Multilingualism not only serves the individual, but also society as a whole. According to Statista’s research department, a significant proportion of the 11 million families living in Germany speak two or more languages. In addition, the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden has determined that 1 million children in German daycare centers, who belong to the 3- to 6-year-old age group, have at least one non-German parent.

In the Deutschwerkstatt, children learn the German language through playful programs and activities. Our pedagogical concept is based on the cooperation with Germanists, speech therapists, teachers for German as a second language and psychologists. The Deutschwerkstatt contributes to:

• higher educational opportunities for multilingual children,
• the development of a multicultural identity, and
• the development of multilingualism as a special skill.

We proudly look back on our 15-year tradition, which has brought us the following successes so far:

• the linguistic advancement of 1500 children,
• the contentment of 1200 families, and
• many cooperations with kindergartens and elementary schools.

In the Deutschwerkstatt, we pay special attention to inclusion. 5-8% of the children who attend our German courses have a learning disability. Some of them attend our courses alongside their speech and learning therapy.
In a safe space and in small groups, the children are introduced to the German language and encouraged to use their newly acquired language skills among themselves. Children with special needs are also supported in the group and benefit not only linguistically from the interaction within the group, but also in their social development. In this way, they learn to work as a team at an early age and form long-term friendships in our workshop.

In the groups themselves, children with learning disabilities receive individual support as needed. Difficult content is practiced with these children individually and taught at their level and learning speed.

What particularly characterizes our team is the fact that the majority of our course instructors have an intercultural background themselves. They know from their personal experience the difficulties and challenges of learning the German language as well as the psychological strain that usually comes with not understanding the majority language spoken all around them. This enables them to approach the children with a great deal of empathy and to meet them at eye level. By combining intercultural content with language learning, they ensure a better learning environment and promote the children’s willingness to learn.