I recently discovered a great language resource for kids: Gus on the Go.
Gus on the Go follows an owl as he sets off on a vocabulary adventure featured in 10 interactive lessons (i.e., animals, modes of transportation, food, etc.). Each lesson is followed by a review that asks to identify items. If you tap the incorrect picture, the correct answer becomes highlighted and the audio of the word replays to reinforce the picture with the word. After each review, there’s an interactive game that features the vocabulary words and pictures.
Each language app is country-specific; for example, the Polish language app features a map of Poland and Gus flying to a different Polish city. The app is recommended for children ages 2 through 6, and is available in 20+ languages and for iOs and Android.
My son recently started playing with the app. He really enjoys tapping on the pictures, especially of the farm animals, and listening to the audio. The audio is very clear and of a native speaker. He laughs at the sounds and, best of all, actually repeats the words (he went through a period of not repeating any words when asked). Although my son still hasn’t gotten the concept of the games, he is slowly figuring out the review portion of each lesson. I really like that the app features no English text or audio.
I have also taken advantage of the free printables that the program’s web site offers.
The free printables include number flashcards, a zoo animal fortune teller (to practice animal vocabulary), and a transportation wheel. I put the printed number flashcards in small magnetic photo pockets and stuck them to our refrigerator. My son plays with/looks at them while I cook dinner. The flashcards also feature animals on them so they are great for practicing animal vocabulary as well.
The app and printables are available in the following languages:
- Armenian (Eastern and Western)
- Cantonese
- Croatian
- Danish
- Dutch
- English
- French
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Mandarin Chinese
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Tagalog
- Taiwanese
- Taiwanese Mandarin
- Vietnamese
Enjoy!
All opinions shared on this blog are entirely my own. I did not receive any payment or compensation for this review.
This Polish-American Life 