Editor’s note: They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this holiday season we asked all of our regular contributors – we’re up to nine! – to just send us a photo that expresses what the holidays mean to them for this collection of Bicultural Christmas Photos. What kind of photo would you have sent in?

“When I was little, my mother always made cookies around Christmas time. Decorating the sugar cookies with my sisters is an especially happy memory. Now grown with our own children, we carry on the tradition by getting together a week or two before Christmas to make and decorate cookies as a family… Since my husband is Salvadoran and I’ve been immersed in Latin American culture, I also make tamales this time of year. I learned about “tamaladas” — (when families get together for the holidays to make tamales) – and it made me feel a little lonely making my tamales all by myself — but then I realized that our cookie tradition is really similar. I’ve started calling them “galletadas.”

{Photo by: WellspringsCS}

Growing up, gifts or money enclosed in a greeting card meant I knew what I would be doing the next day – writing “thank you” letters.

My mother wasn’t strict with my sisters and I in many ways – but when it came to etiquette, we knew what was expected of us. Fortunately, writing the “thank you” letters never felt like an obligation to me because I loved to write, I loved everything about the process of sending mail, and I loved knowing that in a few days an aunt or grandmother would be made happy when she received it.

All of this has come in handy now that I have my own kids and my own reasons for wanting them to write “thank you” letters. Not only do I have my boys do this for etiquette and to keep in touch, but in the age of E-mail, letter writing is an art I want my children to know.

The last reason to encourage your children to write “thank you” letters? When writing to Spanish-speaking family, it is the perfect opportunity to practice their written language skills!

With the holidays coming up, your children will have plenty to thank people for. Here are some excellent tips on how to get started from Margaret Shepherd, author of the new book, Learn World Calligraphy, and The Art of the Handwritten Note.

“I’m going to stop sending presents.” “It’s like dropping money into a black hole.” “What happened to gratitude-or manners?” “What’s wrong with this generation?” I hear this kind of complaint a lot from grandparents who send a child a gift and never hear back. It’s a common situation with an easy solution. All you need to fix it is to choose from a list of twelve little techniques to change the child’s behavior and accept one big idea to change your own attitude (see #6). I’ve been that child, and I’ve been that parent.

12 ways to help you help your child write thank-you notes

1. Start a holiday tradition. Children do better when they know what is expected of them. An annual gift of stationery will set the stage. Focus your holiday on promoting your family’s generosity and gratitude.

2. Schedule. Set aside a specific chunk of time, the sooner the better. The quiet day after Christmas day is often available.

3. Clerical support. Make sure the child has all the materials she needs and a place to work. That includes stationery, pens, return address stickers, stamps, and addresses.

4. Sugar coating. Add little extras to make it more fun, such as stickers, glitter, pretty envelopes, and interesting stamps.

5. Training wheels. Help them over the hard parts by supplying phrasing, steno service, models for capital letters. Some people like to help a very small child by taking dictation, or an older one by suggesting phrases. I recommend the 3-sentence structure; name the gift, mention the occasion, and express gratitude for the thought. Whatever gets ink on the page and into the mail.

6. Aspiration. Letter writing has the sophistication of grown-up behavior. Set a good example by portraying thank-you notes as something you like to do-you can’t expect the child to be eager to write notes if you bad-mouth them as a chore.

7. Companionship. Sit down and write while the child writes.

8. Reward. Some parents like to set up a reward for completing the job such as earning an television time, adjusted bedtime, or other treat.

9. Deadline/downside. Include some negative reinforcement. For instance, you can declare that she cannot play with a toy till it’s thanked for. Other privileges can be tied to saying thank-you, but should not trivialize the wonderful glow that comes simply from having expressed gratitude.

10. Imaging. Help the child remember the person with pictures, and remind her why the gift gave her pleasure by keeping it in sight. What if she did not like it? Help her imagine the letter on its way to the recipient. And make sure that person reinforces the child’s good behavior.

11. Reciprocity. Help the child understand why a handwritten note is worth the trouble by sending her one yourself. Most children today do not receive letters in the mail, making this an unfamiliar experience. You can’t expect a child to picture someone else’s pleasure on receiving a handwritten note if she’s never gotten one herself.

