21 + Best places to visit in St Petersburg, Russia with KIDS. Grouped by location for easy trip planning.

Have you ever been to St. Petersburg? If not, keep on reading and start planning your next trip!

St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Russia, with the big old center cut by multiple canals and by Neva river, and connected back with a multitude of beautiful historic bridges.

Some call the city a northern Venice for the amount of water that surrounds it.

It is definitely a romantic destination for couples, but I would not rule out visiting it with kids and enjoying the city's beauty all together as a family.

That’s exactly what I did with my almost 4 and 6 years old kids this summer.

St Petersburg, the cradle of my childhood, how much has you changed! Who could imagine that the city with the golden domed skyline has to offer even more fun things for kids to see and explore. We did our best to see them all.

Since most of the things to see in St-Petersburg are located in the city center, I would like to start by showing you parts of the city that you probably won’t see.

Those are the typical houses and playground far from the center. (If interested, I write more about this playground here)

Every year more and more tall modern buildings pop up here and there.

I am glad that St. Petersburg is able to preserve the historic uniformity and style of the old beautiful center. By walking on the streets in the heart of the city, you can feel the history all around, the past and the present living side by side, historic facades reflecting in shiny store windows, cars zooming by the old cathedrals and palaces, boats on canals and rivers.

You see old beautiful buildings attached one to another. You might think that kids, who live in the center have no playgrounds. They do! They are hidden from the public eye inside of the internal squares.

And if you are curious about schools, this is a typical school building in the city’s suburbs. It is very simple and very functional.

To really enjoy the city I strongly recommend you to look for a hotel or a room to rent in the historic center close to Nevsky prospekt.

Look at the map that I have created for you with the attractions grouped by area so you will have an easy time with planning your accommodation and your day.





Here is the list of the best places in St Petersburg to visit together with kids that everyone in your family will enjoy:

1. Peter and Paul Fortress

I would choose this citadel of St. Petersburg founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as the first place to visit.
Besides the multiple museums located in the fortress walls and the magnificent view on the Neva embankment that you can see from there, this place provides plenty of space for kids to run around and get their energy out. Great destination especially after a day passed in an airport and on a plane.

Other things to see nearby the Peter and Paul Fortress:

2. The Military­-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps

or simply referred to as the Artillery Museum. This was one of my favorite when I was a child, as there was a possibility to see all sorts of military machines inside. At the time of our visit many cannons and artillery in front of the museum were open to public and kids could touch and climb on - a sure entertainment. There is also a TIR (airsoft gun firing range - place to shoot in targets, open to kids and adults), where you have a choice of different firearms.

3.“Mini St.Petersburg” in bronze in Alexander Park

A real fun for kids! The bronze models of historical buildings are presented in 1:30 scale. They are pretty much have the same height as the kids.

4. The Lenindradsky Zoo

is one of the oldest zoos in Russia (founded in 1865), is also nearby. A great destination for kids who have never seen native to Russia animals: brown and white polar bears, foxes , wolves …

5. Aurora cruiser

is a ship-museum that was built in 1900. It has undergone restorations and is expected to be returned to Petrogradskaya embankment in 2016.

When you walk around this part of town, you might notice two blue minarets. It is a St. Petersburg Mosque that was opened in 1913. It almost always closed and opens only for a short time during prayer times.

ARE YOU RUSSIAN ?  SHARE  the LOVE for THIS beautiful CITY by SHARING THIS POST! 

6. The Hermitage 
is the amazing museum that you should visit at least once in your lifetime. It is huge! It occupies the Winter Palace building, which was a residence of the Russian emperors, and several other historical buildings. Even if you spend there an entire day, you won't be able to see everything!

So plan ahead based on your family’s interests. You can get a good idea what can be seen there by visiting the hermitage website.

Expect spending some time just enjoying the gorgeous building inside , appreciating world famous artists (Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Renoir to name a few) , who lived in a period from 15th century to nowadays, and learning more about other cultures.
Some highlights: 18th-century golden Peacock Clock, the Egyptian mummy that older kids would definitely would like to see, the knights hall.

7. The Russian museum

This could be be a good alternative, if you decide to postpone your trip to the Hermitage to the next time. It is smaller and it’s main focus on the Russian art from folk to modern (think Repin, Shishkin etc)

What else is nearby:

8. Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood 

Is so magnificent that I would not miss it and show it to your kids! The church contains over 7000 square meters of mosaic! It is covered in little pieces of stone from the floor up to the dome.

Before the trip, try to prepare your child at home by offering an activity of creating a picture with little pieces of colored paper. It will help him/her appreciate what s/he sees.

9. The Summer Garden

is an old park (1704), where you could take a break from sightseeing. Let your kids run along the alleys from a fountain to a fountain in a search for a small playground hidden inside the park! Let me know if you find it:)

If you have been to this park before, you might be surprised seeing it again. The way it looks now, after the recent restoration, is definitely not how I remember it. The romantic simplicity is gone and replaced by the sophisticated beauty envisioned by the Peter the Great. So you will see the park exactly the way he planned it centuries ago.

