
Category: lesson resources


10 Tagalog Phrases Kids Can Say to their Moms
Learn Tagalog Phrases To Say to Mom
In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought it would be fun for my kids to learn some phrases that I would want to hear as a mom. The kids practiced with their Daddy this past week, and we recorded their audio, which we included below. With time and practice, it will sound more fluid, but we are proud of their attempts and efforts to continue learning new words and phrases.
If any of these phrases resonate with you, feel free to learn them to tell your Mom or Mother figure, and have your kids try some that you would like to hear from them. 🙂












7 Fun Ways to Learn Tagalog with Your Child
It sounds intimidating to learn another language and even more so to teach your child a language that you may not be fluent in either. But learning another language with your child can be turned into an enjoyable educational activity that you can share together.
Here are 7 fun ways to learn Tagalog with your child (in no particular order):
Read bilingual books

A wonderful way to build language and literacy is through books. Immersing oneself with a wide array of quality picture books builds vocabulary and adds context through corresponding pictures. The Filipino children’s book selection is amazingly growing due to talented and passionate authors, illustrators, and publishers who are dedicated to spreading the Filipino culture through books.
Some places to find Filipino/Fil-Am children’s books are:
Also, check your local libraries, bookstores or Filipino festivals in your area. Selections can vary depending on your location. Another tip (if your library has the policy to request books) is to ask your librarian to consider purchasing a suggested booklist.
(Please contact me if you know a good place to get Filipino children’s books that is not listed above and I can update the list.)
Arts & crafts that incorporate Tagalog vocabulary


Incorporating Tagalog vocabulary in arts and crafts is another fun and simple way to reinforce the language. Even if the craft was not initially intended to be focused on Filipino culture or language, the vocabulary can still be tied. For example, talking about the colors or shapes that are used in the craft can be a way to implement Tagalog. (For craft ideas, check out our page Tagalog Activities & Book Units which has many different ideas).
You can also follow us on Instagram (@filamlearners) where we also share more craft ideas and activities to try out to teach Tagalog.
Vocabulary games

Playing games such as Memory, matching card games, Pictionary, Charades are enjoyable bonding activities to review and teach language (regardless of which language).
Apps & Videos
Watching appropriate children’s videos or playing educational apps is another way to learn a language. Here are suggested YouTube channels and apps (but please preview them first to gauge the appropriateness for your little ones).
- Gus on the Go (Tagalog)
- Read Filipino shares 3 Filipino iOS & Apple apps in this blog post.
- The Knowledge Channel
- Batibot TV
Filipino music

We find that music is an engaging and entertaining way to learn Tagalog. Some YouTube channels we follow for educational songs are:
I create lyrics sheets to accompany some of the songs we learn each month. Head over to our Filipino Children’s Songs + Lyrics post to download/print the lyrics sheets.
Cook and/or Bake

Involving your children in the kitchen not only teaches them cooking skills that set them up for independence and educates them on nutrition, but is also a seamless way to have conversations and build on language. You can share more about the culture of the food and key vocabulary of the ingredients, cooking utensils, and skills such as stirring, baking, frying.
Below is a video from FilipinoPod101 teaching basic Tagalog words themed around the kitchen.
Listen to podcasts or audio stories

Tagalog Phrases When Meeting Someone New

Here is a three-page printable of some basic phrases to use when meeting someone new. They can be kept as reference charts or cut up to be used as vocabulary cards. I included phrases using both formal and informal tone.
In Tagalog, there are two tones for conversation: formal and informal. With formal conversation, “po” is added as a form of respect when speaking to someone elder or someone respectable. Informal conversation is used when speaking to peers or those who are younger.
The third page of numbers 1 – 10 in Tagalog was added in case you want to identify the number of children or siblings you have.
We hope these help you for the next time you meet someone new and want to practice using Tagalog with them!

Philippine Flag Activity
Learn about the Philippine Flag
Learn about the flag of the Philippines with this craft. This two-page printable has basic facts about the meaning of the colors and symbols of the flag. It includes a Philippine flag craft for the child to color, cut, and paste.






