Learning a new language, like Spanish, tends to be easier for kids since they have more time and are more open-minded to learning new things. Also, they’re at an age when their brains can absorb things more easily and they aren’t nervous about making mistakes like adults are.
But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make their language learning journey fun. It’s even easier for them to acquire a second language if they’re doing an interesting activity, like watching movies.
Kids will absolutely prefer to watch movies, TV shows, and cartoons rather than study. After all, they don’t want to spend after-school hours staring at a textbook. But learning can also be a synonym for fun!
In fact, here at TruFluency Kids Spanish, we encourage TV entertainment as a way to acquire the Spanish language. That’s why we’re reviewing the Lingopie language learning platform, which uses movies and tv shows to help children learn Spanish.
But we only use TV as one of many tools along a child’s language acquisition journey. After all, speaking for hundreds of hours is needed; real-life practice is necessary to become Truly Fluent in Spanish.
Lingopie Review – The Binge-Learning Method
Lingopie is an app/website that uses international TV for language learning. You can watch series, movies, documentaries, telenovelas, and even listen to podcasts and audiobooks from your target language’s country. This means that no matter your level, there’s something you can watch to improve your language skills.
They have nine languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and English.
You can have a free trial of seven days to review Lingopie. That’s more than enough to watch some shows, try their learning activities, and see if it’s a good language learning method for you. If you want our honest opinion, we do believe that Lingopie’s binge-learning method, as they call it, is great. You’ll learn by being immersed in your target language’s environment, the visuals will help you understand what’s happening, and it’s fun!
If after reviewing Lingopie, you decide to subscribe, you can choose from monthly, yearly, or family and friends subscription packages.
Lingopie is the main name of the platform, but they also have Lingopie Kids, a section for children. Think of it as Netflix and Netflix Kids, but for language learning.
Lingopie Kids
Next, we review Lingopie Kids and note that it is only for Spanish. With it, your children can enjoy the best Spanish-speaking TV shows, movies, cartoons, and series. All shows are specially picked by Lingopie’s linguists, so you can be sure that they’re fun, entertaining, educational, and safe shows.
They’re from different Spanish-speaking countries, from Argentina to Spain. So if you or your kid have a favorite culture or Spanish accent, you can watch more shows from that country to absorb the accent, slang, idioms, and traditions.
There are different genres or sections, like Brains in Action, Girl Power, and Tasty and Fun. With all this variety, children will not only get some good ear training in Spanish, but also other important life skills and knowledge, such as science, recipes, and cultural awareness.
Every show comes with both English and Spanish subtitles that appear at the same time on screen. But it is not distracting at all. Your kids can choose which subtitles to read, though we recommend following the Spanish ones or turning off the subtitles because this is about learning Spanish. Only read the English ones to compare vocabulary in case there’s any doubt about a word.
There’s also a “mashup” option. This means that the subtitles will only be in English. And every now and then the Spanish translation of a word will appear above its English counterpart. You can also choose to only leave the Spanish subtitles, which is a great choice for intermediate and advanced learners.
After reviewing, Lingopie Kids has many useful and fun tools to help your kids increase their Spanish vocabulary through context.
Let’s Review Lingopie’s Language Learning Tools
Both Lingopie and Lingopie Kids’ videos have subtitles in both English and the original language of the show. As well as the mashup option.
On the screen, next to the subtitles, you’ll find other language learning tools:
SPEAK SENTENCE
If you click on it, the sentence that was just spoken on the show will be repeated by another voice. This is perfect if you or your kids didn’t understand the sentence, and need someone else to say it again. It’s also good to learn pronunciation.
SAY IT
This tool is to record your voice saying a phrase from the show you’re watching. Then, they’ll receive a grade, so you can know how good your pronunciation is. It’s great to practice your speaking skills.
LOOP SENTENCE
This will repeat the sentence you just heard on the show over and over again. Let’s be honest, when we’re learning a language, we don’t understand everything every time. So this tool is good to hear the details of the phrase to understand it properly. Though we recommend not abusing it; only use it when it’s truly necessary. If you don’t understand the whole pronunciation of something, it’s okay. If you continue watching shows and movies, your ear will get used to the sound of the words little by little. Don’t force it too much.
SLOW VIDEO
You can also slow down the speed of the video depending on your language level: beginner, novice, intermediate, or advanced. Or just leave it at its normal speed. This is a great instrument for those who are new learners. It will help their ears adapt to the sounds of the Spanish language so they can improve their listening skills and understand better what’s been said.
SCRIPT
While watching any show, you’ll have the script next to the video screen. This will show you all the dialogues of the show. You might find it a little distracting if you just want to see the show, especially since you already have subtitles. But don’t worry, you can close it, and the video will turn into full screen.
