Filipino for Kids: Best Resources to Teach Tagalog

Looking for resources to teach kids Tagalog? Below, we have compiled a list of resources to teach Tagalog to children. You will find useful websites, nursery rhyme videos, tagalog books, apps, and other products you may find necessary to help your child learn to speak and understand the Filipino language.

Teach Kids Tagalog

The recipe for teaching a second language to children may seem daunting and overwhelming. The abundance of resources to go through alone can take hours to look through, not to mention the gratification of your child being bilingual is not instantaneous. But this experience is not as painful as it needs to be. Because really, it is not. It does take patience, consistency, and a whole lot of grit.

Find below the following to help kids learn the Filipino language:

• Websites to teach kids Tagalog
• Tagalog Music for Kids
• Tagalog Books for Kids
• Apps to teach kids Tagalog
• Tagalog Worksheets

Websites to help teach kids Tagalog

There are many websites out there for Filipino families. Below are some of the websites that focus on teaching your kids Tagalog and immersing them in the language, so they come out as confident speakers, able to converse with others.

Some of these are geared more toward adults, but start with the kid-friendly ones and as your children progress in their learning, you can visit the other websites to challenge them and keep them engaged.

1. Dinolingo

Dinolingo is a kid-friendly website that introduces kids to the basics of the Tagalog language and into building confidence to start speaking fluently. Their philosophy centers around capturing your kids’ attention with playful designs, integrating strategic teaching techniques, and immediately encouraging them to speak. They offer lessons, books, stories, games, songs, and printables.
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2. Tagalog Kids+

Tagalog Kids+ is a non-profit organization that offers live zoom classes with other students, primarily kids, for a small fee. These small-group classes encourage kids to speak, listen, write, and interact with their peers in Tagalog. They also offer other resources such as worksheets, activities, storytime, books, and tutoring.
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3. L-Lingo Creative Language Learning

L-Lingo Creative Language Learning offers five free lessons of the basics of Tagalog, including first words, transportation and place words, and basic activities. If the student completes all five trials lessons and scores over 90%, they then offer a 50% discount on their full course.
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4. Tagalog 101  

Tagalog 101 is a great free resource for not only learning the vocabulary, but also understanding the language, i.e. its history, geography, the different dialects, and how to write it. This site offers flashcards, word lists, useful phrases, Tagalog news and newspapers, Tagalog radio, and Tagalog podcasts.
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6. Tagalog Lessons

TagalogLessons offers free introductory lessons, drills, flash cards, videos, and other tools for beginner and intermediate Tagalog language learners. There are also forums, a discussion group, practice quizzes, and videos all for free. Should you need more help or want to have a live teacher, they have a long list of native Tagalog speakers just waiting for the eager learner.
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Tagalog Music for Kids

Music is instrumental (pun intended) to not only learning a language, but also learning the culture. It is a fun and easy way to introduce a different language to your child that’s catchy and repetitive. Often, children sing songs they do not even understand, but just getting them to speak the words with tune not only helps broaden their vocabulary, but also helps their pronunciation.

1. Tagalog Nursery Rhymes

We’ve also compiled popular and catchy Tagalog nursery rhymes that Filipino kids grew up singing. This is a good introduction to Tagalog and to get your kids, especially the ones still too young for lessons, to hear a different language.
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2. Pinoy BK Channel

Pinoy BK Channel has numerous videos of kid-friendly Tagalog songs, as well as English songs that are translated into Tagalog. His videos are entertaining, and the songs are easy to remember.
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4. Pambata

If your child is more into cartoons, then this is a good channel to subscribe to. Not only does Pambata TV have playlist after playlist of popular Filipino children’s songs in cartoon-form, but it also has endless videos of Tagalog stories.
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5. Spotify  

Fret not, for during the holidays, you need not play the same nursery rhymes repeatedly. This spotify playlist is a compilation of Tagalog Christmas songs, and songs sung by Filipino artists to not only give variation to what you are listening to, but to also help bring the Christmas spirit – the Filipino way!

Tagalog Books for Kids

Another way to expose your kids to Tagalog and build their vocabulary is to read them books. Even reading just a page a day will help them. When you read to your children in Tagalog, they see and hear familiar words, and you are exposing them to unfamiliar ones. They start developing a grasp of the language by recognizing how they are used as you read each page.

1. Sandosenang Sapatos

Sandosenang Sapatos is available for download for free on the Kindle app. Find out why Susie’s father, who is a shoemaker, doesn’t make shoes for Susie in this short, but sweet story filled with colorful illustration that’s sure to delight your eager young readers.
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3. Filipino Friends        

This book is great to help build your children’s vocabulary. It follows Sam, a Filipino-American boy, during his first visit in the Philippines. Each page is riddled with Tagalog words and its English translation, and it shows the differences between the western and Filipino lifestyles.
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4. Salamat Po

Showing respect, especially to your elders, is a BIG deal in the Filipino culture. This book will not only help your children in their journey to learn Tagalog, but also help them learn an essential aspect of the Filipino culture.
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5. Am I small? Ako ba ay maliit

This a short and simple story about Tamia, who is looking to find the answer to her question, “Am I small?” This book is a bilingual edition that has both Tagalog and English translations. It teaches kids the words and the differences between the opposites. Whimsically illustrated and cleverly written, kids are sure to enjoy this and would want to read it all the time.
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6. Many Books

This website offers free Tagalog books for kids for online reading. This is a great resource for when you weren’t able to read a Filipino book to them throughout the day, and you find yourself in the evening, tucking them in, with a few minutes to spare. The books are short, yet sweet. Your kids will love them!
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Tagalog Apps for Kids

Apps are another great way to immerse your children in Tagalog. Below are a few apps that you can download to encourage speaking Tagalog.

1. Tagalog Toddler Games for Kids

Tagalog Toddler Games for Kids offers color, shape, numbers, letter, and animal recognition games that are fun, interactive, engaging, and energetic.
Find On Apple
Find On Android

2. Gus on the Go

Gus on the Go is a great app that’s very user-friendly and appealing. Kids learn the proper pronunciations of different vocabulary words such as animals, food, transportation, clothes, numbers, colors, parts of the body, and shapes.
See Website

Tagalog Worksheets for Kids

Sites where you can find worksheets to help your kids learn Tagalog, many of these are free.

1. Samutsamot    

Founded by a former teacher and homeschooling stay-at-home mum, Samut Samot offers free worksheets for all students and all levels. She even has worksheets for other subjects, too!
See Website

2. Teacher Abi

Teacher Abi shares many cleverly put-together worksheets for intermediate learners.
See Website

3. Fi-Am Learners

Fil-Am Learners is a great resource not only for worksheets, but also creative and fun activities.
See Website

4. Little Yellow Jeepney

You can find Tagalog books here, and you can also download and print free coloring pages for your kids.
See Website

5. Filipino Homeschooler

The free Tagalog worksheets that the Filipino Homeschooler shares are great for all levels and all subjects. This site also offers other resources that are beneficial to your children’s language learning.
See Website

Tagalog for Kids

There are several resources on the web to help your children learn Tagalog and encourage a confident speaker in the Fililipino language. The main keys are consistency and immersion. The more they hear Tagalog, the more they pick up words and sentence structures. Positive reinforcement motivates children.

Praise your kids constantly for trying to speak even if it is not yet perfect. If you are able, remember to always talk to them in Tagalog and in all places. It may seem difficult, especially if you are not surrounded by Tagalog speakers, but keep at it. You will see – hear – the fruits of your labor soon enough!

Did you find our Tagalog for Kids post useful? Do you know any more Filipino resources to teach kids Tagalog? Let us know!