Our little multilingual family has some exciting news! We will be moving to South America (Ecuador) in 2014!

This definitely poses new challenges and exciting opportunities as a family who has multilingualism at the center of mostly everything we do (i.e., doctors visits, children’s books). We are already thinking about how our linguistic interactions will change as we establish ourselves in our new home aka the middle of the world.

For example, we have considered changing our use of Spanish for English with our children once we are in Ecuador, especially if we decide to put them in a Spanish school. We have also started to get really excited about the different dialects and languages our girls will be exposed to which include: Quechua, Spanish (& other Spanish varieties), English, & possibly a fourth as many of the private schools in Ecuador offer other European languages (i.e., French, German).

Another change we have already started implementing here is the purchasing of English books! In an earlier post I wrote about getting rid of all of our children’s books written in English that we had in our home in order to increase the status of Spanish in our daily life. I am now having a blast purchasing English (and bilingual) books to add to our collection.

On another note, I am also overthinking the challenges that lie ahead. For example, I, personally, have never lived in another country. In fact, I pride myself in learning Spanish in the U.S. and wonder how the new context will shape my children and I as multilinguals. In other words, I strongly identify as a Spanish speaking Chicana and hope I will be able to pass that on to my nenas. I look forward to sharing our journey over the next few months as we make this huge international move. Please feel free to offer any advice (such as books to read) about moving internationally with little children.

{Photo by ximenacab}

I’ve always been a shy child. But I’ve always been extremely proud of speaking another language. Here are five ways being bilingual helped boost my own self-esteem:

1) It has given me strong communication skills

Remember the first time you tried out your newly-learned language skills and managed to get out a full sentence and get a reaction that wasn’t confusion, but rather an answer to your question or a response to your request? Remember how confident you felt? The realization that you can talk to people and feel understood can give a great boost to your self-esteem and further motivate you to learn the language even better. For your child, it is similar. I love seeing the look on my daughter’s face when she realizes that she can communicate in another language. It’s about believing in your abilities.

2) It has allowed me to help others

I still remember how proud I was to help German tourists find their way in my hometown of Warsaw. I usually enjoy helping people, and through my knowledge of languages, I could help other children at school if they didn’t speak German so well. The knowledge that your kids can help people just by speaking another language can give them a powerful tool for helping others and make them feel more confident that way.

3) It helped me be proud of my differences

I always felt proud to speak another language so proficiently, even as a child with confidence issues. I knew this set me apart from other children who weren’t bilingual. I knew it was good to be different, and I really think that my strong knowledge of German in childhood made me a more resilient adult.

4) It helped me feel like I belonged

My knowledge of German got me into a better school than I could have hoped. It was a school with a strong German language program. There, I met like-minded people, and finally made friends. We knew that our school and our class set us apart from other schools, but it also made me feel welcome. As parents, we sent our child to an international school because we wanted her to feel normal speaking so many languages, but at the same time, make her understand that the mixture of language she is speaking is absolutely unique.

5) It brought me closer to my family

My parents are both multilingual and it allowed us to have a very special family language that nobody understood. A good relationship with my children is extremely important to me. With my eldest, we have our little Polish jokes, but at the same time, I also speak all languages she does. I believe that a good relationship with their parents can boost a child’s self-esteem. And I know that one of the ways of connecting with my children is through my and their multilingualism.

I know that these are just a few ways of boosting your child’s self-esteem. There are many more. But I also believe that this is even more of a reason to raise your child with multiple languages.

Olga Mecking is a Polish woman living in the Netherlands with her German husband. Together, they raise three trilingual children. Olga is also a trainer in intercultural communication, translator and blogger at The European Mama, which is a blog about multilingualism, expat life and parenting.You can find Olga over at her blog, her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

{Image courtesy of Olga Mecking}

I am Polish, my husband is German and we live in the Netherlands. I was raised in a multilingual family — my mother speaks English and my father speaks French and they both speak Polish and German. With our children, we have naturally assumed the OPOL approach in which I speak Polish with them and my husband speaks German.

I read a lot about bilingualism. All the books warned that it is normal for children to rebel against parents and their languages (especially when the parents are multilingual themselves) and this is why it is important to find monolingual peers for the children to play and practice the language with.

