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My 8 year old wants to learn Italian. No one in our family speaks the language...any advice?

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My son went to Italy for a week with his grandparents this past summer. He talks about Italy all the time and recently shared with me that he would really like to learn Italian. Where can I take him to make sure he is taught correctly since I don't speak it. I would be more than happy to take it with him so that he has someone to talk to and practice with, but where can we go? I'm in Phoenix, Arizona. Thanks

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Your child can learn to speak Italian through "Rosetta Stone" Language systems.  They have other languages available such as Latin, Arabic, and Japanese to name a few.

The child learns by listening to a spoken phrase and choosing the picture that seems to closely match the phrase, much like a baby learns to talk.

My children used Rosetta Stone to facilitate learning Arabic when we had an Arabic-speaking nanny.  It is expensive ($200 - $300) but very comprehensive and is the equivalent of a year of study at an immersion program.
Report (0) (0) |   earlier
let him have fun, tell him he can lern it in middle school/

tell him that it would be hard and it would have ALOT of home work (even if it isnt.)
Report (0) (0) | earlier
do you really need help with this one? there would be one condition. once you start your not dropping the class. cape ch
Report (0) (0) | earlier
i know they have a videotape that is a cartoon that teaches children. i can't remember what it's called, like murry or something?

**EDIT**

the name of the video is muzzy.
Report (0) (0) | earlier
wooww!!! italin at 8!!!!

i don t no where phonix is but in a amercia  p,s dont live there. its $50 a hour!!

or in london its ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â£120 for 10 weeks!!!!

visit this site

go to google type in learn london itialin chorses or where

phonix is !!
Report (0) (0) |   earlier
If you can't find help @ your universities, local clubs and paid instruction by a professional, I hear that the rosetta stone cds are great. Feed this interest of his, it will improve the quality of his life forever. caio!
Report (0) (0) | earlier
have you seen the Muzzy comercial? they have sevaral languges for grade-schoolers and if you can't find that, look on the internet or maybe his granparents can teach him if they know.
Report (0) (0) | earlier
Get him classes. Or get books and Dvds
Report (0) (0) | earlier
How awesome that your son wants to learn another language! You may be able to find some free resources at about.com following this link:

http://italian.about.com/od/childrensita...

You can probably find some basic lessons (numbers, letters, foods, animals, etc.) for free on the internet.  If you have iTunes, you can probably also find free language podcasts.

Someone else also suggested Rosetta Stone which I have heard is great.  Although it's a bit expensive, it's probably quite comprehensive.

You can also check for language schools in your area.  I'm currently attending a school (but in the Los Angeles area) that has Italian, Spanish, German, and French for kids as well as adults.

Finally, if you could call his grandparents, or get a VOIP connection to them, he could practice with them.

How awesome!  It will be great for him to start now as he will no doubt be fluent in no time (2 years or so) because kids learn so quickly.  At this rate, he'll be able to speak at least 4 llanguages as an adult (note that Italian, Spanish, and Portugese are all VERY similar)!
Report (0) (0) |   earlier
Try putting an add in the paper maybe even at the university. Our friends children are learning Chinese and that's how she found her tutor. Taking it along with him is also a good idea. It's wonderful to see kids excited about learning something new.
Report (0) (0) | earlier
he should just learn simple italian like hello and good bye and etc.
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maybe you could hire a tutor, or go to a class at A community centre. there may be a community college near you that would have a night class you could take, when i was younger i took a class with my mom at a cc, i was 9 or 10.
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Oh first of all, congratulations on having such an ambitious child!

Muzzy.

It is excellent! My nephews are currently 5 and 6 and learning French and Spanish! They are getting to be fluent in BOTH languages. It's awesome! He can learn from the comfort of your own home, it has DVD or VHS format, Workbooks, and actually makes the kids want to continue learning. Might as well check it out!

Good luck in your search!

http://www.early-advantage.com/
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