The Top 8 Hindi-Language Products That I Use with My Toddler, That You Can Buy Today!
Many parents ask, when should I start teaching my child Hindi? I always say -- the earlier the better! Even if it is just a few words, vocabulary or phrases.
But of course, this can be hard, especially if you are the only one speaking the target language. Our lives are super busy as is!
Here is how I keep it simple, yet effective:
The key is to:
1. Incorporate Hindi in your normal day -- what do your kids do everyday, that can become a Hindi activity? For my family it's books, toys and TV!
2. Take small steps, keep your goals manageable -- your child does not need to be fluent. Knowing some common phrases and vocabulary can go a really long way.
3. Hearing Hindi helps too -- even if your child isn't speaking the language, hearing it around them is hugely impactful. Even today, when I speak to adults learning Hindi, I can immediately tell when someone was surrounded by Hindi as a child, and who wasn't. They just pick things up faster if they've heard the language early in life.
So speak in Hindi around them, watch movies, listen to songs and play with toys!
That being said, here are some products that I use with my daughter -- she loves them!
1. Carvaan Mini Kids
Carvaan Mini Kids is a portable audio player. It's designed in a way that every child can independently operate and listen to favorite rhymes, stories or learn phonetics, alphabets, numbers or tables.
How we use it for Hindi: We switch the mode to "Hindi Rhymes" and use the "Hindi Stories" option. My husband and I know all the songs by heart, including "Meri Billi" and the "Titli song."
Click Here to Purchase Carvaan Mini Kids
2. LingoDodo - LingoPhant™ and LingoPad™
The Hindi Pad™ is an interactive language learning toy that explores counting, alphabet recognition, touch-and-talk games, Hindi rhymes, and creative quizzes. Build a bilingual early vocabulary with words like animals, body parts, fruits, days, weather, and family.
How we use it: This toy is in the car with us and our daughter plays with it on long drives. She literally responds (with a loud "haan!!") when Guddu asks "kya tum mere saath khelogey?" This toy helps reinforce animals in Hindi, it teaches her Hindi twinkle twinkle little star, letter-sounds much more.
Click Here to Purchase LingoDodo
3. The Heritage Supply Co.® Alphabet Puzzles
Assemble these gorgeous eco-friendly puzzles (extra thick jumbo pieces, perfect for little hands) while learning Hindi Consonants (Vyanjana) or Hindi vowels (Swaron) whilst building your Hindi vocabulary!
How we use it: These puzzles are perfect for toddlers and their little hands. Each letter has a corresponding animal, detailed on the box. We read it out while doing the puzzle with our daughter. She is awe of the beautiful pictures and illustrations!
Click Here to Purchase The Heritage Supple Co® Puzzles
4. Mere Natkhat Daant
"Mere Natkhat Daant" (My Naughty Teeth) is a Hindi picture book, that introduces your child to high frequency Hindi words including colors, numbers, objects, and verbs. Take your bilingual little one on an adventure that normalizes their teething troubles while introducing them to functional Hindi words that they can hear and use every day.
How we use it: This book was great for us when our daughter was a baby, especially when she was teething. Each page has interesting objects, like fruits and veggies that help reinforce vocabulary!
Click Here to Purchase Mere Natkhat Daant
5. Meet Buckley: Buckley Sey Millo!
A bilingual Hindi-English picture book for children who love to read and love dogs! Kya aap Buckley sey millay hay? (Have you met Buckley yet?( Share a day in the life of this energetic, loving dog as he goes running, plays in the park, and takes a road trip! This fun, bilingual story with pictures is perfect for young and old readers who are beginning to learn Hindi.
How we use it: We have a dog and my daughter loves all dogs, so this book is perfect for us. This cute bilingual book uses English and Hindi -- and has a unique color-coded system that helps everyone understand the Hindi and English corresponding phrases. My husband loves this one because the English translation helps him identify what the Hindi words mean.
Click Here to Purchase Buckley Sey Milo
6. Josh ke Saath Podcast
Josh and his mummy make up Hindi stories for kids every week. They start with a WHO, WHERE and WHAT and build their story sentence by sentence. They call this a “story-starter”. You can also send them YOUR story-starter idea and enjoy listening to these fun stories. This can be background Hindi listening (even for babies).
How we use it: Before we had screen-time -- my daughter listened to sweet Josh and his mom make up fantastical Hindi stories. It was great background for her just so she could hear an actual child speaking Hindi in a natural way!
Click Here to Listen to Josh ke Saath Podcast
7."My First Hindi Words!" Board Books
How we use them: Of course we have loads of copies of the "My First Hindi Words!" books at our home -- and they have been extremely helpful to re-iterate words we use around the house. My daughter loves the popsicle (thanda) and coffee (garam) pages the most!
Click here to purchase The Board Books
8. Hindi Sticker Packets
How we use them: Like most kids, my daughter LOVES "Brown Bear Brown Bear" and "Where's Spot." These books are long-time hits for a reason! They also help my daughter practice animals and colors in a super fun way.
How does it work?:
Our "Brown Bear Brown Bear" and "Where's Spot" sticker packets transform these classic books into a Hindi books, with sound! All you have to do is peel off the stickers, attach them on the book and then scan the QR code for audio. You can read alongside the audio or read it yourself!
Click Here to Purchase The "Brown Bear Brown Bear" Sticker Packet
Click Here to Purchase The "Where's Spot" Sticker Packet