I was worried because it seemed to me that maintaining my children’s Polish would prove incredibly difficult, if not impossible. Why would they bother with Polish (which is not even seen as a language worth learning and speaking) when mom speaks almost perfect German? Finding Polish speakers who didn’t speak Dutch has been difficult, especially now that I have three children. Am I fighting a battle that is already lost?

I don’t think so. In Poland, my parents didn’t have other German-speaking children to play with me, and the only thing they did was speak German with me every Sunday, until my brother was born. Later, I had German at school, and then chose to study it at University. It was, of course, a decision based on practicality (or should I say laziness) rather than interest, but I found studying German fun.

I am very grateful to my parents for sticking to speaking German with me even though there were times when I hated it. They were very consistent and it paid off. Now, as I am raising multilingual children myself, I realize that even though peers are important, the parents have a huge impact on their children as well.

I think I am extremely lucky to come from a family with a long-term tradition of multilingualism. The children will see that their beloved grandparents are multilingual and will notice the benefits that come from it. Based on that, they hopefully will be more inclined to learn Polish.

I also speak Dutch, the majority language, and I think this is a benefit, rather than a disadvantage. By learning it, I am showing my children that I care about one of their languages — and an important part of their identity, and maybe, just maybe, this will motivate them to speak Polish with me. I know there will be times when they will rebel and refuse to speak it. But I think my story shows that the parents’ bilingualism is an asset rather than a problem.

I believe multilingualism is a way of life, and if the children learn to accept all languages, perhaps it will motivate them to learn and accept thire parents’ language as well.

Olga Mecking is a Polish woman living in the Netherlands with her German husband. Together, they raise three trilingual children. Olga is also a trainer in intercultural communication, translator and blogger at The European Mama, which is a blog about multilingualism, expat life and parenting.You can find Olga over at her blog, her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

{Image by rolands.lakis}

StoryToys, the same app developer that brought us 3D versions of Puss in Boots and The Little Mermaid, now has a new electronic pop-up book. Beauty and the Beast 3D Interactive Pop-up Book is another adorable multilingual app that offers a great combination of story time and game time.

Since most kids are already familiar with the Beauty and the Beast tale, they will enjoy how this storybook is broken up with interactive pages to make it a little more exciting. You can help Belle open gifts, help the merchant escape from the wolf, or – my favorite – play ping-pong with the Beast. The favorite part of make-believe princesses everywhere will be breaking the spell at the end!

The story is also nicely simplified and can be entertaining for a range of ages, from toddlers through early readers.

I particularly love that parents can use the Parent Center to customize the app in various ways, including changing the reading mode and opting out of promotional screens.

Find Beauty and the Beast 3D Interactive Pop-up Book in iTunes

Available for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Recommended ages 3 and up

Price: $4.99

Check out more from StoryToys on Facebook and Twitter.

At my son’s preschool, they periodically do developmental screenings. I have never given much thought to these assessments since, having been a teacher for almost 20 years, I felt pretty confident that a learning disability or developmental delay would be obvious to me. Imagine my surprise when I learned that he had failed the speech and language screening. While discussing the evaluation with his teacher, I was shocked to learn that all of the children who spoke Spanish had failed.

Fortunately, I have a cousin in my family who is a speech pathologist and sought her advice and counsel on this matter. She encouraged me to have my son evaluated by a bilingual speech professional since his speech and language errors could be a result of his multilingualism (Spanish, English and German).

The director of the preschool was able to recommend resources and programs within my community where I could take my son for a more in-depth evaluation with a bilingual specialist. In my county there are regular developmental screenings provided free to the community. There are also referrals for follow-up care and therapy that is low cost or free.

I took my son to be screened and was happy to learn that his speech and language development are well within normal ranges for his age in both Spanish and English.  In fact, the speech pathologist thought that it was wonderful that both my boys were multilingual and went on to tell me how beneficial bilingualism is to the cognitive development of a child. While I never wavered in my conviction to raise my children to speak Spanish, I was disheartened to find that his speaking of other languages resulted in his English skills being assessed as below average and deficient by a monolingual professional.

