook pages. The recommended age for the journal is 10 and up. Thinking Tree also has a variety of creative journals to learn about other countries. Cherrydale Press has simple textbooks and audio files that are based on Charlotte Mason’s teachings. The program is easy to understand and affordable.
- (Melissa’s note: My own family has used Mr. D Math to get us started learning ASL!)
How can you teach kids about other cultures?
There are also a variety of resources available to help you include different cultures in your homeschool:
- Let’s Go Geography (elementary grades)
- **Music in our Homeschool has a variety of helpful courses, such as My First Amazing Journey Around the World, World Music for Elementary
- Teachers Pay Teachers Marketplace: simply search for the country you are interested in, and you will find all kinds of resources.
- You can do a little research and find out about customs and traditions associated with a certain language in a country. Then you can do some of those activities at home, play music from the country or cook one of their dishes.
- If you meet someone from another culture, ask them questions or maybe ask them if they could tell your children about where they are from.
- Library books, streaming videos, YouTube
What is the point in teaching your children another language, if there is no one else around who speaks it?
There are multiple benefits to teaching your children another language. First, they may one day be able to visit (or live) in a place where the language is spoken. Second, it opens up future job opportunities. Third, it helps them think outside the box and gain a better understanding of other cultures past and present.

How can your child continue growing in the language once they have a basic vocabulary, if there is no one around them to practice with?
There are apps, like Italki, to talk to other people. Those are more geared towards adults though.
You could find a penpal for them by asking around in online or local communities. This is something we did in school. I wrote to the person in French, and they responded back to me in German.
You could form your own local or online group so your child and others who are interested can practice together. This could even be part of a co-op.
If there is a college nearby, you could try to find a tutor.
Does it cost a lot of money to learn a language?
That depends on the methods you use. If you are working with a language school and taking actual classes, then yes. However, the programs I have mentioned so far are quite cost effective. Your children can even learn languages for free. YouTube has a big selection of language learning videos. Also, many libraries offer free language learning resources.
There you have it: 6 ways to include foreign language in your homeschool.
I hope these suggestions help you overcome whatever obstacles you are facing in teaching your children another language. I also have a gift for you to help you get started learning about another culture. You can claim it here.
I want to leave you with an important reminder: As with (almost) everything else you teach your children, motivation is key! We have been there multiple times when the kids were learning a language and then stopped, because of loss of motivation. When learning a language, it is important that the children see how that knowledge will benefit them.
Sabina is a Christian homeschool mom. She lives with her husband and children in the Adirondacks Region of the United States. Sabina helps Christian homeschool moms learn life skills, live a God-centered life and start family businesses.
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