- National Historical Commission of the Philippines
- History of the Philippine FlagLearn about the history of the flag from the Malacanan Palace Presidential Museum & Library
- BANDILA: The Story of The Philippine FlagWritten by Merci Melchor Illustrated by Auri Asuncion-Yambao


Abakada – Filipino Alphabet

Pan de Sal Saves the Day- Lesson Activities

My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva
“If you see the Butterfly, somebody you know will die. Or has already died. My dad wasn’t clear. He just said if the Butterfly lands on something of yours, you should expect Death to come knocking at your door.”
Whew! That opening immediately sent shivers down my spine when I first sat down to read My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva. Set in the Philippines, Villanueva brings to the forefront the significance of superstitions in the culture. Superstitions are deeply rooted and can greatly impact actions and reactions to situations in life. In this middle school contemporary novel, Villanueva embeds the superstition of the large black butterfly.
This chapter book is a tale of ten-year-old Sab (Sabrina) and her quest to reunite her broken family for her upcoming eleventh birthday. Her older sister, Ate Nadine, has not spoken to her father in years and Sab does not know why. Her motivation to both discover and mend the roots of the family rift is heightened when she sees the giant black butterfly, which her father has taught her to be a death omen. Seeing it, she knows she has limited time to act upon her only wish to celebrate her birthday at her Lola’s resort with all of her family there.
Throughout the story, we follow Sab’s journey to uncover more about her Ate Nadine and why she dislikes her father so much. We watch each layer of truth slowly unfold and the emotional impact on each member of the family.
Along the way, we also get a taste of the culture of the Philippines, family dynamics, societal issues, and also the effects of our behaviors and mistakes on our family’s relationships.
My Favorite Quotes:
There were several quotes in the book that caught my attention and provided opportunities for reflection. Here are some I would like to share with you:
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- “Dad described the Butterfly as being black as a starless night sky. It’s a giant compared to your garden-variety moth — probably even bigger than my hand. Its dark, mysterious vibe is beautiful and sinister at the same time.”
I think that although she is describing a believed “death omen” the description is just so captivating and mysterious — as black as a “starless night sky” and “beautiful and sinister at the same time.”
I love this quote because it is a good life lesson — to not just sit around waiting for death. To enjoy each day of your life and take action to enjoy your life the best way possible. Although Sab sees the black butterfly, her best friend, Pepper, encourages her to not waste time feeling bad for herself, but to change her mentality to spend her supposed “last days” fulfilling her wishes.

