Learning Dutch one step at a time
The Easy Walking, Easy Talking workshops revolve around combining Dutch* conversation classes with enjoyable activities such as hiking in nature, strolling around the village, listening to music, or playing games.
Easy Walking, Easy Talking uses tailor-made programs to help you effectively learn to speak Dutch more fluently and confidently. Walking and learning are an excellent combination. Various studies show that learning a different language while performing other activities is easier because you relax and your throughtprocesses, memory and self-confidence tend to increase during these activities.
The programs are flexible in terms of content and design, and can be organized for one or for multiple participants. You will be able to set up a program that is tailored to your preferences, goals and agenda. Contact us for more information or a free intake interview.
* Easy Walking, Easy Talking workshops are also available for anyone who is interested in learning English.
For body and brain
By being active, learning to speak Dutch will not feel like a task but rather like a hobby. Because you combine the learning with an activity, it is associated with health and pleasure. The level of activities can be adjusted to suit you; more active physical exercise,or more quiet, short activities in the village or garden.
Hands-on and relevant
The emphasis at Easy Walking, Easy Talking lies less on learning from books and more on practicing, and learning from real-world situations that are relevant to you. The customized and on-site workshops will make certain that you learn exactly what you need to know.
Open up your world
Being able to speak Dutch with your family and friends brings a lot of advantages in daily life in the Netherlands, but there are more advantages to bilingualism. It allows the brain to adapt faster, stimulates short-term memory and increases understanding within our multicultural society. Speaking another language broadens your mind in many ways.
Tailor-made
Our busy, modern lives often make it difficult to find time to commit to studies or exercise. This is why Easy Walking, Easy Talking offers the opportunity to create a fully personalized program in which you can decide what, in which way, with whom, and how intensively you want to learn.
Your teacher, Ineke Smits, has lived and worked abroad for 5 years and is a physiotherapist by profession. She has taught Physical Therapy in Dutch as well as English for 27 years at the University of Applied Science in Eindhoven.
Why learn Dutch?
Living, studying or working in a foreign country and not speaking its language is certainly possible for you, as an English speaker. The Dutch in general speak English very well and they like to speak English with foreigners. You’ll find that our fellow Dutchies will often switch to English if they hear you struggling. Although at first this may seem helpful, after a while you may realise it actually isn’t very much to your benefit at all because it makes it more difficult to improve your Dutch and fully adapt to your new country. If you speak Dutch, you will learn a great deal more about the Dutch culture and it will make you feel more at home in the Netherlands.
Although you will find it is not crucial for survival, if you speak Dutch well, everybody will really appreciate your efforts. The longer you live in the Netherlands, the actual need to understand, read and speak Dutch increases. It offers many advantages to your daily activities and contact with your family, neighbours and colleagues. You will be able to join a Dutch conversation and keep up-to-date with current events in the Netherlands. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to follow the news, read restaurant menus, road signs, your children’s homework, tax papers and special offers in the supermarket?
At work, good communication between colleagues and clients is very important. It improves the atmosphere on the work floor and broadens your career prospects as you will be qualified for many more jobs and grow your network. In addition, studies have shown that multilingualism brings other benefits; the ability to multi-task, improved attention span and cognitive skills. Multilingualism makes you more open-minded because you will see the world in different perspectives.
Children naturally learn new things faster. However, adults can use their motivation and life experience to achieve the same results. Easy Walking, Easy Talking offers the opportunity to learn Dutch in an appropriate and pleasant way.
Why walking is positive for our brain.
Walking is healthy, but in all its simplicity a means that is quickly underestimated. And that while the proven effect of walking on your brain causes jealousy by the supplements industry, according to Davis Dissalvo. In his blog, Davis gives a summary of the benefits of walking for your brain as a result of a study by Miller and Krizan in 2016.
A short summary:
- Walking boosts your mood even when you’re not expecting it. The results show that after only 12 minutes walking there is an improvement in mood, resilience, focus and self-confidence compared to 12 minutes sitting.
- Walking enhances creativity, especially when you’re seeking a solution.There is a noticeable increase of 60% compared to sitting and the effect remains until about a quarter of an hour after walking.
- Walking sparks connections between brain cells. After a year of walking, researchers were able to observe an increase in connectivity between the different brain areas in the areas that are involved in aging dysfunction.
- Walking improves working memory. Subjects were better able to carry out memory tasks when they could walk at their own pace. Especially in young subjects, the effect of walking was strong.
- Walking yields the right rhythm for thinking.
Walking is a powerful way to mainline nature. Combine walking with nature (or at least a little bit of green) and you create a win-win situation.
Read the blog article of Davis Dissalvo: Why Walking is Better Brain Medicine than Anything You'll Find on the Supplement Shelf.