Actually, my son’s case is not all that uncommon. My March issue of California Educator magazine had an entire article on just this issue, Language disorder — or just learning a new language? In the article, Pamela Greenhalgh, a speech-language pathologist, pointed out that students learning English are often misdiagnosed with language disorders when really they are just in the process of acquiring a new language. Sometimes a misdiagnosis can even lead to students being incorrectly placed in special education classes.

When my son was initially diagnosed with having a speech disorder, I knew that a follow up evaluation by a bilingual specialist was essential for an accurate analysis of his linguistic abilities. Parents, teachers, doctors and developmental specialists need to be aware that second-language acquisition can lead to a misdiagnosis. If possible, have another evaluation done in both languages to determine whether follow-up therapy or interventions are necessary. Talk to your pediatrician, school district or county to find services that will help you. Until there is a greater understanding of bilingualism in this country, we must be advocates for our children to be sure that they are being accurately assessed on their abilities.

For families living in Orange County, California, I recommend the Family Support Network. They provide free comprehensive screenings for children 0-5 years.

{photo by woodleywonderworks}

Recently my husband and I decided to go through the process of trying to get our daughter enrolled in a prestigious and private dual language school in our city. I honestly did not imagine having to go through what seems like a rigorous process this early on in her academic trajectory. She is almost three, which means she qualifies for the primary school grade classrooms. We learned that there were a limited of spots (~30) with over 125 applicants! We also learned that there are very few, if any, high quality three-year-old academic programs in town, making those ~30 spots highly competitive.

We jumped through all the hoops: filled out the extensive application, had my daughters current teacher fill out an evaluation form about her strengths and challenges, attended an information session, allowed for our daughter to be observed by teachers at the school, and lastly went through an hour long interview with the director of the school. By the time we were scheduled for the final step of the process, the parent interview, we started to question if we were making the right decision (not just financially) and were forced to reflect on whether or not we would fit in well with the current school community.

As I mentioned earlier, I began to wonder if this community was the right fit for us, but really I was more concerned with whether or not it was a right fit for me. When we attended the information session, I realized that it was the first time in my life that I had ever stepped foot in such a prestigious school. The second-generation immigrant of working class parents part of me felt completely out of place. My husband, having grown up abroad for most of his schooling years, attended private schools very similar to the one we were trying to get our daughter into. Not only did I attend public school for the majority of my schooling years, which was all taught in English; I also grew up in a community where Spanish and English flowed back and forth seamlessly. Interestingly, during the interview we were asked the following question:

Interviewer: Which language, Spanish or English, would you prefer to speak in?

Me: (hesitating a little): We prefer to speak in both languages.

Interviewer: Okay. Yes, that actually works well for me because there are parts of the interview where Spanish is more appropriate than English.

When asked to choose a language to speak in I simply could not. Both Spanish and English are part of my linguistic repertoire and they do not reside in separate spaces.  Being concerned about whether or not I would fit in with the school community I decided that I would be my self as much as anyone can in formal interview settings. Hesitantly, I responded that we preferred to use both languages. The interviewers response was a breathe of fresh air. I was starting to wonder if we were trying to enroll our daughter in a school where code switching may not be seen as a valuable linguistic tool, but if the director was willing to do it, then I can only assume that it will be welcomed.

In an earlier scenario, when we dropped off our daughter for her observation I noticed that we were the only parents speaking in Spanish to each other and to our daughter. I also noticed that we were the only Latinos (or in my case, the only Chicana). On top of the class diversity the school needs, a part of me hoped that we could contribute to the linguistic and ethnic diversity that seems to be missing.

A week later we found out we were wait-listed. The news wasn’t too surprising considering the number of applicants and the number of spots available, but at the same time one cannot help but wonder if that was the only reason. We are still hopeful. In a month we find out if there is a spot for the incoming school year.  Ay, veremos…

As a researcher of dual language programs, I have to say that there is definitely a trend occurring. The general public is starting to notice the importance and value in a multilingual education. Not only are public, charter, and private dual language schools emerging nation wide, the spots to get into them are extremely competitive. Parents are entering raffles, others are willing to pay the hefty price tag for the opportunity to learn in two languages. For my family, paying the price means compromising other aspects of our life for an investment in an education that is multilingual, global, inquiry-based, and student centered which should be the standard at every school.