We now move to Vasilievsky Island.

Tip!  Use bus number 7 if you need to get from Nevsky prospect to Vasilievsiy ostrov.

If you have boys, do not miss these attractions!

10. Icebreaker Krassin 

was built in 1917 and now is a floating museum. The life of this ship is full of interesting stories that you will learn about the moment you step on the ship for an excursion. Do you know a Morse code? You will get a chance to practice sending a signal from there too.

11. Submarine S-189 (C-189)

Have you been inside of a submarine? Do not miss your chance to visit the 613 class diesel-electric submarine! It was built in 1954 and was in use until 1990. One can freely walk inside the boat and get a feeling how it was for marines to serve there. You can see living spaces, machinery, a torpedo room and even look through a periscope in the control room!

12. Zoological museum

Do you have a little paleontologists at home? Finally kids will be able to see something with their own eyes and not on a picture! The unique exposition of mammoth will keep them excited.

Have your kids ever asked you how big is a whale? Here they can see how big it is big by looking at a skeleton of the 27 m long blue whale! Click through the pictures on the museum website ( in Russian) to check other collections.

13. Kunstkamera 

is the first museum in Russia. It was established by Peter the Great in 1714. Right now it is called the Peter the Great museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. You can see his first collection that includes examples of accidents of nature with which Peter the Great wanted to fight peoples fears and superstitious believes. 

Have you ever asked yourself what was the first museum in your country? I am curious. Leave a comment with the name of the museum and the country. :)

14. Museum of Electrical Transportation 

Do you know how the first St-Petersburg tram looked like? You can travel in time to the beginning of 20 century and see how the city’s electrical transportation, which were trams and trolleybuses, has evolved over time. 

15. Varezhka Museum

In English Varezhka means mitten. It is a unique museum where kids can be kids there and touch (carefully!) almost everything. You can find many mittens from around the world, but do not expect to see only them there. Actually this is the house of a little girl Varja Varezhkina ( a fictional character) who does many good things for orphan kids. She wanted orphans to be warm and started making mittens for them. Come to meet her and hear her wonderful story. You can even help her to help others!
The museum has two rooms where kids can play freely. Mine loved playing in firefighters. The museum is small, but it is difficult to predict how long your kids would like to stay there for. My two just would not want to leave. Thanks God they were hungry and I was able to lure them out with promised of food.

Food Tip! There is a great restaurant to go to with kids and it is just minutes away. They offer kids’ menu and markers to keep your little ones busy. It is called “Schastye”(Happiness) . I marked it on the map.

16. Cat Republic

Are you a cat lover? This is a neat place to stop by. It is a cafe , a library and a room full of real cats! You can even adopt some of those little furry animals!

17. Petrovskaya Akvatoria - Model of St- Petersburg of the 18th century

You walk around, you see and enjoy the city of today. But can you imagine how it looked in the 18th century? Visit this large scale model located on the 6th floor of the shopping center Admiral to see for yourself how different it was centuries ago.

18. Grand Maket Rossiya

It is the biggest model of entire Russia. It is impressive. Trains and cars are running, things are moving, days turn into nights - the model is alive. It is real fun for all ages. Allow plenty of time for the visit, there are so many interesting details to look at. No need to worry about the food as there is a self service restaurant right on premises. I would not be surprised if you walk away with a wish to return to Russia and have ideas of what to see during your next trip.

19. Museum of the Railroad Transportation

Are there any train lovers in your family? Watching how model locomotives move cars from track to track in a scaled down railway yard will help your little one get inspirations for the next tracks installation when you get home. It is a great attraction for everyone who is interested in trains and who would like to learn the history of railroad transportation in Russia, and perhaps, who would like to practice Russian as all the information is written only in it. It’s a bummer as museum is great otherwise. Additional bonus that there is the Yusupov Garden nearby - you can let your child run free and let you relax for a bit.

20. Oktyabrskaya Railway Museum

And more trains! Now the real ones. You can even climb inside! The exhibition includes steam locomotives, diesel locomotives,railway cranes, freight cars. The oldest coach car is dated 1878.

21. The Universe of Water 

The museum is located inside a water tower (constructed in 1859-1862) There you will learn about the history of water and see what toilet looked like many years ago. Follow the path water has to take from its source through pipes into your home and from your home back down to the sewage treatment plant. The exposition ends in the former clean water reservoir where you are surrounded by constantly changing pictures of water and sound effects.

See more places to visit and activities to do with kids listed on the map.

If you are a parent of a bilingual child , who speaks Russian, I marked great attractions for your little one for some more language practice.

Read Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country Diary, if you’d like to learn more about what we have seen during our trip to St-Petersburg.

