We are a Russian-speaking family and my 2.5 year old daughter goes to an English-speaking daycare. She is bilingual, although her Russian is more advanced than English. We do not speak to her in English at home at all, so all her exposure to English occurs at school. This summer we planned on her staying at home with her Russian-speaking grandmother, but I am afraid that three months of complete immersion in Russian will make her loose her nascent English skills. I am considering enrolling her into summer school (a considerable financial burden being my only hesitation). Do you think this is necessary or recommended, or could there be some alternative ways to keep her up to speed on her English acquisition? Thank you for your time!–Inna Sokolova

Dear Inna,

I don’t think you have to worry about your daughter losing her English over the summer. Even if she does forget it a bit, think about the big picture: what will be your daughter’s dominant language in the long run? What will be her preferred language? What language will she speak at school and with friends? The answer is English. You live in the US where English is the mainstream language and Russian is a minority language. Even if you live in a neighborhood where Russian is spoken, English remains the language spoken by EVERYONE, as well as the language of the media, of education, of business. In sum, no matter what you speak to your daughter, her English, in the long run, will always be her dominant and preferred language. You don’t see that now because, at two and a half, your daughter’s entire world has revolved around you and her immediate caregivers, who speak Russian. However, starting from about age five, children are tremendously influenced by their peers, which means that your daughter’s dominant and preferred language will most likely shift to English.

So, I am suggesting that you take advantage of the summer to reinforce and strengthen your daughter’s Russian skills. These are crucial years for her to develop her Russian. Later on, once the influence of peers and the overall social environment (which promotes English only) kicks in, it will be really hard to keep up her Russian. So it is advisable that you do that now and allow her to build a strong foundation in Russian,  before it might be too late. As for English, she has an entire life to develop it, and I assure you that since she is so young and already exposed to it in daycare, she will have no problem acquiring it and speak it like  her monolingual peers by kindergarten.

If you still feel that you don’t want to completely stop your daughter’s English exposure during the summer, organize play dates with English-speaking peers,  sign her up for any weekly class/activity (which will happen in English), watch videos, read her books in English, play music, or simply, do things with her out there where everyone speaks English. Exposing your child to the majority language is certainly very easy. It is the minority language that, in order to flourish, will need extra time and attention on the road to bilingualism.

Good luck!

Simona Montanari, Ph.D.- – Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies at California State University in Los Angeles. She is the department’s expert in early multilingual development and has a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Southern California. Simona is Italian and she’s also a mommy to trilingual daughters aged 3 and 4 1/2. In addition, she conducts a workshop titled: “How to Raise a Bilingual Child” in the LA area. You can read her answers here.

Today´s question was sent by Tricia, who is looking for advice on how to create a perceived need for Spanish in her family.  For more tips check out this article Roxana recently wrote on the topic.

“Do the experts have any advice on creating a perceived need for Spanish in families that aren´t from any sort of Spanish-speaking cultural background? We´re located in a rural area with almost no Spanish speakers, making it even more difficult. We are making it a point to travel to Spanish-speaking countries, but I´m still kind of constantly scrambling to find ways to give a 4, 9, and11 year old any sense of needing to speak Spanish (other than with me). I’d definitely appreciate any suggestions!”

Dear Tricia,

What a great question – and a timely one for me. I just returned from giving workshops at a professional conference in Europe. I was astounded (and impressed) by how many people speak English – and not just a little English, but a LOT! People in Europe are obviously convinced about the importance of learning more than one language! I wonder why it is such a struggle in the United States to convince folks of this need?

With regard to your children, I would suggest finding them a keypal (computer keyboard penpals) who speaks the minority language with whom to communicate. You can try any one of a number of services that provide worldwide connections for young people – Student Letter Exchange is one example of this kind of service. By connecting your kids with a native speaker of Spanish, you will be providing them with an important link not just to language practice, but to cultural and social connections.

You might also get them interested in Spanish-language media like films and music. If your kids are intrigued by movies, TV and music coming from the Spanish-speaking world, they will find themselves more engaged on a personal level with the language and see more of a need to speak and understand it. Try these sites:

• La música en español

• Yahoo música en español

• TvGratis.tv

• Películas gratis en español

Overall, I applaud you for trying to make Spanish more relevant for your kids. If they feel connected to people who speak the language, they will be motivated and driven to learn it and to speak it better and better each day. ¡Buena suerte!

