Language Acquisition
Ellie is really enjoying German kindergarten. It's more akin to preschool than what Americans think of as kindergarten -- mostly free-play time as a socialization environment for 3-6 year olds. But more than that, it's a place where Ellie can learn how to navigate this German-speaking world we now inhabit.
![](http://coffeewithbarretts.com/blog/uploads/EllieGerman.jpg)
I knew language acquisition worked differently for little girls than for me, with my hours of intensive language study, but I didn't really understand the magnitude of the difference.
Ellie came home today saying that the children sat in a circle at kindergarten and passed around a stuffed animal, with each child saying something about it before passing it along. Ellie reported, "When it came to me, I said something in German!" "What did you say?" her parents excitedly inquired. "Well, I don't know...it was in German." Ah so.
![](http://coffeewithbarretts.com/blog/uploads/Trailer.jpg)
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Getting to Kindergarten in Style
![](http://coffeewithbarretts.com/blog/uploads/IslaGerman.jpg)
The Up-And-Coming German Student