Muzzy Spanish

Has anyone used the Muzzy language program?

Has anyone used the Muzzy program to teach their kids another language? Would like to know if it is a good program and what you thought.... Website for the Muzzy program is www.muzzykids.com If you haven't....what would you suggest for a 5 & 7 year old to learn French?

Public Comments

1. Yes. It's very entertaining for kids. My girls all learned some French from it. One retains quite a bit at 19.
2. Nobody around here seems to like it when I say it, but I'm extremely skeptical of ANY language-learning program that does not involve interaction with actual people who speak the language, especially for young kids. Yes, you can learn some grammar and vocabulary from tapes, books, DVDs, and so on. But eventually you outgrow the ability of such programs to teach you anything, and you don't get the benefit of interacting with a real person (i.e. someone who may respond to your questions and comments in unpredictable ways, unlike on recorded programs were only a certain number of conversation variations are possible). I think these kinds of programs can be great supplements to real-person interaction, especially if you don't have many real people to interact with, but should not be used on their own. If possible, your best bet is to find someone in your area who speaks the language your kids want to learn and see if you can arrange some informal or semi-formal lessons for the kids. Use Muzzy or Berlitz or whatever other kid-appropriate program you can find to supplement the lessons.
3. I completely agree with Shiori_h. The thing about learning a language is that is best learned through speaking and human interaction. Think about the way a baby learns to speak. The baby learns by being spoken to by being spoken to by it's parents, family and/or caregivers. This is why none of us who were schooled remember much from high school foreign language. Language is all about interaction between people. I think that the Muzzy program is fine for exposure to a foreign language. They'll learn from it, but they aren't going to learn to speak a foreign language as a native speaker would and conversations outside what's in the program will still be difficult. It's fun and if your kids enjoy it, they'll be motivated to learn more, so there is nothing wrong with it, just that it is limited. How about looking into setting up a co-op class if you belong to a homeschooling group. Keep the group small.
4. Hey there! I haven't used Muzzy, but I have used Rosetta Stone. I would highly recommend the program for anyone - of any age. It is extrememly user friendly, and I found it fun to use. Anyway, consider Rosetta Stone! Good luck!
5. Waste of money and waste of time. Unless they have constant interaction and are immersed in the language with other people on a daily basis it will not stay with them longterm.