12. Work behind the scenes. Reassure the grandparent or other gift-giver that the gift arrived, the child liked it, and the thank-you note will get written. Try to keep the giver from putting the child on the defensive while the child masters the task.

These strategies also work for adults, helping the bride or groom, birthday celebrator, and recent graduate to do the right thing. A handwritten note is still the gold standard for saying “thank you.”

These tips are adapted from The Art of the Handwritten Note, by Margaret Shepherd, from Broadway Books/Random House.

Flirting In Spanish: What Mexico taught me about love, living and forgiveness is the memoir of Susan McKinney de Ortega, a woman born and raised in Philadelphia who goes to Mexico in her 30′s to find herself – but what she doesn’t expect to find is that she and one of her 19 year old English students, Carlos, are falling in love.

At first she goes back and forth between resisting and surrendering to her feelings, questioning the stigma of the teacher-student relationship, the age difference, and where in the world she was going with her life. Even once she accepts that they love each other and moves into Carlos’s already crowded, impoverished home, she must deal with cultural and linguistic barriers, machismo, and of course, learning how to establish boundaries with in-laws amongst other difficult hardships.

Susan shared part of her stirring personal account previously here on SpanglishBaby in two parts (Part 1 and Part 2) – but this is definitely a story that deserves to be told at novel length – and it’s one you will completely lose yourself in.

For “gringas” married to Latin men, (like myself) – McKinney de Ortega’s words will resonate with you on a very profound level – stirring up a lot of thoughts, emotions and memories from your own courtship. For anyone who loves love, romance and Mexico, this book will not disappoint. And for all of us who have ever been lost and needed to find ourselves – you will relate to her difficult, but ultimately joyous and inspiring journey.

THE GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner: Melissa !

We’re giving away one copy of Flirting in Spanish to one lucky winner.

To enter, just leave a comment telling us why you’d like to win this book.

That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway. If you want to up your chances at winning, then this is how you can get additional entries (only after you’ve completed the step above):

**Please leave a separate comment for each so we can count them and avoid mistakes.

1. Subscribe to receive blog updates and subscriber-only content via email and leave us an extra comment letting us know you did so or that you’re already a subscriber. Make sure to leave the comment using the same email you subscribed with.

2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway including a link to the post and @SpanglishBaby. Copy the link to the tweet in an additional comment on the giveaway’s post.

3. Like SpanglishBaby on Facebook and join a thriving community of parents.

This giveaway ends Sunday, Nov. 6 at midnight PST and is open to everyone over 18 years of age. Check out the Giveaway Rules.

Disclosure: We received a sample to review the product. All opinions are our own.

Image source: Speculum Mundi

Editor’s note: We continue our coverage of NPR’s special series “Two Languages, Many Voices” with a preview of today’s story, which will air on Morning Edition, related to bilingual families and technology. 

Access to the internet and being able to afford a computer doesn’t necessarily mean one can make use of either. This is the case for many Latino immigrants in the United States.

The Bilingual Families and Technology report in the NPR series, “Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S.” gives us a glimpse into what it’s like to live in today’s world without being able to access things that are now increasingly available online.

The problem for the immigrant parents is two-fold; Often times not only do they not know how to use the technology, but lack of English skills plays an equal role — That’s where the children come in.

Without the help of their bilingual children, many parents would not be able to use online bill pay, get driving directions, assist with homework research, or find local businesses. The bilingual children of immigrants, with a foot in each world, have traditionally always shouldered a lot of responsibility in helping non-English speaking parents, but that is even more so today.

I love this report by NPR because I’ve seen this same scenario play out in my own home. While I’m a native English speaker and I can cruise the internet with ease, my husband, a native Spanish speaker from El Salvador who had very little experience with computers upon arriving in the United States, has often needed assistance.

Over the years my husband, intelligent and determined as he is, has learned a lot. He speaks English proficiently enough that he is now attending a college level class for the first time, and he now knows his way around the world wide web. However he would be the first to admit that he didn’t get to where he’s at without the help of our bilingual children clicking the mouse for him every now and then.

Image source: khrawlings

Spongebob Squarepants is not good for your 4-year-old’s brain – at least that’s what a new study from the University of Virginia says.

Researchers divided sixty 4-year-olds into three groups. The first group watched a 9-minute clip of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants, the second watched a 9-minute clip of PBS’s Caillou, and the third group drew pictures for nine minutes instead of watching television.

