Real advice from speech therapists: NPR

When journalist Conz Preti brought her three children to visit her family in Argentina in 2022, her four -year -old son did something surprising.

“He just started speaking commonly in Spanish with my family, without hesitation, no error,” said Preti.

In their house, she speaks to her children in Spanish and her husband speaks to them in English. But until that time, his son “I never talked to myself in Spanish. Suddenly he clicked,” she said.

Raising bilingual children can feel like a challenge – especially in addition to so many other things that parents are worried.

But with “consistency, exposure and practice, practice, practice”, it is possible to teach your child two or more languages, says, Liliana DiazA bilingual speech therapist who raises her two children to speak Spanish and English. No costly language schools or linguistic immersion school.

“Children are like absorbing sponges everything they see and hear,” said Farwa HusainA bilingual speech therapist who raises her three children to speak Hindi, Ourdou and English.

Whether you want your children to learn your language of heritage or the French that you master in college, Diaz and Husain offer expert advice and approved by parents on how to cultivate a multilingual household.

Abandon a common common idea

Some parents fear that their child’s teaching several languages ​​bring them back or confuse them. But it’s a myth, says Husain.

According to a 2013 article in the journal Learning landscapesChildren who speak two languages ​​are no more likely Whether children who speak a language to “have difficulties with the language, show delays in learning or be diagnosed with a linguistic disorder”.

The article also notes that the “code mixture”, or the use of two languages ​​in the same sentence, is often interpreted as a confusion. It is actually a “normal part of bilingual development”, and even a sign of “the ingenuity of bilingual children”, according to researchers.

In fact, being bilingual can have several advantages. Studies have shown that this can improve cognitive function,, Multitasking assistance and increase academic success.

Choose a linguistic strategy for your family

There are many effective ways to incorporate several languages ​​with your children at home. Choose an approach that works for your family, says Diaz. Our experts recommend some techniques in the field of the pathology of bilingual speech language.

• A parent, a language. Each caregiver speaks consistent with the child. For example, a parent speaks with the child in Mandarin and the other speaks in a coherent way in Hindi at any time.
• Time and place. The family decides that, say, Sunday, breakfast or when they are at grandmother, they will speak the minority language.
• Minority language at home. Everyone will speak the minority language at home, then as the child goes to school, they are exposed to the majority language.
• Mixed Languages ​​at home: Caregivers and children all speak all languages ​​at home simultaneously. It may seem confusing, but it works well in practice, says Husain. “Children can decipher very quickly what every language is.”

Whatever technique you decide, stay with it, say our experts. “This is what it takes to learn a language,” says Diaz.

Create an immersive linguistic environment at home

There are many small constructive ways to integrate several languages ​​into your daily life. The exhibition can add up, according to our experts. Here are some ideas:

• Do the activities you already do with your children in the second language. “Whether listening to music in the car, watching cartoons on television, continue playing or reading,” said Diaz. Aim “Coherence, not perfection”.
• Parents video of the call. “Being able from FaceTime a grandparent, brother or cousin and having this in both directions with them in another language is so important,” said Husain. “You create these same skills as if you do it in person.”
• Celebrate cultural events. Providing children with the cultural context around their second language can make language learning more fun. Diaz makes a duty to celebrate Día de Los Muertos with her two children so that they have a link with their Mexican heritage. “Language is culture, which is identity,”

• Promote curiosity. Preti says that she and her husband, who speaks French fluently, “play and always experience the language with children. The other day, they wanted to know how to say words in French, and began to take the similarities between Spanish and French.”

Imperfect

There will be times when your child will just want to speak the dominant language or mix their dominant and non -dominant languages ​​together, and it’s ok, say our experts.

Don’t force it, says Diaz. “If you want them to speak in a particular language for the moment,” recognize what the child says first “and then model and respond in this language”.

If your child is getting involved in the code, do not try to correct it, says Husain. Instead, use it as an opportunity to get involved.

Diaz says she likes when her son tries “to bring a language to another. Sometimes he will say these English-Spanish mixed words, and I say to myself:” Oh, it’s a good one. I never thought of saying this in this way. ”

And have a certain patience. Preti says that sometimes her children will tell her that they do not understand her when she talks to them in Spanish. “I say to myself:” But you understand what I’m saying right now? “And they say to themselves:” Yeah. “And I say to myself: ‘Well, it’s Spanish.’ “”

Finally, your child will get it, even if he does not realize him.

This episode was produced by Sam Yellods Kesler. Digital history has been published by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We would be delighted to hear you. Leave us a voice message at 202-216-9823, or send us an email to Lifekit@npr.org.

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