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 11-18: Responsibility

Your child is old enough at this stage to make her own decisions about language. She will most likely will have made decisions on who her friends are, subjects in school that interest her most, and how she feels about her bilingualism. During this stage, take the time to set up some language boundaries and limits with your child. This doesn’t mean you don’t stay motivated and continue speaking your language and providing your child encouragement. It means allowing your child more of a sense of “language responsibility” for herself and her surroundings. Let her know what your limits are (for example, she can’t expect you to stop speaking your language with her) and you should ask her what her limits are and to decide together if they are acceptable. You are still the parent and have the final say but there are ways to allow your child to have more involvement.

If your child has requests of you (for example, not to speak your language when friends are around) then sit together and come up with a compromise that will work for both of you. Give her the responsibility to come up with different ideas and plans to which you can provide your perspective. Let her know how important your language is to you and provide an example from her life about something that is important (remind her about those shoes she just couldn’t live without or her need to have her own space at home to read her books). Help her to make language decisions and to take on responsibilities by providing her guidance in how this is done.

Most likely, she will be proud of her bilingualism so help her find ways to further it which fit best with who she is. As she grows and matures, continue giving her books and DVDs in your language which are appropriate for her age and her language level. Children in this stage are often eager to bond with their parents via media which they can discuss and use as a starting point for conversations.

Ages 0-2: Chatterbox

Ages 3-5: Biliteracy

Ages 6-10: Activities

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