On Wednesday 19 November, Four Forest Luzern welcomed families to a language learning workshop led by our Additional Language Support teachers, Tamsin Clare and Ulrike Dannenhauer. They guided parents through how children learn languages and showed simple ways to support this journey at home.

How Children Learn Languages 

Children learn languages by listening, speaking, playing and interacting with the people around them. They grow when adults model language, repeat key vocabulary, and create opportunities for real conversation.

At Four Forest we build on the languages children already speak at home, because these languages shape how they understand new ideas. During the workshop, families explored how children use two types of language. Social language helps them play, share ideas and manage everyday routines. Academic language helps them understand subjects in more detail. Our language support team strengthens both, giving children the tools they need to communicate confidently in class and with their peers.

Seeing the Whole Child 

We build language learning on what children already know. Their home languages, interests and experiences act as the foundation for new learning. When we understand a child’s full language profile, we personalise our support and help them feel secure in their identity as multilingual learners.

Tamsin and Ulrike also introduced the idea of translanguaging. They described it as a natural way children draw on all the languages they know to understand ideas, solve problems and express themselves. Instead of separating languages, children move between them to make meaning, just as adults do when they think or plan in more than one language. Ms. Clare and Frau Dannenhauer showed how this process helps children learn more deeply and stay confident, and we encourage it in our classrooms because it honours the full linguistic experience each child brings.

Supporting Language at Home 

Parents can strengthen language development through simple daily routines. Children benefit when families use the language that feels most natural at home, because meaningful communication in any language supports understanding and confidence. Children benefit when families:

  • read together and talk about the story
  • retell familiar tales
  • talk during routines such as getting ready for school or walking home
  • name ingredients while cooking
  • play games that involve language
  • follow a consistent homework rhythm

These small habits help children feel confident and relaxed when they use language. Confidence usually grows faster than perfect grammar, and it has a strong impact on progress.

Families can also explore helpful platforms at home:

  • Lingokids for songs and stories 
  • Lingonetz for interactive German 
  • Quizlet for vocabulary practice 
  • ANTON for German learning 
  • Seesaw for sharing learning 
  • Twinkl for printable resources 
  • World Stories for multilingual books 

The Environment as a Teacher 

The workshop highlighted how much the environment shapes learning. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, we set up our spaces to make collaboration and discussion easy, with children working together in ways that help them practise language naturally.  We also design the rooms to be text-rich, with words, labels, and visuals placed intentionally so that language is always within reach.

Daily life in a German or English-speaking community helps children notice new words and patterns. For example, children often start recognising words on street signs or shop labels simply by seeing them every day. These small interactions give children useful exposure without pressure.

A Shared Journey 

Families left the workshop with practical tools and a deeper understanding of how multilingual learners grow. The open conversations and warm exchanges throughout the session showed the strength of our community. Together, we support each child’s progress with curiosity, care and partnership.