Nights out

If you go to St. Petersburg in the summer, plan to stay up until very late to watch a spectacle of the summer - enormous bridges over Neva river, each lit with lights, open one after another to allow ships to pass through. The Palace Bridge ( Dvortzoviy most) , which is located right at front of the Hermitage, opens twice at 1:25 am and 3:10am.
Check the official St. Petersburg bridges’ opening schedule in Russian for other bridges’ opening and closing times.  
And don’t get stranded on the wrong side of the river :)

Transportation

St. Petersburg Metro

The must see is the Petersburg's Metro (subway). You enter a station, step on an escalator and your adventure begins! The moving stairs run and run and run. You feel that you should be already at the bottom but the stairs keep on running down deeper and deeper. And here you are! In a long corridor decorated with marble, granite, glass, mosaic... Is it really a subway station? A second later you hear sounds of the approaching metro train. Yes, it is! You won't believe your eyes!

Red line (M1) was built the first and was opened in 1955. The old stations are all like a piece of art on their own. Visit Avtovo station , if you can. It is one of the most beautiful in the world.

There are 5 metro lines as of today that connect different parts of the city. The new stations are modern but still very beautiful and worth a visit.

Ground transportation 

Ground transportation is also very developed. Trams, buses, trolleybuses.

If your kids are tired - hop on one of the trams, buses or trolleybuses to do a trip around the city. You can buy a ticket right on board from a conductor.

Railroad

Railroad in Russia is huge. Petersburg has not one, but 5 main train stations from which trains depart in different direction. The station buildings are old and very beautiful inside.

From Vitebsiy station (Витебский вокзал) you can get to other tourist destinations such as Pushkin (Царское Село) and Pavlovsk.

From Moskovsky Vokzal, you can take a night train or 3 hours express train to Moscow.

From Finlandskiy Vokzal (Финляндский вокзал) you can get to Vyborg and Priozersk .

From Baltiysky Vokzal (Балтийский вокзал) you can get to Peterhof (Петергоф), Lomonosov (Ломоносов) and Gatchina (Гатчина).

 

Boats

There are many excursion boats that you can take to see the city from the water. Check the route map before hopping on one, as some do not have a permit to go into the open waters of the river Neva and others are too big to pass under low bridges of the rivers and canals.

You can get directly to Peterhof fountain park, the Russian Versailles by a boat. (boats location is marked on the map)

Food Stores

With kids it is always good to have some snack with you. You can stop by one of the grocery stores that are spread around the city to buy some fruit, juice, cookies. Try “sushka” - my kids love them!

There are street vendors that sell water and ice-cream. Russian ice cream is something you should try - it’s different. Look for the cheapest one in a waffle “glass” ( “в вафельном стаканчике”) and pass on anything that looks like regular cone. The ice cream looked like that many years ago, when I was little. It tastes a little different now.

When to go to St-Petersburg?

The best time to visit St-Petersburg is during the white nights - when the sun almost does not set - which last from mid June to the beginning of July. The weather in May and September is also not bad, August can surprise you with rains. Check the weather statistics to make a decision.

Flights to St Petersburg /Airport

St-Petersburg has one airport - Pulkovo. LED is the airport code.
As of today Pulkovo airport has direct flights to 114 cities. Check the destinations map to see if there is a direct flight from your city. Do not worry if you see a Russian airline ( Aeroflot or Rossiya). They are as safe as any other world airline is. Use the Pulkovo airport flight schedule to plan your trip.

Once at the airport:
If you travel with kids, best option for you is to hire a TAXI. It will cost you 900-1000 rub. Check the official Pulkovo TAXI fair map.

Here you can find information on how to get from Pulkovo airport to the city center by public transportation.
You can also rent a car. The car rental offices are located on the 1st floor of Pulkovo airport. You have a choice of the following car rental companies: AVIS, Herzt,  Europcar,  SIXT, Thrifty.
 

 St-Petersburg Guide:

Now you reached the end of my guide to the best places to visit with kids in St. Petersburg, and by now you probably realized that I am in love with the city. In fact, it was supposed to be a short post for Your neighbourhood around the world series , but I just could not stop writing.


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7 facts that can determine the language spoken between multilingual siblings. 

FREE Audio Books and Stories for children in English. 19 great websites. 

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The list of the kids books in Russian and cartoons.

List of children's books in Polish language - Lista książek po Polsku dla dzieci 

Kid's radio stations from around the world
 



Sushka Photo is by Juerg Vollmer from Zürich, Schweiz (Bubliki) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained - Video

This is a great video that explains what made people leave their homes in Syria and talks about refugee crisis in Europe. It answers many questions and concerns European citizen have. I thought to share it with you as it gives a very good overall picture of what is happening.

"The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained" video is created by In a Nutshell – Kurzgesagt
It follows by "Understanding the Refugee Crisis in Europe, Syria, and around the World " by vlogbrothers

Question about language choice asked by British-Chinese parent living in Czech Republic.

British Chinese and Czech family living in Czech republic asks a question about language choice. Parents would like to raise a trilingual child that speaks English, Chinese (Cantonese) and Czech. 

Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country. Diary. DAY 3

DAY TREE

Today is on the list:  Best place for adults and kids to visit in St-Petersburg  --- When music unites the cultures  --- Birthday party - how bilingual kids feel encountering other kids speaking their minority language.

( For those of you , who are just joining in: I am travelling alone with two 3 and 5 years old kids to our family minority language home country - Russia. This is a continuation. Read about bilingual kids travel day one  and day two.

