December 2006
Bilingual/Bicultural Family Network Newsletter

Raising Bilingual Kids: Getting Started & Staying Motivated
By Sarah Dodson-Knight

So, you've decided that you don't want monolingual children.  You've determined which languages you want your kids to learn and why.  You've even talked your in-laws into it!  Now it's time to put these ideas into practice.  But how?  Discuss it thoroughly with your partner--indeed, with your children--beforehand so that you can start with confidence and concrete ideas of how to carry it out.  Here are some answers to common questions.

Which parent will speak which language? 
Determine your approach.  One popular option is OPOL--one parent, one language.  Each parent speaks only his native language with the children.  (Of course, if both parents speak the same native language, then one of them will have to speak in his second language.    )  Another common choice is to speak only the minority language at home.  (For example, if the parents both speak Chinese and English and are living in the US, they would communicate exclusively in Chinese at home, confident that their children will absorb English through school and interactions with the outside world.  Conversely, if this family lives in China, they would choose English as the home language.)  On the other hand, many families have success with an eclectic approach: the parents both speak both languages with the children more or less equally, with no rules governing who speaks what when.  Regardless of your approach, your kids will work it out eventually; they'll differentiate between the languages and understand them all.

How can I motivate my children?
When your kids already have a good grasp of their first language (the L1), when all their friends speak the L1, when the L1 has been the family's common language all along, your children may be resistant to learning an additional language.  Younger children don't always like to hear these "strange" sounds coming from their parents, and they're confused when they can't understand what they're hearing, while older kids don't always welcome change and don't want to seem different from their peers.

Therefore, unless you've been using the second language (the L2) with your children from infancy, it's important to talk with them about why you're embarking on this adventure.  You can start by explaining how languages differ and why people speak other languages.  Instead of lecturing, try to get the kids to generate reasons why it's a good idea to know more than one language.  Can they think of people they know, celebrities they admire, who are bilingual?  (You could even try to introduce other young people who speak the L2 to your kids!)  Then share your reasons for wanting them to know another language.  Along those lines, you might also want to promote the countries where the L2 is spoken if you anticipate taking trips to any of these places (check the library for videos filmed in those areas and also look for engaging books).  Finally, ask the kids what their concerns are and explain how you plan to go about bringing another language into your lives.  Then take what they say into account and modify your plans if necessary.

If your young children are resistant, consider bringing in a non-family member to help with the transition. Engage a tutor to work with the kids initially--they will see it as a play date with someone who pays lots of attention to them, teaches them songs, and plays games with them.  Create a space in the home that you can devote exclusively to the L2--a colorful Bolivian blanket on the floor where people can only speak Spanish, say, or a cushion that only people speaking Arabic can sit on.  Find a hand puppet, give him a name in the L2, and have it interact with your children; since it doesn't understand the L1, they have to use the L2 to talk with it! 
 

How do I teach a language to my child?
While formal methods of instruction vary according to the child's age, you don't need to turn your house into a classroom and think of all your interactions as language lessons--just give your child as many possibilities for him or her to hear and interact in the different languages.  The input should be rich and varied: books, music, toys, videos, computer games, and exposure to many different people speaking the languages, including play groups in the different languages and travel to countries where the languages are spoken.  And you are the greatest resource you can offer your child: speak, speak, speak.  Narrate everything you do, and let your child overhear you speaking the L2 to other people.

Equally important, the interactions in the different languages should be fun.  Don't give your eight-year-old flashcards to memorize; don't criticize your toddler's pronunciation.  Rather, play games like Simon Says, Bingo, and Memory.  Take tours of the house, identifying objects and rooms and colors.  Prepare simple dishes together, like cinnamon toast.  While you're waiting for cookies to come out of the oven, write the letters of the alphabet in the leftover flour. Do art projects that require the kids to follow directions.  Sing songs, recite nursery rhymes and fingerplays (with gestures to reinforce meaning), act things out together.  And do all of the above with whatever combinations of languages your child is comfortable with.  You may start with lots of L1 and then bring in the L2 little by little.  You could offer direct translations, rely on obvious cognates and gestures to convey meaning, point to pictures and objects as you say words in the L2.  With very young children, you could speak in the L2 from the very beginning, bombarding them with input so that they get used to hearing those sounds from you.

Recognize that children of all ages will understand the L2 long before they are able to speak coherent, complete sentences in the L2 on their own.  Therefore, rather than asking them open-ended questions like "What did you do today at school?" in the language they've just started learning, simplify the questions and give them choices.  "Did you read a book?"  "Did you have music or art class?"  Make statements and have them tell you if they're true or false.  For example, when fixing cinnamon toast, teach them the words for the ingredients and then say, "We need to put the cinnamon on the toast, right?"  You can also teach useful phrases early on--greetings and good-byes, my name is, please, thank you, etc.

What resources should I invest in?
Picture books are, of course, a wonderful resource.  So many possibilities exist!  Start by talking about the pictures, naming the objects and describing the characters.  Ask questions.  Teach new words.  Predict what the story is about.  Then move to the text; you can read it as is, or simplify and substitute some words your children already know.  Have them show comprehension by pointing out in the picture something from the narration and by answering questions.  Again, you can do this in the L2 or a combination of the L1 and the L2.  In fact, you can teach the L2 with an L1 book as long as you can translate it yourself (or make reasonable guesses based on the pictures).  You can also find L2 translation of books that your child already knows and loves in the L1.

Children old enough to read can also look at comic books in the L2, books about countries where the different languages are spoken, and simple textbooks that exist to introduce literate children to new languages (these often include CDs and teacher/parent guides).  They too can read L2 translations of their favorite L1 books.  Finally, recorded books are ideal, for the children can follow along in the text while a native speaker reads aloud to them.

You can take advantage of other resources, too, like movies and educational toys such as Leapfrog in different languages.  While buying videos and DVDs in the L2 can be expensive, there are cheaper ways to expand your collection.  For example, find others who speak the L2 and videotape them reading books in the L2, singing, counting, narrating while walking around a neighborhood, and talking to your child.  Have someone who lives in a country where the L2 is spoken record children's television and mail it to you.  Nowadays, all sorts of educational content exists online: interactive language lessons, readings, streaming audio and video.  With Skype, your kids can see and talk to relatives and family friends in other countries, and once your kids can write, they can have penpals or keypals (via email) with kids all over the world.

If the L2 is fun, doesn't put stress on the family, and feels important and relevant to the kids, then they'll learn it, whether they start at age one or 16.  It isn't necessarily easy--or quick--but knowing another language is a wonderful gift to share with your children.

Sarah Dodson-Knight of Lafayette, Colorado, teaches French to college students and to preschoolers.  She is also teaching French to her year-old nephew, a process she chronicles on her blog, Bringing Up Baby Bilingual (babybilingual.blogspot.com), which also includes profiles of children who speak more than one language, book reviews, and resource recommendations.  If you're interested in having her profile your family or would like to suggest resources to review, email her at babybilingual@gmail.com.

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