Motivation Motivation Motivation
It’s extremely important that kids have the motivation to learn Portuguese. 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 Portuguese, a trip to a Portuguese 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 Portuguese 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 Portuguese words at a time, they will find the task more enjoyable and increase their confidence in learning Portuguese.
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 Portuguese if you know how to speak Portuguese. If you don’t know how to speak Portuguese, you can still ask questions like “what is “this” in Portuguese?” by showing an object. If you know a few words in Portuguese, you can show him/her 2 objects and ask “which one is “ser”?” Kids love drawing things, you can also play with your children and ask them to draw objects by calling object names in Portuguese, e.g. “can you draw me a jajko?”
-Talking with native speakers.
Another way of practicing Portuguese is giving your child opportunities to interact with native speakers of Portuguese. It would also be a fun family activity to visit a place where Portuguese is spoken such as a Portuguese restaurant, Portuguese supermarket, Portuguese culture center, Portuguese temple, Portuguese school, Portuguese 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 Portuguese Flash cards or make your own and practice with your child. If you are wondering about how to use Portuguese flashcards you can check out our blog post about Glenn Doman.
-Songs & Cartoons
Dino Lingo Polish is a perfect combination of songs and cartoons. You can also find tons of Portuguese songs and cartoons available online. It is also not a bad idea to buy some Polish 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 Portuguese, you can purchase Portuguese storybooks on the internet. If he/she doesn’t know how to speak Portuguese, you can read fairy tales by replacing some words with Portuguese words.
Summary:
Let them watch Dino Lingo Portuguese videos regularly and play Dino Lingo Portuguese language online games. Visit places where Portuguese is spoken such as Portuguese restaurants, Portuguese supermarkets, Portuguese culture centers, Portuguese temples, Portuguese schools, Portuguese community centers. Play with fun educational stuff like Portuguese jigsaw puzzles and Portuguese toys. Don’t forget the posters (Portuguese alphabet, sight words, Portuguese flag). Interact with other kids who can speak Portuguese or study together with someone with whom they can practice Portuguese.
