Do you think it is good to speak several language to your kids
- Rating:
0 after 1 vote
I wrote a post about learning French when you live in US, do you think it it is good for the kids to speak different language so young? I would love to have your feelings.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Janine Wood on -
Yes I really do - I am a New Zealander who did all my schooling first in German and then in French - I now also speak Italian - it was relatively easy for me and am doing the same for my three kids. We moved from the UK to italy nearly 2 years ago and they are attending italian schools and steaming along - at times it is a real struggle but really worth it as they get to know another culture, another way of communicating and encounter new viewpoints
-
Permalink Reply by Anita on -
After age 5, kids lose the ability to process the different sounds it takes to speak other languages. Also, it's easier for them to just pick it up if it's spoken constantly rather than sporadically. For example, I speak Spanish to my son when he and I are alone together. This has been rather difficult as of late because I just got a job and can no longer do this. I do speak to him on the weekends, but that's rather difficult as my husband only speaks English. He has picked up a lot, but he's losing some of it, and although I know he has a firm foundation, I'm worried he won't pick it up if we are stagnant for the time being. Anyway, my point is to be consistent. The best way I've learned to do this is to have one parent only speak one language and the other, the other. This definitely works best when you both know both, but there are ways of making it work if your spouse is monolingual. But definitely do expose him now.
-
Permalink Reply by Robin Burgoon on -
Absolutely/absolument, parents who know more than one language should speak those languages to their children! I wholeheartedly support and encourage teaching kids, or at least exposing them to, other languages, and the earlier, the better! There are many benefits to being bilingual; the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages has a good list.
It's a shame that the US is still behind when it comes to formal foreign language instruction. I only started learning French at age 12, and wish that I could have started in elementary, or even sooner! (I took a beginner's ASL class at age 8, and remembered a lot of it even though I didn't take another class of it until I was at university, so I can definitely attest to the benefit of learning another language at a younger age.) In high school, I took Latin. In my 20s, I started studying Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, and my years of French really helped me with those other Romance languages. Since, I've taken German 101 and Hawaiian 101.
Now I'm starting to teach French and Spanish words to my preschoolers and toddler; they've already picked up a few Spanish words just from watching "Sesame Street," the way that I did 30+ years ago. I am determined that my kids will NOT have the attitude that so many other Americans seem to have, that "I'm an American; everyone else in the world should speak English!"
-
Permalink Reply by Shruti Goradia on -
I grew up in Bombay, India - speaking 4 languages and understanding many more - it was and still remains natural to speak to kids in multiple languages, they just grow up speaking atleast 2 and understanding many more - depending on how many they were exposed to early on.
-
Permalink Reply by Honoree Corpron Corder on -
My daughter and I are learning French in anticipation of a trip we're taking in May next year. I still remember the Spanish I learned as a young child and regret not learning more. As an adult, I use Rosetta Stone and we learn a new language each year prior to visiting a new place. I didn't get to do it, and I'm so glad my daughter is ~ hopefully it will help to round her out as an adult.
-
Permalink Reply by Stephanie Nash on -
Absolutely! I studied languages in school but didn't begin until I was 9. When I got to university and was grouped with kids who had been introduced to the languages earlier, they had a much higher capacity of oral and written communication skills.
My twins are starting French Immersion this year in school (senior kindergarten) and they're 4. All they're classes will be taught in French and English won't be introduced until 2nd grade.
-
Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Mitchell Hunt on -
Absolutely, yes!! As a big bonus, since it is usually a mommy + me activity when they are really little it's a fun, cultural and intellectual activity for moms too. I took my son to a Alliance Bebe at the French Library in Boston. It is a playgroup where parents, babies and toddlers sing french nursery songs. At my son's pre-school they teach Spanish through active play. Both my 2 and 4 year olds love to look at the pictures in a children's French book we have and ask how do you say such and such in French, how do you say it in Spanish. It's a fun game. They're very curious about it. If anything is strengthens their understanding of the English word. My sister is an ESL teacher. She can't say enough about what learning additional languages does for the minds of pre-literate children.
:)
-
Permalink Reply by Monica Vila on -
I find that a child's ability to learn a new language starts very early in life and it should be fostered. I was born and raised in Mexico so I speak Spanish to my daughter as often as possible. I also speak 4 other languages having lived in many countries in Europe and used them for work for many years.
However, I do find that many times communicating is so important to my 9 year old daughter that I can't be too strict regarding what language she chooses. My family is critical of her inability to speak it fluently and perfectly, but I do have to choose between engaging her in a deeper level and/or fostering her ability to speak Spanish. Does this make sense to anyone?
-
Permalink Reply by Maria Pilar Clark on -
Absolutely! I was born in Santiago, Chile to an American father (who speaks English/Spanish) and Chilean mother (who speaks English/Spanish/Italian/French) and initially spoke only Spanish exclusively. My grandmother was worried when I started preschool since I only spoke Spanish, but since children have such wonderfully spongy minds, I picked up English in a snap. Now, you'd never know English was my second language .... if for no other reason than my crazy Chicago accent.
I would love for my kiddos to grow up bilingually. However, my son has PDD, so we're currently focusing on just one language with him. However, we've found that he's picking up Spanish beautifully and excitedly all the same :) Go figure!
And, in looking to the far away future, being multilingual is an amazing asset to have in the business world!
-
Permalink Reply by Dominique Goh on -
Definately!! I feel that it is important to introduce different languages to kids when they are young as they are more "absorbant". We speak English,Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese to our kids and they have no problem differentiating and speaking the 4 different languages at 2 and 5yrs old..
-
Permalink Reply by Christelle Klein on -
Thank you for your answer. sometimes people around me, give you a bad feeling about doing that. It sounds that you did the right choice. And it 's true it really worth it.
Janine Wood said:Yes I really do - I am a New Zealander who did all my schooling first in German and then in French - I now also speak Italian - it was relatively easy for me and am doing the same for my three kids. We moved from the UK to italy nearly 2 years ago and they are attending italian schools and steaming along - at times it is a real struggle but really worth it as they get to know another culture, another way of communicating and encounter new viewpoints
-
Permalink Reply by Christelle Klein on
-
Whaou congratulation, thanks for your comment. It is good to hear that they speak 4 languages at 2 years old, because sometimes they say it slows down the language.
Dominique Goh said:Definately!! I feel that it is important to introduce different languages to kids when they are young as they are more "absorbant". We speak English,Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese to our kids and they have no problem differentiating and speaking the 4 different languages at 2 and 5yrs old..
