Unlocking Fluency: Smart Language Activities for 8–10 Year Olds

Building Fluency and Confidence

Between the ages of 8 and 10, children:

Can read and write with more ease.
Have well-defined interests (sports, science, art, video games, animals…).
Are capable of having short conversations.
Start to compare languages, notice grammar rules, and look for meaning.
May resist if they don’t understand the purpose of something

This last point is key: fun is no longer enough. Now, the language must also be useful, personal, and meaningful.
The good news? There are a thousand ways to achieve this. Let’s take a look.

1. Learning Through Personal Interests

Does your child love dinosaurs? Are they fascinated by space, soccer, or board games? Then… that’s your entry point.

Key tip:
Don’t impose the language as just another subject. Instead, connect it to what they already love.

Examples:

If they like soccer, watch matches narrated in the second language, learn sports vocabulary, and watch player interviews.
If they’re into video games, explore the game in the target language, follow YouTube gamers who speak it, or read walkthroughs in that language.
If they love animals, have them research their favorite animal and present it as a “mini-expert” using key words in the second language.

Language stops being “something to study” and becomes “a tool to explore what I care about.”

2. Everyday Conversations and Open Questions

At this age, you can go beyond routine phrases. Start having short, real conversations in the second language.

Begin with everyday topics:

How was your day?
What did you eat for lunch?
What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
If you could be any animal, what would you be?

You don’t need to do it all in the second language. Ask simple questions, translate part of what they say, or use visuals if they get stuck. What matters most is that they practice expressing themselves without fear.

“Speaking is the most important step toward fluency—and the one that creates the most anxiety. That’s why it must be fun and free of judgment.”
— Stephen Krashen, language acquisition expert

Tip: Go first. If you talk about your day in the language (even with mistakes), you’re modeling what you want them to do.

3. Reading and Creative Writing

Children at this age can begin reading short books, comics, or adapted stories—and also create their own!

Reading Ideas:

Bilingual or leveled readers (e.g. “easy readers”)
Adapted classic tales
Visual comics with simple phrases (like Geronimo Stilton, Dog Man, etc. in the target language)
Kids’ magazines on science, animals, or hobbies

Writing Ideas:

Bilingual journal: one sentence a day about how they feel, what they learned, or what they did
Short invented stories with illustrations
Postcards or letters to “imaginary characters” or family members
Book or movie reviews (just a few sentences—with help if needed)

Don’t correct every mistake. Focus on their effort, communication, and enthusiasm.

4. Games With More Linguistic Complexity

They’re now ready to play games that involve more thinking, reading, or speaking than just single words.

Great games for this stage:

Riddles in the second language
Hangman with themed vocabulary
“Stop” or “Scattergories” with categories in the second language (animal, color, food…)
20 Questions to guess people or places
Charades using words in the target language
Create your own board game (invent rules, pieces, and play in a second language)

These types of games strengthen vocabulary, mental agility, and confidence, without feeling like “learning.”

5. Medium-Term Projects: Meaningful Challenges

At this age, children can work toward small goals and feel proud of their achievements. Propose creative challengeswhere the language is part of the process—not the end goal.

Examples:

Create a recipe in the target language, cook it together, and film a “cooking show” video
Research a country where the language is spoken and build a visual presentation
Prepare a short play or comedy sketch
Make an exhibit about their pet (real or imaginary) with photos, drawings, and phrases
Join a “new word challenge”: learn 20 themed words in a week

Projects give the language purpose. They make kids feel “this is useful,” which boosts internal motivation.

6. Real-World Interactions

Now’s the perfect time to show that the language isn’t artificial—it’s a gateway to people, cultures, and real-life experiences.

If you travel: involve them in ordering food, reading signs, or asking simple questions
If you don’t: video call with a child who speaks the language, write to a pen pal, interact with tourists (if safe), or look for local opportunities (workshops, clubs, community events)

Nothing motivates them more than using the language in “real life.”

In Summary:

✔️ Children aged 8–10 can start using the language with more purpose and structure
✔️ Leverage their interests as fuel for learning
✔️ Introduce real conversations, functional reading, and creative writing
✔️ Use thinking games, creative tasks, and rules to keep learning playful
✔️ Propose projects that give meaning to language use
✔️ Connect them to real-world contexts and speakers whenever possible

At this stage, confidence is everything.
It’s not about speaking perfectly—it’s about feeling capable, curious, and connected to the language.
And you, with every word of encouragement and every shared activity, are nurturing that confidence.