Children
You are welcome to come and see us and/or join a group any time! Please
contact us by email
info@cambridgesuomikoulu.org.uk
for any enquiries.
School days and fees listed here and please
also see our address and contact details.
Learning Finnish is Child's Play
Parents and carers have a primary and invaluable role in children's language development.
Finnish school on every second or third Saturday cannot replace the daily interaction in the home,
but what we can offer are lessons with a bilingual peer group, a place in the wider multicultural
society and a chance to develop a personal interest in Finland, its culture and traditions.
Our role is to help families maintain Finnish language skills and cultural awareness and to
encourage and motivate both parents and children in their ongoing language development.
Our aim is a child with a healthy self-image who is comfortable, aware and proud of their
bilingual and bicultural heritage.
Children under 6 years
Teacher Merja Bird, assistant Henna Niutanen
This group learns through play, song and chatter. Subject matter relates to things
within the child's own sphere of experience such as family, food, drink, clothing,
travel, pets. Learning goals include knowing colours, numbers from 1-19, awareness of
the Finnish phonetic alphabet, extending basic vocabulary and answering simple questions
spontaneously.
Under 3's are welcome to join the group with their parents and carers. Any parent or
carer of a child in this group is welcome to participate in the lesson.
Children over 6 years
Teacher Annu Tarnanen-Money
In this group we practise reading and writing in Finnish. Lessons are more formal but we also learn through games, role play and arts and crafts. Subject matter expands from the concrete to the more abstract. We learn the days of the week and months, we compare and contrast the similarities and differences between traditions and annual festivals in our two cultures.
The under and over 6's will sometimes play and do crafts together.
Older children and teenagers with very basic Finnish can join the Adult Beginners group.
Incy wincy spider
When school starts we take the register and count how many we are. I tell everyone my news. I have learnt numbers to fifteen because that's how many we usually are. Mummy and Severn's Granny stay for school because we have fun and Mummy wants to learn Five Little Ducks (in Finnish). Sometimes when we sing, Annu accompanies us with her Kantele. That's Finnish too.
My favourite game is a memory game where you have to remember all the things that were on
the table and know which one was taken away.
We talk lots about animals and food and travelling. I even know some of the days of the
week but I get muddled with months.
Merja always has something fun for us to do with glue and paint: last autumn we made
binoculars and when it's a special day we do cards.
