Research shows that very young children are capable of learning more than one language. The toddler and preschool years are an excellent time to introduce a second or foreign language. The Little Pim Fun With Languages DVD programs offer ten options: Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Arabic, German, Russian, and English/ESL.
Designed for children from birth through age five, the Little Pim series was developed by Julia Pimsleur Levine, daughter of Dr. Paul Pimsleur who created the popular Pimsleur language courses. Ms. Levine is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, a mother of two, and is herself multilingual.
The Little Pim Teaching Method
The Little Pim language DVDs were developed using the “Entertainment Immersion Method,” a trademarked system combining animation and real children to teach simple words and phrases for everyday activities. The three DVDs currently available focus on the themes of eating and drinking, naptime and everyday activities, and playtime.
The main character is a cute cartoon panda named Little Pim, who serves as the teacher, guiding the viewer through the lessons. Little Pim’s voice is provided by native speakers in each language.
The DVDs focus on 60 words and phrases most common in the development of a young child’s speech. Repetition is used as one key to learning. Each of the 35 minute DVD’s are segmented into five minute episodes, which make it easy to accommodate short attention spans and to pause for parent-child interactions, another key to successful language learning.
Recognizing that children learn through multiple modalities – visually, auditorally, and kinesthetically – the Lim Pim company is working to develop a variety of products to engage children in language learning. Currently they offer a fun music CD in both Spanish and French, as well as picture flashcards in those two languages. And now an iPhone app is available in Spanish and French: Little Pim Word Bag. Digital downloads of the DVDs in all ten languages are available for home computers and portable digital players (such as iPhone or iTouch), which makes learning on the go fun and convenient.
The LittlePim.com website offers printable coloring pages and an interactive “Talking Coloring Book” feature in most of the available languages. A free digital newsletter keeps parents and teachers informed about new products and language additions.
Weaknesses of Little Pim Language DVDs for Children
As well thought out as the Little Pim series is, one wonders why key words are provided onscreen in large text but not always in the native alphabet. If the producers are intending for children to be exposed to the printed word, this makes sense for the Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian) and even German where the script is the same as or similar to English.
However, in the Japanese and Hebrew versions (and presumably in Chinese, Arabic, and Russian, as well) the words are displayed using the English alphabet and thus become a phonetic tool unnecessary for young children. If the text is meant as a phonetic cue for adult viewers (which can be very helpful when the adult is learning the new language along with the child), it should be shown in smaller script in an unobtrusive part of the screen as is found in other language learning DVDs. If the text is meant as an additional learning opportunity for young children, then the vocabulary words should be presented onscreen in the text of the featured language.
Little Pim Useful for Homeschooling Programs
The Little Pim language learning materials are a great choice for homeschooling families who want to introduce a foreign language to their young children. Besides offering affordable program materials for a wide variety of languages, the Little Pim company offers parent and teacher support through its website, including printable versions of the DVDs’ Companion Guides and follow-along companion scripts.
The Little Pim Teacher Kits include all the material in the family kits plus a Teacher’s Guide. A code is provided allowing access to a restricted area of the teachers section of the website where lesson plans and student worksheets are available for each DVD episode, and a colorful educational poster for the classroom or home school.
Where to Find Little Pim Language DVDs for Children
The Little Pim Fun With Languages series can be purchased at popular in-store and on-line booksellers such as Borders, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com or directly from the Little Pim company. Each of the components – DVDs, CD, word cards, plush panda toy – can be purchased separately or in a gift pack suitable for gift giving. Many public libraries also carry the DVDs, a good way to preview the materials prior to purchase.
Little Pim is the 2009 winner of the prestigious Association of Educational Publishers Award for Distinguished Achievement in World Language Curriculum.
While there are many Spanish languages DVD’s on the market, Little Pim is the only company to offer such a high quality, well-developed program for toddlers and preschoolers in ten of the most popular languages. The company is developing new products and seeks to utilize a variety of media for helping young children learn a second language. Little Pim is by far one of the best approaches to second language learning for young children available today.
For more language learning resources see "How to Raise a Bilingual Child," "Teach Your Baby to Speak Spanish" and "Teach Your Child to Speak Spanish."
Margaret M. Williams - Margaret M. Williams (Peggy) has been a teacher for over 25 years. She currently teaches first grade in a classroom that combines native ...
Join the Conversation