This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
As we get back into school mode I wanted to bring this post back to the top. I get so many questions on what we use for homeschool curriculum or free resources to use, and this is by far one of the family favorites!!
Recently we were introduced to a new language app, DuoLingo, that we love. It’s completely free, so I thought some of you might also enjoy it.
We have been using Rosetta Stone for the past few years, but the software has glitches and costs a pretty penny. It did teach them quite a bit, but it also has drawbacks… like it’s on a computer and who hauls a computer around these days.
DuoLingo is an app or website that you can use to learn over 20 different languages. No matter what device you use it will track your progress across all the languages. We have it on a computer, my phone and an iPad so we can learn pretty much anywhere.
One of my girls took the pre-test it offers and tested out of a number of lessons (thanks Rosetta stone). So if you already know a bit you don’t have to start over at the beginning. The pre-test will see where you should start and jump you there.
The girls all agree that it is more fun that Rosetta Stone because it makes you feel like you are playing a game. There are levels to complete and points to earn. The points don’t mean much, but you can redeem them for fun clothes for your little owl character. I am enjoying that they want to borrow my phone to learn Spanish rather than playing games.
In terms of school, I’ve been pleased with how well rounded it is. DuoLingo teaches vocabulary, grammar, diction, translating from Spanish to English and English to Spanish, tenses, and a lot more. Rosetta Stone has very little translation in sentences and almost nothing is geared to typing Spanish.
(I can’t tell you the answer…)
Did I mention this was a free app?? There is a DuoLingo Plus that turns off ads, but we’ve not ever needed to upgrade.
There is also a classroom feature that parents or teachers can use to see what progress your kids have made and areas they are a week in! You’ll find this under the account settings where you can turn on progress sharing.
One downside, because of the amount of translation and typing it is harder to use for my 8 year old. She can handle Rosetta Stone since it is mostly pictures and matching, but with DuoLingo she needs someone to help her remember how to spell the Spanish words.
A Mom Note: I would also recommend going in and changing the privacy settings for kids to disable the forum and to make the profile private. With a public profile strangers can find them and start to chat, and that weirds this mama out.
