Related to reading children's books - It can be pretty rewarding and educational to actually speak to children.
I moved to Finland two years ago, and I've found my level of language is good enough to communicate with 3-4 year olds. After that they know more words than I do, but still we usually make ourselves understood.
The best thing I've found for my learning is time though, I'm definitely better at hearing the difference between "o" and "รถ" now I've lived here for a long time, and heard them spoken. Listening to Finnish (metal!) radio has also helped me out even though most of the vocabulary is unknown to me, just having people speak at "full speed" and hearing it is useful.
I moved to Finland two years ago, and I've found my level of language is good enough to communicate with 3-4 year olds. After that they know more words than I do, but still we usually make ourselves understood.
The best thing I've found for my learning is time though, I'm definitely better at hearing the difference between "o" and "รถ" now I've lived here for a long time, and heard them spoken. Listening to Finnish (metal!) radio has also helped me out even though most of the vocabulary is unknown to me, just having people speak at "full speed" and hearing it is useful.
Immersion, I guess, is the key.