This statement displays the contrast between Filipinos and those who were raised in the U.S. Pepper, Sab’s friend, grew up in the U.S., where superstitions are not as strongly immersed in the culture. Pepper doesn’t fully understand the level of seriousness Sab feels from the superstition of the black butterfly. It reminds me of how my Titas and Titos from the Philippines bring up many more superstitions in the conversation than my family who was born and raised here in the U.S. I always wondered why they would see or hear certain things happening in the Philippines, but not here in the U.S. So, reading this part of the book was very relatable to my own relatives and their beliefs.
I appreciate how Gail Villanueva brings in real societal beliefs regarding skin color and definitions of “beauty.” It is a tough pill to swallow and a “truth” that is hard to admit, but to this day, there are people who still believe that — “white is beautiful, brown is not.” There are many who strongly disagree. But there still remains the belief in this throughout our populations and still communicated (whether overtly or subconsciously).
Age Appropriateness & Topics
My Fate According to the Butterfly is intended for ages 8 through 12 (grades 3 through 7). Although this is the target age range, it is recommended to read it prior to having your child or student read it to be fully prepared and comfortable with the discussed topics in the book. It is an honest storyline, bringing up real-life issues, which I really appreciate. There are several topics we tend to hide from our children due to fear or uncomfortableness, but it is good to bring those real topics to the forefront through age-appropriate conversations. The story shows a torn family due to a “mysterious” reason which Sab later uncovers.
The storyline includes relationship dynamics such as a separated marriage, a homosexual relationship, and brings up substance abuse.
While it does include these topics, Gail Villanueva weaves them in very respectfully while maintaining the depth of emotions that can be involved. It brings up true to life issues between family. It teaches valuable lessons about communication, appreciation for family, living your life without regrets, the importance of having faith in others, and the process of forgiveness.
There are some challenging truths and lots of big feelings for Sab and her Ate Nadine. The author takes the reader through the emotional struggle of the characters and brings it to a beautiful resolve in the end. You will have to read it to find out how it all comes together.
My Fate According to the Butterfly will be launching on July 30, 2019! Check out the book’s website to learn more about it and how to pre-order/purchase it.
Interview with the Author:
I wanted to learn more about the author and her inspiration behind the book, so I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to ask Gail Villanueva a few questions to share with you:
Q: When did you realize you wanted to be an author?
A: I was writing short stories and making comic strips the moment I learned to read at age seven. I had a hard time learning how to. With my grandmother’s help, I eventually learned how to associate words with images.
But it was when I read To Kill A Mockingbird in fifth grade that I decided I wanted to become an author. I reached the end of the book with this question: Why did it have to be a white girl who tells the story of a black man? Like, couldn’t a black author tell their own story?
It was at that moment I resolved to one day write a book with a Filipino main character. A Filipino book by a Filipino writer. My book may never become a classic like Harper Lee’s (anyone can dream though haha), but I would write about Filipinos because I’m Filipino.
Q: What are your favorite genres to read? What are your favorite genres to write?
A: I read just about anything middle grade—except for horror. I scare easily, so reading horror books will give me nightmares for days. I really love writing real-life stories with a touch of magic in present-day settings and have dabbled with contemporary and historical fantasy.
Q: What inspired you to write My Fate According to the Butterfly?
A: I wrote My Fate According to the Butterfly when I was receiving rejection upon rejection for my first (and currently-shelved) book. It was inspired by my relationship with my own younger sister, Joyce. She’s very like Sab in many ways.
Q: Do you relate to any of the characters in My Fate According to the Butterfly?
A: I relate to Nadine, being an older sister myself. I was also part of my school paper in college. But I’m similar to Pepper the most. She may be a white American, but her personality is kind of like mine. I love strategizing, coming up with solutions to problems, and playing puzzle games. I don’t like kwek-kwek as much as Pepper does, but I do have the tendency to become a bit uncomfortable when family and friends go all feel-y on me.
Q: What do you hope your readers will take away from My Fate According to the Butterfly?
A: I wrote My Fate According to the Butterfly with Filipino representation in mind. I grew up not seeing myself in the books I read and I wanted to change that. But I would love for this book to become a mirror to anyone (Filipino or not) who needed one. Because seeing yourself represented is very empowering. It tells you, the reader, that you can be anything you want to be. At the same time, I would love for my book to become a window to our culture and encourage empathy in kids—especially privileged kids—since I strongly believe that empathy helps us become better human beings.
Bio:
Gail D. Villanueva is a Filipino author born and based in the Philippines. She’s also a web designer, an entrepreneur, and a graphic artist. She loves pineapple pizza, seafood, and chocolate, but not in a single dish together (eww). Gail and her husband live in the outskirts of Manila with their dogs, ducks, turtles, cats, and one friendly but lonesome chicken. Her debut novel, My Fate According to the Butterfly, is coming from Scholastic Press on July 30, 2019
Book links:
Website — https://butterflynovel.com
Amazon —https://www.amazon.com/Fate-According-Butterfly-Gail-Villanueva/dp/133831050X
Goodreads —https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39884772-my-fate-according-to-the-butterfly
Author links:
Author website — https://gaildvillanueva.com/
Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8392229.Gail_D_Villanueva
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/gaildvillanueva/
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/gaildvillanueva/
Twitter — https://twitter.com/gaildvillanueva
Pinterest — https://www.pinterest.com/gaildvillanueva/