When the nine minutes was up, each group was tested in what psychologists call “executive function.” The results? The group that watched the slower-paced and more educational show Calliou as well as the picture-drawing groups performed equally well while the SpongeBob group scored significantly lower.

“SpongeBob is produced for 6- to 11-year-olds. Four-year-olds are clearly not the intended demographic for this show,” Nickelodeon spokesman David Bittler said in response to the study results.

(Read more about the study: HERE.)

As for me, I felt kind of guilty for all the Spongebob Squarepants I’ve let my children watch when I saw the study – but both my boys are honor roll students, and now that I think about it, I was much more selective in what they watched on TV as preschoolers, being careful to choose only age appropriate shows which I felt were educational and also limiting the amount of time they watched. (They’re currently ages 13 and 9 and I’ve obviously relaxed the rules slightly as they’ve gotten older.)

Choosing slower-paced, more realistic and educational programming for young children is important. Limiting the amount they watch, and creating dialogue about what is on the screen by watching with them is also encouraged. This is particularly true if you’re using television to expose your children to Spanish (or any other second language). While there’s not a lot of quality children programming for bilingual children, we’re lucky to have a variety of options. For some samples of those, you might want to check our Video of the Week category.

We recently had the opportunity to talk about the study and healthy TV watching habits for children with Lesli Rotenberg, VP of Children’s Media at PBS. Below is that interview.

SpanglishBaby: When parents pick a television show for their children to watch, what ideally should they be looking for?

Lesli Rotenberg: At PBS KIDS, we believe that the best shows for kids are educational and entertaining, as well as developmentally appropriate, so those are definitely important elements for parents to look for. We also always want to make sure that the characters in a series are positive role models – trusted guides for kids to look up to and to encourage them to learn and grow.

We have great tips and strategies to help parents make healthy media choices for their kids – from selecting appropriate and educational TV programs, to making the most of your child’s screen time – all available on PBSParents.org.

SB: What qualities do shows that benefit children have?

LR: Parents should look for educational programs that are appropriate for their child’s age and stage of development. Also, it’s important for programs to be research-based and grounded in a solid curriculum that supports learning.

SB: Which shows does PBS have currently in their programming for children which you’re most proud of for their educational value?

LR: We’re proud of all our shows for their educational value and their ability to encourage kids to explore the world around them. For example, SUPER WHY! is a series proven to help children build early reading skills. We also have a number of properties that focus on STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – skills, including CURIOUS GEORGE, THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT!, SESAME STREET and DINOSAUR TRAIN.

Parents can find information on all of our series, along with the curricular basis for each and supporting educational activities, on PBSParents.org.

SB: What new shows are you working on?

LR: We’re very excited for our new DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD series that will be airing starting next fall! It is a new preschool media property that is inspired by the character Daniel Striped Tiger from the classic PBS series MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD. The series is designed to help kids build the skills they need to be prepared for success in school – from cooperation and listening to handling emotions such as disappointment and anger.

We’re also in the pilot phase of several properties focused on math for preschoolers and early elementary kids.

SB: What are the educational standards PBS KIDS abides by when selecting new programming for kids and how are these taken off-screen?

LR: We take a research-based approach to selecting programming that will not only educate kids, but also really engage them with lovable characters and great storylines. In addition, much of our content is mapped to curriculum frameworks, which we develop to align with current teaching standards. A great example of how extensively we research the educational value of our content is the work we did on several of our literacy series using a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education; you can learn more about this particular project on our PBSKIDS.org website.

We see technology platforms as a new way to deliver educational content. Online, PBSKIDS.org is the go-to location for kids and parents, with a monthly average of 9.3 million unique visitors. And our PBS KIDS mobile apps have been downloaded over 1 million times. We make sure that we offer the highest quality children’s media content across platforms so that kids can interact with their favorite characters wherever they are, and so that anytime can be a learning time.

Off-screen, we have many educational activities based on our show content for kids and parents and teachers to do at home, school or daycare.

SB: How does your children’s programming help support bilingual learners?

LR: As you know, we recently introduced a new web series called NOAH COMPRENDE that introduces children to the Spanish vocabulary as well as simple Spanish phrases. We also just launched the new Little Pim Spanish iPhone app, which introduces children to 60 different Spanish vocabulary words. And we have extensive Spanish language resources for parents.

