Resources

There are so many great resources out there online, but it’s not always easy to find them. So I’ll add ones here as I go!

Websites for materials you can download and print:

  • iSL Collective: Free worksheets created by DaF teachers. You just have to register.
  • Lehrermarktplatz: A great collection of materials! Registration is free. Some materials are free to download; others cost a fee – usually small.
  • Kindersuppe: For an annual fee of about €35, you can download a variety of German materials.
  • Lehrmittel Perlen: For an annual fee of about €20, you can download all kinds of German materials.
  • Twinkl has resources for all kinds of courses, including German. You can download a few for free, but then you need a membership (starting at $5 per month – also plans for schools available)
  • Twisty Noodle: This site makes it easy to create customizable coloring pages, books, and handwriting practice sheets.
  • Languagenut: I only just discovered this site. I haven’t had the chance to try it out yet. You do have to pay a fee. They offer 20 languages. It’s really intended for teachers, so they have “school packages” or you can choose “home school” for $50 per year.
  • education.com: This site has a few worksheets in German that you can download. You can join for free and download a limited number of worksheets per month. You can also pay a fee to get unlimited worksheets and workbooks.
  • Lernfrosch: Free materials to download, plus lots of teaching ideas for “Freiarbeit” in the classroom. The blog is written by a teacher in Austria, who teaches 4th grade – so her materials are geared toward that age/level.
  • Ideenreise: Free materials to download on all kinds of subjects in German.
  • Grundschul Teacher: “Material, Montessori & Tipps”
  • Lehrerheld: a collection of materials posted by various authors on different subjects. Materials may have to be purchased on an individual basis.
  • Lernstübchen: a teacher’s blog with free downloads.
  • KiGa Portal: materials and activities for ages 1 – 7, broken down by age. Some materials are free. For others, you must have a subscription.

Story Listening Resources:

Websites for books and stories:

  • Storybooks Minnesota has created stories that you can read and listen to online.
  • Sonja Mengkowski: She is an artist who creates artwork for children. Working together with children’s author, Linéa Sommer, they have created short stories for children that you can read for free online. You can also download some stories and images along with teaching instructions on the Lernfrosch website (scroll down to find the file).

Websites / Blogs with ideas you can try right now:

  • Kita Turnen: Lots of ideas to get kids moving while making use of a wide variety of household items. There are also children’s songs and Fingerspiele, organized by topic.
  • ABCund123: This site is geared more for learning difficulties. But it has a lot of great ideas and free materials.

Websites for materials you can order:

  • Book Depository: They have a large selection of German books and ship for free!
  • Amazon.de: You can not only find books, but also other products, like games, puzzles, maps, etc. Note that not all products ship to the US.
  • Montessori Lernwelten: I love the Montessori method. I was excited to find this website that also ships to the US. You have to search around a bit to find materials that will work for teaching German, since of course it’s meant for German-speaking children. My favorite item I ordered was a perpetual calendar with the season, month, day, and date. It was a bit pricey (about €49,90), but well worth it, since we use it every day.
  • Lil’ollo: They create materials (flashcards, posters, coloring pages, etc.) in dual language: English + Spanish, Traditional and Simplified Mandarin, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Polish and Welsh. It looks like you can order products or they are also working on printables.

Websites for songs and rhymes:

  • Kita-Kiste: Lieder, Noten & Projekte für Kita und Grundschule – includes videos with words, free sheet music downloads, and MP3 files to purchase.