How to Teach Your Child a Second Language
It's generally agreed that teaching children a second language gives them an invaluable skill, may help them to think in different ways and may even improve self-image. There is less agreement on the best way to go about introducing the second language. Here is some advice on how to bolster your efforts in teaching a second language to your child.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Decide at what age you want to begin. Some experts suggest beginning as soon as a baby is born, but others believe this puts the child at a disadvantage in both languages--though probably only for a while. They generally recommend waiting until a child is 2 1/2 or 3. By this time he usually has a pretty good grasp of English, but is still able to pick up a new language easily and naturally. It is generally agreed that if parents wait to introduce a second language until after a child can read a first language, fluency in the second language will be more difficult.
-
2
Determine the approach you would like to take. The least successful of the methods is to have an outside teacher (like a grandparent or babysitter) speak the foreign language while both parents speak English. Many couples opt to have one parent speak the foreign tongue while the other speaks English. Both parents could speak the foreign language (with the expectation the child will pick up English in school and elsewhere).
-
-
3
Forget about "teaching" and instead immerse your child in the language. Play games in it, read books in it (many popular children's books have been translated from English into other languages), sing songs in it, listen to tapes and watch videos in it, visit with friends who are fluent in it, and, if possible, visit places where the language is spoken.
-
4
Speak the foreign language exclusively to the child. Resist the temptation to resort to English or to translate if the child seems to be struggling with comprehension.
-
5
Teach the child to read and write in the second language when he enters school, in order for it to take on greater usefulness and significance. If classes aren't available at school, tutoring or computer-programmed learning may be a good idea.
-
1
Resources
- Photo Credit www.sxc.hu
More Like This
Comments
-
mayasmaman
Dec 10, 2009
I love this! My daughters are learning French through reading French children's books, Little Pim DVDs (the best!), and playing online French games. Awesome article. -
sprintert
Aug 23, 2009
I really enjoyed your article! A Child have to start at a young age in which they can pick it up from home. I love langauges of the world also, which I am learning my third langauge now.
