He not only translates Kyrgyz words for his mother into English but also answers questions posed in his native language in a foreign one.
His mother, Baktygul Turganbayeva, shared that Kudaybergen was born on May 17, 2021, and became the eldest in the family, where he has a younger sister. His interest in languages began to manifest at an early age when he was just starting to speak.
“When he turned one, he started saying his first words, including some in English. He began to repeat words like ‘television’ and ‘light’ after me. From that moment, I realized he could learn, and I started teaching him English,” Baktygul shared.
Today, Kudaybergen is capable of pronouncing simple phrases in English and answers questions. He also shows a great love for animals.
“He is especially interested in marine creatures. He watches English-language programs about sea animals and never misses an episode. He already knows the names of fish in English. He loves the cartoon ‘Blippi,’ which is a popular educational series for children under 5,” Turganbayeva said.
Kudaybergen attends the kindergarten “Bakyt” in Tyup, where he has been learning Russian for a year and a half, while at home he continues to learn Kyrgyz and English.
“He is learning to speak three languages. In kindergarten, he started mastering Russian, and he is doing quite well now,” Baktygul added.
The family lives on the outskirts of the village, near the mountains, which allows them to often walk and play outdoors. They enjoy hiking in the mountains and creating interesting videos in English.
“We don’t force Kudaybergen to learn the language, as he gets tired quickly. I teach him during everyday activities by naming objects. For example, while cooking, I say, ‘this is lentil soup,’ explaining the process. He remembers new words if they are repeated several times. I often ask him, ‘What is this, son?’ and he answers in English,” his mother said.
At the beginning of his education, Baktygul used a picture book.
“I bought a picture book for 35 soms. It contains many images, and I would name the English words, and Kudaybergen would repeat them. This sparked his interest in language and books. Since he cannot read or write yet, we learn only through pictures,” she shared.
Due to his love for animals, the family often visits the zoo in Karakol.
“Kudaybergen especially loves lions and is interested in all the animals at the zoo. Even when we read books, he asks to see the animals and opens the pages with their pictures. He also likes dinosaurs, and I plan to make a separate video about them, as he knows the names of all the species. Usually, we create videos on topics that interest him,” Baktygul added.
Kudaybergen's mother, Baktygul Turganbayeva, was born on September 1, 1993, in the village of Kozhoyar in the Issyk-Kul district. She received her education in English in Karakol, and in 2020, she married Sultan, a resident of the Tyup district. They are now raising two children, and Baktygul works as an English teacher at the T. Satylganov Regional Lyceum-Boarding School. Currently, she is on maternity leave but actively teaches her fellow villagers English.
“People who see our videos ask me on social media about courses and how to teach children the language. In the future, I want to open online courses where I will share how I taught my son and what resources I used,” she shared.
Now, Kudaybergen's younger sister, two-year-old Ulara, is also trying to learn the language by repeating 15–20 English words after her brother.
