10 Tips for Raising Bilingual Children
*This post has been sponsored by HITN Learning. All opinions are my own.
In our home, one of the biggest pieces of heritage that we want to pass along to our children is the ability to speak Spanish. When Caleb was little, we spoke to him exclusively in Spanish. Over the years, between watching TV in English, starting school, and general laziness on my part, his Spanish has gone to the birds. I have some friends who have been so consistent with speaking to their kids in Spanish that they can hold all their conversations in both languages, and that’s truly what I hope to be able to work on with our kids. We’ve been making a much bigger effort to speak to them in Spanish, and we have already noticed a difference.
Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by HITN Learning at Barnes and Noble, where I had the chance to speak with bilingual education advocate and TEDx speaker Dr. Mariana Díaz-Wionczek on how to raise bilingual children in today’s multicultural world. Mariana is a Hispanic mom, researcher, and academic. She has served as producer and Head of Education, Cultural Content & Research for several Nick Jr. productions including Dora the Explorer, Dora & Friends, and Go, Diego, Go!
I was able to chat with her one on one and I loved some of the information she gave me. Here are some of the tips she gave me and other parents there:
- If dedicating yourself to speak in Spanish the entire day is daunting, choose a specific time of day where the whole family is only allowed to speak Spanish. For example, dinnertime and bath time can be the time of day where everyone only speaks Spanish.
- For a visual reminder, use a post it note over the light switch when it’s time for Spanish to be “on” and move the post-it under the light switch when you can turn Spanish “off”.
- When kids want something, make them ask for it in Spanish. If Caleb asks me for a snack, I can tell him, “No te entiendo, hablame en español.” This forces them to speak in Spanish.
- Don’t correct them. If they are speaking and making the effort, don’t interrupt them to correct their mistakes. It’s more important for them to speak in Spanish and to WANT to speak in Spanish. Don’t worry about them speaking perfect Spanish. Later on, you can model the words correctly, but in the moment, just celebrate the fact that they are speaking in Spanish!
- If your child asks you how to say a word, give them the response completely in Spanish. For example: Caleb asks me, “Mommy, how do you say ‘pumpkin’ in Spanish?” Instead of saying, “Pumpkin is calabaza,” or “that’s a calabaza,” my response should be, “Eso es una calabaza,” or simply the word, “Calabaza.”
- Choose a TV series in Spanish with the kids – something that they WANT to watch. Maybe dedicate your Friday nights to watching that as part of family movie night or something. Talk about the show – Hablen de que se trata el programa, que paso la semana pasada, que creen que vaya a pasar en este capitulo, etc?
- Read books in Spanish, or books that have the content written in both English and Spanish.
- When children are learning to speak and are learning two languages, we can often be scared off as parents because we don’t feel that they are learning as quickly as they should be. But we need to remember that every word holds equal weight, and if the child knows both “apple” and “Manzana,” then each of those counts as a word – technically those are two words. (This obviously differs when it comes to speech delays.)
- Children should feel like Spanish is a part of their everyday lives. It’s not something special or different – it’s just something they do.
- Use technology. Our children are already using tech – use the tools that are available that help to support our children learning two languages.
The Cleo & Cuquin Family Fun! Math Kits & App are a tool that we can utilize as parents to enrich our children’s learning experiences and encourage them to speak in Spanish. They offer engaging, child-centered bilingual print and digital materials, and hands-on activities. The kits focus on key math skills that create a strong foundation for Kindergarten learning. There are three math kits available: Counting, Sorting, and 3D Shapes.
We received the Cleo & Cuquin Family Fun! Counting Math Kit& App. Some of the skills it works on are counting to 10 and reading and writing numerals 0-9. The content in the kit is exciting and fun so it motivates kids to practice, and engages children through play, using manipulatives and digital content to reinforce essential skills. Caleb absolutely loves the app, and has started to understand it even when it is in Spanish mode. You can switch the app from Spanish to English, so it doesn’t matter what level your children are at. He also loves the game, especially when he wins (which he does almost every time).
As a former teacher, I really love that this kit addresses all kinds of learning styles and that it involves the parents. It’s not just your child sitting in front of an app and doing something independently – it requires you as the parent to get involved and practice your own Spanish! You can purchase one of these kits for your own children at Barnes and Noble. (Counting Kit, Sorting Kit, 3D Shapes Kit)
I love that Caleb is starting to become more interested in speaking Spanish and as long as he is trying, I’m going to continue to encourage him in any way I can!
xoxo,
