It is easy to teach kids that cat is spelt ‘CAT’ and bat is spelt ‘BAT’. However, it is challenging to teach kids that in writing ‘Pani’, they need to use ‘e ki matra’ while in the word ‘Hani (loss)’, they need to use ‘ee ki matra’. However, if you know how to teach Hindi matra to kids? things will become easier for you.
You might notice that some adults also fail to put the right matra in Hindi words. This is either because of ignorance or lack of practice. If you do not want this to happen with your kids, then you know how to teach Hindi to kids?.
Through this article, you will learn about Hindi matra learning for kids. You will also know how to teach Hindi alphabets to kids?
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How to Teach Hindi Alphabets to Kids?
The first step in teaching Hindi matra is to teach Hindi alphabets, that is, Hindi consonants and vowels. Until your kid does not understand the vowels, they cannot learn the way to put matras. There are in total 13 vowels and 33 consonants. The consonants are incomplete without a vowel. Each letter in Hindi is made of one consonant and one vowel. For example, if the word is ‘bus’, it is made of two consonants ( ‘b’ and ‘s’ ) and two vowels ( ‘a’ and ‘a’). So, if you divide the word, it will look like this:
B + A + S + A = BUS
One way to teach kids about it is continuous practice. You can also make songs out of vowels and consonants to make learning easier for kids. You can also stick a chart of consonants and vowels on the walls or pin it on a drawing board. This way, your kids will see the charts frequently and absorb them in their minds.
So, now you know how to teach Hindi alphabets to kids? It is time to know how to teach Hindi matra to kids?
How to Teach Hindi Matra to Kids?
In Hindi, matra is the vowel that you attach with the consonants. They depend on the way you pronounce a word ( consonant + vowel ). Like when you say ‘Paa’, the consonant is ‘P’ and the matra or vowel is ‘aa’. It is not difficult to recognize the matra in words that use ‘a’ or ‘aa’ as matra. The words that include ‘i’, ‘e’, ‘u’, and ‘oo’ create confusion.
Most people fail to know the difference between these Hindi matras. The ‘i’ and ‘u’ are known as ‘Harshai’ or in layman language, they are known as ‘Choti ekimatra’ and ‘Chota ukimatra’. While the ‘e’ and ‘oo’ are known as ‘Dhirgai’ or ‘Badi ekimatra’ and ‘badha ukimatra’. The pronunciation of the words shows the matra it uses. If the word is prolonged, that means, you need to use ‘Dhirgai’ while if the word ends immediately, you use ‘harshai’. It takes time to observe this difference. However, here are some of the ways to ensure Hindi matra learning for kids.
1. Read the Words Aloud
Since matra depends on the pronunciation, read each word to your kids loudly. Through this kids recognize the way to speak a word and thus guess the matra it uses. The concept of short and long sounds ( ‘Dhirgai’ and ‘Harshai’ ) is confusing for kids. However, reading words loudly will help your kids to a great extent.
2. Ask Them to Read While Writing
When your kid is writing a poem or a story or anything in Hindi, ask them to read the words they write. It will help with two things. First, you can keep an eye on their pronunciation. So, if they speak a word incorrectly, you can correct them immediately. Also, if they pronounce the word correctly, they will put the correct matra. So, through reading while writing kids develop skills of pronouncing and spelling.
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3. Keep Practicing for Better Grip
The best answer for how to teach Hindi to kids is to practice. You can give your kids an aim of two days to learn the spelling of 10 common Hindi words. Then after that take a test. The spelling they did incorrectly, gives them again to do that. In this way, your kid will slowly develop a good command of spellings of lots of Hindi words.
4. Make Tricks to Learn Matras
One of the ways to remember Hindi matras is to make tricks. Like when you wanted to teach kids the name of eight planets in sequence, you told them to learn a line ‘ My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pines’. The first letter of each word is the first letter of planet names in sequence ( you can remove pines as Pluto is no longer a planet ). It might sound silly but the idea is extremely useful in remembering a spelling forever.
The tricks to learn Hindi matra differ from this. Here is one example to make tricks. Consider the word ‘Suraj’. The consonant ‘S’ is attached with the vowel ‘Badi oo’. The symbol of this matra points downwards. So, you can remember that as the sun rays come downwards, the symbol used in ‘Suraj’ is also downwards.
You can make similar tricks for other words according to their matra and meaning. So, these were some tips on how to teach Hindi to kids?
Also Read: How to Teach Kids Cursive Writing? Make Their writing Adorable and Engaging
Conclusion
There are some other amazing ways also that you can adopt. Also, keep in mind that there are certain words that sound similar but their meaning differs because of the matra they use. For example, the word ‘din’ means day. While the word ‘deen’ means poor. To teach these types of words, your kid might need extra sessions. But with the ways and tricks mentioned above, you can do it without getting stressed.