The day was beautiful we choose to spend it outside and went to see the birthplace of St-Petersburg - Peter and Paul fortress.

Remembering my childhood and how much fun I had climbing on the cannons, I brought my kids to do the same on the grounds of the fortress and on the road to our next destination - the artillery museum.

Here are the pictures I have taken inside the fortress:

Rocket at front of the Museum of Space Exploration and Rocket Technology in Peter and Paul Fortress, St Petersburg, Russia 

There are many many more interesting museums on the grounds of the fortress. Here are some of them

View on the Peter and Paul Cathedral from Fortress wall.

Russian howitzer on the ground of Peter and Paul Fortress

15 -17 century cannons near Artillery Museum

Reading reading everywhere!

This is one of the reasons why you should start teaching your children letters early. Kids try to read signs around them all the time!  See post about teaching children to read.

Ice cream break! 

This was the first one for my kids to try. There was a choice of many different shapes and tastes. I bought  for my kids the taste of my childhood. Working hard in passing on my heritage ;)

In the artillery museum we saw the famous “Katyusha” ( rocket launcher used during the WWII). My trilingual children know the Russian song by the same name very well. They also know the song of Italian partisans "Fischia il vento" with different words by Felice Cascione but with the same music by M. Blanter.

At some point my son started to sing the Italian song and Russians around had a puzzled look on the faces. Every Russian knows the Katyusha tune, but they could not figure out what words , as it seemed, a Russian boy was singing. BTW it was in the bathroom... Fun times!

Here are both songs audio and text:

Катюша ( Katyusha) Lyrics: M. Isakovsky Расцветали яблони и груши, Поплыли туманы над рекой. Выходила на берег Катюша, На высокий берег на крутой. Выходила, песню заводила Про степного сизого орла, Про того, которого любила, Про того, чьи письма берегла. Ой, ты, песня, песенка девичья, Ты лети за ясным солнцем вслед И бойцу на дальнем пограничье От Катюши передай привет. Пусть он вспомнит девушку простую, Пусть услышит, как она поет, Пусть он землю бережет родную, А любовь Катюша сбережет.

Fischia il vento Lyrics: Felice Cascione Fischia il vento, infuria la bufera, scarpe rotte eppur bisogna andar, a conquistare la rossa primavera dove sorge il sol dell’ avvenir. Ogni contrada è patria del ribelle, ogni donna a lui dona un sospir, nella notte lo guidano le stelle forte il cuore e il braccio nel colpir. Se ci coglie la crudele morte, dura vendetta verrà dal partigian; ormai sicura è già la dura sorte del fascista vile traditor. Cessa il vento, calma è la bufera, torna a casa il fiero partigian, sventolando la rossa sua bandiera; vittoriosi e alfin liberi siam.

Finally evening was approaching and we had friend's kid's birthday party to go to. When I told my daughter let’s go she said: “Мама я могу только на тебе или на такси.” “Mama, I can do it either on you or in a taxi.” I was impressed with my great walker's ability of grasping the concept of taking a Taxi considering that she has not taken any before!

More sweets to taste - Birthday cake!

During the Birthday party my kids played with others as if they were natives. Nobody could tell that Russian is their second language. I guess the fact that they speak it to each other makes all the difference in their ability to use it in a free play. (Read about Multilingual siblings language choice).
Perhaps the only thing is giving them out - they are loud as all Italians are :)

A great company of friends is what kids and adults need :) We came back home way after midnight ...

More to come soon!


Want to hear how our trip has begun? Read:

Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country - DAY ONE.

Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country - DAY TWO.


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Best Kids' Books in Russian


Kids Radio Stations from different countries in different languages! 

Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country. Diary. DAY 2

Day Two.

Brief description: How playgrounds in Russia look like. Great book for your independent reader and  for reading to your child (available in Russian and English). St-Petersburg's Circus - a must see when you are there!

(For those of you , who are just joining in: I am travelling alone with two 3 and 5 years old kids to our family minority language home country - Russia. This is a continuation. Read about Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country - DAY ONE. )


Kids are kids. No matter where they are they like to go to playgrounds. We could not pass on one in St-Petersburg!

Kids were so excited to learn that the playground has actually a theme. This one has pictures of all the characters from a Russian book written by Alexander Volkov  "The Wizard of the Emerald City"  ( Александр Волков “Волшебник изумрудного города”) , a book that was initially a translation of Bauman’s “The Wonderful Wizard of OZ” and then turned into an independent piece of work. We finished reading the last book of the series just before leaving for Russia.

BTW, both of my kids just love all the books about Magic Land and Emerald City (“Волшебной стране" и "Изумрудном городе”). If you have not read them, do so, below you will find a reference to books in Russian and English.  I promise your kids will be asking you to keep on reading, a book after a book :)

Here is the list of Alexander Volkov’s books in Russian placed in order. I also write the titles in English, if you are interested to read them in that language as well.

