The Toddler Language Hack [GERMANY]

Elias Finn
A Teenager Explains How He Learned Fluent Chinese Using Apps as a Toddler
Introduction
Hey! I’m Elias Finn. I’m 13, and I speak three languages—German, Chinese and English. And when I say “speak,” I mean with no accent. When I talk to my German friends, they think I’ve lived in Germany all my life. In Chinese, I sound like a kid from Beijing. And in English? I’m just your regular LA kid.
Not too long ago, if you spoke two or three languages, it was usually because your parents came from different cultures. That’s not really my story. Both my parents are German, we live in Bonn, and we spend a lot of time in Los Angeles because of my mom’s work. So yeah, German and English? That’s kind of automatic. But Chinese? That’s a whole different story. I’ve never even been to China, but I’ve spent a lot of time there—well, online, anyway.
By the time I was born, the first iPad had just come out, and it changed everything. My generation was the first to have the chance to learn languages in a completely new way, all because of that little screen. And yep, you guessed it—the minute I could crawl or walk, there was no keeping the iPad away from me. So my parents did something I think every parent should try. Instead of battling me over screen time, my mom downloaded Chinese learning apps made for little kids.
Here’s the thing: experts agree the best time to learn a language is super early—like before school even starts. But thanks to technology, we no longer have to worry about missing that "perfect window" Toddlers are natural language sponges—it’s pure survival instinct, like their brains are built to soak it all up effortlessly.
And guess what? I’m living proof—it totally worked! I’m in middle school now, and while my friends are stuck cramming vocab lists, I’m just chilling, learning Minecraft coding instead. Honestly, people think being trilingual is a huge flex. Like, when I’m at a friend’s house, my friends turn to their parents all dramatic, like, “Why didn’t you do this for me?”
I’ll tell you why: their parents fell into the trap of thinking they had to know the language their kid was learning. Spoiler alert—they don’t. The only word my parents know in Chinese is "ni hao" and even that sounds more like "meow" when they say it.
The really cool part? My parents filmed me a ton on their phones when I was a toddler, learning Chinese on the iPad. They were so amazed by it that they had to share it with my grandparents.
Now I’ve watched those videos so many times that it almost feels like I actually remember those moments—even though I probably don’t. But watching them gave me a pretty clear idea of how it all worked—and honestly, it’s not rocket science.
Here’s why I’m telling you this: I think more parents should try it for their kids. Seriously, it could completely change how your kid sees the world. Speaking lots of languages isn’t just cool (though, let’s be real, it totally is). It’s a way to truly connect with people everywhere.
And if more kids grew up like this? Maybe it wouldn’t be so easy for people to say bad things about “the Chinese” or “the Germans” or “the Americans” or anyone else. And maybe, just maybe, wars would feel unthinkable—because now we talk to each other, spend hours playing FIFA and Among Us, and build worlds in Minecraft together. Now we are friends.
The Science Stuff
Okay, wait! Don’t skip this part! It’s just a quick dive into how the brain and language work so you can see why right now, is the perfect time for your toddler to start learning a new language. Plus, it’ll explain why middle school vocab drills never really work (sound familiar?).
Here’s the deal: when babies are born, their brains can actually hear every sound humans make in every language. Seriously, they’re like tiny sound experts. From the rolling ‘r’ in Spanish to the tricky tones in Mandarin, they catch it all. Patricia Kuhl, a language expert, calls them ‘citizens of the world’ because they can hear and process sound differences from every language out there.
But by six months old, babies’ brains start zooming in on the sounds they need for their main language—the one they hear all the time. Sounds they don’t need? They get filtered out. By the time kids are five years old, this whole tuning process is pretty much locked in. The brains are now wired for the language they hear daily—which makes learning new ones way harder.
