Motivation Motivation Motivation
It’s extremely important that kids have the motivation to learn Japanese. How to increase their motivation is not as difficult as you might think. You can simply do the following
-Rewards
Offer them rewards for learning extra words or phrases (e.g., a chocolate bar from Japan, a trip to a Japanese restaurant, or his/her favorite place, such as an amusement park)
-Surprises
Especially for small children, including infants and toddlers, surprises are proven to increase motivation. If you play games like peekaboo (for babies) your child will be able to keep paying attention to the program.
-Fun
Playing games like hide and seek by counting in Japanese or a cardboard game will do the trick.
Keep it short and simple
Not only adults but also children automatically lose interest if what they are asked to do is difficult. When you ask them to learn only a few Japanese words at a time, they will find the task more enjoyable and increase their confidence in learning Japanese.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice makes it perfect the old saying goes. If your child has no opportunity to practice what he/she learned, you can make sure that all the efforts are in vain.
-Test & Quiz
You can speak to your child in Japanese if you know how to speak Japanese. If you don’t know how to speak Japanese, you can still ask questions like “what is “this” in Japanese?” by showing an object. If you know a few words in Japanese, you can show him/her 2 objects and ask “which one is “…”?” Kids love drawing things, you can also play with your children and ask them to draw objects by calling object names in Japanese, e.g. “can you draw me a …?”
-Talking with native speakers.
Another way of practicing Japanese is giving your child opportunities to interact with native speakers of Japanese. It would also be a fun family activity to visit a place where Japanese is spoken such as a Japanese restaurant, Japanese supermarket, Japanese culture center, Japanese temple, Japanese school, Japanese community center etc.
-Flashcards
Flash cards might sound like an old school method but they are effective. Similar to Dino Lingo motion images, how flash cards work is very simple: they create object-sign associations in your child’s brain after a short period of exposure. You can use Dino Lingo Japanese Flashcards or make your own and practice with your child. If you are wondering about how to use Japanese flashcards you can check out our blog post about Glenn Doman.
-Songs & Cartoons
Dino Lingo Japanese is a perfect combination of songs and cartoons. You can also find tons of Japanese songs and cartoons available online. It is also not a bad idea to buy some Japanese children’s song cd and play it in the car or at home as background music. Studies have shown that even background TV can increase children’s vocabulary.
-Children’s Stories
If your child knows some Japanese, you can purchase Japanese story books on the internet. If he/she doesn’t know how to speak Japanese, you can read fairy tales by replacing some words with Japanese words.
Summary:
Let them watch Dino Lingo Japanese videos regularly and play Dino Lingo Japanese language online games. Visit places where Japanese is spoken such as Japanese restaurants, Japanese supermarkets, Japanese culture centers, Japanese temples, Japanese schools, Japanese community centers. Play with fun educational stuff like Japanese jigsaw puzzles and Japanese toys. Don’t forget the posters (Japanese alphabet, sight words, Japanese flag). Interact with other kids who can speak Japanese or study together with someone with whom they can practice Japanese.