Список книг Волкова про Волшебную страну по порядку:
 
Волшебник Изумрудного города

Урфин Джюс и его деревянные солдаты

Семь подземных королей

Огненный бог Марранов

Жёлтый Туман

Тайна заброшенного замка 

Here is a great website, where you can read all books about Emerald City online for free ( in Russian): 

Читать “Волшебник изумрудного города” онлайн.
 

Books in English:


Tales of Magic Land 1: The Wizard of the Emerald City and Urfin Jus and his Wooden Soldiers

Tales of Magic Land 2: The Seven Underground Kings and The Fiery God of the Marrans

Tales of Magic Land 3: The Yellow Fog and The Mystery of the Deserted Castle




Finally here are some pictures from our playground visit.

The evening was filled with new exciting emotions - we went to the world famous St-Petersburg Circus! (Шапито в Автово)

To say it was an AMAZING show on water is to say nothing. The performers were outstanding! Truly great show for both kids and adults!

When I read that show is on water I was concerned, if there will be animals. They were there! A crocodile, two pitons, white doves, dogs, seals.

Unfortunately taking pictures during the show was not allowed. Check the website for more details. It will give you some hint what this show is all about (really a hint, as those few pictures are not from the best circus acts either) : http://www.circus-avtovo.ru/gallery/photo/28/

It was a memorable experience for my kids and for me. Besides the performance, I will keep in my memory the kids faces full of excitement and joy.

More to come soon!

Click to read DAY 1 -  Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country - DAY ONE.
Here you will find: One parent travelling with two children. Airport and air plane experience. Significance of the trip.

Or jump to DAY 3  - Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country - DAY TREE.
Best place for adults and kids to visit in St-Petersburg --- When music unites the cultures --- Birthday party - how bilingual kids feel encountering other kids speaking their minority language. 


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Check out Kids' Radio Stations from around the world!


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Would like to teach your child to read in your language? - Find the answers on what language you should start with and how to do it (click here)

Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country. Diary. DAY 1

I am travelling alone with two 3 and 5 years old fully bilingual kids to our family minority language home country - Russia. Sounds interesting? Keep on reading!


Day One.

Here you will find: One parent travelling with two children. Airport and air plane experience. Significance of the trip.


Almost 3.5 hour flight went well. The kids were extremely well behaved (Surprise!). They even were able to negotiate on who takes the window seat without letting the entire airplane know about their discussion.

The moment we approached the boarding area my son commented about people: “mama, they all speak Russian!” and I realised that here is the start point for learning about Russians and Russian culture. The kids were studying peoples faces and were paying attention to other people’s conversations.

The next early encounter with Russia was in the air - kids reaction to the airline food. Russian black bread, butter, cheese … and pasta and chicken dish, which my kids picked.

I was curious to see how my Italian kiddos will react to pasta. The very hungry kids finished all the chicken, but the little one left the pasta and ate all our white bread instead. My sweet tooth girl did not want to eat a cake either.

We landed.

Did you know that such a simple thing like “venik” (a short brush of bound straw) can make a kid happy?

This was one of the most exciting moment for me and my kids. The older child noticed "venik" at the back of a bus that we took to get from our plane to a terminal. His eyes were shiny from happiness. He said “ Mom, this is a "venik"!“ (“Мама, это ВЕНИК! “) .

Right at this moment I understood the great significance of our trip - it is a real life encounter with everything they read about and talked about all those past years.

This first trip to Russia is much much more than just a visit of friends and family. 



Read next post:  Bilingual children Travelling to Minority language Country.Diary. DAY 2.
How playgrounds in Russia look like. Great book for your independent reader and  for reading to your child (available in Russian and English). St-Petersburg's Circus - a must see when you are there! 

Or jump to DAY 3  - Bilingual Children Travelling to Minority Language Country - DAY TREE.
Best place for adults and kids to visit in St-Petersburg --- When music unites the cultures --- Birthday party - how bilingual kids feel encountering other kids speaking their minority language. 


You might also like reading:


Listen to kids' Radio in English , Russian , German , Spanish, French, Polish, Serbian , Slovak , Dutch, Lithuanian, Turkish, Czech, Norwegian, Italian, Greek, Albanian , Hungarian 


Watch Russian cartoons online. 


Best children's books to read in Russian.


Image source: wikipedia

Good Reads: Great Russian book to introduce a famous Russian poet - Lermontov. Age 10 +

I find it somewhat challenging to introduce Russian classic poets, whose language is hard to understand without additional explanation not only for children but also for some adults.

Bookstore in the old Singer building

I have been on a look out for books that have nice illustrations to go along with the text to make them more accessible. And here I was, in a bookstore that is in the old Singer building right in the heart of St-Petersburg Russia, reaching for a book by Mikhail Lermontov. The second I flipped through its pages I knew - this is the one! My two bilingual kids, who just turned 4 and 6 year old, listen very attentively to me reading it and asked questions. Surely some of the poems are still too early for them to read, but the book has many shorter poems that small children can appreciate. I would say this book is best for children age 10 and older.

Mikhail Lermontov is a famous Russian poet and writer , who was born more than 200 years ago and died in a duel at the age of 26. His poetry is filled with poetic images and many of his poems became beautiful songs.