This “critical period”—from birth until around age five—is why learning a language early is such a big deal. Once this window closes, it’s a lot harder to pick up the same level of pronunciation and fluency. And just so you know I’m not making this up, check out the video of me on YouTube when I was about to start school, chatting away in Chinese. Show it to your Chinese friends and ask them if I have an accent!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63tWmL7MmU0
That’s the magic of learning a language as a toddler. The good news is, now you know how to beat the system! Yep, I’m talking about the school system. For some weird reason, schools haven’t caught on that language learning should start way earlier, like in preschool, and then build on it in elementary school. Instead, they wait until middle school, even though everyone knows—during puberty, learning a language is way down on the list, somewhere between dragging yourself out of bed and dealing with acne.
So spare yourself and your teenager the misery of drilling vocab into his tired head—get over your obsession with limiting screen time to the bare minimum, load the right stuff on that iPad (and I’ll tell you what that is), and just hand the darn thing to your toddler. He’ll thank you in 10 years.
Music Magic
Alright, now that you’re pumped about helping your kid learn a new language, let’s get serious: grab a spreadsheet, track every second they practice, and help them memorize 10 new words a day with flashcards.
Kidding! Chill—you don’t need to do any of that.
When I was three, I already knew about 10-15 Chinese songs—seriously! There’s even a video of me in the kitchen, belting them out, hopping from one tune to the next like it was some epic medley. So how do you teach a kid a song if you don’t even know the words? Easy—you don’t. You’re just the download guru. Let YouTube do the heavy lifting.
Type in “Chinese songs for kids” (or whatever language you’re aiming for), and boom—you’ve got a whole playlist of catchy, kid-friendly songs. The trick? Download those songs to a device, like an iPad, and make sure it’s the only thing on there. No distractions, no random games—just music magic.
When I was three, my absolute favorite was “Hu Die” (the Butterfly Song). It’s a simple, repetitive song that’s colorful, animated, and sung by kids. I’d constantly ask my mom, “What does that say?” and pointed to the English subtitles. She’d read them to me, and that’s how I started understanding the meaning behind the words.
I promise, if your kid listens to this song for a week, by day five, they’ll be singing it by heart. That’s what happened to me. Picture this: three-year-old me, strapped in my car seat, and my mom goes, “Elias, can you tell me about the butterfly song?” I just started singing it—word for word. It wasn’t baby gibberish either; it actually sounded like Chinese! My mom was so stunned, she made me sing it again.
After mastering “Hu Die,” we moved on to “Da Xiang” (the Elephant Song). I sang it every day, probably a hundred times. Now my parents can’t forget that da xiang means “elephant.” I taught them that!
Then came numbers, colors, animals—you name it. Just search “Chinese songs for kids numbers 1-10” on YouTube. Your toddler will pick up their first 150 Chinese words without even realizing it. Little kids thrive on repetition, so they’ll listen to the same songs so much you’ll hear them in your sleep. And guess what? That’s exactly what makes language stick.
Here’s the deal: no matter your age, learning a language needs exercise, repetition, and consistency—even for a toddler. Most plans fail at consistency because life happens, but not in my family. From age three (you can start even earlier, like 18 months), I listened to Chinese songs every morning while munching on bananas.
I can hear some of you saying, “No way am I giving my toddler screen time first thing in the morning!” But here’s the thing—try scheduling 30 minutes for language learning at another time of the day, and you’ll quickly find it’s tough to stick to. My mom didn’t try to carve out extra time; she made language learning part of our existing routine. I mean, you’ve got to eat, right? Breakfast or snack time was perfect—consistent and stress-free. Whether at home, on vacation, or at Grandma’s, it was always iPad, fruit, and Chinese songs. My mom got her coffee, and I worked on my language skills.
Now that I’m 13, guess what I’m still doing between 7:30 and 8 am? Learning Chinese. Ten years of habit—it’s just part of who I am now.
