Motivation Motivation Motivation
It’s extremely important that kids have the motivation to learn Hebrew. 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 Israel, a trip to a Jewish 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 Hebrew 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 Hebrew words at a time, they will find the task more enjoyable and increase their confidence in learning Hebrew.
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 Hebrew if you know how to speak Hebrew. If you don’t know how to speak Hebrew, you can still ask questions like “what is “this” in Hebrew?” by showing an object. If you know a few words in Hebrew, 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 Hebrew, e.g. “can you draw me a ….?”
-Talking with native speakers.
Another way of practicing Hebrew is giving your child opportunities to interact with native speakers of Hebrew. It would also be a fun family activity to visit a place where Hebrew is spoken such as a Jewish restaurant, Jewish supermarket, Jewish culture center, Synagogue, Hebrew school, Jewish 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 Hebrew Flashcards or make your own and practice with your child. If you are wondering about how to use Hebrew flashcards you can check out our blog post about Glenn Doman.
-Songs & Cartoons
Dino Lingo Hebrew is a perfect combination of songs and cartoons. You can also find tons of Hebrew songs and cartoons available online. It is also not a bad idea to buy some Hebrew 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 Hebrew, you can purchase Hebrew storybooks on the internet. If he/she doesn’t know how to speak Hebrew, you can read fairy tales by replacing some words with Hebrew words.
Summary:
Let them watch Dino Lingo Hebrew videos regularly and play Dino Lingo Hebrew language online games. Visit places where Hebrew is spoken such as Hebrew restaurants, Hebrew supermarkets, Hebrew culture centers, Hebrew temples, Hebrew schools, Hebrew community centers. Play with fun educational stuff like Hebrew jigsaw puzzles and Hebrew toys. Don’t forget the posters (Hebrew alphabet, sight words, star of David, etc.).Interact with other kids who can speak Hebrew or study together with someone with whom they can practice Hebrew.