Here are some of them, you can listen them on Youtube:

Казачья колыбельная песня
Выхожу один я на дорогу
Нет, не тебя так пылко я люблю
Отчего ( Мне грустно )
Ангел
Парус
и другие

This book is called “Poems of all times” (“Стихи на все времена” ) - a collection of poems by Lermontov that every Russian child reads during the school studies. You will find all his famous poems there: Бородино, Три пальмы, Песня про царя Ивана Васильевича …, Родина, И скучно и грустно, Мцыри, Смерть поэта и многие другие.

The beautiful watercolor illustrations by Nikolaev ( Юрий Николаев) attract readers and help them feel the magic of Lermontov’s poetry.




If you have already read this book and looking for something else to read, check out  
the list of Russian language children's books and cartoons 
List of children's books in Polish language - Lista książek po Polsku dla dzieci
or stop by to see what other international families and friends of Multicultural Kid Blogs have to recommend in the Read Around the World Summer Reading Series.  This is the second summer, when bloggers from all over the world share their recommendations of great multicultural books for the entire family!

Good reading time!

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FREE audiobooks and stories in English. 19 great websites !



7 principles to keep in mind while teaching your child to read.


List of Kids' Radio Stations broadcasting from around the world. Is your kids favourite station listed here?


Can babies distinguish foreign languages?

 

Good Reads: Great conversation starter - folktale from New Guinea “The Turtle and the Island”. Age 4 and up.

What do you and your children know about Papua New Guinea?

The book “The turtle and the island” is a folktale that tells us in a very poetic way how the island of New Guinea was born and who were the first people living there. It is a great book for young independent readers and can be read to children from age of 4.

I found this folktale available in Russian and English languages. Have you seen/read it in other languages? If yes, in which one?

Book In Russian:

We read the story in Russian. The book is called "Остров и черепаха". It is very well told by Anastasia Brodotskaya (Анастасия Бродоцкая) and accompanied with beautiful illustrations by David Haykin ( Давид Хайкин).

Book In English:

The story “The Island and the turtle” was published in English by Barbara Ker Wilson (Author) and Frané Lessac (Illustrator).


Use this book to start a conversation with your child. Here are some topics you could expand on: You could talk about how islands are formed, introduce more geography, discuss turtles and ocean, talk about biodiversity … and the list does not end here!

If you have already read this folktale, check out the list of Russian language children's books and cartoons  or stop by to see what other international families and friends of Multicultural Kid Blogs have to recommend in the Read Around the World Summer Reading Series.  This is the second summer, when bloggers from all over the world share their recommendations of great multicultural books for the entire family!

Good reading time to everyone!

You might also like:

FREE audiobooks and stories in English. 19 great websites !


List of Kids' Radio Stations from countries around the world


Did you know that by singing songs and nursery rhymes you prepare your child to learning to read?

Have you ever wondered how one can become a multilingual? - learn more from this great Life story: A Journey to Multilingualism.

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Good Reads: “Masha & Oika” by Sofia Prokofieva. Two little girls that your children can relate to and learn from. Short stories in Russian for children from 0-5.

Masha and Oika are the two little girls that are very similar in character and behaviour to our children. One girl, Masha, likes to do everything by herself , the other one - does not and always complains saying “Oi”. In fact, because of that everyone stopped calling her with her real name - Zoika and started calling her Oika.

These two girls, just like any children, have animal friends. In our kids case those are their plush toys.

These short stories will help your children to learn what is good and what is bad, to say goodbye to a pacifier, to learn how to be polite and to stop being resistant to washing their hair.

“Masha & Oika” (Маша и Ойка) by Sofia Prokofieva (София Прокофьева) is a must have in your preschooler’s library and is a great book for children from 0 to 5 years old.

Here is the list of the stories that are included in the book “Masha & Oika” by Sofia Prokofieva Russian.

This Russian book “Masha and Oika” is also available to listen to online:

Слушать Машу и Ойку онлайн.

Cодержание книги Софии Прокофьевой “Маша и Ойка” :


Сказка про Ойку-плаксу
Сказка о ленивых ногах
Сказка про соску
Сказка о мокрых штанишках
Сказка о первых ягодах
Сказка о высунутом язычке
Сказка про грубое слово «уходи»
Сказка про волшебные перышки
Сказка про маленький дубок
Сказка про воронье гнездо
Сказка о том, как Мышонок попал в беду
Сказка про холодную воду
Сказка про хитрую ловушку
Сказка про честные ушки
Сказка про волшебную корзиночку
Сказка про дырявый кармашек
Cказка про игрушечный городок
Сказка про непослушные ручки и ножки
Сказка про башмачки
Сказка о том, как зайцы испугали Серого Волка
Сказка про молоток и гвозди
Сказка про часы с кукушкой.



If you have already read this great book by Sofia Prokofieva, check out the list of Russian language children's books and cartoons  or stop by to see what other international families and friends of Multicultural Kid Blogs have to recommend in the Read Around the World Summer Reading Series.  This is the second summer, when bloggers from all over the world share their recommendations of great multicultural books for the entire family!

