Thread: Russian for Children

Sometimes I think that there isn't such books and programms at all. But You can start to teach them as the any other young learners, songs, poems, and some simple words, simple grammar. If you need I can copy you some exercises and methods of work from the book of teaching English as a second language for young learners. You can try the same programm and words at first. I think it can be acceptable. And we can find some poems and songs which Russian children sing at this age that you can use with yours. Write me epyatakova@yahoo.com and let's think together.

Originally Posted by jejik

Sometimes I think that there isn't such books and programms at all. But You can start to teach them as the any other young learners, songs, poems, and some simple words, simple grammar. ... And we can find some poems and songs which Russian children sing at this age that you can use with yours. ...

Here there are lots of children songs with MP3: http://masterrussian.net/mforum/viewtopic.php?t=5264
Let us know if you need translation.

You have a 3 year old that rides a snowmobile? Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

Here there are lots of children songs with MP3: http://masterrussian.net/mforum/viewtopic.php?t=5264
Let us know if you need translation.[/quote]

Of course this songs are very good... but too difficult for people who don't know Russian at all, I think they must start from something like

Если весело живется делай так... or Пол, нос, потолок... words can be changed to match the aim of teaching...

So the children will learn some words, pronounciation, and just be developed.

They need something with pictures, simple words...

For example, when you play hide-and-seek, say "Раз, два, три, четыре, пять - я иду искать". They will learn numbers, the word я and two verbs.

And so on...

The site of the product link kalinka_vinnie posted:

http://www.languageadvantage.com/kids/cdromkids.htm

It says the software is specifically for kids and it says 4 and up but that doesn't matter.

Hello AK Grace, I'm having much the same problems. It's so frustrating, isn't it? There is so much on offer for children learning English, French and Spanish, yet next to nothing for Russian.

We live in Germany and my daughter is bilingual in English (mother tongue) and German (first foreign language). Where we live, there are a lot of Russians, so we have Russian bookstores, a Russian cultural institute, Russian kindergartens and so on, yet no one offers Russian courses for small children to learn together in a group. I've been trying to find something since she was 1.5 and now she is nearly 6. Even the Russian language center at the Russian cultural institute told me they had no plans to offer any courses for preschoolers.

What are your chances of finding a Russian babysitter where you live? Someone who could paint, play and sing songs with the kids in Russian twice a week. Or perhaps a granny with a bit of time on her hands who could read them stories, chat and sing songs with them?

As to language courses, there doesn't seem to be much about. I found this online but haven't ordered it:

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/0 ... 83-4568060

There are two levels and it seems to be song-based vocabulary related to daily life. I thought that might be fun.

We have some Russian DVDs (Nu pagodi - which has practically no language, a collection of TV comics and Mogli which she does occasionally watch). She's been attending art school in Russian for nearly 3 years. I don't think she has picked up more than a word or two to be honest. Seems to me, kids need more immersion with a native speaker. They need to recognise an actual need to learn and reproduce the language. At art school for instance, she just replies in German if she's spoken to in Russian because she knows that people will understand her so why bother trying to speak Russian? But that's ok by me, I just wanted her to hear the language and acquire an ear for it.

I am considering taking her to a private school near Moscow in summer which offers cheap Russian courses for school children and young people during school holidays. Don't know if I can post the link without that being advertising? PM me if you'd like to have it.

My daughter's father is Russian and lives in Moscow, the grandparents speak neither English nor German so I would like her to learn the language, be in touch with her roots and be able to communicate with her relatives. It's an uphill battle though.

Russian families here tell me they get Russian TV via satellite. Would that be a possibility for you - to reinforce any teaching you're doing?

Good luck, let me know how you get on. Maybe we can pool ideas!

Lots of free childrens ebooks:

http://www.machaon.ru/kuski/sol/
http://publ.lib.ru/ARCHIVES/_HUD_DTS/_Hud_dts.html

Scott

the kid wont lean russian unless she has a constant flow. should have sent her to the kindergarten with the other russian kids and she would ave got it for free. maybe befriend some russians and get her some exposure

She went to a German kindergarten since it is more important that she learns German and that worked very well. She'll be attending a German school, so it was really essential that she master German. She has contact to Russian children of course but like most children who are non-native speakers of German, they prefer to communicate with each other in German since that is the language of their daily life and I think that is a fairly natural development. Russian parents have great difficulty getting their children to keep up Russian once they're out of the purely Russian home environment and attending kindergarten or school. Russian doesn't have high status here which may be part of the reason for that. There were also a couple of aspects of the way the Russian kindergartens I visited were run which made them unacceptable to me personally - but then that's another story. I never seriously considered them an option for us.

I think I have made the best arrangements for us under our circumstances and I'm happy with that. I just find it a pity that there is practically no organised Russian teaching for non-Russian speaking children here. In contrast, we have excellent teaching facilities for preschool learners of many other languages, including Mandarin and Japanese.