Comments on: Tips to Make Your Children See Why They Need to Speak Spanish

By: Layla

Layla — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 17:31:48 +0000

What if you’re an English speaker and your children are in Spanish Immersion. How can translate the need if no one in your family speaks the minority language. We plan to travel abroad soon, but are their other ways to convey need? I only speak a little Spanish and my 6.5 year old now knows more than me. But I see the rebellious stage from her and my younger son on Speaking it.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 00:09:06 +0000

I learned to speak Spanish as an adult; I went to live in Spain and Latin America for a couple of years of private schools and total immersion. I’m married to a native speaker and my mother in law is monolingual, we go visit the family in Central America every year, even so I can’t get the girls to speak the language, they understand but won’t speak it.

By: Ruben

Ruben — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 14:48:06 +0000

Great points. I’m big on the perceived need (I learned the concept from you, Roxana). But the more experienced I become as a parent (my boys are 4 and 6), the more it becomes apparent that what you do (and what your kids see you do) is more important than what you say. So if you commit to speaking the language you’re trying to teach them (which, even for a native Spanish speaker like me can be hard), then you are showing them that it is meaningful and important. And much to my delight, even if their brain slips into English for a word here and there, I see them trying to honor that code that they and I speak. Eventually, I’m ready to resort to cash incentives, but not yet.