How to Learn Hindi for Kids
With more than 600 million Hindi speakers in the world, there are a variety of motivations for parents to teach children Hindi. Parents who are Hindi speakers themselves may be interested in ways to supplement speaking Hindi in the home and use formal teaching methods to assist children who are not taught Hindi in school. Resources and Hindi learning exercises also exist for parents and children who speak no Hindi, including the basic alphabet and recordings of Hindi songs, poems and stories.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Learn the Hindi alphabet. Download alphabet sheet and Hindi learning exercises for letters and numbers (see Resources below for links). The Hindi alphabet is composed of syllables or sound units. Unlike English, which uses an alphabet of vowels and consonants to assemble syllables and whole words, the characters in the Hindi alphabet are composed of consonant and vowel sounds that are already combined.
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2
Practice writing the Hindi alphabet. Encourage your child to practice character-by-character and to repeat the sound aloud while writing. Repetition is key for both memorizing the alphabet and learning penmanship in a different language.
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3
Choose basic Hindi phrases to learn. Ask your child for some phrases that he or she would like to be able to say, such as, "How are you?" or "What is your name?" Compile a list of phrases that will keep your child interested in Hindi while he or she is still grasping the basics.
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4
Learn Hindi pronunciation. Download audio recordings or videos of native Hindi speakers for free online, or buy DVDs and CDs of Hindi educational materials to use with your child. Read Hindi aloud with your child if you speak Hindi or are learning along with your child.
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5
Teach vocabulary using Hindu stories, poems and songs. Give children Hindu reading materials with a list of new words that they will encounter in the reading. Play a recording of the story or poem as well, to practice listening comprehension and learn proper pronunciation.
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6
Use Hindi learning exercises to learn grammar. Like any language, Hindi has a distinct grammar structure, some of which children can internalize naturally and some of which needs to be taught to children as they learn Hindi. Add grammar exercises as your child advances and has already mastered the alphabet and key vocabulary.
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7
Reinforce lessons using quizzes. Teach children Hindi using concrete learning objectives that can be measured using tests and quizzes. Develop your own materials or use online worksheets and quizzes (see Resources for links).
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