Okay kiddo, so long, long ago, people in Europe started speaking a special language. This language is very old, even older than mommy and daddy! And it's called Proto-Balto-Slavic.
Now, you may be wondering what "proto" means. Well, it means "first" or "original." So, Proto-Balto-Slavic is the first or original version of the languages that we now call Baltic and Slavic languages.
But what are Baltic and Slavic languages, you ask? Well, they are a group of languages that are spoken by people in different parts of Europe. Some of these languages include Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, Polish, Czech, and many more.
So, Proto-Balto-Slavic is like the grandfather language to all of these languages. It's the language that they all came from! And just like how grandpas are important because they pass on wisdom to their grandkids, Proto-Balto-Slavic is important because it gave birth to all of these amazing languages that people still use today.
And even though nobody speaks Proto-Balto-Slavic anymore (since it's too old), we can still learn about it by looking at some words and sounds that are similar in the Baltic and Slavic languages. It's like looking at a very old family tree and seeing how grandpa's traits have been passed down to his children and grandchildren.
So, that's Proto-Balto-Slavic in a nutshell. It's a very special and important language that we can learn about to understand where some of our favorite languages come from!