Good reading time to everyone!

You might also like:

Best website with FREE audiobooks and stories in English 

PROS and CONS of raising a Trilingual child. 

List of Kids' Radio Stations from countries around the world

How To Raise a Bilingual or Multilingual child. Where to start?

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7 facts that can determine the language spoken between multilingual siblings.

Life Story: Emigrating at age 8. Challenges of preserving the home country culture and language. What can be passed onto the new generation?

Are you an expat parent? Are you wondering how your child feels about your language and your culture? Karolina's life story will give you insights on what it was for her to emigrate at age 8 and  grow up with two languages and two cultures. She talks about her personal benefit of bilingualism and  her goals for raising  her multilingual daughter.




I was born in Poland. I grew up hearing my grandmother and her mom speak German to each other whenever they didn’t want the rest of the family to understand what they were discussing. I was aware that my mother had some level of Russian familiarity on account of it having been a required foreign language in school when she was growing up. But I didn’t start learning my second language – English – until I emigrated to the United States at the age of 8.
Once immersed in the American public school system, surrounded by native English speakers, I picked up the language in no time. Rather than being held back a grade, as was common practice for non-native English speakers entering the school system, I finished second and third grade in the same academic year.

But alas, contrary to what my relatives convinced me of, it was not as simple as merely adding a second language and carrying on with the first language as if nothing happened. Something did happen – my first language, Polish, was being replaced by English. It took me literally decades to finally come to terms with the fact that I lost something of my mother tongue by emigrating.

On the surface, I thought I had an easy adjustment. I was young when I arrived, I was immersed in the mainstream language right away, and my parents maintained the minority language at home. I maintained my Polish literacy (albeit at an elementary level) by writing letters to my grandmother and cousin. But on my visits back to Poland, I noticed I wasn’t familiar with the most recent slang, or that I couldn’t explain various aspects of my conversation topics on account of them being far more advanced than the second-grade Polish education I was working with.

For years, I did not associate my weaning native language skills with my scuffles with my parents. After all, all adolescents argue with their parents, right? However, I was cognizant enough to always keep in the back of my mind that on top of a generational gap, my parents and I also had a cultural gap.

I attributed my perceptions of my relatives’ comments to their personality traits. Usually, this meant that I saw them in a negative light – as rude, mean, or just plain insensitive. I had no idea that I was translating my American-learned value system into a Polish culture that operated within a very different set of values. Over the years, I’d ask my mother to explain to me why someone said something that I found offensive. With time, I started to question if this was just the way Polish people were, or if it was something unique to my family. It hadn’t occurred to me that my gap in understanding the Polish culture was a direct result of the way I became bilingual.

My parents and I settled in an area of the United States that did not have a large Polish diaspora community. At first, we attended a Polish parish, but within a couple of years, we moved too far to continue regular attendance at this church. It probably didn’t occur to my parents that they were cutting me off from a very critical language resource by limiting my Polish exposure to only the home. It was merely a matter of what was practical. No other Polish resources were available to us when I was growing up. There was no internet yet, and we couldn’t afford Polish language television. I had a subscription to a Polish children’s magazine for a time, but no contact with anyone outside of my family who spoke Polish.

As I matured, the topics of interest for me also matured, but my Polish vocabulary didn’t have a chance to keep up. There were things I didn’t feel comfortable discussing with my parents, and since there was no one else I could discuss them with in Polish, they just weren’t discussed in Polish at all. And soon, I noticed I was no longer thinking in Polish.

When I first noticed that I thought to myself in English, I tried to make it a point to consciously switch back whenever I caught myself. I felt guilty for letting my Polish slip like that. My parents couldn’t relate to what I was going through linguistically, since their Polish solidly remained their true mother tongue. I remember one incident where I was trying to say something to my dad about a lightbulb and I couldn’t remember the Polish word for “lightbulb”. I stuttered, trying to think of it, I may have even said the word in English in hopes of him helping me out. Instead, he got angry at me, not believing that I could’ve forgotten such an easy word. He thought I was lying.

Relationship with my mother.

My relationship with my mother also suffered because of the language disconnect. Even though we always spoke Polish in the home, there were less and less things I could discuss with her if for no other reason than that it was awkwardly peppered with a lot of code-switching (followed by feelings of guilt). Not only that, but Polish grammar has two ways of addressing a person, depending on the formality of the occasion and intimacy of the interlocutors. Many languages have a similar dichotomy: Spanish tu/Usted, French tu/vous, German Du/Sie. I grew up using the formal third person verb conjugation when addressing my mom. I didn’t have the benefit of hearing that this apparently changes at some point in a parent-child relationship.


I started to feel silly using the formal with my mom, yet it felt downright inconceivable to use the informal. And so I developed my own strategy for overcoming this obstacle. Since code-switching had already become part of my repertoire by this time, and my mom had also started using some English words in conversations with me, I simply utilized the universal English “you” in place of its equivalent in Polish. So for instance, instead of asking my mom the formal way, “Co mama chce na prezent?” or the equally unacceptable informal, “Co chcesz na prezent?” more and more of my sentences started to be bilingual when addressing my mom, resulting in the following compromise for the above question: “Co do you want na prezent?” (“What do you want for a gift?”)

