It took me quite a while before I decide to get the Brillkids Flashcards. I first tried different sorts of methods like thick sheet protectors, laminating pouches, etc. When I used the BK flapcards and the flashcards, I kept wondering why didn't I get them sooner. I especially use them for word review, some Montessori games and homemade readers in Arabic and French. They are quite rigid and they fit their purpose very well. Bottom line: I recommend them. Try to get the binder set, it has a good number of Flashacrds / Flipcards to start with.

I usually print reading flashcards on colored paper just to help my LO make a difference between the different languages he's learning. We use white for English, green for Arabic, Blue for French, yellow for Spanish, orange for German, red for Chinese and purple for Japanese. I think it helps a bit at least by creating a "mood" for each language. I still don't know if this has a direct impact on learning, but I know for sure my toddler likes all those fun colors!

Wow! Thanks for sharing!

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on you new baby! Here you can find everything you need to start your early learning journey. Happy motherhood and happy teaching!

Hi,

- My son has recently regained interest in LM after a long period of "NOOO". I would like to see if it is possible to create a blank screen between equations. That would be a cool feature 

- Also, I try to select a specific icon preset but all what I get is the same icon repeating again and again which may be very confusing. How to make sure all the icons in the group I selected will be used?

- What about creating playlists like in LR?

- Is there a way to assign the same background color to each equation? That would be very helpful to keep my LO interest without confusing him (currently, if I select random background color, it is applicable on each slide)

- Also, I noticed a delay between the first slide picture and the sound file. Is it just my laptop or it is a bug in LM?

- If these features are not available in the current version, will be there a new one soon? It would be so great to have these options available.

Thank you!

Hi Minmin,

Brillkids are currently working on the French & Spanish curricula. They will be available when LR V3 will be ready. I don't have specific date though. Hopefully before the end of the year. I can't wait to have them! That's gonna save a lot of time!

To answer your other questions:

- we speak languages according to the schedule, it's more of a total immersion approach. I speak the 5 languages with my LO ( Little One) & my husband speaks mainly Arabic but uses English occasionally too.

- wink to learn is more of a right brain program while Little Pim is mainly for the left brain (practicing a language in context). I use both of them because they are complementary. But if you want only one program, I would say go for Wink to Learn as it directly teaches reading. You still can practice the language with your daughter and she doesn't necessarily need videos for this. But Little Pim is very helpful when you don't speak the language you are teaching.

- I started using LR when my baby was 4 months.

- keep on reading books to her even if she is not looking (unless you think she really wants you to stop). But if you think she is listening, that's a good sign! She will get used to it and will eventually sit still and even ask for it! Also, try to make it as fun as possible!

- we didn't follow a specific curriculum, sometimes I just use what's available. Sometimes I create new files according to his interests or to the books we read.

Sorry for the typos, I am posting from an iPhone :S

P.S: Thanks for the kind words. Babies are amazing how much and how fast they can learn. Just do your best and believe in them!

Hi Hypatia,

I was wondering if there are any other books you suggest ( early readers, must-read classics, etc) Also, I am trying to find good DVDs here in the US or shows on YouTube. Do you recommend any? My toddler has been watching Little Pim for some time but I'd like to take him to the next level (I know there are Muzzy & Professor Toto. But I don't really like Muzzy because of the dull graphics, Professor Toto is teaching very basic vocabulary and I don't think it will benefit my LO at this stage).

Thanks!

We loved the videos! Congratulations to everyone.

Ladies would you mind sharing your reading schedule and how consistant are you with reading?

Hi Lelask,

I shared our reading schedule in this post: http://forum.brillkids.com/teaching-your-child-to-read/teach-many-languages-with-lr-how-did-you-do-it/msg88105/#msg88105

Here is a copy paste of what languages we do each day:

Monday & Tuesday:  English AM & Spanish PM
Wed. & Thur: French AM & German PM
Fri, Sat & Sun: Arabic throughout the day
Fri: Japanese LR with Little Pim for about 45 min, then using the words we've just seen during playtime
Sat & Sun: Chinese (same pattern as Japanese)

I also supplement with Wink to learn, YBCS & Little Pim. I used to let my DS watch YouTube vids but now it is so hard to fit in our busy schedule (we do a lot of hands-on especially for math, science & geography)

About consistency, it happened that we didn't do any early learning at all, other than reading books. It was for about about a month and a half when we moved to a different country. I noticed when we resumed that it slowed us down considerably especially in the beginning. It took us about two months to catch up. Now, I try to be at least consistent with the main languages (Arabic, French & English). For the rest, I may skip a session or two if we are busy doing something else.

