Five Mistakes to Avoid While Teaching Arabic to Kids

Learning Arabic is a noble endeavor that opens up many doors of opportunities, both personally and professionally. Teaching Arabic for kids can be challenging, when it comes to teaching in a non-Arabic speaking country, and in the face of technology and shortened attention spans. Arabic requires many months of arduous work and studying. So the challenge is even more daunting but the desire to maintain one’s connection to their heritage, faith, and culture is strong enough to motivate many of us to stick to it. Fortunately, we got your back to avoid the most common mistakes in your kid's learning journey, to make it more easier and smoother for both of you. In this article, we are highlighting on top five mistakes while teaching Arabic to kids, and ways to avoid them.

Five Mistakes to Avoid While Teaching Arabic to Kids

Not Speaking in Arabic with Your Kids

The child must listen and speak Arabic. At least one of the parents must be keen to speak Arabic regularly. You can allocate a specific time during the day to speak Arabic only. Their responses may come in a language other than Arabic; Then you can translate what they said into Arabic so that they gradually learn the meanings of the vocabulary.

If you have not started this with your child since he was young, do not despair, just start immediately. You should know that children who are very discerning of the sounds of words can easily recognize sounds and then learn words and be able to codify them. The child will begin to associate words with meanings more and more, and then form sentences correctly, which means that his pronunciation is consistent with the correct linguistic composition. If he hears an incorrect sentence, he is certain of that without needing to know the linguistic rule.

Not Making Arabic Learning Fun

From our point of view, the best teaching method involves establishing a direct visual relationship between words, phrases, idioms and meanings through teachers' body movement and mental skills, without any assistance from the learners' native language. During this, the teacher can act with his body, use real materials as well as visual materials. Linguistic rules are not translated or taught directly, but rather through experience and situations. Accordingly, we see the importance of ensuring the use of puppets, songs, games and comic stories that will attract the interest of children and make the Arabic language -as it should be- a living language in their minds, to form their awareness, expand their culture and develop their skills. Therefore, care must be taken to seek the help of a teacher who has that perception of teaching the language so that the educational process is attractive and effective.

Not Providing Educational Multimedia Resources

Language acquisition extends beyond textbooks, and neglecting multimedia resources hampers comprehensive learning. We must admit that most of the materials commonly used in teaching Arabic are primitive materials that are not compatible in taste or content with today’s children. However, Arabic content has developed a lot over the past period, so be sure to use appropriate materials such as songs, stories, and games that attract your children’s interest. You must also be careful to link these materials with their needs, perhaps in coordination with the teacher, in a way that suits their interests and linguistic development. There are those who prefer songs, others who enjoy stories, others who love games, and in another field, there are those who love nature, sports, or other things. In short, make sure to choose materials that will interest them in the language and through this, their learning of the Arabic language will be easy and fast.

Giving Up Too Quickly

Ensuring the appropriate teaching method for your child and providing appropriate time to speak Arabic is the most important step in the learning journey. The best way to avoid feelings of despair is to always strive to set interim goals through which you can monitor your child’s development with language. Continuous care, accompanied by encouragement, is the key for a child to perform any task and master any language.

Not Reading to Your Kids in Arabic

Teaching Arabic as a part of your kid's daily life activities is a must! The books have a great and very important role in teaching Arabic for kids, and it is the ideal way to learn the Arabic language. Also, its role in the development of their personality; intellectually and culturally. Whether you need to work on your child's spelling, improve their speaking skills and fluency, or hone their writing skills.