In the past few weeks several minority language parents have been in contact with me and their common concern has been: “How do I improve my own language skills, so I can pass on my language to my child?” Typically these parents are second or third generation...
When you have always been bilingual, like I have, you quite often take it for granted and forget how important an aspect it is in your life. So today I want to shout from the rooftops (or tweet from the top of a tree) the first 20 reasons for being thankful for all...
Whether or not to correct your child’s mistakes is a question all parents with children growing up learning more than one language have asked themselves at some point. I think the answer can be both Yes and No – not a very helpful answer you may say, so let me explain...
If you are a parent trying to pass on your language to your son in a place where the majority language is different from yours, what should you do to increase the amount of time he is exposed to the language? You might not have other speakers of your language nearby...
Having fun while you are learning must be one of the best ways to keep the motivation going. The same applies for when you are helping your son on his way to become bilingual. You can easily introduce new words when you are playing with your little boy. Today I want...
Like any other “project” in your life, bringing up your son to become bilingual is much more likely to have a successful outcome if you plan ahead. You may ask: “Why do I need a plan? I grew up to become bilingual without anyone making a plan for me!” This is true – I...
We’re enjoying a relaxing holiday in Finland at the moment and I took the chance to speak to my younger daughter Daniela about her languages. Which languages do you know? - I know English, Swedish, Punjabi, German and a bit of Finnish. How did you learn all your...
Word games are a great way to enhance your daughter’s vocabulary. They are easy to do as part of your daily life, they don’t require much planning, and – best of all – they are free and fun to do together. Naturally, it depends on your daughter’s age what kind of...
I am very happy with how my daughters have grown up to speak several languages, but there are still a few things I would have liked to have known when they were growing up. The speed at which language develops can vary considerably between siblings My elder daughter...
Interaction is crucial when you are learning a language, both for adults and children. A great and fun way to support your son’s language development is to make up stories together. You might at first think that you are not creative enough to come up with a story,...