"Online Hindi classes for kids" is something parents abroad usually search for after a moment: a grandparent on a video call who cannot be understood, a child who answers every Hindi question in English, or a CBSE school that needs Hindi to Class 10. The good news is that children learn Hindi easily at any age if the class is built the right way round. The bad news is that many Hindi classes are built the wrong way round: they start with the alphabet, and a child who does not yet want to speak Hindi is now asked to write it. This guide is what a good Hindi class for a child abroad teaches at each age, how many classes it takes, the kinds of class on offer and what they cost, and how to choose.
Why children abroad stop speaking Hindi, and what that means for the class
A child growing up in English usually keeps understanding Hindi for years; it is speaking that goes first, because at school, with friends and on screens English is always easier. Reading and writing Hindi often never start at all. So most children who come to a Hindi class are not beginners: they understand a great deal and say very little.
That decides the order. Speaking first, script second. A class that makes the child talk (about their day, their friends, a story, a game) in Hindi, with the teacher speaking only Hindi and accepting a mix at first, rebuilds the habit. Once the child answers in Hindi without being pushed, the script follows quickly, because the child already knows the words they are learning to read. Our guide on how to teach Hindi for beginners sets out the same order for parents teaching at home.
What a good class teaches at each age
| Age | Focus | What the child can do after a term |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6 | Speaking and listening: songs, rhymes, picture stories, everyday words (family, food, colours, body), simple questions and answers; letter sounds through games | Answers simple questions in Hindi; knows twenty or thirty everyday words; recognises a few letters by sound |
| 6 to 8 | The script in teaching order: the vowels, then the consonants in groups of similar shapes, then the vowel signs (matras); two- and three-letter words; short sentences aloud | Reads simple words and short sentences; writes letters neatly in the right stroke order |
| 8 to 11 | Reading short stories; writing sentences and short paragraphs; grammar a child needs: gender, plurals, verb endings, postpositions (में, पर, से, को); dictation | Reads a short story aloud; writes a paragraph about themselves; speaks in full sentences |
| 11 and up | Fluent reading; letters, essays and comprehension; the school or board syllabus if there is one (CBSE Hindi Course A or B, ICSE Hindi, IGCSE Hindi as a Second Language) | Writes a letter and a short essay; follows the board pattern for exams |
The two hardest parts for children are the vowel signs (which change the letter's sound but are written around it) and grammatical gender. Our article on whether Hindi grammar is hard explains both, and how to write Hindi fast and neat covers the handwriting.
How many classes, and how long it takes
- Under 10: two short classes a week (30 minutes at five, 45 at eight) work better than one hour. Young children learn a language in many short exposures.
- 10 and over, and board students: one or two 45- to 60-minute classes a week.
- At home between classes: ten minutes of reading aloud or a Hindi conversation at dinner, three or four days a week, matters more than a third class.
On that rhythm, a child of seven or older who understands Hindi usually reads simple words in six to eight weeks, reads short stories and writes sentences in four to six months, and reads and writes fluently for school in one to two years. A child who neither speaks nor understands Hindi takes longer on speaking and about the same on the script.
The kinds of Hindi class, compared
| Kind of class | Good for | Watch out for | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend Hindi school (community, temple, cultural association) | Culture, festivals, friends who speak Hindi | Large groups, one session a week, mixed levels | Low; often a term fee |
| Online group class | Sociable children; structured courses | The quiet child speaks least; fixed pace | Lower per hour than 1-on-1 |
| Marketplace tutor (Preply, italki and similar) | Choice and flexible times | Quality varies; many tutors teach adults, not children; tutors change | About $5 to $25 an hour |
| Qualified 1-on-1 teacher from India | A child who needs to be made to speak; CBSE, ICSE or IGCSE Hindi; a reluctant child | Choose a teacher who teaches children, and ask for recordings | About US$10 to $15 an hour |
For speaking, 1-on-1 is much faster: in a group of eight, a child speaks for a few minutes of the hour; alone with a teacher, most of the hour. Group classes and weekend schools are a good addition for the community and the festivals.
Hindi for school: CBSE, ICSE and IGCSE
Children in Indian schools abroad study Hindi as a subject. CBSE requires two languages to Class 10 and offers Hindi Course A (for children with more Hindi) and Course B (for those with less), from the NCERT books Kshitij, Kritika, Sparsh and Sanchayan. ICSE has its own Hindi papers, and IGCSE offers Hindi as a Second Language. For these children a Hindi class follows the school's chapters and the board pattern: unseen passages, grammar, letters and essays, and past papers before the exam. A family that may move back to India should keep Hindi going for exactly this reason; see our guide to online tuition for NRI students on planning the move.
What to do at home between classes
- One Hindi time a day. Dinner in Hindi, or the drive to school. Parents who speak Hindi to each other but English to the children are the most common reason children stop speaking it.
- Stories before bed. Read a short Hindi story aloud; later, the child reads one line, then a page.
- Grandparents on video, with a job. Give the child a question to ask in Hindi each call.
- Labels and lists. Hindi labels on things around the house; a shopping list in Hindi once the script starts.
- Do not correct every mistake. Repeat the sentence back correctly and move on; a child who is corrected constantly stops talking.
How to choose a Hindi tutor for your child
- Does the teacher teach children? Teaching adults Hindi as a foreign language is a different job.
- What happens in the first four classes? You want to hear "conversation, stories, games", not "the alphabet".
- Will the teacher speak only Hindi in class? They should, with care and patience.
- Same teacher every week, with recordings? Children open up to a teacher they know; recordings let you hear the progress.
- For board students: does the teacher know the syllabus? Ask which textbooks and which paper pattern.
- Try a free class. Watch how much your child speaks in it.
Our Hindi classes are 1-on-1 with women educators in India who teach Hindi to children growing up abroad as well as CBSE, ICSE and IGCSE Hindi: speaking first, the script in teaching order once the child is talking, the same teacher every week, every class recorded. US$10 to $13 an hour, billed monthly in your currency (about £8 to £10 in the UK, A$14 to A$19 in Australia, AED 37 to 48 in the UAE), at a time in your time zone. The first class is free, with you in the room.
Questions parents ask
1What age should a child start Hindi classes?
2My child understands Hindi but won't speak it. Will classes help?
3How long does it take a child to read and write Hindi?
4How many Hindi classes a week does a child need?
5How much do online Hindi classes for kids cost?
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Shobha
Founder and lead tutor, Science with Shobha
Teaching maths, science and English to children online since 2018. 500+ students, 20+ tutors, families in nine countries.