Arabic, Take Two: Teaching My Two-Year-Old

If you've poked around this site before, you know the Languages section — chapter by chapter through Mango's Levantine Arabic course, vocabulary lists, playlists, and plenty of honest moments about how hard learning a language as a busy adult really is.

A quick note before I dive in: I’m kicking this series off right as he turns two, and I already know some of it is probably a little advanced for where he is right now — and that’s completely okay. My plan is to keep circling back to it as he grows and develops over the year (and, if I’m honest, as my own Arabic grows and develops right alongside him). We’ll figure it out together.

A lot has changed since those posts. The biggest change? I'm a mom now! My son is two, and we're starting a brand new language adventure together: I'm teaching him Arabic.

Keeping it real, as always

Let's get the realistic part out of the way first. I'm not a fluent speaker. I'm a busy working parent. There will be no color-coded curriculum, no flashcard drills with a toddler (have you met a two-year-old?), and no promises of a perfectly bilingual kid by kindergarten.

What there will be: songs in the car, Arabic words at the dinner table, books before bed, and me learning right alongside him — usually about two words ahead.

What to expect from this series

Just like the rest of this site, I'll only post what we've actually done — including the failures:

• Weekly posts — one toddler-sized topic each week: what we're working on, what stuck, and what we didn't get to (or completely flopped)
• Resource roundups — the books, songs, and shows that actually hold a toddler's attention
• Little wins — because the first time he uses an Arabic word on his own, the whole internet is going to hear about it

If you're trying to share a language with your kids — whether you're fluent, still learning, or somewhere in between — follow along. We'll figure it out together, realistically.

Levantine Arabic: Week 2 Summary

Week 2 was great, and went much better than Week one! I was able to study on my commute to work, and used my Memrise app to do additional study and review while waiting for my yoga class to beginning. I really started to feel like I was getting the hang of studying while still holding a full time job, running errands, and maintaining a frantic life.

Some things that helped me are:

• Using the Memrise app on my phone. I used this when I started to feel like I was memorizing the Mango app. At times I wondered if I really knew this word, or if I just knew what Mango wanted me to respond as. This was helpful to solidify what I had learned. 
• Helpful tip: For Arabic, it is best to use Memrise on your phone. Occasionally one of the quizzes they give you is to write out a word. It is much better to do on your phone as you get a consolidated keyboard, and it is much easier to find letters. 

• I also started to listen to music when I wanted down time. At times my head would hurt from trying to think; however, I still wanted to learn. I would listen to music in the car or while gardening, and I quickly realized I was actually picking things up!
• To listen to music, try my Spotify list of what I started with. This is a mixture of current pop music and even some catchy children songs that really helped me practice my listening skills. 

• Not giving up when my head hurt. Literally learning another language hurts my head. I get easily frustrated that I can't quickly and easily say what I want, and I especially don't like not understanding what someone is saying. (I don't think anyone does). In the past this would make me give up on my want to learn another language, and I would quickly quit.
• When this happens, try listening to music and tell yourself it is ok if you "tune it out." Just having the music in the background, your brain is processing what it is hearing, and is actually learning. When you go back to listen to the music, you will remember hearing it once before, and you will be able to pick up words easier! 

I have been able to write about Chapter 2 of the Mango lesson I learned, and feel free to visit it. Or if you are just starting, see my write up on Chapter 1. Happy learning, and keep up the great work. 

Levantine Arabic: Week 1 Summary

I just finished my first week of learning Arabic, and I have discovered a few things:

• My throat hurts from trying to properly pronounce words
• This probably wasn't the easiest language to start learning
• I have a long way to go....

I think the last point is one I am going to be feeling for some time! Learning a language can really be defeating! Something that was so easy to me (saying hello), now makes my brain hurt. I'm sure my face looks something like this when trying to pronounce words perfectly.

It will be worth it, and I know I will look back to this moment and laugh that it was hard to say hello. However, while you are there, it doesn't feel so good. It is difficult to not be hard on myself during this time, but I try to gently remind myself that I am just starting and doing great for trying.

I can't put on rose colored glasses all the time, and do have to be real with myself. It is difficult with a full time job, friends to see, and daily life errands, to keep up with studying a language!

This week I did not do the best, as I am trying to set a new routine into my schedule. I thought I was going to do the Mango app while driving to work; however, I discovered I wanted to see the words on the screen. So I needed to sit down and have a time where I could see the words and go over the lesson slowly.

This became an excuse for me to not study, and I really started to procrastinate. However, I did finish Chapter One of the Mango App like I was planning. This chapter was easier, so this will have to be something I keep in mind going forward. As things get more difficult, it will be easier to slip behind.

With this in mind, I think I will enter next week with a renewed energy and focus. I will try to carve out time to specifically sit down so I can focus on the lesson. We shall see how it goes....

If you are also learning a language, I would love to hear how your first week went. Hearing the stories and struggles of others, I think will help any language learners!