Have you tried enrolling your son/daughter in a prestigious and private foreign language school? If so, what was the experience like?

{Photo by barnabywasson}

If your kids love animated shows in Spanish, i.e. Pocoyó and El perro y el gato, you won’t want to miss out on Gombby’s Green Island. This newly released show and its corresponding app from developer Magnistage have a great educational spin, as Gombby – a curious little boy – learns about the world with his friends. Together, they find out from the all-knowing Gadget Man/Ingenuico how gravity works, why we all have fears, and more of life’s greatest mysteries.

The app is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Of course, I have a thing for the Spanish version, but it’s great to see a new kids’ app with multilingual options.

I knew my son would like this app, but I didn’t expect him to giggle quite so much. He thought it was hysterical and that all the characters and their names were so silly that he truly paid attention more than he does to some other animated shows!

Three episodes are available for free, and then you can download more (5 episodes for $1.99, 10 for $2.99) as in-app purchases.

Find Gombby’s Green Island Channel in iTunes

Available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Recommended for ages 1-7

Price: FREE  (3 episodes)

The Giveaway

Gombby  wants to give one of you a $50 gift card at random. To enter the giveaway all you have to do is download the app (it’s FREE!) and tell us which episode of Gombyy’s Green Island you watched and what you liked about it. Just make sure you use the Rafflecopter below to make your entry valid and to get additional entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I take my boys to a weekly Spanish class. The majority of the children have had some exposure to the language, which makes this the ideal class for us. My sons always use Spanish with me, and it is the language that they use with each other.

During the art session of this class, one of the mothers started to ask me what I have done to get my kids to be so fluent in Spanish. I rattled off the usual, that I consistently speak to them in Spanish, they only watch TV in Spanish or their other minority language German, we sing songs in Spanish and read together daily. This mother claimed that she used many of these strategies, and although her daughter understood Spanish, the child always chose to respond in English. When we were discussing our husband’s language skills, it was then I realized how important the role of both parents is for the learning of other languages.

I am lucky that my husband grew up bilingual and always speaks to our kids in German, his second language. My husband also supports the children learning Spanish with me since he understands and speaks some Spanish. During our summers in Costa Rica and Peru, he has always taken classes to improve his abilities.

The mother from our Spanish class explained that unfortunately her American husband only spoke English and doesn’t understand Spanish at all. She felt her daughter’s reluctance to use Spanish came from the dad’s inability to speak or understand Spanish, and that English was always used when dad was around. In fact the mother of this little girl lamented that her husband didn’t even have an interest in learning Spanish. What a pity! It is such a missed opportunity for him and his daughter.

To be honest, I was initially rather critical of this father. How could he not want to learn his wife’s first language? Why did he have no interest in learning his daughter’s second language? Even more perplexing to me is how anyone living in southern California would not want to learn Spanish, a language that is so commonly used and prominent throughout the region.

As I pondered these many issues, I also began to reflect on my own language usage and abilities. I had to admit that although my husband has gone to great lengths to learn Spanish, I have done very little to learn German, the language he uses with our sons.  Although I understand the majority of the German used in our home, I have never studied it and can’t speak it. By not trying to learn the language, I am sending my children a mixed message, it is important for them to learn the language, but it is not important for me to do so. This double standard has got to change! There is nothing like the start of the New Year to start learning something new!

I have always believed, and many studies have proven, that children are greatly influenced by our behavior and will often follow our example. Our own actions and values greatly influence those of our children. To support our multilingual children, I have decided that it is time for me to get started with learning German. I know that my study of German and the efforts to learn will show my children how much I value language learning. I also want them to see that it can be a fun experience. For my 2013 New Year’s resolution, I will make learning German a priority.

As most people know from experience, it is very hard to stick to resolutions, so I decided to come up with a plan that would make studying German possible given my already busy schedule. Analyzing my typical day, I realized that there were times that I could study, and I would even be able to recruit my children to be my own private language teachers.

