Comments on: Raising bilingual kids: benefits and techniques http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/ ...exploring the art and science of parenting Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:24:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Happy Holidays! — PhD in Parenting http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-215692 Happy Holidays! — PhD in Parenting Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:13:04 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-215692 [...] by phdinparenting on December 27, 2011 · 0 comments var addthis_product = 'wpp-262'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true,"data_ga_property":"UA-7095988-1","data_ga_social":true,"data_track_addressbar":true,"ui_language":"en","ui_508_compliant":true};if (typeof(addthis_share) == "undefined"){ addthis_share = {"templates":{"twitter":"\'check out {{title}}{{url}} (via @phdinparenting)\'"}};} Late, but better than never. Happy Holidays to all of my blog readers! I wish you and your families all the best for whichever holidays and traditions you are celebrating this winter. Our family celebrates a secular Christmas. This year we were treated to several different Christmas concerts and were treated to songs, like the ones my son is singing in this video, in four different languages (raising multilingual kids is fun). [...] [...] by phdinparenting on December 27, 2011 · 0 comments var addthis_product = 'wpp-262'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true,"data_ga_property":"UA-7095988-1","data_ga_social":true,"data_track_addressbar":true,"ui_language":"en","ui_508_compliant":true};if (typeof(addthis_share) == "undefined"){ addthis_share = {"templates":{"twitter":"\'check out {{title}}{{url}} (via @phdinparenting)\'"}};} Late, but better than never. Happy Holidays to all of my blog readers! I wish you and your families all the best for whichever holidays and traditions you are celebrating this winter. Our family celebrates a secular Christmas. This year we were treated to several different Christmas concerts and were treated to songs, like the ones my son is singing in this video, in four different languages (raising multilingual kids is fun). [...]

]]> By: Elsa http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-214638 Elsa Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:43:21 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-214638 We are a bilingual family, I speak Spanish and my husband english. I am from Mexico and he is from South Africa where we live. Since our son Leonardo was born he had the idea of getting a Chiness nanny so he could learn Mandarin. A year later looks like we found someone and we are very exited that our boy can learn 3 languages. I have to be honest, I always thought that the idea was a bit too crazy but after reading these post I feel that we are doing the right thing. Elsa from South Africa We are a bilingual family, I speak Spanish and my husband english. I am from Mexico and he is from South Africa where we live. Since our son Leonardo was born he had the idea of getting a Chiness nanny so he could learn Mandarin. A year later looks like we found someone and we are very exited that our boy can learn 3 languages. I have to be honest, I always thought that the idea was a bit too crazy but after reading these post I feel that we are doing the right thing. Elsa from South Africa

]]> By: Candace @NaturallyEducational http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-162721 Candace @NaturallyEducational Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:37:35 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-162721 We have a television but I have a "no screen time under 2" rule for myself. Playing children's songs is a great way to expose your child to native accents and you'll find that it is fairly easy for you to sing along (just think of how American the Beatles sounded when they sang). Books on tape may be another solution for you! Good luck! We have a television but I have a “no screen time under 2″ rule for myself.

Playing children’s songs is a great way to expose your child to native accents and you’ll find that it is fairly easy for you to sing along (just think of how American the Beatles sounded when they sang).

Books on tape may be another solution for you!

Good luck!

]]> By: Alannah http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-162698 Alannah Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:29:35 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-162698 Wow, what a great post! I'm hoping to expose my son to other languages - French to start with (since that's easy to do here in Canada) but ideally most of the romance and germanic languages as well as at least one Asian dialect (which one will depend on opportunity!). My big challenge is that I am definitely NOT bilingual myself, and I am a single parent. I don't have television, and, while reading IS a vital part of our daily routine, I can't read in French. I'm hoping to get my son into a French daycare or preschool soon (he's 28 months old at the moment). Wow, what a great post! I’m hoping to expose my son to other languages – French to start with (since that’s easy to do here in Canada) but ideally most of the romance and germanic languages as well as at least one Asian dialect (which one will depend on opportunity!). My big challenge is that I am definitely NOT bilingual myself, and I am a single parent. I don’t have television, and, while reading IS a vital part of our daily routine, I can’t read in French. I’m hoping to get my son into a French daycare or preschool soon (he’s 28 months old at the moment).