Then one day when I was in my 20s, my mother told me about a conversation she had with her own mother, and how my grandmother was upset that my mom had started to use the informal with her. So I asked my mom when it was appropriate to make the switch. Was I old enough, perhaps? My mom didn’t even flinch. She had no problem with me addressing her in the informal. But I did. Since I didn’t speak Polish with anyone other than my parents, and every few years my grandparents and aunts when I’d visit Poland, I only ever used the formal in my spoken Polish. I heard myself say the informal to my elders and I cringed. It sounded wrong. Rude.

It took me many years to force myself to get used to it. The advent of modern technology helped. It was much easier to test the waters by addressing my mom as “you” in emails, and later in texts. Even to this day, I am consciously aware of saying “you” to my mom. But since after years of trying this out on her, my mom has yet to complain, I know I’m safe to continue.

However, as cumbersome as my weakening Polish skills have been to my relationship with my mom and with my family and understanding Polish culture and nuances in general, there is another detrimental result of my not having grown up “truly bilingual”. Growing up, I heard what an advantage it is in the work world to know multiple languages. The largely monolingual society I lived in seemed to also consider it something of a bonus, a sought-after resume-builder. But since I hadn’t yet figured out that there are levels of multilingualism, I considered myself bilingual, period (and later trilingual when I took 5 years of Spanish, including an immersion program, and eventually married a native Spanish-speaker). I proudly put Polish and Spanish on my resume, but when it came down to it, I didn’t actually have what it took to do the job. My English is way better than my Spanish and even Polish by leaps and bounds. Not only has nearly all of my formal education been in English, but all of my peer interactions from a young age have been in English as well. The truth is, I can’t translate between the languages except at a quite basic level, and any job that would require language skills requires far more than that.

While I consider myself multilingual and multiliterate, I am finally able to make peace with the fact that I’m not equally proficient in all three languages. I’ve made the journey from Pole to Polish-American.

Benefits of bilingualism.

So what good have my language skills been then?

They have enabled me to see the world from a very open-minded perspective. I’m aware of how differently speakers of different languages see the world, and this has helped form who I am today. It has encouraged me to seek out non-native English speakers for friends, and it provided me with a decade of fulfilling work teaching adults English as a second language.

It has given me the ability to enjoy cultural events, music, food, traditions, not only from the cultures associated with my languages, but from various other cultures as well. It allowed me to see marrying someone of a different cultural and linguistic upbringing as a no-brainer. It is in being different from the mainstream that I see comradery with other multilinguals. I feel more comfortable surrounded by people from various backgrounds than I do surrounded by all Poles.

Being multilingual has given me the ticket to considering myself a global citizen. My idea of “us versus them” is very different from most monolinguals. “We” are people who want to work together to build a better tomorrow, and “they” are those who are too wrapped up in their own monolithic identities to see past people’s differences and embrace a universal selfhood.

My goals for raising a multilingual child. 

So I stand at a cross road when considering my goals for raising my daughter multilingual. Many parents desire full fluency in both languages for their kids. Had this been my parents’ goal for me, I would’ve reaped the benefits in many ways. But since I am no longer as emotionally vested in my first language as I was when it was still my native tongue, I have a much more laid back approach to language learning now. I want to provide the exposure for her inside and outside the home, so that she can enjoy the language in what she reads, what programs she watches, what music she listens to, and her choice of friends. I do not see language learning as a chore or a parental duty. I see it as a natural extension of who my husband and I are – we are a multilingual family. It couldn’t have been any other way.

My daughter does have an advantage over me in the way she’s growing up multilingual. I have a clear-cut language goal for her (though not a strict one), and I have the benefit of knowing that it takes more than mere at-home exposure to provide optimal opportunities for fluency.

I’ve made peace with my level of multilingualism, though I still have an emotional reaction to certain songs and poems in Polish, so perhaps it is still my “mother” tongue. But everyone knows that the baby chick eventually leaves its momma’s nest. Polish may have provided me with roots, but my wings are intertwined with a heavy dose of English and a decorative patch of Spanish. Perhaps what’s most important to know cannot be conveyed in language of any kind. After all, silence is golden. Milczenie jest złote.

Karolina and her husband Oscar live in the United States and enjoy communicating with their toddler daughter Natalia in Polish, English, Spanish, and American Sign Language, which they are learning together as a family.



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Are you interested to participate in the Life Story series and write about your experience as a bilingual or multilingual child and/or a parent?  Would you like to take part in the Multilingual Family Interview series ? You can contact me here.

Are you a multilingual family and looking for a playdate in your language or another family to chat with? Click here to find it now!

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Would like to teach your child English phonics? Check this interview for the resources: When your home languages are different from community language.  


Life Story: Trilingual mama - trilingual kid. Why would it be any other way? 


How to Raise a Bilingual / Multilingual child. Where to start?


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Raising a Bilingual Child : Setting Your Priorities From The Start.