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.
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.
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.
Did you know that many of the world’s English language users are not native speakers of English? For so many years language learners have strived to become “like a native speaker”, with flawless grammar and pronunciation.
Children who develop two languages normally follow patterns of development similar to children who develop one single language. They coo, babble and form early sounds and simple words at first.
For many parents the first stumbling block is at the very start… is bilingualism a good idea? Is it common? Will my child grow up to feel different from everyone else?
With an ever-growing bilingual population, it is important to be aware of the benefits that bilingualism can bring. This can be helpful for parents, teachers and anyone responsible for advising and supporting those who raise and educate children who speak more than one language.