Learning German through Kindervision
Learning German isn't just about reading books: you can learn just as much by watching television shows. Photo (cc) flickr user Lubs Mary
I’m dreaming in German now. Ah, so it has come to this. Last night I dreamed that it came out in a shocking news story that America was using fresh Dachshund (wiener dog) meat in its sushi. I expressed in this dream my shock and dismay – in German – with an Afghan woman from my class.
In other language-learning news, I’ve found in the past month that watching children’s TV is an excellent way to learn the language. My new nightly ritual is to tune in every night at 7:45 for the kid’s version of Nachtrichten (news) on KiKa. This is where German children learn at an early age to be knowledgeable and serious citizens of the world.
They speak with simpler sentences, and the news reports are accompanied with colorful and educational graphics to explain the concepts of say, capping the disastrous oil spill in America, or how parliamentary government works with the recent EU Greece bailout. The weather is even in dazzling hot pink! Sweet!
Click here to watch a clip from the ZDF children’s news program “logo”
Also, on KiKa, and usually right before the nightly news, is another entertaining kid’s show called Die Beste Klasse Deutschlands (The Best Class in Germany). This is a show wherein two school classes show off all their German smarts in a quiz show. I can try to read the questions and answers, and the entertainment bonus is when they try to blow up a Wurst or something. The commentator has a wickedly plastic-molded face, a creepy smile, and pointy eyebrows.
Click here to watch a clip from ”Die Beste Klasse Deutschlands”
And, finally, to help me in my language learning, a friend of ours gave me some DVDs of the Augsburger Puppenkiste (puppet theater), which The Mann tells me is an absolute classic for Germans. These shows are about my level! They speak slowly and with simple sentences.
Click here to watch “Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13″
Ok. I’m going to get a popsicle out of the freezer and watch some more TV.
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I love watching German cartoons as well. I always watch “Sandmann” and “Laura’s Stern” with my kids before they go to bed and I’m always amazed at new words (or new usages of already known words) I learn even after being here for nearly 4 years. My all time favorite show is Shaun das Schaff though. I’m not sure if that’s originally a German, UK, or American show, but it’s great!
Great info but we cannot watch it online here in the US — can you please recommend shows that we and our kids can watch here in the US? On TV we only have ProSieben and DW through Verizon which broadcasts only one show for kids: Siebenstein. Would love access to kika-tv here!
They speak with simpler sentences, and the news reports are accompanied with colorful and educational graphics to explain the concepts of say, capping the disastrous oil spill in America, or how parliamentary government works with the recent EU Greece bailout. The weather is even in dazzling hot pink! Sweet!
My sister is learning art in German , we usually talk about the funny cartoons. I trust learning more easily from children’s TV
I can only agree with you regarding learning a language by watching, listening to children’s TV programs. Also, I would recommend playing other games designed for kids. Eg. cross words puzzles.
Thanks for the links! Bernd das Brot is a Kikka favorite of mine, although unfortunately a lot of the episodes are still over my head.
This particular episode I enjoyed the thrill of being able to mostly know what the hell was going on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwz-W4m4kmE
It’s nice that you can watch german TV online so long as you are in Germany – but there is nooooo way to do so here in the US … everything get’s automatically blocked you don’t even allowed to get a second of a peek. I soooo soooo would love to show our kids some Kids Shows and Kids Movies in German but those hilarious crazy german laws make it impossible for every german ppl with kids not living in Germany to see anything in German. Sad to see that the language seems to have no value at all for Germany.