Apps - A Learning Revolution
Ever wonder why Sesame Street was such a hit but didn’t totally pull off its big plan? It was made to help kids from every kind of background get ready for school by teaching letters, numbers, and reading. The idea was genius: show it on TV for free so even kids whose parents didn’t have a lot of time or money could learn.
But here’s the thing—studies showed that while Sesame Street got kids hyped about learning, it didn’t close the gap between kids from low-income families and wealthier ones. Why? Because the magic really happened when parents watched with their kids. They’d sing along, repeat words, and talk about the show after. Kids whose parents didn’t have the time? They didn’t get that extra boost, so the gap stayed pretty much the same.
Fast forward to today, and we’re living in the digital age! Unlike the 1960s, we now have apps and video games—technology that doesn’t just show learning but engages kids in it. The magic of apps lies in their interactivity. They challenge your kid, talk back, reward progress, and make learning feel like a game.
That’s the key. The minute this stuff becomes interactive, it sticks. All that stuff your kid has learned so far—words like butterfly, elephant—get ready to download Chinese flashcards for kids. It’s an app, it’s free, and it’s way more fun than you are when you sit in front of your kid and hold up a flashcard. When the app says "dà xiàng" and your kid is presented with four pictures of animals and taps on the elephant picture, the app bursts out with an awesome shout, plays a fanfare, and even pops balloons.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly your kid excels at it. Oh my god, I played this for hours! On that app, you can find flashcards for numbers, colors, shapes, the human body, vehicles, animals—basically, a full vocabulary download into your kid's brain because it’s interactive. Your kid is actually learning by playing this game.
And the best part? Sit down with your kid and tell them, "Let me have a try." Watch what happens—you won’t be able to do what your three year old can do. And trust me, your kid gets the biggest kick out of that. Then, when friends or grandparents come over, you’ll say, “Look what my kid can do. Just watch this.” And they’ll watch this little hand tap on pictures and getting it right all the time, amazed. They will shower your kid with praise and admiration. Do you think your kid is motivated to learn more now? You bet!
All of this doesn’t just help your kid—it’ll get you pumped too, because you’ll start looking for more ways to expose them to the language. Like, my mom found this ad for Chinese storytime at the local library. Picture this: twenty preschoolers sitting on the floor, and I’m the only blonde kid, while everyone else is either fully or half-Chinese. A lady holding a big book points at a picture and asks in Chinese, “What is this?” I’m like, “Xuěrén!” (snowman) or “māo” (cat). Everyone—including the lady and other parents—was totally surprised. My mom had seen me playing with the flashcard app, but the proof is in the pudding—would all that online learning actually work in the real world? Well, it did! And then the story lady gave me a prize! It made me want to speak Chinese even more—not just because it was fun, but because I loved the praise!
Storytime - Great, I Can Watch TV!
Can you believe it? Your preschooler could actually start watching TV shows in Chinese! Crazy, right? It’s like magic—after a few songs and flashcards, they’re ready to go. Here’s how it worked for me: at first, I only knew enough words to sorta get the gist of the story. But after watching the same episodes over and over again, I kind of figured out what they were saying.
If you wanna try this, here are the shows that I loved: download them onto your kid’s iPad. Start with 64 Zoo Lane. It’s this old animated series from 1999 made by the BBC and France 3. The main character, Lucy, lives next to a zoo, and every night the animals tell her bedtime stories. Each story teaches new words, and the language is super simple—perfect for kids.
But don’t forget: instead of watching it in your own language, download it in Mandarin (or whatever language you want your kid to learn). You can usually find episodes on YouTube, but don’t overdo it—download just five episodes at a time. Play one during breakfast every morning. By the end of the week, your kid will know those episodes inside and out. Then you can download a few new ones while keeping the old ones for review. The secret is repetition. Kids need to hear stuff over and over until they basically know it by heart.
And don’t freak out about screen time! The more they watch, the better. I used to let episode play in the background while I was building LEGO. Eventually, the words started sticking. If I didn’t get something, I’d ask my parents, “What does this mean?” They’d read the English subtitles for me, and little by little, I started to get it. Pretty soon, I knew what was coming next and could even repeat the lines with the characters!
