Brilliant Bilingual Dolls
I teach LOTE Chinese (Mandarin) at school but speak Chinese (Cantonese) and English at home. Although my kids’ first language is English, they are very fluent in Chinese. So I pretty understand that the more fun and interactive the learning process, the more effective the learning outcome.
I really love the design idea of Language Littles (via Baby Gadget) that introduce new languages to young and older children via boy or girl dolls. This Ling Chinese (Mandarin) Language Little will recite between 25 and 30 “kid friendly” phrases with the pressing of both her hands. The phrases may include greetings, numbers, favourite colours, days of the week, family members, or special hobbies. Language Littles Ling gives direct translation from English to Mandarin. For now, other bilingual dolls in different
languages are available in Spanish, French, Korean, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Hebrew. Parents can choose according to their children’s favorite language or collect them all. It’s so much fun that children can cuddle and dress these dolls while learning different languages. Language Littles come in different sizes, from minis 16″ dolls to a super-sized 32″ version. Worth checking out with more details over the website.
Matermind Toys [via BabyGadget]
December 18th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Another great tool for foreign language development are DVDs. Little Pim, developed by my cousin, Julia Pimsleur, is an animated Panda bear who teaches babies and toddlers foreign languages (currently Spanish, French, and Chinese). Top linguist agree that exposing babies to foreign languages as early as possible is the best way for them to learn. Little Pim is a fun, total immersion program that teaches basic words through the animated Panda and real children doing every day things like eating and playing. It can be ordered through the littlepim website or on amazon.com.