Prior to going on vacations abroad, I would always try learn some of the language of the country that I was visiting. As a result, I have had some experience with different language learning programs. For me, the most effective method has always been the Pimsleur method. Many of you may be familiar with this approach since it is used in the Little Pim language learning videos for children. This method is ideal because I don’t need to follow along or study with a book. I can listen and learn German while driving to work or while exercising, and my local library even has the first level available for checkout. So now I can study doing activities that I have always had in my schedule. I’ll be learning new words and phrases, as I commute to work, go for a run, or even while lifting weights.

On my iPad, there are two folders of apps that I let the kids play with. One folder is full of Spanish apps, while the other has German ones. Although these apps are specifically for children, I am finding that I too can learn vocabulary by playing with them. I love using the apps together with my children. It is a great way for us to have fun and learn together. Eventually, I will download some of the adult apps to help me with the acquisition of the German language.

Perhaps my favorite way to learn German is by having my children teach me. My 5-year-old is really enjoying the role of being mom’s teacher. While walking to the store yesterday, we worked on colors. I thought that I knew all of them, but as he quizzed me in Spanish to say a German color, I found that I did not know gray, white, or pink, and my pronunciation of black had both of my boys giggling. They had me repeat after them multiple times until they were satisfied with the way I pronounced the word. It is fun to play these language games with the boys, but I also think that it greatly enhances their learning. Teaching mom makes the children the experts, and it makes them realize that they have a skill that mom does not have. It also supports their learning to speak another language since everyone in the family is learning and speaking the languages of the home.

This year, I resolve to study German since by doing so I will be supporting my children in their learning of the language. I will also be giving my children the chance to be the teachers and the experts. My own study will model that learning another language is fun and fulfilling. Most importantly, I will enrich my life by learning German, especially since it is one of the languages that my husband and children can speak. Our home will truly be multilingual with English, Spanish, and German spoken by all!

{Photo by ferdy001}

The new interactive storybook app from StoryToys is much more than a new twist on an old favorite. Grimm’s Puss in Boots 3D Interactive Pop-Up Book introduces a concept that ups the cool factor in the world of kids’ apps. Instead of simple 2D animation with responsive characters, this classic story turns into a game or puzzle every few pages. There are 9 pop-up scenes in total, in which you can help Puss in Boots chase away mice, leap over obstacles, and more.

Choose to have the story read in English, French, German, or our favorito, Spanish. The cuento is long and thorough, with a great range of vocabulary and high-quality animation. It’s ideal for preschoolers and kindergarteners, but would be awesome entertainment for older or younger children.

I love that an app like this one can give me a break from reading traditional bedtime stories after an exhausting day, yet still allow me to talk about the story with my son. The pop-up activities make the reading more interesting and, therefore, more educational!

Find Grimm’s Puss in Boots 3D Interactive Pop-Up Book in iTunes

Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

Recommended for ages 4 and up

Price: $4.99

Check out more from StoryToys on their website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Change of Language, Change of Personality? Part II by François Grosjean on Psychology Today — Does your personality change depending on the language you’re speaking? I don’t think mine does… although if I have to give a speech or speak in front of a large audience, I do feel more confident if I do it in Spanish. Prof. Grosjean continues to explore this subject.

Top 10 Reasons Your Children Aren’t Speaking Your Language from Multilingual Living — From lack of resources to not enough exposure to the language, Corey Heller, the founder of Multilingual Living, shares reasons and solutions to why your kids aren’t speaking your language.

Easiest Foreign Languages To Learn (for English speakers) from The Telegraph — Just for fun! I was surprised to see that the first one was Afrikaans, a language I was exposed to briefly as a child when we lived in South Africa. Now I wish we had lived there long enough for me to become fluent.

Utah Immersion Program the Envy of the Nation from NBC Latino — I had no idea this was going on in Utah. Did you? Again, we can only hope more school districts start following Utah’s lead!

Why It Pays To Be Bilingual from Voxy —  A super cool graphic on the cognitive, financial and cultural benefits of bilingualism. Hat tip to my colleague and fellow journalist Alicia Civita for the find!