[show_loggedin_as]
Little Sponges® was born out of my appreciation for children’s innate ability to learn multiple languages, respect for the value of bilingual education, and desire to make it accessible to more children. It was inspired by my experience of immigrating to the United States in my teen years, learning English as a second language, and becoming bilingual. It’s the culmination of many life experiences including teaching English to Hispanic immigrants, leading breakthrough innovations at P&G as well as raising 3 bilingual children. It took many amazing people from around the world to make Little Sponges® a reality! It is truly the first and only online language program that leverages the power of real-life videos, bilingual characters, songs, and interactive games to help young children become bilingual! The program develops listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in multiple languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic, and Russian.
Little Sponges® is based on the dual-immersion method of teaching, where students are taught in both their native language and their second language. This method has been proven to be more effective than other methods (i.e. ELL programs, bilingual programs, etc). The main characters of the program, Mishka and Frog, take children on many learning adventures that cover key academic topics, vocabulary terms and skills.
While Frog speaks English, Mishka always speaks the second language. This allows children to associate the language with the speaker. Little Sponges® program not only teaches a second language, but continues to build upon the child’s first language as well. Educators and parents can choose to implement the Full Immersion Course(s) or the Dual Language Course(s) to help their students develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in the target language(s). They can personalize the learning experience by allowing students to work at their skill level.
The child-friendly interface allows even the youngest students to navigate the program on their own. The on-demand content allows each child to learn at their own pace by pausing and/or repeating learning modules. Mishka and Frog provide ongoing support and feedback to help students stay engaged and motivated as they master new material. Children practice comprehension and reading while they play formative learning games and earn stars for answering questions correctly.
Through creative use of technology and media, Little Sponges® makes bilingual learning more engaging, effective, and equitable! Children who use our program have a head start on biliteracy but more importantly, they are learning to better understand the world and appreciate diversity!
If you would like to learn more about Little Sponges®, you may use the buttons below.
I hope you’ll enjoy exploring our website and would love an opportunity to connect with you personally.
Natalya Seals, Founder and CEO
natalya@little-sponges.com