]]> By: Mary @ Parenthood http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-162320 Mary @ Parenthood Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:54:48 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-162320 Oh man, this is a topic of great angst in our house right now. I grew up in a French language country and really want to pass that on. But despite living in Ottawa I have little support! The library offered a "bilingual" program where the French content was quite literally one round of Frere Jacques. I complained and they tried to do better (librarian quite obviously not very bilingual though), but this year they aren't advertising it as bilingual.., Tried a whole bunch of different ideas for French language classes (music, art, playgroups etc). So far everything has been cancelled (lack of demand apparently) or is in Carlsbad springs. There is a gymnastics class but it features mini trampoline which is not recommended for kids under the age of six by Health Canada. So not terribly keen Oh man, this is a topic of great angst in our house right now. I grew up in a French language country and really want to pass that on. But despite living in Ottawa I have little support! The library offered a “bilingual” program where the French content was quite literally one round of Frere Jacques. I complained and they tried to do better (librarian quite obviously not very bilingual though), but this year they aren’t advertising it as bilingual..,

Tried a whole bunch of different ideas for French language classes (music, art, playgroups etc). So far everything has been cancelled (lack of demand apparently) or is in Carlsbad springs. There is a gymnastics class but it features mini trampoline which is not recommended for kids under the age of six by Health Canada. So not terribly keen

]]> By: digiwonk http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-162144 digiwonk Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:54:54 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-162144 My daughter very often does the same with her French: no matter what language you ask her a question in, she answers in English. However, it's always the right answer, and she deciphers each language at the same speed, so I think that indicates receptive language competence, right? My kid is stubborn and fast-talking and pretty verbally dextrous in English, and when she started school she went 2 months without saying ANYTHING in ANY LANGUAGE at school, because she didn't want to until she could be good at it. Hilarious. My daughter very often does the same with her French: no matter what language you ask her a question in, she answers in English. However, it’s always the right answer, and she deciphers each language at the same speed, so I think that indicates receptive language competence, right? My kid is stubborn and fast-talking and pretty verbally dextrous in English, and when she started school she went 2 months without saying ANYTHING in ANY LANGUAGE at school, because she didn’t want to until she could be good at it. Hilarious.

]]> By: digiwonk http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-162138 digiwonk Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:45:27 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-162138 Hey -- we're a bilingual household now, and our strategy has been the "mixed" one, combined with sending our daughter to a french language school in the public board (I am an "ayant droit" ["having rights"] and can enroll my daughter in francophone education because I had an exclusively francophone education). At home: my husband speaks no French at all, so I don't really like to speak it around him, unless my daughter initiates, because it feels rude. However, my daughter and I switch between English and French pretty easily now but I never push French on her when she doesn't want it. I don't want French to be a punishment or a chore. She watches a little French tv. We have several picture books in French and she can have them read to here whenever she wants (it's a treat!). It feels relaxed and easy, mostly. At school: it's French all day, all the time there. Kids are rewarded for speaking French to each other as well as the teacher. There are a lot more anglophone families (no parent speaks French) than there historically were, so this can be a challenge sometimes, but the teachers are francophone. In public: because we're upper-middle-class white people, we feel pretty free to speak our "non-English" to each other in public, particularly when we want to have Secret Mommy Daughter Talk, which my girl finds really fun. When she started school, aged 4, she spoke very little French. By December of that year, she was nearly perfectly fluent, making the same kinds of mistakes in her second language as her first (non-standard verbs give trouble, of course!). It's a great success for us, and I'm so glad I can share my French with my girl. Hey — we’re a bilingual household now, and our strategy has been the “mixed” one, combined with sending our daughter to a french language school in the public board (I am an “ayant droit” ["having rights"] and can enroll my daughter in francophone education because I had an exclusively francophone education).

At home: my husband speaks no French at all, so I don’t really like to speak it around him, unless my daughter initiates, because it feels rude. However, my daughter and I switch between English and French pretty easily now but I never push French on her when she doesn’t want it. I don’t want French to be a punishment or a chore. She watches a little French tv. We have several picture books in French and she can have them read to here whenever she wants (it’s a treat!). It feels relaxed and easy, mostly.