Numbers in Tagalog (Mga Numero)
Counting Numbers 1 to 10 in Tagalog
Counting is a basic skill that children learn at a very young age. It is very easy to apply in our daily conversation as we count items around them such as toys, snacks, people, cars we see on the road, etc.
We have a few resources to share below to teach numbers 1 – 10 in Tagalog.
Books
Tagu-Taguan: A Counting Book in Filipino
Tagu-Taguan: A Counting Book in Filipino, written and illustrated by Jomike Tejido, is a Tagalog book that teaches numbers one through 10 and also various insects.
Throughout the book, it shows 10 different insects hiding in nature, and counts from 10 to 1.
Tagu-Taguan is completely in Tagalog and a great way to introduce lots of vocabulary.
Francesca: Isa, Dalawa, Sorpresa!
Francesca: Isa, Dalawa, Sorpresa!, written by Cel Tria and illustrated by Gel Relova, is a charming book about a girl, Francesca, celebrating her birthday. This is a bilingual book (English & Tagalog) that introduces learning concepts including colors, numbers, and birthday party elements. It too counts down from 10 to 1 as we learn a new element for the party. (We did a whole review of the book & e-Book of Francesca in another blog post. Read our full review here).
Isa, Dalawa, Tatlo … Ito Ay Obalo!: Numbers and Shapes in Filipino
Isa, Dalawa, Tatlo … Ito Ay Obalo!: Numbers and Shapes in Filipino is a Filipino children’s book that is part of a series by Joy Francisco. This particular book was illustrated by Jamie Lee Ortiz.
The pages have a clean look of vibrant colors and basic shapes with the Tagalog and English words for the numbers and shapes.
Joy Francisco continues to add on to her developing series of books to introduce basic learning concepts and Tagalog vocabulary. You can learn more about her and the other books she has produced on her website, Little Yellow Jeepney.
Printable Coloring Activity
To reinforce learning, we created a printable coloring booklet to teach numbers 1 through 10 in Tagalog.
Do you have any resources to teach Tagalog numbers? Feel free to share with us! We love learning the wonderful assortment of resources available to enrich our language and culture.

Francesca: Isa, Dalawa, Sorpresa! Book Review and Interview with the Author & Illustrator
About the Book & Why We Love it:
Francesca: Isa, Dalawa, Sorpresa! is a charming children’s picture book about a birthday party for a young girl named Francesca. It is translated in both English and Tagalog and introduces the concepts of numbers 1-10, colors, some clothing pieces, and Filipino party traditions.
Author, Cel Tria, and illustrator Gel Relova, did a beautiful job of creating a bright, joyful book to teach children basic Tagalog vocabulary with a theme that is so relatable to children.


Not only is this adorable book available in softcover, but you can also get an interactive e-Book version of Francesca: Isa, Dalawa, Sorpresa! Philip & Ana Publishing took it a step further and made it possible for children to listen to the narration of the story (by Nikki Gil-Albert) in both English and Tagalog, but to also have the capability of interacting with the words and pictures on mobile devices. Having the touchscreen capability and hearing repetition of the words in English and Tagalog strongly reinforces learning and the retention of the words. This is such an innovative Filipino children’s book! How many Filipino children’s books can you name out there that currently do this?
Want to see inside the book? I made a video walk-through of the e-Book and softcover. Get a closer look at the features of Francesa on our IGTV video post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzTmCqRggi7/
Interview with the Author – Cel Tria
Q: Where did the inspiration come from to create Francesca?
A: “Francesca is a work of fiction but I’ve drawn from our various experiences as a family. I was inspired by both our daughters and also by the people we’ve met along the way.
I loved how Gel, the illustrator, captured the multiculturalism of the guests. I described the ethnicity of each character and they all turned out so well! Regarding the games, I remember the first piñata with strings that I bought, and I thought that it might not be as exciting, but it is definitely safer! We never had pabitin in any of our kids’ parties yet, but both my husband and I recall having participated in them as children.
And look at this photo, notice the similarities with the balloons page. We had a celebration with just 3 guests because the table for the tea party only had 4 matching chairs! But it was fabulous anyway and the kids had fun and they became best friends.

