Dutch for Kids offers online Dutch lessons to children all around the world. We’ve noticed that many Dutch expat families live in Australia, which makes it one of our most popular regions. In cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and even Tasmania, we have been teaching children with Dutch roots for many years.

For example, I taught Siem and Mees in Melbourne for several years. Their father is Dutch and their mother is Australian. When their father was a child — around group 8 — he moved to Australia with his own family for his father’s work. Years later, I had the privilege of teaching his children online! Every week, Siem and Mees were ready for their lesson because their parents felt it was very important for them to stay connected to their Dutch roots. And every few years, the whole family traveled to the Netherlands, where the boys could immediately put everything they learned into practice.

How does Dutch for Kids work?

Our Dutch lessons work perfectly for families living in Australia. Because we have teachers living all over the world, time differences are almost never a problem.

Time difference? Not an issue!

Children in Sydney experience the biggest time difference with the Netherlands, but even that works out beautifully:
When your children finish school in Australia, our workday in the Netherlands is just beginning. This means our lesson times match your schedule perfectly.

For years, Sofía and Hugo also had lessons with me. Their father is a Dutch dentist, and the family hopes their children will eventually be able to study in the Netherlands. Their mother is Australian, but she also wanted to learn Dutch — and after a while, she did amazingly well. It’s so lovely when the whole family joins in!

What does an online lesson look like?

• Lessons via Google Meet
• One-on-one lessons
• Fully aligned with Dutch learning goals
• Reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and speaking
• Lots of interaction and age-appropriate materials
• A fixed lesson time and a fixed teacher
• We teach children of all ages: preschoolers, primary school children, and secondary school students.
• Thematic lessons throughout the year

Our lessons help children maintain and develop their Dutch language skills so they can easily transition into Dutch education later if needed.

How do we embrace different cultures?

Australia has its own warm and joyful culture — and it’s beautiful to see how Dutch families blend their traditions with Australian life. At Dutch for Kids, we believe it is important to approach all cultures with openness and respect, and to help children feel proud of both worlds.

In Australia, it’s completely normal to celebrate Christmas by the pool, while in the Netherlands we wrap ourselves up in scarves and winter coats. During lessons, we talk about these fun differences and learn from one another. Children always find this fascinating.

Many cities, like Melbourne, also have a large Dutch community. I taught a family in Melbourne with two boys who joined a big Sinterklaas celebration every year, together with other Dutch families. They ate pepernoten, sang songs, and bought Dutch treats at the Dutch shop (‘t Winkeltje). It’s wonderful to see how traditions stay alive — even on the other side of the world.

Because this fits perfectly with Dutch for Kids, we include these traditions in our lessons as well:

• Singing Sinterklaas songs
• Special Sinterklaas lessons
• King’s Day
• Animal Day
• Stories and vocabulary linked to Dutch holidays

Our lessons match what families do at home and help children keep their Dutch identity strong.

The most popular cities in Australia

Dutch for Kids is available everywhere in Australia. Still, we notice that some cities have especially large Dutch expat communities.

We currently teach families in:

• Melbourne
• Sydney
• Perth
• Tasmania
• and many more places across the country

Dutch families truly live everywhere, and we absolutely love that. We learn so much from each other, and it is our passion to keep your children at the same level as their Dutch peers, so they can one day:

• attend school in the Netherlands,
• study in the Netherlands,
• or even work in the Netherlands.

You never know what the future holds — and we are here to help keep all options open.