Image source: alamosbasement

Editor’s note: This is our last post in our Back to {Bilingual} School week. While we tend to talk a lot about younger children, this post is perfect if you have upper elementary or even older bilingual kids. We hope the variety of posts we’ve presented here this week will help make the back to school transition easier regardless of your kids’ schooling situation. Oh, don’t forget to enter the awesome giveaways we’ve put together for you… you still have time.

The bus screeched to a stop at the corner and my youngest son gave me an impetuous hug before he took off running, ready for his first day of Fourth Grade.

“Adiós!” he called over his shoulder, as his Anglo classmates boarding the bus turned to look.

“Adiós, chiquito!” I called back, knowing that despite his age, he still doesn’t embarrass as easily as his 13 year old brother, and besides, the kids at the bus stop couldn’t understand us. “Te quiero mucho! Buena suerte y portate bien!” I said. He waved and smiled, and then, just as quickly as the summer had come, it was gone again. My children were both officially “back to school.”

What does this mean for me, besides valuable quiet time to write and a house that stays clean most of the day? It means my children just left hours a day of Spanish immersion and have traded it for a classroom where they will speak, read, write and hear only English. For a parent trying to raise bilingual children, this can be worrisome. The possibility that all the progress that was made over the summer will be lost is very real – but what can you do about it?

Get serious

If you’ve been slacking off with your second language at home, it’s time to re-commit to using it as much as possible. Your child will have 6 to 8 hours of English while at school each day – they don’t need more of it when they come home. Whether you’re talking to your child, or talking to your spouse, use the second language as much as possible. Your bedtime story each night should be in the target language, too.

Encourage friendships with other bilingual children

If you volunteer in the classroom or attend a school function, seek out other parents who are raising bilingual children. Set up playdates, or if your child is older, simply encourage the friendship. If they become friends, there’s no guarantee they’ll use their second language together at school – but it’s worth a shot.

(Roxana did that beautifully with her daughter Vanessa when she went back to school this year!)

Use your weekends wisely

Saturday and Sunday are the only full days you’ll have with your child during the school year. Take them places which encourage use of their second language whether it be Spanish language mass at the Catholic church, a prima’s quinceñera, grocery shopping at the Latino Market, or a cultural event at a local museum.

Spanish 101

At the end of last year my 13 year old tested so well that we were given the option to let him start Spanish one year early – ahead of his classmates. They didn’t have to ask me twice if we were interested!

Opportunities like this are not always made known to parents, so be proactive. Contact your child’s school guidance counselor and talk to them about how important bilingual education is to you. Ask what opportunities are available for your child, whether it’s an after school club or an elective course, there may be programs at the school that you didn’t know about.

Invade the iPod

Most schools allow older children to carry an iPod with them on the bus as long as it’s put away during school hours – and my 13 year old son has carried one for several years now. To make the most of his ride to school, I downloaded music in Spanish to his iPod.

The important thing here is, don’t force music on your child that they don’t like. The last thing you want is for your child to rebel and declare “all Spanish language music is stupid” just because you pushed them to listen to something that wasn’t up their alley.

You must find out what genre of music your child likes in English, and then find the Spanish, (or other target language), equivalent. Popular bilingual, crossover singers like Prince Royce and J.Lo are especially well received, but you will have to find out what your individual child likes. Most teenagers are music lovers and would welcome the invitation to talk to you about their favorite singers/bands – so make it an open conversation. Let them share songs with you so that you can share songs with them. (You may even learn a little bit about what’s on their mind based on the lyrics they identify with.)

(If your child is open to it, there are also free “Learn Spanish” podcasts available from iTunes.)

Plan a trip

Our recent trip to El Salvador showed me the power of full immersion. We were there for only 12 days, but the changes in my children’s skills and enthusiasm far exceeded my expectations. They learned so many new words and were actually fighting over who got to talk to cashiers, waitresses, taxi drivers, etc., because they were so eager to use their Spanish. So, if you can afford it, don’t wait for next summer. Start planning a trip for winter or spring break.

Going back to school at summer’s end is inevitable, but with a little extra effort made at home, it doesn’t have to mean lost ground on their path to bilingualism. Stay consistent, padres!