At school: it’s French all day, all the time there. Kids are rewarded for speaking French to each other as well as the teacher. There are a lot more anglophone families (no parent speaks French) than there historically were, so this can be a challenge sometimes, but the teachers are francophone.

In public: because we’re upper-middle-class white people, we feel pretty free to speak our “non-English” to each other in public, particularly when we want to have Secret Mommy Daughter Talk, which my girl finds really fun.

When she started school, aged 4, she spoke very little French. By December of that year, she was nearly perfectly fluent, making the same kinds of mistakes in her second language as her first (non-standard verbs give trouble, of course!).

It’s a great success for us, and I’m so glad I can share my French with my girl.

]]> By: Nicole http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-162137 Nicole Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:43:28 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-162137 Catalina, this looks like my life as a kid! My father is Chilean and my mother Colombian and my parents spoke only spanish to us. But my sister and I always spoke to each other in french, since it is the language spoken here in Quebec. With english classes in school and television, I ended speaking english not so badly so I can say I am trilingual. I wanted to share this with my kids but it is not as easy as it first seem. The fact that my husband and I speak french to each other and that the kids respond always in french makes it difficult for me to keep talking to them in spanish. And I also noticed that I do not always have the vocabulary necessary or I am not sure about the grammar, etc. So what I really wish to do in the near future is to travel with them in Latin-America to give them an immersion and the will to learn. I sense now their openness. So keep up the good work with your kids! Catalina, this looks like my life as a kid! My father is Chilean and my mother Colombian and my parents spoke only spanish to us. But my sister and I always spoke to each other in french, since it is the language spoken here in Quebec. With english classes in school and television, I ended speaking english not so badly so I can say I am trilingual.

I wanted to share this with my kids but it is not as easy as it first seem. The fact that my husband and I speak french to each other and that the kids respond always in french makes it difficult for me to keep talking to them in spanish. And I also noticed that I do not always have the vocabulary necessary or I am not sure about the grammar, etc.

So what I really wish to do in the near future is to travel with them in Latin-America to give them an immersion and the will to learn. I sense now their openness.

So keep up the good work with your kids!

]]> By: How To Speak English Fluently and Confidently http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-120233 How To Speak English Fluently and Confidently Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:20:15 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-120233 The article was helpful but short. I wish you had written more on the topic. Thanx still. The article was helpful but short. I wish you had written more on the topic. Thanx still.

]]> By: Joy http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/09/22/raising-bilingual-kids/#comment-116976 Joy Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:51:05 +0000 http://www.phdinparenting.com/?p=2681#comment-116976 Hi Ladies.... Well I have been raising my11 son in a mostly "native tongue" environment. My sister who babysits him 5 days a week and my mom who chips in as well tries to speak mainly our native yoruba to him. Hubby and I do too. Unfortunately English sometimes slips out (about 30% of the conversation) but i am REALLY trying to keep it at a minimum. So far it seems to be working. He knows 3 words... "Kai"- Stop/don't do it... "Maabo"- Come here/follow me and I am presently teaching him "Gba"- take this. It's a little rough because I at times feel frustrated at the pace we are at; but whats more frustrating is me constantly reminding hubby to use yoruba and not english when speaking to him. Either way, this is a testimony that you can teach a baby a foreign language and I am just going to keep on truckin'...lol Hi Ladies….
Well I have been raising my11 son in a mostly “native tongue” environment. My sister who babysits him 5 days a week and my mom who chips in as well tries to speak mainly our native yoruba to him. Hubby and I do too. Unfortunately English sometimes slips out (about 30% of the conversation) but i am REALLY trying to keep it at a minimum. So far it seems to be working. He knows 3 words…
“Kai”- Stop/don’t do it…
“Maabo”- Come here/follow me
and I am presently teaching him “Gba”- take this.

It’s a little rough because I at times feel frustrated at the pace we are at; but whats more frustrating is me constantly reminding hubby to use yoruba and not english when speaking to him.

Either way, this is a testimony that you can teach a baby a foreign language and I am just going to keep on truckin’…lol

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