Learning Dutch for kids is easiest the way Dutch toddlers learn it: with songs, picture books, counting games and a lot of chatting about everyday things. This free hub has eight short games in Dutch and English: the Dutch alphabet from a van aap to z van zebra, numbers in Dutch from 1 to 100, and picture words for animals, fruits, vegetables, colours and body parts. Every word is spoken in clear audio, so children who cannot read yet can tap, listen and play.
What your child learns in Dutch here
- Alphabet: 26 letter cards, each with a picture word, like k van kat and o van olifant.
- Numbers: a tap-to-hear chart from één to honderd, with a "Count with me" button.
- Animals: 60 animals, from de koe to het zeepaardje.
- Fruits and vegetables: 30 each, from de appel to de aardappel.
- Colours: 12 colours, including oranje, the national colour.
- Body parts: 30 words, from het hoofd to de teen.
Each noun is spoken with its article, de or het. Dutch has no simple rule for which one a word takes, so hearing de kat and het paard again and again is the best way to learn them.
How young children in the Netherlands learn
Dutch children often go to kinderopvang (day care) as babies and to a peuterspeelzaal or peuteropvang (toddler group) from about two. The big step comes early: children start basisschool (primary school) on the day after their fourth birthday, and school is compulsory from five. The first two years, groep 1 and groep 2, are the kleuters (infant) years. Kleuters learn through play, the morning circle (de kring), themes, songs and crafts, and they get ready for reading by listening for rhymes and first sounds. Formal reading and writing begin in groep 3, at about six.
In Flanders, the Dutch-speaking north of Belgium, children can start kleuterschool at two and a half and move to lagere school at six. The written language is the same; some words and the accent differ, and Flemish Dutch is often called Vlaams.
Which Dutch game to start with, by age
| Age | Start here | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Animals and colours | Understands many words, says a few: poes, bal, rood |
| 3-4 | Fruits, body parts, numbers 1-10 | Ready for the peuter group or the first weeks of groep 1 |
| 4-5 (groep 1) | Find it and Memory, numbers to 20 | Short sentences: "De appel is rood." |
| 5-6 (groep 2) | Alphabet, numbers to 100 | Hears first sounds, knows some letters, counts in tens |
Tips for expat and international families
If you have moved to the Netherlands, your child may start in groep 1 speaking little or no Dutch. Kleuters usually pick up the language quickly in class, often within months, but a few familiar words make the first days easier. Practise the words teachers use all day: goedemorgen (good morning), in de kring (in the circle), handen wassen (wash hands), opruimen (tidy up) and ik moet plassen (I need a wee). Many towns also offer VVE, extra early education for toddlers who need more Dutch before school; ask at your local consultation bureau or municipality.
Keep your home language strong too. Research on bilingual children is clear that a rich home language helps, not hinders, the second language. Some families use "one parent, one language"; others speak the home language at home and Dutch outside. Mixing languages in one sentence is a normal stage. If you are worried about your child's speech, talk to your paediatrician or the consultatiebureau.
Screens work best in short, shared doses. Sit with your child, say the words together, then find the real things. Under-twos learn far more from a grown-up and real objects than from any screen.
A ten-minute Dutch routine at home
- Two minutes of listening: one topic, five words.
- Three minutes of finding: play Find it, or hunt for the real things.
- Two minutes of singing: "Hoofd, schouders, knie en teen" or a counting song.
- Three minutes of reading: a Dutch picture book, naming what you see.
Dutch children grow up with Sinterklaas on 5 December, Koningsdag in orange on 27 April and a lot of cycling. Use these moments: count pepernoten, find everything oranje, and name what you see from the bike seat.
Nederlands leren voor kinderen: voor ouders
Op deze pagina vinden kinderen acht korte spelletjes in het Nederlands en het Engels: het alfabet, tellen tot honderd, dieren, fruit, groente, kleuren en lichaamsdelen. Elk woord wordt duidelijk uitgesproken en heeft een plaatje, zodat ook kinderen die nog niet kunnen lezen mee kunnen doen.
Speel elke dag een paar minuten en zeg altijd het lidwoord erbij: de kat, het paard. Zoek daarna de echte dingen op, in de keuken, op de markt of tijdens een fietstochtje. Prijs de moeite, niet alleen het goede antwoord, en stop als het nog leuk is.
Voor gezinnen die net in Nederland of België wonen, is dit een zachte start voor de kleuterklas. En voor kinderen die in het buitenland Nederlands leren, is het een kleine dagelijkse brug naar de taal van de familie.
Browse all languages for kids, or compare Dutch with its close cousin in German for kids.
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: dutch words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.
