Irish resources for babies, toddlers and young children
It is no secret that books are an excellent language-learning resource for all ages. They take us away into a new world different from our own reality.
It is no secret that books are an excellent language-learning resource for all ages. They take us away into a new world different from our own reality.
Toddlers require social interaction, smiling, chatting etc. things that can only be provided by humans. During this early stage, the best language resource is a responsive adult who takes care of the child’s communicative needs.
In families where both parents speak the same language, and that is different from the language of the society or the dominant language, parents might naturally use their language when speaking to each other and to their children.
Toddlers and babies require social interaction, smiling, chatting etc. things that can only be provided by humans. During this early stage, the best language resource is a responsive adult who takes care of the child’s communicative needs.
If you are a parent who is trying to keep up a language in a context where very few people support you, being consistent with your approach and your language choices can be hard.
Parents often feel overwhelmed and inadequate when it comes to raising children in general, but the added stress of being the only person trying to pass on a language can make parents feel like they are not good enough, especially if the child tends to respond in the majority language.
Talking to a baby and with a baby is very important, and bilingual children benefit from engaging with each of their languages on a regular basis.
The social advantages of understanding different languages, and therefore different perspectives, helps children to think more critically and to become a more empathetic and well-rounded individuals.
At some point every parent of a bilingual child wonders if there is a special tip to boost one of the languages. There is one very special ingredient that we can all work on.
You have met families who swear by the One Parent One Language (OPOL) strategy, and others who only speak the minority language at home, others who speak a specific language only some of the time, and you are now wondering who is doing it right.