How to teach Urdu to kids

How to teach Urdu to Kids: Simple Tips for Parents

One of the big reasons I started blogging was to share the journey of teaching my children Urdu. Here are some tips for parents trying to teach Urdu and pass on the language to the next generation. Maybe you have faced some road blocks as you started and feeling frustrated or maybe you are just starting and feeling nervous. I hope these tips of how to teach Urdu will help your family!

Raising bilingual children is a challenging but extremely rewarding pursuit. Research has shown that bilingual children have more creative brains than those who know one language and are better at problem solving. Teaching children Urdu is also a great way to keep them connected to their cultural heritage. The benefits of bilingualism are well-established. It’s a gift you can give to your children. So let’s get started on how to teach Urdu to kids.

Respect and Love the Language

The first and most important ingredient in the mix of how to teach Urdu is respecting the Urdu language. Pass on the language because you love it. Maybe this might require you to brush up your own interest in the language by listening to some beautiful songs, ghazals and qawwalis. Think about your favorite Urdu writers, plays and dramas. Revive your interest in the language. Your children will pick up on your love and respect. Don’t let Urdu be the language they hear when they are getting scolded, or when grandma visits and wants to watch a Pakistani drama.

You Are Your Own Best Tool

Before you spend money on books, apps, software, classes or CDs remember that if you speak the language, you are the best tool to teach your child. The rest of these resources are helpful but you will be the driving force. Even if your child is at school the majority of the day, or you work outside the house, a little dedicated time to the task in the week will plant the seeds of learning. Use the time in the car, giving a bath, over the dinner table or walking to school to engage in some of the activities I will suggest in this post.

[Urdu Classes By Culture Tree]

Make Learning Fun

Don’t scare your children through worksheets, lessons and expectations. Have fun teaching them and make it an activity they look forward to. Sing songs to increase their vocabulary of Urdu words and play games to teach them Urdu concepts.

how to teach Urdu to kids

Here are some ideas below of how to teach Urdu in fun ways. You can build on these to have fun while learning.

+ Song to learn Days of the Week – Video here

+ Learn Urdu words for Feelings – Video here

+ Urdu words while doing groceries – Video here

+ Fun Urdu games for Toddlers – Read here

+ Urdu treasure hunt – Read here

+ Urdu games for a road trip – Read here

+ A fun Urdu game to increase vocabulary and learn science – Read here

urdu games

Focus First on Verbal Skills

Concentrate on developing your child’s verbal skills first. This will increase their interest and confidence in the language. Introduce reading and writing skills as level 2. Urdu is a difficult language to learn, especially if you live outside of South Asia and your child is not being taught the language at school. Don’t intimidate and overwhelm your child. If they master the verbal skills, they can still write Urdu using the roman English letters (Side note: Farhan Akhtar is an amazingly talented Urdu writer/poet and only uses roman letters to read and write Urdu). If they are learning Arabic it will be easier for them later to learn the Urdu Nastaliq script. Moreover they will have greater interest to learn reading and writing once they have a better command on the verbal skills.

Talk and Teach

Don’t underestimate the value of talk. Talk to your children in Urdu. Talk to your family in Urdu, your children are listening. Point out things to them. Talk to them in the car, the drive thru, while giving them a bath and around the dinner table. Even if they don’t reply to you in Urdu, they are listening and their vocabulary is developing. You can gently repeat their English replies in Urdu.

Make it Social

Children enjoy learning with little people their own age. See if you can round up a few kids to arrange a story time. Keep it small and manageable.

Join my daughter and I as we do Urdu story time every Saturday through Facebook live videos (9.30 AM Mountain Standard Time and 9.30 PM Pakistan time).

urdu story time

+ Tips to arrange Urdu story time with resources – Read here

Read with them

Cuddle up with a great book and enjoy reading with your children. Books are a great way to increase your child’s vocabulary and comprehension of Urdu. I have written a separate post about recommendations for great Urdu books for children and how to find them in and outside of Pakistan. This is a huge topic so it deserved a separate post. Read it here. There are some great Urdu books available now that have fun themes, songs and stories.

how to teach Urdu to kids

Whenever you read an English book, you can translate it as you go. To develop recognition of the Urdu script you can add sticky notes with translations on the pages.

how to teach Urdu to kids

Include Family & Friends

Family and friends who speak Urdu are great assets. At social gatherings encourage speaking in Urdu. Grandparents can build on your efforts whether they live close by or are far away. The stories that are passed on by grandparents are treasures for life. The patience and dedication of grandparents is priceless. Skype calls with relatives are great for long distance chats. If time zones don’t match, video messages work great. My daughter sends video messages to her cousins in Manila, and they reply back when they can.

how to teach Urdu to kids

Cooking, Crafting and Urdu

I love involving my children while I cook. They feel empowered helping out in an activity they see their mother so frequently busy in. This develops a natural learning environment to learn new Urdu words and phrases. Yes, there are messes but the benefits outweigh the hassle on most days.

How to teach Urdu to kids

+ My daughter and I making Potato Cutlets and practicing Urdu – Watch here

If your children enjoy crafting, add urdu learning to the one you’re doing. Sharing some ideas here:

+ Making Raani the Haathi T-shirt. Read here

+ Basant inspired craft. Read here

Make Urdu Visible in your Life

Don’t keep Urdu restricted just to your lessons. Show your children how it’s an important part of your life.

