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IKEA launches free online Swedish lessons for children during lockdown
IKEA has launched three online Swedish lessons to help entertain and educate children during lockdown.
Entering the linguistic space for the first time, Ikea has introduced a series of simple and interactive bitesize videos, which are free for parents to access online, covering educational topics including geography, family, nature, and, of course, IKEA products.
Each video sees translator Amanda teach basic Swedish phrases, such as 'town', 'island' and 'mother'. As well as this, children can take part in a fun IKEA meatball counting challenge, a quick-fire maths quiz, and learn the meanings behind some of their famous furniture products – all of which have been carefully curated from a database of Swedish words.
For example, IKEA bookcases are named after professional occupations or boys' names, outdoor furniture is named after Scandinavian islands, whilst bed sheets, comforters and pillowcases are named after flowers and plants.
Some of the surprising meanings behind IKEA products featured in the lessons include:
• GNARP (Noun): a small Swedish town in the county of Gävleborg; a 3-piece kitchen utensil set.
• GRILLA (Noun): barbecue; a non-stick IKEA grill pan.
• VESSLA (Noun): a weasel; an IKEA storage crate.
• KOLJA (Noun): a haddock; an IKEA mirror.
The lessons are subtitled with the phonetic pronunciation displayed at the bottom of the screen so everyone can easily follow along.
Thomas Parker, Children's Business Leader, UK & IE at IKEA, adds: 'We know that Swedish pronunciations might not come easily to native English speakers, so we'd recommend watching the videos a few times to perfect your accent. While their children have fun pronouncing family members in Swedish, parents can grab a well-deserved five-minute Fika break!'
Ready to lär dig svenska med IKEA?* To access the three videos and learn more about the meanings behind the Swedish words, head over to their website. Happy learning!
*Translation: Learn Swedish with IKEA
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