Lumi KidsItalian for kids
Italian is a language children enjoy saying: clear vowels, a sing-song rhythm and words like ciao they may already know. Here are the 64 first words of Lumi Kids with Lumi's voice, the article each noun takes and a say-it guide for English speakers.
Guides
- How to Raise a Bilingual Child: Methods That Fit Real Familieskeeping a grandparent's language alive
- Best Age to Learn a Second Language: A Guide for Parentswhat research says about starting age
- Best Language Learning Apps for Kids in 2026: Parent's Guidehow to choose an app for a 4- to 9-year-old
Why Italian?
Italian is taught in only about 1% of US public schools (NCES, January 2024), so most children who learn it start at home, often in families with Italian roots who want to keep a grandparent's language in the family. Others choose it for travel, music or simply because it sounds so good.
For English speakers, Italian is welcoming. Words are read the way they are written, vowels are always clear, and many words look familiar: banana, famiglia, il leone. Italian food words give kids a head start too.
The two new habits are articles, since every noun comes with an article such as il, la or l', and double consonants, which are held a little longer.
The 64 first Italian words
These are the 64 words of the Seed level, eight worlds of eight words, each with a short sentence. Tap a card and Lumi says the word; the orange line is a say-it guide in English spelling, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The guide gets you close; Lumi's voice is the real thing. Nouns appear with their article: il and la mean "the".
Tap a card and Lumi says the word; ▶ next to a sentence reads it, and “Play all in order” plays a whole group. Voices: Lumi (AI-generated voice).
8 words · 8 sentences
Hello World · Ciao, mondo!
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Ciao, sono Lumi! | Hello, I am Lumi! | |
| Arrivederci, a presto! | Goodbye, see you! | |
| Sì, mi piace! | Yes, I like it! | |
| No, ti ringrazio. | No, thank you. | |
| Grazie di cuore! | Thank you very much! | |
| Per favore, aiutami. | Please help me. | |
| Sei il mio amico. | You are my friend. | |
| Buongiorno, caro Lumi! | Good morning, Lumi! |
8 words · 8 sentences
Colors · I colori
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| La mela è rossa. | The apple is red. | |
| Il cielo è blu. | The sky is blue. | |
| Il sole è giallo. | The sun is yellow. | |
| La rana è verde. | The frog is green. | |
| Mi piace l'arancione. | I like orange. | |
| L'uva è viola. | The grapes are purple. | |
| Il maialino è rosa. | The pig is pink. | |
| La nuvola è bianca. | The cloud is white. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Numbers · I numeri
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Ho una mela. | I have one apple. | |
| Vedo due anatre. | I see two ducks. | |
| Ecco tre palloncini! | Three balloons! | |
| Ecco quattro cupcake. | Four cupcakes. | |
| Ecco cinque stelle! | Five stars! | |
| Ecco sei fragole. | Six strawberries. | |
| Ecco sette pesci. | Seven fish. | |
| Ecco otto fiori. | Eight flowers. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Animals · Gli animali
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Il gatto fa miao. | The cat says meow. | |
| Il cane è felice. | The dog is happy. | |
| L'uccello sa volare. | The bird can fly. | |
| Il pesce sa nuotare. | The fish can swim. | |
| Il cavallo è grande. | The horse is big. | |
| La mucca fa muu. | The cow says moo. | |
| Il leone è forte. | The lion is strong. | |
| Il coniglio salta. | The rabbit jumps. |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Family · La mia famiglia
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Voglio bene alla mia mamma. | I love my mom. | |
| Il mio papà è alto. | My dad is tall. | |
| Mia sorella è gentile. | My sister is kind. | |
| Mio fratello gioca. | My brother plays. | |
| La nonna prepara i biscotti. | Grandma bakes cookies. | |
| Il nonno racconta storie. | Grandpa tells stories. | |
| Il bebè è piccolo. | The baby is small. | |
| Questa è la mia famiglia. | This is my family. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Food · Il cibo
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Mangio una mela. | I eat an apple. | |
