Learning Latin for Kids

We have discovered a great way of learning Latin for kids that are in grades between 2 and 5. We reviewed Olim, Once upon a Time in Latin, Reader I and Olim, Once Upon a time in Latin, Workbook I the past month and a half or so. This program is made my Laurelwood Books and we will tell you how we used them and how we liked them.

Olim, Once upon a Time in Latin, Reader I is a small book with several stories. All the stories are in English first and then in Latin. What I love about it is that all of the vocabulary is on the sides of the pages for easy learning of new words and to make sense of the text.

To begin our Latin lesson using this material, I read through the first lesson in both the reader and the workbook. I found it very easy to follow, even though my Latin isn’t very advanced. I could definitely see how much I would be learning from it, so it was exciting.

The Reader

Next, I sat with my two children to read the first story. It was The Three Little Pigs in Latin from the Olim, Once upon a Time in Latin, Reader I. We discussed the story, even though they had already heard that story many times. There were some new terms to define before moving onto the Latin version of the story.

This program is for my son, but I find that my 4-year old daughter enjoys sitting with us to listen to the reading of the stories aloud, both in English and in Latin. So I read the story in Latin, using the helpful and handy vocabulary lists on the side of each page. They helped us translate, understand and apply the new words in our reading.

By each word, there are symbols to help us learn what kind of word it is (adjective, verb, etc). And we also got a good explanation on how pronunciation varies, depending on whether we embrace the Classical or the Ecclesiastical pronunciation. We had a lot of fun reading through. They asked me to read it again and then my son offered to read it himself a third time! Yay!

The Workbook

Now, for the technical part. The Olim, Once Upon a time in Latin, Workbook I is very complete and thorough. It does a great job at explaining Latin rules, derivatives, declensions and so much more. It is technical and takes care of the logistics of Latin. The workbook includes translation from English to Latin and from Latin to English. It also has explanations on derivatives, declensions and other essentials when it comes to learning and really grasping Latin.

There are some sections called Digging Deeper in the lessons that I think are for the older kids, but my son still enjoys doing them. I enjoy them, too. All in all, I definitely recommend this first reader and look forward to completing the I and then move on to II and III. It is hard finding language programs that both teach good material and that is fun. This one is both and I an happy that it interests both my son and me.