Learning a foreign language has so many brain benefits, no matter the age, but it’s easiest to start young. Because my husband lived in Brazil for a couple years, we decided to teach our kids Brazilian Portuguese. Our area has a high concentration of Brazilian immigrants as well, so it’s a language we often hear while out in town. But because my kids are so young, I also wanted to avoid typical, dry curriculum.

Enter Homeschool Languages. This curriculum is designed for kids between the ages of four and ten, but due to the play-oriented design, it’s been perfect for my little kids (3.5 and 1.5) and I. Millie asks me every day if we can please have “Portuguese play!”

Homeschool Languages centers around learning basic conversational skills through stories, songs and imaginative play. I especially love that it takes little to no prep work. I can open the box and get going with very little effort. The song links are easily accessible, all the cards and game pieces are already there, and the most outside prep I’ve had to do is provide some raisins.

Another aspect I enjoy is the suggestions Homeschool Languages offers for how to incorporate Portuguese into our daily lives and play. My husband went to Brazil in 2016. I tried learning Portuguese from 2016-2023 with very limited success. I could ace a lesson on DuoLingo, but couldn’t hold anything like a conversation. Now I find myself using not only the vocabulary I’m teaching the kids, but also the vocabulary I had learned previously. Something about the learning style makes it simple to pick up and actually use the language. It’s easy to teach even without my husband’s help.

Anne doesn’t speak much of any language yet, but Millie has picked up on the language quickly despite her age and even Anne has fun playing with us. It has been so much fun to hear her using Portuguese throughout the day, or request her favorite show in Portuguese rather than English. I definitely recommend Homeschool Languages as a great way to integrate foreign language at home in a fun, playful way!