I always try to make German part of everyday life and incorporate it into my daily activities. I read the advertisements as I ride public transportation and walk along the streets. Sometimes I pick up a free newspaper and read an article or two. It was in one of my son’s books that I first encountered the preterite form of verbs. In doctor’s offices (which I have found myself in often lately) I will pick up a magazine and try to read an article. I don’t always understand everything, but I hope that somehow the mere seeing of the words and their forms and their places in the sentence as I read will cause them to be ingrained in my memory.

My favorite type of reading, though, is children’s books. This is convenient for me since I have small children who like to be read to. Reading out loud is another good way to employ more senses in learning. Young children’s books also have the advantage of being repetitive and having only a few sentences on a page with large pictures to accompany them to help you figure out what is happening.  One of my most recent favorites is „Wo ist Mein Hut?“ by Jon Klassen. It is about a bear who’s lost his hat and asks different animals if they have seen it. My son likes the Lasse board books. If you have children, they can get a library for free from the Bucherei. If not, you must pay a small yearly fee for the use of the library. Or you can visit the children’s section of a book store and read a short book or two.

Happy reading!