You can learn Turkish for kids here with short, cheerful games: the 29 letters of the Turkish alfabe, counting from 1 to 100, and more than 160 picture words for animals, fruits, vegetables, colours and body parts. Every word is spoken in clear audio in Turkish and English, so children who cannot read yet can tap, listen and play. It suits Turkish families in Türkiye and abroad, bilingual homes, and anyone starting Türkçe from zero.
What your child can learn in Turkish here
- Turkish alphabet for kids: all 29 letters, from A – arı (bee) to Z – zürafa (giraffe), including Ç, Ğ, I, İ, Ö, Ş, Ü.
- Numbers in Turkish: a 1-100 chart where each number speaks, with a "Count with me" button.
- Animals in Turkish: 60 animals, from inek (cow) to denizatı (seahorse).
- Fruits and vegetables: 30 of each, from elma and incir to patlıcan.
- Colours in Turkish: 12 colours, from kırmızı to açık mavi.
- Body parts: 30 words for "touch your nose" games and bath-time talk.
Why Turkish is easy for children to read
Turkish has one of the most regular spelling systems in the world. Since the alphabet reform of 1928, Turkish has been written in Latin letters where each letter stands for one sound and every letter is pronounced. So once a child knows the sounds, they can read almost any word aloud, even long ones like kelebek (butterfly). That is why Turkish first graders often read short sentences within a few months of starting school.
In Türkiye, first grade uses a sound-based method (ses temelli cümle öğretimi). Children learn a sound, then join sounds into syllables, words and small sentences. The first group of sounds is e, l, a, k, i, n, which quickly gives words like el (hand), al (take) and kek (cake), and sentences like "Elle." Families can copy this playful approach at home.
What to expect at each age
| Age | Typical Turkish goals | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Says 20-50 everyday words | anne, baba, su, animals, body parts |
| 3-4 | Counts 1-5, names main colours | Colours, fruits, animal-sound songs |
| 4-5 | Knows many letter sounds, counts to 10-20 | Alphabet cards, number chart |
| 5-6 | Joins sounds into syllables and short words | el, al, kek, kedi |
How to use these Turkish games
Begin in Listen mode: your child taps a picture and hears the word in Turkish, then English. When some words feel familiar, switch to Find it, where Golu, our glass-marble mascot, asks for a picture. A wrong tap is never called wrong; the game says what was tapped and gently shows the right one. Every round ends with a marble in the Goli Jar. Count the marbles together in Turkish: bir, iki, üç.
Keep sessions to about five minutes, sit with your child, and then look for the real thing: a real elma, a real kedi, a real red ball. Children under 2 learn much more from you and real objects than from any screen.
Turkish stories and songs for young children
Turkish fairy tales open with the famous line "Bir varmış, bir yokmuş" ("Once there was, once there wasn't"). Children love the tales of Keloğlan, a clever bald boy who outwits giants, and the funny stories of Nasreddin Hoca, who rides his donkey backwards. The farm song "Ali Baba'nın çiftliği" is full of animal sounds and is perfect alongside our animal cards.
Tips for Turkish families abroad
Millions of Turkish-speaking families live in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the UK, the US and beyond. These habits keep Turkish strong alongside the school language:
- One routine in Turkish, such as breakfast or bedtime stories.
- Video calls with anneanne, babaanne and dede. Grandparents can play "find it" with toys on camera.
- Weekend Turkish classes. Many cities have Turkish mother-tongue lessons or community schools.
- Type the letters. Show older children how to find ç, ğ, ı, ö, ş, ü on a phone keyboard.
- No pressure. If your child answers in German or English, repeat warmly in Turkish and carry on.
Turkish shares many everyday words with Arabic and Persian; see Arabic for kids or all our languages for kids.
Çocuklar için Türkçe: anne ve babalara öneriler
Bu sayfada çocuğunuz Türkçe harfleri, sayıları ve ilk kelimeleri resimlerle ve seslerle öğrenebilir. Bir resme dokunun, çocuğunuz kelimeyi Türkçe ve İngilizce duysun. Tüm oyunlar ücretsizdir, üyelik ve reklam yoktur.
Her gün beş on dakika oynayın. Masal okuyun, şarkı söyleyin, merdivenleri ve elmaları birlikte sayın. Çocuğunuzu doğru cevap için değil, gösterdiği çaba için övün.
Yurt dışında yaşıyorsanız evde çocuğunuzla Türkçe konuşun ve dedeyle nineyi görüntülü arayın. Böylece ana dil canlı ve sevimli kalır.
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: turkish 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.