If you decide to leave the script, you can use it to listen to a phrase that was already said or hasn’t been said. You just have to click on it. Though to do this you can also use the “previous caption” and “next caption” buttons that you’ll find on the video screen.
The script on the Lingopie Kids’ videos has some underlined words. These are the ones that Lingopie finds important for you to learn.
CLICK ON WORDS TO FIND THEIR MEANING
When you’re watching a show, you can click on a word from the target language subtitles. And a square will appear above that word, showing you its meaning, the type of word that it is (noun/verb/adverb/preposition), what it sounds like, and if it’s masculine or feminine. The moment you click on a word, it will be saved on some flashcards in the review and practice section. So you can review these words later.
You can also learn the meaning of a word and save it by clicking on it in the script.
You can also click on phrases, which will also be said out loud by a voice. And you can check the details of the individual words that compose that phrase on the square that will appear.
On that square, you’ll also find a small flag, which you can click on if there’s a mistake with the word or phrase. They’ll ask you what’s wrong with it, so they can fix the mistake. Though it’s not very common, they acknowledge that some errors might slip every now and then. The good news is that they’re willing to fix them.
TV LEXICON
Once you’re subscribed, you’ll see a “TV Lexicon” category on your profile page. This is a video dictionary where you can look up a word in any of the languages offered in Lingopie. The results will give you the words both in English and your target language and will show how it sounds. Then they’ll show you a scene from any show where they’re using that word, along with the written dialogue from that scene.
You can also find this dictionary for free on their website, called a TV Phrasebook. Taking advantage of this free tool will help you see a little bit more about how learning with videos works. It’s like an easy review Lingopie’s teaching-through-TV method.
Lingopie’s Games for Language Learning
On your profile page, you’ll see a review and practice section, where you’ll find the different shows you’ve watched on Lingopie. By clicking on one of the shows, you’ll see three different sections: Flashcards, Games, and Word Lists.
The Flashcards will show, one by one, the words that you marked when you were watching the video. On them, you’ll also see a part of the show where they mention the word on the flashcard and the written sentence where they use that word.
The Word Lists are exactly what they sound like: lists of all the words you have marked to review. You can click on each word and, just like in the flashcards, you’ll see a video of the show where they use that word. You’ll also be able to hear a voice saying the word out loud for you to hear it clearly. And you’ll see a sentence with that word.
Then, there are two different games to learn a language:
WORD MASTER
In this game, you match the Spanish words with their English translations.
POP QUIZ
This is a multiple-choice game, where you choose the right meaning for a specific Spanish word.
When you’re watching a show, you can stop midway to answer a quick Pop Quiz about the words that you’ve marked so far. The Pop Quiz sign will appear on the video screen once you’ve marked a few words. You can choose to take it or not; it’s not obligatory.
You can also take the Pop Quiz after you’ve finished watching your video.
Lingopie for Parents
Practicing with our kids is a great way to help them keep improving their Spanish skills. You could have a conversation in Spanish about their favorite Lingopie Kids’ cartoon. Or you could recreate one of the recipes from one of the Lingopie Kids’ cooking shows. But, what if you don’t know the language? Well, like we mentioned before, you can also learn Spanish with Lingopie!
If you want to motivate your kids to learn Spanish, why don’t you watch some Lingopie shows? Kids imitate what their parents do. Plus, if you start using some vocabulary in Spanish when talking to them, they’ll also want to learn the language.
Both Lingopie and Lingopie kids have the same language learning tools that were mentioned above. They also have the same games to review what you’ve learned. Who said that adults can’t also learn by playing?
On your Lingopie profile you’ll find a leaderboard page. There, you can see which are the users with more experience, the ones that are excelling. And you can check how many hours you’ve watched, the flashcards that you’ve saved, and the ones that you’ve mastered.
Even though learning by watching TV is fun, it can also get lonely sometimes. That’s why there are community forums. Where you can discuss your favorite shows with other learners, read the latest news about Lingopie, and discuss your language doubts. This is a great way of interacting with other people that are on the same path as you.
Private Lessons
Want another way to communicate in your target language with others? Lingopie offers private lessons. In their classes, you’ll be able to talk about the shows you’ve watched. You can use the words that you learn from these shows while talking to your teacher. Speaking is an essential part of any language journey that should not be ignored, and private lessons will help you develop your conversation skills.
If you cancel your subscription for the private lessons just after your first class, you get a full refund.
If you want more classes to complement Lingopie lessons, here at TruFluency Kids we have Spanish classes for your children starting at $12 per class for younger students ($17 for older).
We focus on making your kids speak and become fluent in Spanish. And we make sure classes are full of joy and energy, just like your kids. We incorporate singing, storytelling, and even cooking activities to stimulate Spanish learning through immersion.
Try out a session, choosing class times to fit your schedule today! And for a limited time, you can try 2 classes for only $9!
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