Learn Filipino for kids through short, spoken games that work before your child can read. Filipino is the national language of the Philippines, based mainly on Tagalog, and it is one of the easiest languages for a small child to pick up: it uses Latin letters, words are read the way they are written, and there are no tones and no masculine or feminine nouns. Below your child can explore the Filipino alphabet, numbers 1 to 100 and picture words for animals, fruits, vegetables, colours and body parts, all with clear audio in Filipino and English.
What your child learns here
- Filipino alphabet: all 28 letters of the Alpabetong Filipino, including Ñ and Ng, from A aso (dog) to Ng ngipin (tooth).
- Numbers in Filipino: isa, dalawa, tatlo up to isandaan (100), with a "Count with me" button.
- Animals in Filipino: 60 animals, from pusa and aso to kalabaw, the national animal.
- Fruits and vegetables: 30 of each, like mangga, saging, kalabasa and ampalaya.
- Colours and body parts: 12 colours (pula, dilaw, asul) and 30 body words (ulo, mata, kamay).
Each game has Listen (tap and hear), Find it (Golu asks for a picture in Filipino) and Memory (pairs). A wrong tap never says "wrong": your child hears what they tapped, and the right card glows. Every finished game adds a marble to the Goli Jar.
How young children learn in the Philippines
Kindergarten for 5-year-olds is part of basic education in the Philippines, and the new MATATAG curriculum organises it around themes such as "Ako" (Me), "Ang Aking Pamilya" (My Family) and "Ang Aking Komunidad" (My Community). A typical day has circle time, work period, story time and play. Children learn to listen and speak in Filipino and English, and to hear rhymes, beginning sounds and syllables (pantig).
Reading in Filipino is taught with syllables. Many schools use the Marungko approach or the older Abakada method: children learn a letter sound, join it with vowels (ma-me-mi-mo-mu) and read short words such as ma-ma, a-so and ba-la. Because Filipino spelling is regular, children can often read simple words soon after.
A simple Filipino plan by age
| Age | Focus | Try this |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Listening, everyday words | Animals and colours in Listen mode; family words Nanay, Tatay, Ate, Kuya, Lola, Lolo |
| 3-4 | Counting 1-5, fruits, body parts | Sing "Sampung Mga Daliri", counting fingers |
| 4-5 | Letters and sounds, counting 1-10 | Alphabet Find it; spot letters on signs |
| 5-6 | Syllables, counting to 20 | Read ma-me-mi-mo-mu, then mama, bola, aso |
Ten minutes of Filipino a day
- Use po and opo. Respect words are part of the language. Teach "Salamat po" (thank you) and "Opo" (yes, politely) from the start, and "Mano po" when greeting grandparents.
- Sing. "Bahay Kubo", "Ako ay May Lobo" and "Leron Leron Sinta" are songs almost every Filipino grown-up knows.
- Name food. Mealtime is perfect for kanin (rice), isda (fish) and gulay (vegetables).
- Five minutes, then stop. Short and happy beats long and tired.
- English bridge. Our animals name page and colours for kids show the English words.
Play together. Sit with your child, say the words aloud and point to real things. Under-2s learn most from a grown-up and real objects, so keep the game short and shared.
Taglish, and tips for families abroad
Many Filipino homes mix Filipino and English, called Taglish, and that is normal. Some words in this game are English loanwords in everyday Filipino, such as pink and sky blue. If you live in the US, Canada, the Middle East, Australia or Europe, choose one daily Filipino moment and call Lola and Lolo on video. Celebrate together: Buwan ng Wika in August, when schools hold Filipino language activities and children wear Filipiniana; and Pasko, the long Filipino Christmas season with parol star lanterns, Simbang Gabi and Noche Buena. Families who also speak Indonesian or Malay will spot shared words such as mata (eye) and lima (five); see Indonesian for kids.
Pag-aaral ng Filipino para sa bata
Tinutulungan ng pahinang ito ang mga magulang na ipakilala ang wikang Filipino sa kanilang mga anak sa pamamagitan ng laro. Pipindutin lang ng bata ang larawan para marinig ang salita sa Filipino at sa Ingles: ang alpabeto, mga numero mula 1 hanggang 100, mga hayop, prutas, gulay, kulay at bahagi ng katawan.
Sapat na ang lima hanggang sampung minuto bawat araw. Sabay na kumanta ng "Bahay Kubo" at "Sampung Mga Daliri", pangalanan ang mga bagay sa bahay, at purihin ang bata sa kanyang pagsisikap. Huwag pilitin ang bata. Ang mahalaga ay masaya siya habang natututo.
Para sa mga pamilyang Pilipino sa ibang bansa, pumili ng isang oras bawat araw na Filipino lang ang gamit, halimbawa sa almusal. Tawagan sina Lolo at Lola para may dahilan ang bata na magsalita sa sariling wika.
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: filipino 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.