We will be moving in about 6 months with a 6 year old and a 4 year old. Would it be helpful to start teaching the children german before we go? I will be trying to learn it myself, and I was thinking of getting the BBC's "Muzzy" for them. Did anyone try it? I've seen pretty mixed reviews about muzzy and was wondering if it's worth the hassle/money? thanks

How about having family private lessons all together before you come just to help with the basic German first.

At that age the kids will pick up the langauge without even trying once they start palying with the local kids. If you access to one of the German TV channels, just let them look at the kids stuff, you'll be amazed at how much they will pick up! That is how my daughter picked it up - one evening she heard me talking German with my son and surprised us all by joining in!

Good luck,

Jim

Hi

my boys were similar ages when we moved here from UK, they were 6 and 3. We didn't get the muzzy vids, but I got some private german lessons at home for me and my eldest. He learnt the numbers, alphabet and basic phrases etc. Do you know if you will be sending your children to local swiss schools or international? If they will be going to local school you will be amazed at how quick they pick it up.....far faster than us adults. My children started in the local kindergarten then went on to the primary schools. They went into special classes to help teach them german also. good luck with your move. Where abouts in Switzerland are you moving to?

We got the Muzzy level 1 course and it did help my daughter to lear a little bit in the beggining and even me and my husband to learn something but she's learned the most at school.

I don't agree with "just turn the t.v. on and they'll learn". Laguages are not learnt by osmosis. To lean a language you do need some starting point.

If you have the money I'd give it a go.

I tried my kids (then aged 7 and 3) on French Muzzy before we moved out here. They watched it once. Luckily, I'd got it out of the library rather than buying it - I'd definitely look into this; most UK libraries have a website with an online catalogue. The Muzzy would be quite useful as a beginner adult tool, too.

Not when they're very young. My 4 yr old is waiting to start enfantine (kindergarten) after the summer hols, and in the meantime goes to the local garderie once a week, for a couple of hours. Just from this tiny bit of French exposure, with no formal teaching, she's picked up the words for hello, goodbye, please, thank you and can count to 5, and regularly 'sings' in recognisably French sounds (not actual words, but strings of sounds).

My 8 yr old doesn't do this sort of thing at all, despite having spent 3 months in French-speaking school. He, unfortunately, is having to learn it by memorisation, context and practise, like adults.

Stick the telly on, or have a look at your existing DVDs - these sometimes have German as an audio language option and it'll be easier for your older one to follow a known story (the younger one probably won't care).

But otherwise, don't worry. Whatever you manage to do in the UK for 6 months will do no more than push your kids a couple of weeks ahead once they arrive. (But I know, I know, knowing that doesn't stop you doing it anyway!)

kodokan
who organised individual French lessons for her son for a few months, bought books, CDs, etc, but really only gained 50-100 words tops for all that effort.