I am lucky–very lucky–to have many friends who are raising bilingual children around me. Our weekly playdates with Dariela´s son, Adrián, have become a source of intense joy for Camila. I can´t help but say how cute they are together! I´ve told you before how Adrián, who´s being raised with the OPOL method, knows to speak in Spanish as soon as he sees Camila and me coming. A couple of weeks ago, I took care of both at my house. Read More ...
Video of the Week: A glimpse into a bilingual playdate
You Are Experts, Too: I have a hard time communicating with my son when others are around
It’s been a while since we’ve done this, so we think we’re due for another round of letting you be the experts. After all, you live in a bilingual environment day in and day out; that in itself makes you an expert–a voice to be heard. Sarah Kalert reads our site from her new home in Chile. She has enthusiastically agreed to let you weigh in on the issue she is facing while raising her son using the OPOL method.Read More ...
What is the ‘Critical Period’ for language learning?
Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on this blog in November 2009. I was recently talking to somebody of Hispanic descent who wasn’t taught Spanish at home, but learned it later on in life. She vowed she wouldn’t follow her parents’ footsteps, but ended up doing exactly the same thing with her kids who are now elementary school-aged. “And, now it’s too late!” she lamented. I immediately reassured her that it’s never too late – that’s just a common myth.Read More ...
5 Ways to Respond When Your Child Mixes Languages
This week my daughter and I met up with a Spanish-speaking amiga and her 3 and a half year old son. Camila and him have a preschool, platonic-love relationship and are always looking forward to their play dates. While at the park, my friend mentioned that the only other kid her son interacted with in Spanish is my daughter. I thought that was a little odd since my daughter is still at a stage where she is sorting out bothRead More ...
Ask an Expert: Should I correct my child if she answers in English when being spoken to in Spanish?
Today we welcome our newest expert into the SpanglishBaby familia, Marcel O. Ponton, Ph.D. We are particularly excited for the incredible amount of knowledge he has on behavioral and development problems regarding bilinguals and because we finally have the male perspective on board! To submit your questions to Dr. Ponton and our panel of experts please go here. It’s amazing how fast and and how much of the Spanish language my almost 2 year old daughter Audrey is learning. WeRead More ...
The Number Game: Embedding Language Learning Into Other Subjects
My husband and I are raising our sons to be trilingual. Using the OPOL method, I speak to the children in Spanish, and he speaks to them in German. While our baby is still in the babbling stage, our two and a half year old is quite verbal, constantly commenting on what he sees and asking questions to learn more. I am often told what a wonderful gift I am giving my children by speaking to them Spanish. Our pediatrician,Read More ...
4 Things to Consider When Your Child Mixes Languages
“Mami todavía no vamos a ir a home porque estamos buscando un treasure.” This is what my almost 4-year-old said to me last week as we were heading back from our regular afternoon stroll to the duck pond by our house. I was floored. I know this is totally normal in the journey of those becoming bilingual. I’ve researched and read enough to know there’s nothing to worry about, but I can’t deny I was pretty surprised. I mean, I’veRead More ...
