Linguicism includes the “ideologies and structures which are used to legitimate, effectuate, and reproduce unequal division of power and resources (both material and non-material) between groups which are defined on the basis of language.” This includes the languages we choose to teach our children and the ways we choose to expose them to those languages. In my opinion, for those that live in the U.S., Spanish should be one of the first choices when deciding which other language to learn, unless of course there are cultural reasons like one parent being from a non-Spanish speaking country.

One of the ways I was trying to guarantee Sabrina continues to develop relationships with Spanish-speaking individuals was by attempting to form a Spanish-speaking play date. I have to admit I was, like many of us have been, guilty of being a linguicist, if you will. My most recent offense was trying to form a playgroup, as mentioned, for parents who ONLY speak in Spanish to their children. It was unsuccessful on many accounts.

First, I learned that many of the parents I know (native speakers to non-native speakers of Spanish) do not strictly speak to their children in one language, which is very common here in Austin, Texas, as in other Latino communities in the U.S., like Miami and New York City. Secondly, I learned how open some parents are with how I communicate with my daughter despite their lack of understanding Spanish.

To my surprise, my most valuable resources were right in front of me. Most of my friends are bilingual and understand Spanish, which means speaking to Sabrina in Spanish will never be a problem. Though they don’t speak strictly in Spanish, Spanish and English do flow back and forth when communicating with their children. I also learned that Sabrina’s peers from daycare actually understand ME when we have gotten together for birthday parties even though they mostly come from English-speaking homes because they are attending a Spanish immersion school together.

Lastly, and most importantly, by modeling to Sabrina that she and I can continue to speak strictly in Spanish even though others may not understand us or that others use both languages simultaneously, I am also showing her how to be more accepting about the diverse ways other people use Spanish and English in our local community here in central Texas. After all, in addition to raising a multilingual baby, I am also trying to develop an awareness and appreciation for cultural, ethnic, economic, and linguistic diversity. This may seem like a huge task, but we have some time in our hands.

Last week we had our very first SpanglishBaby Playgroup in Los Angeles, made possible thanks to Southern California McDonald´s. We had such a blast and it was so gratifying to see our chiquitos playing together and hear them speak and sing in español!

We got together in this occasion to talk about the power of moms in creating a literay-rich environment for our kids. We were led by the wonderful Jo from the National Center for Family Literacy (you might recognize her as a frequent guest expert on Los Niños en Su Casa show) who showed us the countless ways we can, and most likely already are, exposing our kids to the basics of reading. Things like observing the signs on the streets and singing to them in the womb are all ways to enrich a child´s vocabulary and learning.

We found that all her literacy tips applied perfectly to creating a bilingual environment as well!

Check out some of the tips for building family literacy skills that completely apply to bilingualism:

• Read often to your child, consider it your special time together. Hearing stories helps your child recognize and remember words. And, hearing them en español (or any language you´re trying to immerse them in), provides another special moment to build their bilingual skills.
• Encourage your children to draw pictures and write notes to you, because learning to write goes hand-in-hand with learning to read. Studies also prove that learning to read and write in your native language is beneficial.
• Let your children count money and change when paying cash for purchases. Practicing adding and subtracting money improves math skills and helps your kid learn to count in Spanish.

We were also given a bag with books in Spanish and English as well as a white cardboard box with a handle so that we can convert it into a Writer´s Box. Such an amazing idea to encourage our niños to practice writing. The concept behind the writer´s box is that it can be used as a writing surface and items needed for writing are kept inside.

To make your own Writer´s Box just find a nice sturdy box, preferably with a handle, that can be easily opened from the top. Involve your child in the process and ask him what he wants to fill it in to be able to write and draw. Ideas are lead and color pencils, unlined paper in many sizes and color, eraser, tape, crayons, markers, rubber stamps, stencils, scissors, yarn, ruler, glue stick, stapler, hole punch, old magazines, etc..

Thank you to all who came to spend this quality time together. We really hope to be able to do this around the country and get to meet so many of you!

Visit www.mcdonaldssocal.com/literacy-programs and www.famlit.org for more useful ideas for a literacy and bilingual rich environment for your child.

A huge thank you to McDonald´s for facilitating the space and the talk with The National Center for Family Literacy. We hope to have many more SpanglishBaby Playgroups in the near future because we recognize and are constant promoters of the power of moms and bilingual playgroups.

Disclosure: We were compensated for our time to make this playgroup event happen. 