Sign language is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT so he doesn't get confused.I also use color-coded flashcards (a color a language). It helps him tremendously in distinguishing between the different languages. He now can translate while naming the languages. The first time he did it (at 19 months), I was in awe! I remember I was handing him a fork and saying "tenedor" (in Spanish) , he replied: "English: fork". Now he does it quite often just to show off

Hi Minmin,

I'l try to answer your questions based on my non-expert opinion and my short experience (my toddler is only 22 months):

1- We parents speak 5 of the 7 languages we are trying to teach our LO. It is obvious that he is grasping the languages we speak much better and faster.

2- I only used LR for the first year. I downloaded tons of files from the LR library then went through them, I chose the most relevant ones that I usually edit (either putting an HD image, removing cartoony ones, or correcting few spelling mistakes). I also created new categories especially for Arabic as it is our main spoken language. From 15 months or so I started to supplement with other programs like Little Pim, YBCS, Wink to learn, etc. We also read lots of books usually translated in many languages like Eric Carle's board books and DK picture dictionaries).

3- Among the languages we teach (Arabic, English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese & Japanese), the only one that is sufficiently available via LR is Chinese (other than English of course). This curriculum is excellent and very well adapted to the Chinese language and culture.

4- Teaching languages we don't speak (Japanese and Chinese) is really tough for us. Sometimes, I just try  to repeat the words we learned while we play (totally unsure about the pronunciation). I unfortunately can't go beyond that (i.e. talking in sentences). I can see that my LO may read those words or use them exactly like we practiced them previously (for example, he will name the shapes in Japanese while putting them together using a Montessori triangles kit), but he doesn't speak the language. I think this is a good start. I am still hoping I can learn those languages along with him so we practice them more in the future.

5- Actually we don't do 14 sessions a day We just do 3 to 4. We follow this schedule:

Monday & Tuesday:  English AM & Spanish PM
Wed. & Thur: French AM & German PM
Fri, Sat & Sun: Arabic throughout the day
Fri: Japanese LR with Little Pim for about 45 min, then using the words we've just seen during playtime
Sat & Sun: Chinese (same pattern as Japanese)

This schedule is obviously much slower than the 14 sessions one, but it has been just fine for us.

In your case, I think LR Chinese and English will work great. For Malay and Japanese, you can try Wink to Learn DVDs. They are pretty good (we are using them for German and I am planning to order the Japanese version soon isA). Also, you can get 5% discount coupon from your loyalty points here: http://www.brillkids.com/coupon-store/partner-wink-to-learn.php

Here is a link to the Malay DVD set: http://www.winktolearn.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=466&category_id=25&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2&view=details

Japanese DVD set: http://www.winktolearn.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=452&category_id=25&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2&view=details

Good luck!

@jujubeesmom:

Yes, LR is required to participate in the contest. You can use any LR product: software, storybooks, presentation binder set, etc.

Congrats! Actually, I've never thought of using library book sale for EK. Inspiring threat indeed! Thank you so much!

I've learned a lot from all of you ladies. Congrats! We need you so much here in the forum.

What a beautiful surprise this morning! Thanks Brillkids for making this possible and congrats everyone! Hey Brillparents, keep up the wonderful work!

My son can't get enough watching the videos too, they are truly awesome and enjoyable by people of all ages.

Hi,

My son is 22 months but can now sit still and listen to longer picture books that would be enjoyed by preschoolers. Here are some of our favorites:

- Usborne: "Histoires d'animaux pour les petits", "Histoires du soir pour les petits", "Histoires de pirates pour les petits". These are awesome books, simply written and wonderfully illustrated. They come in hardcover format and there are five stories in each book.

- Another series is from Editions Babiroussa/ written by Tony Wolf, it includes: "Hisoires de chagrins et de câlins", "Histoires de la Forêt Enchantée", "Histoires pour le soir", "Petites Histoires de la Ferme", and "Histoires Courtes pour se Coucher Vite". These are chunky board books, each one has 12 stories. They are VERY WELL written with plenty of vocabulary and idioms to explore. They would be perfect for a preschooler to read.

- Other classic French books are:
  - Grosse Colère
  - Contes de la Rue Broca
  - La Soupe aux Cailloux
  - Je T'aimerai Toujours Quoiqu'il Arrive
  - Martine (all the series)
 
Other simpler books like Petit Ours Brun, T'Choupi, Barbapapa & Trotro would be useful for preschooler to read by themselves.

Most of all the books I mentioned are available on Amazon.com, Amazon.fr, Amazon.ca and you can always search on Ebay for good deals.

Thx a lot TMT for the links and the review. Please keep us posted with any updates. I am planning to start learning Soroban myself before teaching it to DS. Our closest Soroban school (Aloha) accept kids only from 5y and up  >  and I can't wait that long!