How to Speak Greek for Children

Use online resources to help children speak Greek with confidence.

Greek is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 13 million people worldwide, according to the Ethnologue language report. The majority of Greek speakers live in the European country of Greece, although you will also find smaller Greek-speaking communities in Cyprus, Turkey and Albania. Childhood is a great time to learn a language, as children's brains are very receptive to new words and ideas. Learning to speak Greek will enable children to enjoy a vacation in Greece or communicate more freely with Greek-speaking family and friends. It is possible to teach children to speak Greek using online tools and resources.

Instructions

1. Teach your child basic words in Greek. Focus on words that he is already familiar with in English, such as greetings, colors, animals and numbers. Use online resources such as the vocabulary pages on the website I Learn Greek to identify suitable Greek words to teach your child. Make colorful flashcards with pictures of the concepts you want to teach and show them to your child while saying the related word aloud in Greek. Encourage your child to repeat the Greek words after you.

2. Listen to Greek songs with your child. This is an effective way to expose her to spoken Greek and make learning new words fun. Play a CD of Greek children's songs when you are driving around with your child in the car or when playing together at home. Learn the words by heart yourself and sing them aloud, encouraging your child to sing along with you.

3. Teach your child the Greek alphabet. Depending on the age of your child, you may wish to teach him to read and write Greek as well as to speak it. Start by explaining to your child that Greek uses a different alphabet than English. Introduce him to the letters one at a time and encourage him to practice writing them on a blank sheet of paper. Make the sound of the letter aloud, so that your child learns to associate the shape of the character with its pronunciation.

4. Play games in Greek. Once your child has achieved a basic level in Greek, begin to play Greek games together. Download easy Greek word searches from the website I Learn Greek and help your child to complete them. Younger children will benefit from interactive Greek games on the same website; for example, the numbers shooting game, which teaches the numbers up to 20 in Greek, or the color-chasing game, which teaches 12 colors in Greek.

Tips & Warnings

• Ensure the resources you use are for speaking modern Greek, the language spoken in Greece today, and not the classical language of the region, ancient Greek, as there are significant differences between the two languages.

References

• Ethnologue: Greek
• Omniglot: Greek Alphabet

Resources

• I Learn Greek: Greek for Kids
• Greek for Kids: Home