Photo by daviddesign

Recently we have received several emails and comments from English-speaking parents who are serious about giving their children the gift of another language. We count ourselves among the lucky that are able to speak a second language at home and almost innately pass it on to our kids. Even so, we know it’s hard work. So, you have no idea how much we respect parents that are making a conscious effort (because it is one) to work hard at creating language-learning opportunities from the get go.

One such example is our cyber-friend Karen who is learning Spanish while teaching it to her two sons. She’s so passionate about it that she writes a blog, Teaching Learning Spanish, where she shares all the Spanish language resources that she finds useful.  If you haven’t yet, we suggest you read a guest post she wrote for us a couple of months ago: Spanish Not Your Native Language? You can Still Raise Bilingual Kids.

Simona Montanari, Ph. D.

Today Simona Montanari gives some excellent advice on this topic. She’s an expert on early multilingual development and Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies at California State University in Los Angeles. You can learn more about her here and read her previous inspiring answers to our reader’s questions here.

We Don’t Speak Spanish but We Want Our Child to Learn

Today’s question was sent by Jasmine Caruthers. She’s pregnant with her first child and, both she and her husband  know they want their child to learn Spanish even if they don’t speak it themselves.

“I am pregnant with my first child and both my husband and 
I speak English. However, I would like to raise my child to speak both 
English and Spanish. I was going to send my baby to a bilingual 
speaking school but I am having trouble locating any in Alabama. I 
really do not know how to go about doing this but it is important for 
my child to be bilingual. Do you have any advice on how to raise a 
child from an English speaking home, to speak Spanish? Thank you much.”

Dear Jasmine,

First of all, I think it’s great that you are so “enlightened” and convinced to raise your child bilingually even if both you and your partner are monolingual. There are a lot of people in the US who do speak two languages themselves, but are afraid of teaching them to their children for fear that they will lag behind in English or not learn it as well as other monolingual children. So, again, it’s great that you understand what a great gift it is to give your child two languages and see him grow bilingually.

The fact that neither you nor your husband speak Spanish makes your wish a bit more difficult to realize because you will truly have to rely on someone else for providing that extra language for your child. But I believe that your motivation and encouragement will make it possible.

I think the best way to go is to try to hire someone – a Spanish-speaking person – to spend time with your child in the early years (ideally birth to five and beyond). I am not sure how realistic this is for you but if you work and can afford a nanny/au pair, this would be the most successful strategy that I can think of. Be specific when you hire this person that you want him/her to speak Spanish to your child and not English. Barbara Zurer Pearson’s book “Raising a Bilingual Child” warns that many nannies end up using English with the children they watch, both because they want to practice English or because the child might speak English to them. You might want to be very firm and explain to your nanny that you are specifically hiring her/him to teach Spanish to your child, and so that no English should be used.

I used this strategy myself. When my first daughter was one and a half and my youngest was a newborn I hired a Spanish-speaking nanny to work for us for 36 hours a week. I was lucky because this woman spoke no English or Italian (which I speak to my daughters), so my daughters soon learned that they had to interact in Spanish with her. Today, at 5 and 3 and a half, my youngest daughter is pretty fluent in the language and the oldest speaks Spanish almost natively! In addition, they speak English (which they are picking up from dad and school) and Italian. It is truly amazing to see these little people move so easily back and forth between languages! And, for Spanish, I owe it all to my nanny. The new challenge will be for me to maintain Spanish-speaking opportunities for my daughters as they grow. But the nanny definitely planted the seeds.

If the nanny is out of the question, then you will have to rely on schooling. You should look everywhere in your area (as far as you are willing to commute) to find a bilingual daycare, preschool or school. Unfortunately, these are hard to find, but if you are willing to commute a bit you might increase your chances of finding one (I myself will start driving 26 miles a day this September to bring my oldest daughter to an Italian-English dual language school).

Finally, if even the school option is out, then you might have to scale down your dream of raising your child bilingually, although you can still help him/her learn some Spanish. You can do this by participating in Spanish mommy-and-me classes, by playing Spanish music and videos, perhaps by participating in Spanish-language play groups, etc. These activities won’t make your child bilingual but they might introduce him to the language, and therefore help him learn it later when new opportunities (i.e. Spanish language classes, Spanish-language programs) arise.

I wish all the best to you, your baby and your intent to raise him/her bilingually.

Simona Montanari, Ph.D., is located in the Los Angeles area. For more information or to schedule a phone/in person consultation contact her at smontan2@calstatela.edu.

Do you have a question for our experts? Remember no question is too big or too simple. So, to send us your question, please click here or leave a comment below. Thank you!

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 }