Five Tips for Exposing Your Kids to More Greek
Arkoudako books are the current favorite books in our house!
Teaching kids to speak a second language is easier said than done, especially when you aren’t surrounded by it. I am fluent in both Greek and English, and always planned on teaching my child Greek. Being fluent in Greek is one of the things that I am so grateful for now that I am an adult, but it definitely wasn’t always easy when I was growing up. I’m still pretty amazed it even happened — despite English being the main language spoken in my house and growing up in the United States, I was somehow able to retain my fluency… without ever going to Greek school! Now, having a child of my own, I see how hard it can is, and I am constantly scheming new ways to increase the exposure to Greek in his life. Besides enrolling in Greek school, I have a few tips to help infuse a little more Greek language in your little one’s life.
If you subscribe to Netflix, make your child a Netflix account. On the child’s account, go to the settings (you have to do this on a browser), change the language settings to allow for Greek voice over. You can also change the language on Disney+ as well! I wish I could find a way to do it on HBO Max, because my kiddo LOVES Sesame Street…
Greek children’s books: We have so many of these. If you live in the US, these can be hard to track down, which is frustrating. We have relatives in Greece, and so they send us books regularly, which is how we have amassed a collection. But another way would be to see if your local Greek Orthodox Church has a book sale! Often time they do. Some libraries, like the Boston Public Library, also have a collection of Greek books! Our favorite books currently are Arkoudako (also known as Bizzy Bear) — and I found one on Amazon!
Tonie box: This is a fun, screen free alternative to infusing Greek music or books into your little one’s life. A toniebox is a music player made for kids. There are little figurines that a child places on top of the box, and then it will play whatever the figurine is programmed to do — for example, there is a “Very Hungry Caterpillar” tonie that reads the book and has some songs. There are also special figurines called “creative tonies”, which are blank. You can add your own content to them — including recording your own voice! I purchase two Zouzounia albums off of iTunes and added them to a creative tonie. My kid loves it — and bonus, I have learned the music too now. The company is German, so fingers crossed they make Tonies in Greek one day!
Sta Ellinika: This is an INCREDIBLE resource! A set of Greek language and culture apps for the diaspora, specifically made for young kids. They have various age groups! Will definitely be using this when my kid turns 4.
Make a Spotify playlist! Spotify has a TON of Greek songs for kids (more than available for purchase that you can put on a tonie), and making a playlist will keep all your favorites easily accessible. There are also playlists made by others that are wonderful, and can introduce you to new music!
No matter what, don’t give up! The little things add up. You should strive for progress over perfection. Some days I feel defeated, like I’m not doing enough Greek language with my kid. But then I remind myself that if I give up, he definitely won’t understand Greek… so my best bet is to just try!
I would love to hear if you have any other tips. Please comment below if you do!