For me, learning a language has never been about knowing as many words as possible. You can memorize hundreds of words and still have no idea what to say when someone actually starts talking to you.

Language is about communication. And communication happens because we have a reason to talk.

That’s really what we try to create every day at Verbalee.

Think about how children learn their first language. We don’t sit them down and tell them, “Today we’re going to practice conversation.” We just talk to them. They want something, they need help, they see something interesting, they’re playing, they’re hungry, they’re excited. There is always a reason for the language.

We try to do the same thing with a second language.

If we’re playing grocery store, maybe you need an apple. Now you have a reason to ask for an apple. If we’re at the bakery, you have to tell me what you want. If we’re playing veterinarian, you need to explain what’s wrong with your animal. If we’re doing art and you need the blue paint, well, now we have a reason to talk about colors.

We’re not learning vocabulary just to learn vocabulary. We’re using it because we need it.

We Have Conversations. We Don’t Quiz.

This is something that is really important to me.

When adults try to help children learn another language, we have a tendency to ask questions constantly.

“What color is this?”

“What’s this?”

“How many are there?”

“How do you say this?”

But imagine having a conversation with someone who did that to you all day. It wouldn’t feel very natural!

Of course we ask questions, but we also talk. A lot.

Our immersion specialists describe what’s happening. They react to what the children are doing. They make comments, tell stories, joke with them and bring other children into the conversation.

Instead of holding up a car and asking, “What color is this?” I might say, “Oh, I love your red car! Look how fast it’s going! Mine is blue. I think yours is faster than mine.”

The child is still hearing red, blue, car, fast and all kinds of other vocabulary. But now those words are part of an actual interaction.

That’s a big difference.

They Don’t Have to Speak Right Away

Another thing I really believe in is that we don’t need to force children to speak.

Some children will start trying words almost immediately. Others won’t. And that’s okay.

A child might answer me by pointing. They might nod. They might bring me an object. They might follow what I’m asking them to do without saying anything at all.

That tells me they’re understanding.

And that’s where we start.

If they don’t understand me, I don’t immediately translate. I’ll point. I’ll show them. I’ll pick up the object. I’ll use my face, my hands, my voice. Maybe I’ll say it differently or make the sentence simpler.

Children are actually incredibly good at figuring out meaning from context. We sometimes don’t give them enough credit for that.

And little by little, something happens. I don’t need to point anymore. I don’t need to show them.

They just know.

That’s Why Our Spaces Matter So Much

There is a reason Verbalee doesn’t look like a traditional classroom.

I wanted to create places where things could happen.

If you walk into our bakery, there are conversations that can happen there naturally. The grocery store creates completely different conversations. So does the veterinary clinic. Cooking creates another type of language. Art creates another. Games, stories, science experiments and celebrations all give us something different to talk about.

Instead of thinking, “Today I need to teach these 10 vocabulary words,” we can think, “What are we going to experience today?”

The vocabulary comes with the experience.

Repetition Happens Naturally

Of course, repetition is important. You need to hear a word many times before it really becomes yours.

But that doesn’t mean we need to repeat the same flashcard twenty times.

Think about a simple word like “more.”

Do you want more?

I need more.

She wants more.

Can I have more?

We need more water.

The word keeps coming back, but it’s coming back naturally and in slightly different situations. Eventually, nobody needs to explain what “more” means.

The child knows.

That’s the kind of repetition we’re looking for.

And Most Importantly, We Have Fun

This might actually be one of the most important parts of the whole method.

Children are amazing at pretend play. When they’re pretending to be a veterinarian or a baker or a customer at the grocery store, they’re not thinking, “I’m practicing my Spanish right now.”

They’re thinking about the game.

They’re laughing. They’re solving a problem. They’re trying to get what they want. They’re interacting with another child.

And the language just becomes part of it.

That’s what I love about immersion.

We’re not trying to make children feel like they’re constantly learning a language. We’re creating an environment where they can experience it, hear it, understand it and eventually start using it themselves.

At some point, it stops being something they’re learning.

It simply becomes another way they know how to communicate.

And that’s exactly what we want at Verbalee.