Ages and Stages

Our Ages & Stages section is where we pass on information, ideas, support and knowledge that we have collected from you, research, books, media and our own observations and experiences.

Ages 6-10: Activities

Dominoes, baseball, soccer, cooking, singing... all of these activities can help you keep your child interested in your language. At this age, there might also be a lot of bonding taking place between fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, siblings, etc. Be prepared for your son to want to only spend time with his father and to only speak his father’s language. This is normal yet will demand that you have a tremendous amount of patience. Try not to worry and have faith that this stage will also pass.

You and your spouse should come up with a list of activities that each of you enjoy doing with your children as well as lists of your children’s favorite activities. Then add a few new activities to the list that you think each child might enjoy trying. Make sure this list is handy for when you are at a loss of what to do with your child. You should also categorize the activities based on location: those that are best done in the house, those for outside and those for in the car or on a walk.

Observe your child and see how he reacts to the different activities. Make changes and adjust based on his responses. If you notice that your child is particularly interested in a specific topic, for example, dinosaurs, then go with the flow! Most of us live where there is access to a local library so make sure to utilize their resources. In fact, a trip to the library can be an adventure in itself.

No books in your library in your language? That is ok. Use the books from the library in the community language to supplement what you have in your language. Either read the books in the community language together with your child and then discuss the contents in your language or just use the pictures for discussion. At this stage, your child is most certainly aware of his bilingualism and your family’s language make-up, so relax.

If you do not have a library close by and if you can not afford to purchase many books in your language, remember that you have the internet handy. Search out activities, printouts and tips, then modify them to work in your language.

Ages 0-2: Chatterbox

Ages 3-5: Biliteracy

Ages 11-18: Responsibility

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