So chévere! I already told you about many of its features, including: The 2nd generation Intel Core i3 Processor in the first post and, HP SimplePass, HP CoolSense, as well as Chat in HD with the HP TrueVision HD Webcam in my second post.

Now let me tell you a little more before we get to the giveaway!

As a music lover, one thing I love to do when I’m online is to either listen to streaming music or watch music videos. The HP Pavilion dv6, thanks to its speed and clarity, delivers clean images and video, but the most awesome thing about it, is the “Beats Audio” speakers.

“Beats Audio” was developed in collaboration with Iovine and none other than rapper/record producer Dr. Dre. By working with Dr. Dre, they ensured that the “Beats Audio” quad speakers deliver crisp, full sound – music the way the artist intended it to be heard. On the HP Pavilion dv6 you can definitely turn up the volume on your favorite salsa, merengue, bachata or whatever música gets you and the niños moving!

Now that you’re properly pumped up – are you ready for the giveaway? ¡Vámonos! Here’s what you need to know… 

THE GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winner: Ely!

To enter we ask you to check out the previous two posts about the HP Pavilion dv6 here and here and come back to leave a comment telling us which of the specific HP and/or Intel features we mentioned the Pavilion dv6 comes equipped with you are the most excited to try out.

That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway. If you want to up your chances at winning, then this is how you can get additional entries (only after you’ve completed the step above):

**Please leave a separate comment for each so we can count them and avoid mistakes.

1. Subscribe to receive blog updates and subscriber-only content via email and leave us an extra comment letting us know you did so or that you’re already a subscriber. Make sure to leave the comment using the same email you subscribed with.

2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway including a link to the post and mention @Intel @HP and @SpanglishBaby, plus the #AClaseConHPyIntel hashtag. Copy the link to the tweet in an additional comment on the giveaway’s post. Only one additional entry for this method allowed.

Example tweet:

Just entered a BTS @SpanglishBaby giveaway for an @HP and @Intel Pavilion dv6 laptop here: http://bit.ly/SB_HP #AClaseConHPyIntel

3. Like SpanglishBaby on Facebook and join a thriving community of parents.

This giveaway ends Monday, September 12 at midnight EST and is open only to residents of the 50 United States & Washington D.C. who are over 18 years of age.  Check out the Giveaway Rules.

For yet another chance to win the HP Pavilion dv6, head out to Mama Latina Tips and enter her giveaway. Yay!

Disclosure: SpanglishBaby received an HP Pavilion dv6 for review to facilitate this post. Prizes and promotional support provided by HP and Intel. As always, all opinions are our own.

HP Pavilion dv6 Features:

• HP SimplePass is something I only discovered last night. This feature is so futuristic that when I found out what it was, I could hardly believe that this technology was available for regular consumers. HP SimplePass is a tiny fingerprint scanner which is embedded into the lower right quadrant of the keyboard area. The purpose? After you set it up, you can simply swipe your finger and the computer will fill in account usernames and passwords to log you into websites. Chécalo!

httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=LZn07HqBlWU

This is a totally useful time-saver for forgetful kids who already have too much on their minds. My teenage son can never remember his E-mail password. My only concern in using this feature is getting dependent on it and then being completely lost when trying to access accounts from another computer – so make sure account usernames and passwords are written down somewhere safe if they’re ever needed.

• HP CoolSense technology equals a laptop that stays cool whether you’re at a desk or on the sofa. What does that mean for your student? A computer that remains at a comfortable temperature and also – more importantly – that they won’t lose their work! (Anyone who has had a laptop overheat and consequently shutdown before they could save their document knows the horror of which I speak.)

• Chat in HD with the HP TrueVision HD Webcam – We used this to chat with family via Skype. The picture and sound are fantastic even with a TV on in the background and in a room with low lighting. A student could easily use this feature to collaborate with a classmate on a group project.

Next week I’ll go over some other features including Beats Audio and Intel Graphics. (And yes, of course, we’ll open up the giveaway too!)

Stay tuned!

Disclosure: SpanglishBaby received an HP Pavilion dv6 for review to facilitate this post. As always, all opinions are our own.

Tracy López is a writer living outside the D.C. Metro area. Her blog, Latinaish.com, examines cultural differences she discovers as she navigates life in a bicultural, bilingual family. She can also be reached via Twitter @Latinaish.