The spread on the food table is what you would typically find in Filipino celebrations everywhere.

Q: What other work have you written?
A: “I’ve written the next book in this Francesca series. (Yes, it’s a series!) I’m excited about that and the creative process. We’re about to start the illustrations. It’s so much fun imagining the scenes, communicating those visions to Gel and then seeing her wonderful interpretations.”
Q: When did you realize you wanted to be an author?
A: “Originally, when we were living in the States, I was hoping to import books and make them available to the Filipino community because we ourselves found it difficult to access this kind of materials for our children. Then when the iPhone/iPad came out, I thought that would be a good medium too, with sound and interactive features. I encountered setbacks in trying to bring in existing content in either format though.
One day my husband suggested that I could make my own, that maybe I should write a book. It took a while for this to sink in, but when it did I thought it was a marvelous idea. I loved reading since I was a kid and had been writing for school papers. The possibilities of creative writing were delightful! That was around 2013 when I started, and by then, we have moved to Australia. ”
Q: What are your favorite genres of books?
a) To read: “When it comes to adult genres, I am now more inclined to read non-fiction. Recently, I really liked books by Gretchen Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell, I appreciate the fascinating information presented based on lots of research. I’m happy to admit though that I love children’s fiction and still read them! (For research, wink, wink!)”
b) To create: “So far, I’ve only written children’s picture books, but I’d like to try my hand at chapter books as well, and adult fiction and non-fiction. However, I think I’ll always love the process of creating picture books because it’s so great to see imagined scenes manifested in lovely illustrations.”
Q: Will you tell us more about Philip & Ana Publishing Company? (How it came to be and what you hope to do?)
A: It is a publishing company registered in the Philippines, started in 2016 by 5 Filipina founding directors, including myself. We mostly communicate online because of our locations, 3 different regions in the Philippines, Japan and Australia. The goal is to promote the love of reading and learning, create content that celebrate the Philippine languages and culture and other cultures of the world, and give back to the community. We dream of many more Filipinos enjoying the habit of reading, wherever they are in the Philippines or in the world. We want to help children who are not so privileged get access to books and find joy in them. We hope you can support us by purchasing our books. Give them as gifts! Tell your family and friends!
(Available on: iBooks and Amazon)
Q: Any upcoming projects and/or events that people can look out for?
A: “There are two projects that we’re working on right now, one is by a Filipino author who lives in New Zealand, about the best friend that a kid could ever have and the other one is the second book in the Francesca series. Both are being illustrated by Gel too. Watch out for them!”
Q: Where can people learn more about you?
A: “You can find us on Instagram @philipandanapublishing, or on our FaceBook page “Philip & Ana.” We also have a website, www.philipandana.com .”
Interview with the Illustrator: Gel Relova
Q: Where did the inspiration come when creating the illustrations for Francesca?
A: “When I started working on this book, I researched traditional Filipino birthday parties here in the Philippines. I remembered some of the games that we played when I was young, the colorful piñata and toys inside small plastic bags (like yo-yo’s and jackstones!) which were strung on 4 by 4 wood called Pabitin. I tried capturing those fun memories and imagined how it would be for Francesca.”
Q: What other work have you illustrated?
A: “I have been illustrating for various Philippine companies and publishing houses for a few years now. They’re mostly for books, magazines, print ads, and other materials. I also collaborate with other illustrators for exhibits here in Manila. You can view some of them on our org’s website at ang-ink.org.”
Q: When did you realize you wanted to be an illustrator?
A: “My childhood consisted of Disney animated movies, cable TV cartoons and Japanese manga. As a kid, I was always trying to draw and copy them. My sketchbook was filled with drawings of Ariel and Jasmine, Lisa Franks, and the whole sailor squad. When I became a teenager and I still had the same passion that I’ve had for drawing when I was little, I then decided that I wanted to create my own artworks for a living.”
Q: Where can people learn more about you?
A: “You can see some of my works at fisheecalamari.carbonmade.com or you can follow me on Tumblr.”
