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Ages 4 to adult

What we teach, and in what order

Three programs and four levels. Everyone starts with a free lesson, which is where we work out where to begin.

ChildrenTeensAdultsThe four levelsDrawing
Illustration of a bear reading an alphabet book
Ages 4–10

Russian for children

Letters first, then whole stories. Lessons run on games, pictures and reading aloud, because a child who is enjoying it comes back next week.

  • The primer (Букварь): sounds, letters, first words
  • Reading aloud, then reading alone
  • Writing by hand, from letters to sentences
  • Colours, shapes, counting and logic at the early levels
  • Stories read and then retold in the child's own words
Ages 11–17

Russian for teens

The age when heritage Russian usually stalls: understood at home, avoided out loud. These lessons put the speaking back and make the writing real.

  • Conversation that is not small talk — opinions, arguments, jokes
  • Reading literature and discussing what it meant
  • Essay writing and dictation
  • Grammar taught when it is needed, not as a syllabus
  • Enough confidence to speak to family without switching to English
Illustration of a teenager studying at a laptop
Illustration of an adult learner at a laptop
18 and up

Russian for adults

From nothing, or from a childhood you half remember. Lessons are built around what you actually need the language for.

  • Complete beginners — the alphabet is the first lesson, not a barrier
  • Rusty speakers rebuilding what they already half know
  • Russian for travel, for work, or to talk to family
  • Reading and writing at whatever pace suits
  • Materials chosen around your goals, not a fixed course

The four levels

Each one described by what a student can do at the end of it.

0
ages 4–5

Playing and speaking

By the end, a child recognises letters and says their first full sentences.

  • Play-based language activities
  • Colours, shapes, counting, logic
  • Vocabulary and listening
  • The primer (Букварь)
1

Reading and the world around us

By the end, a child reads a short story alone and can tell you what happened.

  • Conversational speech
  • Reading and discussing literature
  • The world around us
  • Mathematics, grades 1–3
2

Language, writing and thinking

By the end, a child writes a paragraph of their own and defends an opinion in it.

  • Russian language and literature
  • Essay writing
  • Logical and creative thinking
3

Advanced Russian and composition

By the end, a child writes at the level a school in Russia would expect.

  • Literature and language
  • Essays and dictation
  • The world around us
New course

Drawing course

Step-by-step drawing lessons on iPads, for children aged 5 and up. No art supplies to buy — just a stylus.

🖥️ Online 🖌️ Step by step 🎨 Ages 5+ 🎁 Free trial
Book a free trial
A kitten illustration being drawn on an iPad
Drawn on iPads

Not sure which level?

That is what the free first lesson is for. Thirty minutes and we will tell you where to start.

Book a free first lesson