Level of Danish

The purpose of Dansk Sommer Summer School is for children to boost their Danish language level, expand their knowledge of Danish culture and make new friends.

We work through activities that are creative, fun and physical. Learning from earlier experiences and respecting that the children are on summer break, we want the activities to be other than traditional classroom lessons. For example, we may play a strategic game outside in teams, go on a treasure hunt in the footsteps of H. C. Andersen, or make a Danish snack in the kitchen. We may also go to the library and read a book together.

Our group of children consist of different ages and different language backgrounds. We have children that are fluent in Danish and some that are beginners. However, most of the children speak English very well as most of them are from international schools. Although this is a good thing, it can be a challenge standing in the way of using a maximum of Danish as they have another common language that they feel more comfortable using. 

Another challenge is the general courage it takes to step out of one’s comfort zone and speak another language. This is to some children like acting a part that is not their own and may feel awkward. It takes time and patience.

The summer school teachers are specialized in Danish language and are very well aware of these challenges. We have discussed them, evaluated and come up with what best practice is to meet our main purpose:

• The number of students per teacher is very low
• Teachers speak and teach in Danish. (An occasional explanation may be needed in English)
• Children will have assignments of speaking or writing Danish tailormade to their level
• Children are encouraged to speak Danish as much as possible
• We encourage local, Danish speaking children to join the courses

We ask of you parents to accept that learning a language is a long process. Although you may not see an immediate result, or your child may not feel comfortable saying words or lines to you in Danish, they have indeed had a massive exposure to the language, stored quite a bit, and taken a big step on the way to becoming Danish speakers.