After your kid gets tired of 64 Zoo Lane (and trust me, that’ll take months), switch to Peppa Pig. It’s so fun! It’s about this little pig named Peppa and her family, and they go on silly adventures. It’s perfect because the language is simple but super useful.
Pro Tip: When looking for Chinese shows, check Netflix too! Many popular kids' shows are dubbed into Mandarin, like my favorite, Dragon Riders. Just make sure the content fits their language level. Even if your kid loves something advanced in your native language, it might be too tricky in Mandarin. For example, my mom once tried showing me Cars in Chinese, but I didn’t care—it was too hard. Stick to something like Peppa Pig as long as you can. If you don’t give them other options, they’ll watch it over and over and learn so much!
Eventually, your preschooler will understand every word in a Peppa Pig episode—without even trying! The show is for kids aged 2-6, so basically, they’ll be able to follow along like a Chinese preschooler.
Now you’re probably wondering, “What about speaking practice?” Well, if your kid is like me, it’s simple. I’d point at stuff while shopping with my mom and say the Chinese word. I’d even approach random Asians on the street and speak to them in Chinese. Yep, you guessed it, I’m an extrovert. I never stop talking. My mom actually has to remind me to take a breath so she can get a word in! But some kids are a little shy about showing off what they’ve learned. I had this Chinese friend with two Chinese parents, but he refused to answer them in Chinese. He always replied in English because that’s what he spoke at preschool. One time, his parents took us to a Chinese restaurant, where everything—menus, waiters—was in Chinese. They asked him to get the waiter, but he got super shy and hid under the table! So they asked me. I walked up, told the waiter in Chinese that we wanted to pay, and brought him over. His parents were like, “Wow, you’re better at Chinese than our son!” But honestly, that wasn’t true. A few years later, my friend’s vocabulary was way bigger than mine because he spoke Chinese all the time at home and spent every summer in Taiwan.
So don’t stress if your kid doesn’t wanna “show off” their skills right away. They’re soaking it all in, and one day—BOOM—they’ll open their mouth, and out will come fluent Chinese. From then on, they’ll always speak it. It’s just a matter of time.
Oops - I’m talking to Someone in China
Now it’s time for your child to put their learning into action. It’s no longer just about watching videos or listening to songs. By this point, your little one is probably around four years old, and as you hear them chatter away in a language you don’t understand, you might find yourself wondering—is this real foreign language speech, or is my imagination just running wild?
Here’s what my mom did. She found websites where you could book Chinese lessons online, and here’s the kicker—they give you a free trial lesson for 30 minutes. My mom was all about finding that next step to push me to the next level—whether it was through a tutor or a school. This was the perfect way to see if I could actually speak and understand Chinese, not just watch cartoons or repeat words like a parrot.
So when I was four, my mom put me in front of the computer, and a Chinese lady appeared on the screen. She said, "Ni hao" (hello), and I was like, “Oh, she’s talking to me!” Since I liked getting attention, I said "Ni hao" back. I remember this because my mom recorded it all on her phone to show my grandparents. I was standing on a chair, leaning over the keyboard, staring at the screen. The nice lady was all smiles but also a bit nervous, worried she wouldn’t be able to communicate with me.
She gently asked me, "What is your name?" I understood and said, "Elias." It took her a little while to get my name right, but we managed. Then she asked how old I was, and I said, "I’m four!" I could do this! My mom's face lit up with pride.
After that, she asked about my family and how many siblings I had. Then we talked about Peppa Pig, and I told her all about Peppa, Suzy Sheep, and Danny Dog in Chinese. I even sang a few songs! Then, about 20 minutes in, I turned to my mom and said in German, “Mom, I’m a little tired now.” My mom, like a true German mother said, “I understand, Elias, but you still have 10 minutes left.”
