How to support language learning at home in a bilingual or multilingual household

Many families wonder how they can support their child’s language learning at home. For families speaking more than one language in the home, sometimes one language gets more use than the other.

The ideal scenario would be for the family to speak only the minority language in the home or use the one-parent-one-language method, where each parent consistently speaks to the child in their native or preferred language allowing the children to hear each language on more of an equal basis. When this is not possible or practical for the family, they can find other ways to give their children meaningful and consistent exposure to the language. 

These strategies are for families who want to find more consistency in speaking and teaching a language that is not the primary spoken language in the home.

1. Let’s talk about books! Reading has significant benefits in any language! But when trying to read to our children in another language, we can do more than simply read what’s on the pages. Sometimes the language used in books will be too advanced or intangible for your child's comprehension level. We should also point to the illustrations and say smaller, more comprehensible phrases that our children can understand. The important thing is to make the language as comprehensible as possible while keeping it in the context of sentences and phrases. For example, instead of just pointing to a picture and saying “ball,” we can say “Look at this ball. What color is this ball? It’s a red ball. Do you have a ball? Oh, look, you have a blue ball.”  We can use pictures, movies, and other media as visual inspiration to just talk to our children about what we see. Try channeling your inner Ms. Rachel or Mr. Rogers and make it slow, intentional, and memorable for your children. 

   

   
   

2. Sing to your kids! Songs and melodies are more memorable than spoken words, and more fun too! Build a playlist of children’s songs to learn together. You can enjoy translated versions of classic songs like “The wheels on the bus”, but also explore educational songs that teach important vocabulary for daily routines, manners, social skills, and affirmations. If you can’t find the type of song you like, you can easily make one! Just start singing the phrases you regularly need to use with your child with a melody and, voila! a new song in the language you are trying to teach. Just using your singing voice instead of a regular speaking voice will get your child’s attention and create positive memories with the language. You can even try reading one of your children’s books in a singing voice rather than just reading it. I have some books that I would always “sing” to my kids when they were little, rather than read them, and we still remember them today. It’s almost like those books were meant to be sung! Practice making the language you are trying to teach more musical and memorable.     

   
   

   

   
   

3. Be intentional about dedicating time to the language! It can be hard to dictate which language is used when there are two languages spoken in the home, and sometimes the second language gets pushed aside. Try making some consistent, dedicated time for that language, for example, dinner time, cooking meals together, morning or bedtime routines, or grocery shopping. These are all great language learning experiences. Depending on your child’s level of understanding of the language, the more visual aids you can give to support their understanding, the better. Sometimes, as parents, we also need to have the self-discipline to stay consistent, taking the extra time and effort needed to help the child understand without resorting to English. Depending on the age and disposition of your child, they may even resist you speaking the language to them; ages 4-8 were not easy years for me with my older girls. Pick your battles: you can decide when to insist and when to give a pass. You can also consider giving incentives for using the language to encourage them to go along with it!

   
   
   
   

   

   
   

4. Connect with the language in your community! Spend time with other people who also speak the language or are learning the language. Find your community of speakers in the area and participate in events or even host them! If you have the opportunity to send your child to a school where the language is taught or spoken, this will help give them more consistent exposure to the language and a higher possibility of fluency. You can also have your child participate in language learning groups if they are unable to have contact with the language at school.  

   
   

   

   
   
   
   

5. Stay proactive but try not to worry or compare your child’s progress! Each child’s connection with their other home language will be different, even between siblings of the same family! It is also very common for children to develop a preference for English or even resist speaking the second language once they start attending an English-speaking school, and parents naturally worry if they see regression in their child’s language skills. By all means, stay proactive and make an intentional effort to incorporate the language into your homelife. Language learning doesn’t happen overnight, and slow progress is valid too! Each individual effort you make to relate to your child in the language is a small memory that will add up to many throughout their childhood. Trust that these experiences will give them the foundation they need to connect with the language on a deeper level when they are ready.     

Comment below about your challenges and successes in raising your children to be bilingual or multilingual!

How to support language learning at home in a bilingual household