Raising a Bilingual Child

Bilingual homes are becoming more popular, especially in the USA where the many people are coming in from various countries. It seemed that at one point in time the majority of children learned a second language because it was a necessity in their household, at least if they wanted to communicate with foreign parents and/or relatives. Nowadays parents are teaching their children a second or even third language to help them broaden their knowledge about cultures and languages. While many opt to teach their children a language from their own culture, many others are teaching their children languages from a totally different culture.

There

is much debate as to whether or not bilingualism will confuse a child. Hearing more than one language in the household may “confuse” the child at first but the languages will fall into place as the child’s verbal and language abilities get better. It is very common for children to mix the languages together.

For instance a child learning Spanish as well as English may want to say:

• Feed the perro.

Instead of :

• Feed the dog.

The minor confusion is common and will not hinder the child’s language abilities. If anything the two languages will only help the child in the long run. As anyone knows living in the USA we are living in a melting pot. Having a child learn more than one, even more than two languages can help them in the future with job possibilities and expanding their career goals. For instance a counselor who speaks both English and Spanish may have more clients than a counselor who speaks only English.

Benefits of teaching your child a second language outweigh the difficulties. If you are serious about bringing in a second language into the house here are some points to remember:

• Start as early as possible. If you can talk the second language while the baby is still in the womb, do it!
• Have one parent speak only English to the child and have one parent speak only the second language to the child. This will help for the child to identify and differentiate between the languages.
• Read up on raising a bilingual child. One great read is “The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language” written by Kendall King & Allison Mackey. This book helps to find programs and materials to help the child’s bilingualism flourish as well as be an
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  asset for them in the long run.
• Remember that you are your child’s first teacher! Children learn language and take on verbal cues from the parents from day one.

Reading material:

“The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language” written by Kendall King & Allison Mackey.