Here are some fun ideas:

  • Display your children’s names in Urdu along with English

How to teach Urdu to kids

  • Write notes in Urdu
  • Keep Urdu part of celebrations like birthdays, Eid etc

urdu gift tags

  • Give their toys names in Urdu

urdu names for toys

  • Explain to your children how being bilingual is a special power
  • List being bilingual as one of the qualities of your child when you introduce them to teachers and in class

  • Read Urdu books yourself so that your children can model after you
  • Introduce your children to arts and music in Urdu. Never too early to develop a taste for Qawali

+ Six ways to bring Urdu in your birthday celebrations. Read here

+ Singing the birthday song in Urdu. Read here

How to Teach Urdu: Electronic Tools

Notice how I have kept electronic tools at the end of my list of how to teach Urdu, since these alone will not help your child learn and enjoy Urdu. These are at best additional resources. Don’t rely on them alone. The primary caregiver has to be involved for learning to be engaging and effective. When your child watches the shows, cuddle up and watch with them. Later discuss the characters and the themes. This will enhance their learning.

Here are some of my suggestions for online resources.

  • UrduMom weekly story time on Facebook (Happens every Saturday 9.30 AM Mountain Standard Time and 9.30 PM in Pakistan)

Hope you enjoyed these tips of how to teach Urdu to kids. All the best in your journey to teach your children Urdu and raising them bilingual. I would love to hear from you on what strategies you use and if the ones I suggested help. Take care!

28 thoughts on “How to teach Urdu to Kids: Simple Tips for Parents

  1. Well I don’t live abroad but making my 6 year old write is the most stressful job ever he just doesn’t write untill i scream and ask him to write each word….he takes 3 hours to write one page:'(

  2. Excellent..your ideas really helped as I started following you. Your a great mom!!!! Thank you soo much for sharing and my little one is also inspired by you. She’s also a bilingual child and raised her by these tips. It is only possible because of you. When I told her about you she just wanted to say Sukria.?

    1. Dear Sania, thanks so much for your feedback! Lots of love to your little one! So happy to hear that these steps helped you! Take care and stay in touch 🙂

  3. i’m just about to start teaching my four-year-old Urdu. i’m very excited about it. thanks so much for sharing your advice and resources!

  4. Thank you so much!! Like you wrote I am extremely nervous at the moment. My triplets are 5 and they cannnot speak even a single sentence in Urdu. I have been an Urdu lover all my life. I can’t accept that my kids might never know it! I talk to them in Urdu but I will get down to more activities listed here! May Allah bless you!

  5. What awesome advice 🙂 thank you so much for these great resources. Hoping to watch your story time with you guys. I think it will be great for my kids to see other kids speak in urdu.

  6. اردو سیکھنے اور سکھانے کے لئےاچھی معلومات دی گئی ھی دی گئی ھیں جو کہ خصوصی طور پر اساتذہ کے لئے بہت زیادہ مفید ھیں ۔

  7. Assalam o alaikum.i just came across your blog when i started homeschooling my children in pakistan. Primary reason being that their urdu was lagging way behind,which is very ironic.So i wouldn’t know the struggles a Pakistani family settled abroad may be facing in preserving this beautiful language.But i would just like to thank you and tell you that your efforts are helping so many people from different back grounds and stories ,like me.Love to your children. They have an amazing role model in you.Stay blessed.☺

  8. Great suggestions….i would like to add that i live in dubai n m using oxford series “urdu ka guldasta” for my kids 5 n 7 yo.tht i brought frm pakistan…..n its working best along with all efforts like u hv mentioned here:)

  9. AssalaamAlaikum, I googled for online Urdu Childrens Stories so I camer accross your page. I think you are doing a wonderful job as mom.

    Few months back I started this project “Bachon ki Dunya”. My purpose was to promote Urdu. I produce childrens cartoons / animations. I would like you to advice me how to get in touch with parents / parents groups so that they know about our initiative. I would also love to hear your feedback about our cartoons.

    I don’t want to post the url here because maybe it won’t allowe me to post it here or see it as spam.

    Looking forward to your reply.

    Kamal Kazi

  10. Mashallah, this is a gold mine on how to teach Urdu n be a parent without losing it! My two older sons speak Urdu, though with hesitation at times, the youngest understands Urdu, but only speaks English. So, I will def use some or most of your ideas. Thanks much.

  11. Please add something related to formation of Urdu letter. Its quite difficult to teach children.

  12. Thank you for your ideas, it will really help me. I was feeling quite depress but now hope ful that I am not the only one who is struglling to teach them Urdu living out side Asia,
    Do u still do story time

  13. Thank you Urdu Mom for introducing us on facebook to such a fine urdu teacher – Arzoo Fatima. My kids have been learning from her and she is simply amazing. The kids love her and look forward to her weekly classes. Very satisfied with her teaching skills and there had been a remarkable improvement in the kids’ urdu diction!

  14. How old was girl when she started talking in Urdu. My son is 3 1/2 years old and talks in English only.

  15. So nicely written …

    I have a question I wanted to introduce Arabic alphabets to my daughter too BT I think she is getting confused as in shapes are similar as in Urdu but te sounds r not bw she knows english n Urdu alphabets completely n she is 2 and half year old

    What do u suggest on the basis of your experience that should I go ahead or wait a lil bit more to introduce Arabic

  16. AOA I’m student of bs(hons) at uog tomarrow is my paper and I am not successful to find the answer of 1 question can you help me?
    And the question is
    Strategies of teaching writing in urdu

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