There are so many reasons why Arabic is a great language for your child to start learning early on. Besides being the language of the Quran, the Book of their Creator, Arabic is also an increasingly important language in today’s world, with over 300 million speakers worldwide, making it the fifth most-spoken language right after Mandarin, Spanish, English and Hindi. Mastery of this language could therefore be a great asset on your grown-up child in the future, as well as open their mind to a different culture (which happens to be yours or your family’s perhaps!). Whether you are able to speak Arabic yourself or not, here are 4 fun and easy ways to try and spark an interest in Arabic in your child!

1. Play Arabic games

Nature treasure hunts, crosswords, word searches, word puzzles and other fun word games are a great way to learn new vocabulary words while also developing other competences such as visual and memory skills. We have plenty of FREE word games and activity books to download on our blog at studioarabiya.com/blog/free-arabic-downloads

2. Label essential house items and rooms

Write down some important vocabulary words on flashcards and stick them around the house, such as names of rooms (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc.), furniture (couch, carpet, stairs, etc.) or house items (TV, mirror, lamp, etc.). Use a lot of colors to catch your child’s attention and make it a fun way for them (and yourself if you don’t know these words yet) to organically retain vocabulary words over time. The fact that they will see them every day will activate their visual memory and they will learn these words in no time.

3. Switch to Arabic cartoons

If your child is used to watching some specific cartoons or series on TV or through an app, check if they have an Arabic version (many of them do). Watching the same cartoon in Arabic will help them pick up more quickly on vocabulary and will be a fun change for them. You can also find many Arabic channels for kids now available via cable or through applications like YouTube.

4. Enroll your child in an online class

For best results, consider enrolling your child in an online Arabic class. At Studio Arabiya, we have native Arabic-speaking teachers with a lot of experience with children of all ages, making it an enjoyable and fun learning journey for little ones and teens alike. Check out our Arabic classes for kids at studioarabiya.com/cc/ kids-arabic

For more resources, free downloads and other tips, visit our blog at studioarabiya. com/blog

This article was originally published in our Studio Arabiya Times magazine (Spring 2023). CLICK HERE to read the whole magazine!