How to Make Your Language Learning Journey Incredibly Fun!
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Learning a new language can feel like an overwhelming task, but it doesn’t have to be that way! As someone who speaks multiple languages and spent my childhood in a different country than my native country, I have picked up a few valuable insights and ideas on how to approach language learning in a fun way. In this article, I will share those ideas with you!
Here are my top tips for making your Dutch learning journey incredibly enjoyable and fun!
Purpose: tap into your ‘why’ and inspire others
Adding meaning to your language learning journey is such an important starting point.
The first element of this is to think about why you are learning the language. Do you want to connect with new friends? Do you want to broaden your career opportunities? Do you want to challenge yourself mentally and prove that you can learn a new language? Or any other reason that moves.
The second element is the cherry on top, it is to share your experience with other learners just like you in order to inspire and motivate them. One of the ways to do this is to sign up for the OLS Language Stories project in which you will be interviewed by the OLS Community manager about your learning experience.
Curiosity: dive into your interests and passions
We are typically a lot more motivated and engaged in learning in the areas we are inherently interested in. I remember when I was learning French, I watched the show Friends in French. It allowed me to do something I love, while learning and studying the words I didn’t know.
So, from this example you can make your own fun learning plan. For instance, are you a history buff? Go on museum tours, watch history documentaries, and research the internet. Are you a fashion lover? Read fashion magazines, listen to podcasts, and research designers. Foodie? Join a cooking class, watch cooking shows on tv, and read a cookbook in your target language.
You get the idea: you can pretty much take any topic you enjoy and start learning with that as the starting point. And as a final note: did you know OLS offers short language courses for many career directions? You can find the complete list here.
Stay engaged: turn your language learning into a game
When you think of studying a language do you think of a classroom with lengthy lectures and stacks of books and homework to get through? If your answer is ‘yes’ and this way of learning doesn’t sound exciting to you, I assure you: there is another way! There are many methods to gamify your language learning and keep it interesting.
Here at OLS we have a couple of those methods on offer. For instance, with our 7-day language challenge for absolute beginners, with one of the language games or worksheets on the forums, and even the A1 and A2 language courses have elements of gamification to take advantage of.
Find your tribe: join a language learning community
Sharing your language learning journey with a supportive community of peers to cheer you on along the way makes it so much more fun. You can of course connect with other
language learners in your host country, but I also highly recommend joining the conversation on the OLS community forums as well! In the community you can share your challenges with peers, ask for advice, find a language buddy and share your wisdom, as well as practice the language in a fun and bite-sized way. Being part of a community like this can give you a sense of belonging and make your overall journey much more fun and fulfilling.
Stay motivated: celebrate your achievements
Celebrating the big and small wins in your language learning journey is essential in staying motivated and inspired to continue learning. Without this crucial habit and mindset element you risk getting stuck, lost or overwhelmed. You can put this into practice in a couple ways. For instance, you could make a weekly journaling appointment with yourself to reflect on your efforts and achievements as well as setting a learning intention for the upcoming week. In a following blog we will go into more depth of ideas on how exactly to tackle this element. So, stay tuned!
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I hope you enjoyed this article and got some inspiration from it! If you have any tips of your own or if you would like to share the one tip that is most helpful for you, I invite you to let us know here in the community.
Until next time!
Marieke, OLS Community Manager - Dutch
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