| La banana è gialla. | The banana is yellow. | |
| Mi piace il pane. | I like bread. | |
| Io bevo il latte. | I drink milk. | |
| Un uovo per colazione. | An egg for breakfast. | |
| Il formaggio è buono. | Cheese is yummy. | |
| Vorrei dell'acqua, per favore. | I want water, please. | |
| Una torta per il compleanno! | Happy birthday cake! |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Body · Il mio corpo
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Tocca la testa. | Touch your head. | |
| Ho due occhi. | I have two eyes. | |
| Questo è il mio naso. | This is my nose. | |
| Apri la bocca. | Open your mouth. | |
| Sento con le orecchie. | I hear with my ears. | |
| Batti le mani! | Clap your hands! | |
| Batti i piedi! | Stomp your feet! | |
| I miei capelli sono ricci. | My hair is curly. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Toys & Home · I giocattoli e la casa
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Do un calcio alla palla. | I kick the ball. | |
| La macchina è veloce. | The car is fast. | |
| Gioco con la mia bambola. | I play with my doll. | |
| Leggo un libro. | I read a book. | |
| Abbraccio il mio orsetto. | I hug my teddy bear. | |
| Dormo nel mio letto. | I sleep in my bed. | |
| Siediti sulla sedia. | Sit on the chair. | |
| Questa è la mia casa. | This is my house. |
New sounds
| Sound or letter | What to know |
|---|---|
| Double consonants | Held a little longer, and they change the word: la palla (the ball) is not la pala (the shovel). The guide writes them double: PAHL-lah. |
| c and g before e or i | Soft, like "ch" and "j": ciao (CHOW), giallo (JAHL-loh), cinque (CHEEN-kweh). |
| ch and gh | Hard, like k and g: gli occhi (OHK-kee). |
| gli | Close to the lli in "million": la famiglia (fah-MEE-lyah). |
| sc before e or i | Like "sh": il pesce (PEH-sheh). |
| r | A light tap or a short roll, never the English r: rosso (ROHS-soh). |
Practice at home
- Family words first. Nonna and nonno are often the first Italian a child uses; if grandparents speak Italian, ask them to use it with your child every visit.
- Cook in Italian. La pasta, il pane, l'acqua: a meal together is a natural lesson.
- Hold the doubles. Make a game of palla versus pala: children love hearing how one held sound changes the word.
How Lumi teaches it
In Lumi Kids your child starts at Seed, the first of four levels (Seed, Sprout, Sapling and Tree, 72 worlds in all). The 64 words on this page are Seed's eight worlds. Every world has at least six exercises: learn the words, listen and tap, card match, true or false, listen in order and talk with Lumi; higher levels add sentence building, stories and role play. Lumi explains in English and says the new words in standard Italian.
From age 7 the app adds reading and spelling in Italian, which is easy to read once the sounds are known.
Seed and Sprout are free, with 60 seconds of live talk to try. Lumi Plus unlocks Sapling and Tree and adds 10 minutes of live talk a week: $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers (App Store US, checked October 5, 2026). Before live talk is turned on, the app tells you, the parent, that Lumi is an AI. Lumi Kids does not record or store your child's voice. More about the app.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages (checked October 5, 2026) and from the app itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is Italian easy for English-speaking kids?
It is one of the easier languages to pronounce and read: clear vowels and regular spelling. The new parts are the articles (il, la, l') and double consonants, which children pick up by listening.
We have Italian grandparents who speak a dialect. Is that a problem?
No. Many Italian families speak a regional language or dialect alongside standard Italian. Your child can learn standard Italian with Lumi and the family's words from the grandparents; both are worth keeping.
What does l' mean in front of a word?
It is the article ("the") shortened before a vowel: l'acqua (the water), l'uovo (the egg), l'amico (the friend).
Italian with Lumi, a few minutes a day
Your child hears every word in Italian, plays with it and then speaks with Lumi. The first two levels are free.