This was my first time doing online tutoring, way before COVID-19 hit. We tried a few more websites that offered free trial lessons, but my mom wasn’t ready to commit to any of them. They all wanted you to pay a big fee upfront, like $2,000 for a year or two. Even my mom, who believed in me learning Chinese, wasn’t sure about making that kind of commitment. She feared that it might not work out—like anybody’s New Year resolution to learn a new language, where you're super motivated at first but then it gets tough, and you end up skipping lessons or quitting altogether. She didn’t want that to happen.
Then my mom found this app called iTalki—total game-changer! It’s a site where you learn languages by chatting with real people, kind of like having a personal tutor. My mom looked for Mandarin teachers, and we found Lily, a student who’s been my tutor since I was 5.
Every morning during breakfast, we’d talk for 30 minutes—and still do. Back then, it was all about getting me to form sentences, and Lily made it fun. We’d chat about my favorite movies, like How to Train Your Dragon. I learned “dragon” in Chinese so fast! We’d even play guessing games with characters from movies like Harry Potter, and it never felt like “learning,” even though my vocabulary was exploding.
The cost? Lessons range from $4 to $80 depending on the language and teacher, but Chinese is super affordable. Lily’s lessons started at $4 and now cost $9 after eight years. My parents spend about $200 a month, but that’s about the same as any other lessons—tennis, piano, whatever.
During our time in America, my mom discovered a preschool where one of the caretakers, Ms Tse, was Chinese. She had a wonderful goal: introducing every child to Chinese. While the kids typically spoke English with one another and the other caretakers, Ms. Tse’s daily use of simple Chinese phrases—like “It’s lunchtime,” “Wash your hands,” or “Go to the bathroom”—made a significant impact. She also hosted a daily storytime, reminiscent of the ones I’d loved at the local library. Those small yet consistent exposures—through apps, chats with Lily, and my time at the preschool—left lasting language memories in my brain.
Reading - That looks funny!
When I knew my ABCs in German, my mom thought it would be cool if I could learn some characters in Chinese too. But when she saw a Chinese character with like 15 strokes, she nearly freaked out. She started sweating, feeling dizzy, and thought, “What am I doing to this kid?” But honestly, Chinese characters are way more fun to learn than the ABCs. A lot of them started as little pictures of real things—like animals, trees, mountains, and rivers. Thousands of years ago, people in ancient China used something called "oracle bone script" carving these pictures into bones and shells. Over time, those pictures turned into the characters we use now.
For example:
The character for "mountain" (山, shān) used to look like a drawing of three peaks, almost like a doodle of a mountain.
The character for "river" (川, chuān) was just wavy lines to represent flowing water.
The character for "mouth" (口, kǒu) originally started as a drawing of an open mouth.
The character for "sun" (日, rì) looked like a circle with a dot in the center, mimicking the appearance of the sun in the sky.
The character for "fire" in Chinese is 火 (huǒ) looked like a simple drawing of flames.
As time passed, Chinese characters got simpler, but they still hold a bit of their original form, which is part of what makes Chinese calligraphy so cool—it’s like a mix of art, history, and language all in one! Unlike alphabets, where each letter represents a sound, a Chinese character has its own unique meaning, and when you put two characters together, they can create a whole new meaning.
Just get this, the character for "volcano" in Chinese is 火山 (huǒ shān), which combines 火 (huǒ, meaning "fire" and 山 (shān, meaning "mountain"). So when you combine these two characters, you get the meaning of "fire mountain" which is a perfect way to describe a volcano!
So, here’s the fun part: kids actually learn best through play. And what’s better for that than memory games? These days, it’s not just about the old-school memory cards you may still have tucked away on a shelf. Sure, those are great, but we’re in a digital age. So, go ahead and let your kid play the app version.
