What Are the Best Language Learning Resources for Children?

October 15, 2025 byPhoebe Brown

4 min to read

Language learning for kids has many benefits; being able to speak more than one language can help children improve their memory and concentration, and as they grow up, it may also open them to more opportunities for travel, future employment, and connections with different people. Learning a second language is often easier for kids—whether they learn at school, at home with language learning apps, or with a formal tutor—because their brains are growing and absorbing lots of new information all the time.

Why Should Kids Learn a Second Language?

Some of the benefits of bilingualism include:

Improving focus, memory, and decision-making skills

Creating strong relationships with family and friends

Building connections with local and global communities

Having increased job opportunities

Language Learning for Kids

From elementary school through high school, there are many language learning apps, videos, and podcasts available to help students of all ages enjoy the benefits of bilingualism.

Language Learning Apps for Kids

With free apps, paid apps, and subscriptions, there are lots of language learning apps to choose from that can make learning feel more like a game than homework. Make sure to find an age-appropriate app that matches your student’s learning style and preferences.

For example, Mondly gamifies language learning and allows students to practice their new language daily with flashcards, reading and listening challenges, and more. There are free and paid versions of the app to choose from, and over 40 languages to explore.

Watch Language Learning Videos

Videos can be a great way to learn a new language through natural immersion. There are formal language learning videos for just about any age and skill level, but there are just as many free options available online or at local libraries. Age and skill level appropriate language learning videos for kids also help students learn more about the culture of the people who typically speak the language and the country it comes from while they build their vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Try a Language Learning Podcast

Language learning podcasts can be a challenge for early language learners, but intermediate or advanced language learners could put their listening and language comprehension skills to the test. With a wide variety of languages to choose from and teaching techniques, podcasts offer a fun, creative way to learn a second language. Many language learning podcasts are story-based, allowing native speakers to speak about their culture or their own journey with learning languages. Typically, episodes will be divided into skill level, theme, or focus on particular words or phrases.

Find Free Resources Online

Free language learning resources are also available online through various organizations. For example, the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI) offers free language learning courses for the world’s most commonly spoken languages. These courses are available online for free to anyone who wants to use them.

Alternatively, Language Guide allows learners to go over vocabulary in the language they select. The website allows users to toggle between beginner through advanced settings and offers the ability to hover an image or word to hear it identified in the chosen language.

Turn on Subtitles

When you’re watching TV or a movie as a family, change the audio to the language your child is learning and the subtitles to English. Turning on subtitles and changing the audio channel connects hearing the native language, seeing the visual context clues on screen, and reading the translations shown in the subtitles together. While your child may not fully understand the new language, they’re starting to build connections in their brain with what they see and hear.

Consider a Community Language Class or Club at School

Many local communities offer free or affordable language classes through community centers and local libraries. Check your local library for age-appropriate language classes. or ask a librarian to find additional resources for you and your child to try.

Joining a language club at school can also be a great way to make new friends who are also learning a new language, which can help build a larger community and provides your child with more opportunities to practice with their peers.

Take Language Learning for Kids to the Next Level

Free online resources are helpful, accessible ways to get started with a new language. If your budding bilingual student is ready for the next step, or prefers a more structured virtual approach, Connections Academy® offers a curriculum for several foreign languages in online school. See if there’s a school near you to continue learning new languages.