Family Guide — Session 34: At My Grandmother's (عِند تيتا)

A one-page guide for parents, after-school caregivers, or co-teachers. Plain English. No teaching experience required.

What we learned today

Your child can now talk about a visit to grandma's house in Arabic:

This was a review session for letters — no new alphabet today. The focus was on stringing words together into a little story about visiting teta.

Why this matters

Almost every Arabic-speaking family has a teta somewhere — across town, across the ocean, or in a memory. The phrase ishtaqtillak ("I missed you") is one of the warmest things you can say in Levantine Arabic, and kids who learn it early carry it into real phone calls with real grandparents. That's the magic: today's vocabulary isn't a list. It's the script of a family visit.

What to do this evening (3 minutes total)

You don't need to drill or quiz. Just do these three tiny things:

1. At some point tonight, say to your child:

"اِشتَقتِلَّك!" (Ishtaqtillak! to a boy / Ishtaqtillik! to a girl)

Even if you just saw them an hour ago. Watch their face.

2. While they eat anything tonight, point to it and say:

"أُكِل بَيتي!" (Akil bayti!) — "Homemade food!"

Even if it's takeout. Especially if it's takeout.

3. Before bed, ask:

"حِكاية؟" (Hikayeh?) — "A story?"

Then tell them anything — two minutes about your own grandma counts.

What to do this week (5 minutes total)

Pick one of these:

• Call or video-chat teta (or any grandparent, great-aunt, family friend). Coach your child to open with ishtaqtillak/ishtaqtillik. That's the whole assignment.
• Bake or buy كُك (cookies). While eating them, say kuk every single time you reach for one. Silly is good.
• Tell a "qa'adna" story at dinner. "Yesterday we sat — qa'adna — and..." Let your child finish the sentence in any language.
• Make a teta drawing. Your child draws their grandma (or imagines one) and labels three things in Arabic: teta, kuk, hikayeh.

If you don't know Arabic yourself

You're going to nail ishtaqtillak. It's three syllables and it means something huge.

• Mispronounce bravely. Your child has heard Safaa say these words correctly all session. Your job isn't to model — it's to participate.
• The q in qa'adna is a deep-throat sound. If you can't make it, say it like a regular "k." Nobody will mind.
• Borrow the words into English sentences. "Want some kuk?" "Tell me a hikayeh." This is exactly how bilingual families really talk.

If you're a heritage Arabic speaker

• Your teta word may be different — sitto, jiddah, bibi, nene. Tell your child what your family says, and why. That's the lesson.
• Don't over-correct ishtaqtillak vs ishtaqtillik. The m/f ending trips up native-speaker kids too. Let them mix it up for a week.
• Tell one real teta story this week. Something small — her kitchen, her hands, a song she sang. Heritage kids learn Arabic best when it's wrapped around a real person.

What's coming next session

Session 35: At the Market (بِالسّوق) — Your child learns to shop in Arabic: fruits, numbers, bikam? ("how much?"), and the rhythm of a real Levantine souq.

Materials needed: nothing new. Just bring this folder.

Questions or struggles?

Email: dabagh_safaa@smc.edu Or visit: https://learnwithoutwalls.com

Yalla Arabic · Family Guide · Session 34