The app version of memory isn’t just about matching pictures. Imagine one where your kid sees the character for “huo” (火) and has to match it with a picture of fire. When they get it right? Fanfare!Applause! And the best part? They can play this as many times as they want—way more than you’d have the patience for with physical cards.
And just like with any screen time, make sure the apps you choose are age-appropriate. Younger kids need bright colors, sounds, and encouragement like “Good job!” Apps like Quizlet might be great for older kids, but preschoolers need something more engaging and visual. Try a few different Chinese memory apps, and see which one your kid likes best.
I know I’ve said it before, but here’s the deal: don’t put anything in their native language on the device. Only let them use stuff in the target language. That way, every time they open an app, it’s like a secret language lesson without even realizing it. It’s all part of the plan to help them learn the language, and they won’t even know they’re working!
Ever heard of the 10,000-hour rule? It’s the idea that mastering anything takes about 10,000 hours of practice. Now think about how many hours your kid could rack up just by chatting with a student in Beijing for 30 minutes on iTalki, listening to Chinese songs while building Lego masterpieces, watching Chinese TV shows, or playing with flashcard and memory apps. That adds up fast! Before they even graduate high school, your kid could hit those 10,000 hours, putting them in an amazing spot—not just for acing language tests, but also for jobs in your country and in the places where the language is spoken.
When my mom saw me killing it on the memory app, she leveled up. She found a local group of Chinese moms running a weekly kids' reading club. Pro tip: If you look, you’ll find stuff like this—there are people from China everywhere these days. She called them, and I was in. One mom sat with three kids, and we’d take turns reading from Sagebooks by Lucia L. Lau super simple, with big pics, so it was easy to keep up.
I think my mom signed me up to show me that learning to read in Chinese was totally doable. And honestly, I’m not even a great reader in any of the three languages I speak—I’m more of an audiobook and movie person. But because I was exposed early, even someone like me, who isn’t big on reading, can still read in three languages.
Lily and I also started reading Sagebooks together during our 30-minute iTalki sessions. We didn’t spend the whole time doing it—just about 10 minutes a day. But trust me, even that little bit makes a huge difference if you do it daily. The rest of the time, we were still playing games and practicing in other ways. It’s all about keeping it fun and doing it regularly, which is a great lesson for pretty much anything you want to get good at in life.
Now What?
If your kid’s ready for school now, they’re probably pretty solid in both their native language and the language they’ve learned. They can talk, know basic numbers, letters, and maybe even a few characters if it’s Chinese, plus have pretty good pronunciation. So, technically, you’ve done your job. But practically? Now comes the long haul.
But don’t worry, I’ll dive into that in my next essay. When I was 11, I cycled around Taiwan with my parents, and once people realized I could speak Chinese, they all wanted to talk to us. I interpreted for my parents, and we could have real conversations with everyone—whether it was the street food vendor or people from Tianan who invited us to stay at their home for three days.
It was definitely the best vacation we ever had. I even posted a 5 minute video on youtube about our Taiwan trip.
Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRKGh5vv568&t=184s
Whatever I did between ages 6 and 12 to keep my Chinese going clearly worked, and I’ll share all that in the next post. Also, at 15, I plan to live abroad for a year, just like my older siblings did. There’s this program called American Field Service, where you can stay with a family anywhere in the world and go to their public school. My brother went to Malaysia, my sister to Costa Rica, and I’m thinking China. I’ll tell you all about that in my third essay.
But until then, do your kid a favor and try The Toddler Language Hack! You’ll be amazed.
Elias Finn is a 13-year-old from Bonn, Germany, who has spent a lot of time in the United States due to his mother's work. Naturally bilingual, Elias learned a third language, Chinese, entirely through apps starting when he was a toddler—despite his parents not speaking Chinese and him never having been to China. He attends school in Germany, but during longer stays in America, he goes to a public school in Los Angeles. Elias loves playing soccer, spending time in Minecraft, and above all, he adores his hand-raised parakeet, Angel.

Photo provided by author.

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