The 2nd generation Intel Core i3 Processor keeps this laptop running smoothly no matter what I’m doing, which is typically a dozen things at once. You see, the processor is the “brains” of the computer and quicker processing translates to seamless multi-tasking, faster loading, and clear videos and graphics.

My very favorite thing about this laptop is the keyboard. I don’t think I’ve ever typed on a keyboard this comfortable. The keys have a very nice texture, just the right amount of resistance and the touchpad isn’t too touchy like many other laptops I’ve tried. I’ve been using this computer for 3 days now, and not once have I accidentally activated the touchpad.

Speaking of the keyboard – Do you know how to easily type accented characters in Spanish? All you have to do is hold down the ALT key while typing a number. Here are the codes you need!

á = 160
é = 130
í = 161
ó = 162
ú = 163
ñ = 164
¿ = 168
¡ = 173

(You can print those out until you get them memorized!)

Stay tuned because next week we’ll be telling you all the great ways students can make use of the HP Pavilion dv6, and how you could win one! Not a giveaway you want to miss, so make sure you’re subscribed to receive our posts via an RSS Feed or email.

Disclosure: SpanglishBaby received an HP Pavilion dv6 for review to facilitate this post. As always, all opinions are our own.

Tracy López is a writer living outside the D.C. Metro area. Her blog, Latinaish.com, examines cultural differences she discovers as she navigates life in a bicultural, bilingual family. She can also be reached via Twitter @Latinaish.

{Image credit: courosa}

They say that once you learn to ride a bicycle, you never forget – but is it true? Do we actually retain all skills and knowledge once learned? The truth is a skill usually must be consistently practiced or it can be lost, at least partially. This is especially evident in school children who go on summer break. At the start of each school year, precious weeks are wasted in the classroom as teachers try to get the children back to where they left off the last school year.

Just How Much Do Students Lose Over The Summer?

Here are some statistics we learned from a new study put out by Rand Education:

• When students return to school after summer break, they perform, on average, one month behind where they left off in the spring.

• While all students lose some ground in mathematics over the summer, low-income students lose more ground in reading, while their higher-income peers may even gain.

• Not all students experience ‘average’ losses. Summer learning loss disproportionately affects low-income students due to:

- Insufficient access to educational resources.
- Being part of school districts that are under-funded and/or under-staffed.
- Lack of transportation to programs.
- Inadequate parental support and involvement.

How Do Race and Ethnicity Play a Part?

“Due to the inequitable proportion of low-income minority students, similarly sized achievement gaps are found between white and black children in the United States, white and Hispanic children, and native speakers and English language learners.” – Rand Education.

Why does this happen and how can it be prevented?

Unless your brain is somehow clued in that the information you’re presenting to it is important, either by the emotion you’re feeling or through repetition, then it is designed to forget it. Forgetting what you don’t use is the brain’s way of working efficiently – much like a computer that deletes unused and temporary files.

So how can you make sure that what your children are learning is “downloaded” to the hard drive?

Repetition and consistency. According to the Rand Education study, “Summer learning programs can prevent the loss of knowledge and skills.”

Does it Matter Which Summer Program My Child Attends?

• Not just any summer program will do. Quality of the program and regular attendance are important.

• Also important:

- individualized instruction
- parental involvement
- small class sizes

Where Does Bilingual Education Play Into This?

While the Rand Education study did not look into whether there is an information retention difference between bilingual and monolingual children, other research exists to suggest that your bilingual/trilingual/multilingual child will fare better over the summer months.

A study done by Psychologist Ellen Bialystok found that bilinguals are more resistant to memory loss related illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease; whether this benefit can be applied to bilingual children who are out of school for the summer remains to be seen.

Conclusion

Bilingual or not, having your child involved in educational activities over the summer months will benefit them as they head back to school in the Fall. You can work one-on-one with your child at home, or enroll them in a class/program. Whatever you decide to do, keep their minds active!

Tomorrow check back with us as we’ll be sharing some of the great language learning summer camps and programs across the country, (and even a few outside our borders!)

Share: Are your children enrolled in any type of bilingual summer learning programs?

Sources:

NPR – Being Bilingual Boosts Brain Power

Rand Study – How Summer Programs Can Boost Children’s Learning

Stanford University/ScienceDaily.com – Forgetting Helps You Remember The Important Stuff