German Language Learning Solutions for Expat Children Abroad
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Top Educational Resources for Teaching German to Expat Kids
As a German expat parent, you luckily have plenty of options and resources available to you to help you pass on your German heritage language to your child. Despite the fact (or maybe because of!) that homeschooling or alternative schooling is pretty much illegal inside Germany, the German expat community created a variety of language resources and German education options.
You can find an emerging market of independent online schools that cater to German expats with teaching language in German. Additionally, there are offline German homeschool curriculum options that offer not only curriculum to learn German as a native language in primary school, but also other subjects like Maths and General Life Studies (“Sachkunde”). Then, you’ll find the learning group offerings, mostly through online classes, that offer consistent German classes, mostly considered as an add-on to local school attendance. Another option to customise your own material that you want to use, is to purchase material aimed at German teachers at German schools. There are some marketplaces for it too.
With this variety of offerings, hopefully you can find the one (or two) solutions that work best for you and your family to enjoy learning and speaking German abroad. Needles to say, depending on your location, you might need to check which options are considered legal schooling options/replacements, and what is doable as an “add-on” to your classic local school life.
I’ll list the options that I have researched so far here.
Independent Online Schools in German
Nomy School - Nomy School is a free, modern online school that enables children and young people to learn in a self-determined, flexible and age-appropriate way.
Swiss Online School - The Swiss Online School is a fully digital school. All material is provided through an online platform where the student can work on the material directly and on their own schedule.
Wilhelm von Humboldt Online Schule - The school is a fully live and online-based school with a German curriculum. There is a fixed schedule of live-classes similar to a traditional school day.
Offline Curriculum in German
Deutsche Fernschule - They offer traditional homeschool curriculums in German for German expats. They are accredited by German authorities.
Learning Groups in German
Salingua Lernstudio - Salingua is an educational offer designed to meet the needs of children and families who speak German as a first language.
Planet Wortschatz - They offer online German language and creative workshops for multilingual children.
WeltKinder Online - SprachFamilien - WeltKinder is a project that accompanies children on their way to a lively, active multilingualism & helps families to find a balance in all their family languages.
Subject-Based Material in German
Eduki - It is a marketplace where people offer subject-based material for teachers to buy and use in their classes.
Twinkl - They provide educational material for different subjects and class levels - in way more than only German.
Local German Kindergartens & German Schools
As a “bonus”, I’ll mention the option of local German daycare, kindergarten, or school options. It may or may not fit your particular need. For preschool needs, there’s a convenient list.
Which options do you know that are not yet listed here? Tell us in the comments so we can add it to our list!
