There is never a perfect time for children to learn a new language. Studies have shown exposing a child to a new language at an early age allows them to have a long-term memory of the language. At the age of 3-6 years, they can take in as much information as their intellect can allow. These sweet, little creatures have a curious mind and are not afraid to make mistakes.

Here are five fun and simple activities that parents and guardians can use to help children develop vocabulary at home.

1. Scavenger Hunts. Hide simple items within the home in places where the children can reach and leave out clues in a foreign language. Use simple instructions, images and familiar grammar.
2. Talk to them as you go about your daily activities. Children are curious and always want to be involved in adult activities. For example, when cleaning the home, talk to them about what vacuuming entails and why you are doing it. Here they can learn Vacuum as a Noun and Verb and the importance of a clean environment.
3. DIY Art and Craft Activities. Growing up, you made those little cards with words of affection and pretty colored hearts. Time to bring out your inner child to play with your little munchkin. Use safe art and craft material to make greeting cards, birthday cards, or party invites, have the child craft the message in one common language, say English and a similar text in the foreign language they are studying. This activity helps the child learn creativity, grammar construction, and vocabulary suited for different occasions.
4. Take advantage of the little one's Energy. What do we mean? You will not always be as fresh as a daisy, yet the little creature is a burst of energy. All you need to create a balance is a couch, a stopwatch, and a prize. First, 'take a couch', then task your child with collecting their favorite items at home, list the names in the foreign language of study, group them by color, and write the name of the colors in the foreign language in a given time as decided by you. (How long do you want to rest? please don't forget you are teaching them about time and language.)
5. Imaginative Play. Children like to imagine themselves in different worlds as they learn new experiences. Encouraging imaginative play in children pushes them to role-play experiences they would want to be a part of or reimagine situations that did turn out as they expected. Sounds fun, yeah? Encourage imaginative play in the foreign language of study and help them construct sentences or build upon their vocabulary. For instance, if a child imagines themselves on a fashion show and describes their "long pink dress", you can respond by saying, "are you wearing a beautiful long pink dress?

As you engage in the above activities, ensure to correct their mistakes but do not dwell on them as this would easily discourage the child. Instead, focus on positive reinforcements and let the child know they are doing well with every new activity.

Children have a short attention span take the shortest time possible or until the child shows signs of tiredness. The goal is to teach and not to make them hate the language.

For a child-friendly language program, click the link for more details.