-Lori

Lori Langer de Ramirez, Ed.D

Lori Langer de Ramirez – Bilingual educator who began her career as a teacher of Spanish, French and ESL. She holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently the Chairperson of the ESL and World Language Department for Herricks Public Schools, New York. Lori is the author of Take Action: Lesson Plans for the Multicultural Classroom and Voices of Diversity: Stories, Activities and Resources for the Multicultural Classroom, as well as several Spanish-language books and texts (Cuéntame – Folklore y Fábulas and Mi abuela ya no está). Her interactive website (miscositas.com) offers teachers over 40 virtual picture books and other curricular materials for teaching Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish and Thai. Her areas of research and curriculum development are multicultural and diversity education, folktales in the language classroom and technology in language teaching. You can read her answers here.

One of the biggest challenges we face in our bilingual journey is being consistent and finding ways to nurture the minority language outside the home. No matter which method your family chooses to use–OPOL (One Parent, One Language) or mL@H (Minority Language at Home)–it’s important to have resources and strategies to immerse your child in the second language in fun and playful ways.

I know, for a fact, that my daughter, Camila, is learning words much faster from her little friends at daycare than she is at home, even though she only spends two days a week with them. We also have an English-speaking playgroup we meet with every week and other activities in which she actively takes part in. Most of them in English. I know, my bad.

Make the Second Language Cool

Why is it “my bad?¨ Well, because I know, from all the reading and research I’ve done on the topic of raising bilingual kids, that one of the most important ways to enforce language learning is for your kids to engage in activities with other children in the language you want to promote. In our case, that would be Spanish. Simply put, my daughter needs to feel that Spanish is cool (yep, even at 18-months she can figure out what’s “cool” for her) and widely accepted by participating in situations where she can easily express herself while also having a blast. After all, children learn best through play–especially with other children. Parents, and “their” language, soon enough become “not cool.”

Photo by wolfpix

So, how to do it? What are some of those outside-the-home, cool activities in which children can engage in to stimulate language learning? Here’s our list:

1. Playgoups, Playgroups, Playgroups!

Perhaps the most important and enriching activity for both child and parent is a playgroup in the second language. Why? Because it exposes your kids to others his same age speaking his same language and gives you a chance to meet parents going through the same things you are. Plus, it’s free! Preferably, try to find a group which will commit to speaking only Spanish, or whichever language might be your case, around the kids. A good idea is to structure the playgroup to include music or storytelling in Spanish. Can’t find a playgroup in your area? Start one! You might be surprised at the response you’ll get. Very soon, Roxana will be writing about tips on how to start your own playgroup. She’ll interview a Denver mom who made it happen and now has over 40 members in her group.

2. Storytime in the Second Language

Recent research suggests that children learn more vocabulary when being read to than through normal conversation. Of course, you can read to them anytime, but you can also make it more special by incorporating it into their regular activities. Storytime allows them to interact with peers as well. Many local libraries and bookstores have storytime in Spanish, check with those in your area. If you can’t find one, call and suggest it. Libraries are always eager for volunteers, so why not volunteer to read a story to kids every other week or so? Major bookstores are also open to anything that will bring them traffic. I recently talked to the children’s section coordinator of a major bookstore chain about the possibility of starting a Spanish storytime with them and she loved the idea. Of course, I need to help spread the word and find a storyteller, but they will provide the venue, the books, art supplies for crafts and snacks.

3.  Structured Language Classes

There are many music and arts classes designed especially to motivate children’s learning through interactive play. Music is an excellent way to motivate language learning as it is repetitive and a great whole-brain exercise. You can also reinforce it by playing the CDs at home and in the car.

 4.  Heritage Festivals in Your Area

Photo by kevindooley

One thing is for sure: we Latinos like to party and we have our share of festivals to prove it. Just to name a few: Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Hispanic Heritage Month, Posadas, Carnaval, and so on. Mark the dates on your calendar and check your local listings for celebration events. This is a great way to transmit part of your cultural heritage to your child, while enriching him with new experiences. Talk to him about the foods, the beliefs, the traditions. Plan arts and crafts projects related to each festival. Feeling his second language connects him to a wider aspect of his family that will nurture his learning.

5.  Travel to your Native Country

I know times are difficult and this might not be a realistic option for all of us at this time, but if you only plan one trip a year, try to make it to a country that speaks your child’s minority language–especially if there’s monolingual family to visit. Being absolutely immersed in the language will leave her no option but to speak the language and eventually boost her confidence. Travel will also broaden her horizons and give her global and cultural perspectives which are priceless.

In short, make language learning interactive and fun for both of you. Actively search or start your own activities. It will be rewarding for the two of you.

Share with us the ways you promote language learning outside the home? Have you started your own playgroup, circle or storytime? We’d love to hear about it. Let’s motivate each other through this process.

Tell us, what are your reasons for teaching your child Spanish?

Encuentra este y más de nuestros artículos favoritos en español en el blog Mamás Latinas: Hijos Bilingües en Discovery Familia.

{first image by Veronica Rose Photography }