3 Foolproof ways to Teach your Child to Say Marhaba

Step 3 is key, because it will have your child chit chatting in Arabic in no time!

A child’s bond to their culture is so important. It is THE BOND that will shape their identity and connect them to their roots. This is why it is so important for your child to be able to communicate in their mother tongue. It helps them connect with their grandparents, and understand their traditions. But the problem is.. your child only speaks in English, and some things get lost in translation. But, never fear, it’s not too late for your child to learn their mother tongue! So, what can you do? Well, here are 3 steps that you can take to ensure that your child will learn Arabic in no time and maintain their special bond with their grandparents, and with you for life.

1. Respond to them in Arabic, even when they’re speaking to you in English.

Whether you’re in the USA, Europe, in Jordan, or anywhere else in the world, your children are probably going to schools that are taught or may focus on the English language. While that is great, and speaking multiple languages is wonderful, how can you then ensure that they are practicing and listening to Arabic the rest of their time?

Speak to them in Arabic at home. When your child says thank you mama, or I love you mama, respond with A’afwan habibi, or Ana Kaman bahibak. Because you are their first role model they will want to speak Arabic too. In fact, repeat back to them what they say to you in Arabic. For example, if they say “Mama can I have some water?” you answer back, “Bedak mai?”

2. Find fun and engaging content for them to watch, listen to or read.

It is scientifically proven that Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. It helps the body and the mind work together. Exposing children to music during early development helps them learn the sounds and meanings of words. Pairing this with books and starting to read to them from their very first days in the world is a magical combination.

Beyond 2 years of age, you can start exposing them to short screen time sessions. But not all screen time is created equal. It has to be fun and educational as well as age appropriate. That being said, most of the high quality content out there is in English. That’s why we created Adam Wa Mishmish. With more than 78 videos to date, ranging in topics from ABCs , 123s, colors and shapes, to the solar system, farm animals, the seasons, modes of transportation and much more, we have something for everyone.

One Million visitors from all over the world visit our YouTube page every month to learn Arabic with Adam Wa Mishmish. Our characters are fun and relatable. Your child will feel pride and validation when they see another Arab child on screen who looks and talks like them and comes from the same culture. Our content stays away from any political or religious agendas. Adam Wa Mishmish is made for everyone, with just one purpose. Making learning Arabic FUN!

3. Use an app that is fun and engaging!

Mobile applications have been around for a while now, and apps for kids have been soaring! With that being said, it can still be difficult to find apps in Arabic! Adam Wa Mishmish is trying to fill that gap. While there are more apps in Arabic now than there have been in a long time, it is nowhere near where it needs to be, both in quality and in quantity.

Before jumping into teaching or learning reading and writing, it is essential to build a vocabulary base in a loving way that will engage interest in the language through fun interactive content. Content that is derived from your child’s everyday life. Building that love, and simultaneously the vocabulary, creates a much easier, and smoother ride to having Arabic language, and everything that comes with it, be a huge part of your child’s life. So, make sure that you find apps that create a meaningful learning experience for your child.

The new “Learn Arabic with Adam Wa Mishmish” App, creates a safe, meaningful learning space for you and your child to immerse themselves in fun, Arabic content. Built by early years experts, Arabic language professionals, artists and musicians, Adam wa Mishmish has created a theme based language learning curriculum.

In each lesson, you’ll find all the resources you’ll need including flashcards containing keywords you want to teach your child for the week, songs, animations, activity sheets, story books and at home activities. This is a learn through play method that will make sure your child is enjoying and learning Arabic language. Afterall, kids learn best when they are having fun!

After the success of our YouTube channel, you, the parents and teachers who have followed us over the years asked for more resources! When people think of teaching Arabic, we jump straight into reading and writing. But way before any of that, we need to build a strong base starting in the early years (0-6 years of age)! And unfortunately, these resources don’t exist…until now!

We teamed up with early years experts, Afia Al Omari and Karma Al Khaildi, and Arabic language professor, Dr. Razan Ibrahim, to create a full curriculum for you the parents, as well as one for teachers (but more on that in an upcoming blogpost…stay tuned).

This curriculum is theme based with topics ranging from the Seasons, to Animals, Modes of transportation and much more. Overall, 9 themes and 40 lessons will be on our brand new ADAM WA MISHMISH APPLICATION! Yes! We have finally created the long awaited application that you all have asked for. So what does it look like?

In each lesson, you’ll find all the resources you’ll need including flashcards containing the key words you want to teach your child for the week, songs, animations, activity sheets, story books and at home activities. This is a learn through play method that will make sure your child is enjoying and learning Arabic language. Afterall, kids learn best when they are having fun!

We know how it feels to hear your child say bahibek teta to your mother, instead of I love you grandma. It hits differently and has more weight to it, doesn’t it? So stay tuned for our app, it will be a life saver.