German Words for Foreign Parents that aren’t Taught in Beginner German Classes!
Here are many German words for foreign parents that you won’t learn in German beginner-level classes (A1-A2)! As a foreign parent in Germany, you’ll need to know these words soon after moving to Germany.
We’ve been learning German since before we moved here in February of 2021 from the USA. But we’ve noticed that many of the words we’ve needed as parents of four kids, we didn’t learn in our A1 and A2 (beginner) level courses! So here are the German words for parents we learned by immersion.
German Words for Foreign Parents
In the video, we mention more than a dozen words. Here in this post, I’ll highlight a few of them for you so you can get a good idea of what you need to know as a foreign parent in Germany.
German Words for School
1 – die Federmappe or Federmäppchen
This is a next-level German pencil case! It holds nearly all of a child’s school supplies, from scissors to rulers, markers, colored pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and more.
2 – die Kita, die Krippe, und der Kindergarten
Kita and Krippe are daycares in Germany. Kindergarten is for children ages 3-6 and is more similar to preschool in the USA. Read more about Kindergarten in Germany here.
3 – die Vorschule und das Vorschulkind
Vorschule is the last year of German kindergarten and is similar to American kindergarten. It is the year before a child attends Grundschule (elementary school) and starts the first grade.
German Words for Illness
1 – die Erkaltung, der Husten, Schnupfen
The cold, the cough, and to sniff.
2 – die Krankmeldung
The notification of sickness. When your child is sick, you must notify the school BEFORE school starts with a “Krankmeldung.”
3 – der Kinderarzt, der Zahnartz
The pediatrician and the dentist (both male). The female versions are die Kinderärtzin, die Zahnärtzin.
German Words for Money
1 – das Taschengeld
Literally translated, this means pocket money. Many Germans use it to refer to a child’s allowance money.
2 – das Kindergeld
This refers to the monthly child allowance that the German government provides for each and every child. Parents receive about $219 a month per child! Learn more about that here.
German Words for Outdoor Activities and Playtime
1 – Vorsicht! Achtung! Langsam!
While you’re out riding with your kids, you may hear this from other adults or need to use one of these worlds yourself! They mean, Watch Out! Danger! and Slow down!
2 – der Kinderfahrradanhänger
This is one of our favorite German words and gadgets! It’s a wagon that holds a child (and groceries). You attach it to a bicycle and pull it around town.
3 – der Spielplatz
The playground – something every parent needs to keep their sanity!
4 – die Sonnencreme
This is sun cream, or sunscreen, as we say in the US. Kindergartens and schools might ask for you to provide this.
5 – das Schwimmbad
Nearly every district and even many villages have its own public swimming pool in Germany. And they can really be incredible!
6 – Eine Kugle Eis, bitte!
“One scoop of ice cream, please!” Kids need to know this phrase if they want to their local ice cream shop in town. Make sure to bring along some “Taschengeld.”
German Words for Foreign Parents – Holidays and Outdoor Clothing
Then we also have a whole set of words just for German holidays, which can be quite different from American ones. And for outdoor clothing, which we learned the hard way right at the beginning, Germans are serious about outdoor clothing for their kids! See the video to learn these words.
