Jaime, (baby) Claudia and Sofía

As you may know, we at Bilingual Readers enjoy sitting down with bilingual families from all over the world to hear about their experiences. We started the “Real Stories, Real Lives” segment of our blog to create a space where families can share the ups and downs of life in a bilingual home. Sofia, Jaime and Claudia are the latest addition to our community, so we hope you enjoy their story as much as we did!

Tell us a bit about your bilingual family.
Our family is made up of a Spanish father named Jaime, a Portuguese mother named Sofia and a precious little Spanish girl named Claudia.

Why did you decide to raise Claudia in two languages?
Before Claudia was born we were already sure we wanted to speak to her in both languages. We thought it was very important and positive for her to be able to speak both languages.

Did you sit down and make a plan as to who would speak in what language to your daughter or did it just come naturally?
It has always seemed very natural. Mama speaks Portuguese and Papa speaks Spanish. Claudia speaks more Portuguese at this point since she spends more time with her mom, but she understands both languages.

How has speaking two languages affected your family dynamics? How do you think this could change as Claudia grows older?
I speak my first language more, but nothing has changed, we’re still the same family. The fact that I speak more Portuguese is actually helping Jaime because now he understands Portuguese better. We believe Claudia will have more opportunities in the future. Because she is learning two languages from such a young age, learning a third will be much easier for her.

Have you experienced any negative comments about you speaking to Claudia in Portuguese?
Yes, people have told us that she is too young to understand and this will make it harder for her to learn to speak in either language. Typical myths.

What role does reading play in your household? How often do you and Jaime read to Claudia and in which language(s)?
Almost all of the books we have at home are in Spanish, but I translate them so that I can read to her in Portuguese. We try to read to her every day or at least expose her to books so that she can see the illustrations.

Any interesting anecdotes about Claudia’s bilingual upbringing?
When Claudia wants more cookies and it’s almost time to eat, we always tell her “más no.” After hearing this so many times, she began to associate them with cookies, so now when she wants cookies she says “más no.”

Any advice for families who are planning to raise their kids bilingually? I would tell them to speak both languages at home and not listen to people’s negative comments because children can learn both languages naturally.

Do you want to share your story with us? Send us an e-mail to info@bilingualreaders.com and we’ll get back to you!

image credit: stumble trip, via flickr

My husband is Portuguese, but we live in Spain. My husband says that it feels unnatural for him to speak to our seven month old son Marco in Portuguese, although he plans to speak Portuguese to him when he is old enough to speak back. I’m always telling my husband it will be too late by then. How can I convince him to speak to our son in Portuguese now? What are the technical reasons why it is so important for Marco to hear both languages from the beginning?

María, Bilbao, Spain

Dear María:

When you feel comfortable speaking to your child in one language, it can be difficult to switch gears and speak to him in another language. Forcing this type of change can even cause emotional difficulties, since it is already hard enough to learn to be a parent, establish emotional ties with your child, etc. This is especially true when your baby’s communication skills are still rudimentary. I would encourage you not to worry too much because IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE.

At this point it seems like I support your husband’s decision, right? The truth is I’m not radically opposed to him waiting until your son is older to speak to him in his native language or even never speaking to him in Portuguese at all if that would somehow damage his relationship with his child. BUT…there would have to be a very good reason for him not to do so.

The following is a list of common myths which are NOT good reasons for your husband to avoid speaking to your son in his native language:
-Myth 1: Portuguese would not be useful for my child, since it’s not as “prestigious” as languages such as English, German or French. Portuguese and its variants are spoken by millions of people worldwide (Brazil, Africa, etc.), and sometimes learning a less “popular” language can provide unexpected academic and career advantages for your child. Who knows if Brazil, like China, may one day become an important trade location for multinational companies?
-Myth 2: If my child learns both Spanish and Portuguese at the same time, this choice may prevent him from learning other important world languages like English. On the contrary, speaking two languages from the time he is small will help your child learn a third language later in life.
-Myth 3: All of my efforts to communicate with my son are in vain until he learns to speak. If that were the case, why should we speak to our children in any language if they don’t understand us?

I would like to help you both make the best possible decision for your family by giving you a few reasons why your son would benefit from hearing both languages as soon as possible:
-Language development begins when the fetus begins to hear. Babies can hear you from the very beginning, even when they’re in their mother’s womb. This process is passive at first, then it becomes more active as the child grows.
-A four month old baby is perfectly capable of distinguishing between the sounds and musicality of both his languages and reacts in a different way to each one.
-Four month olds are also able to learn (by imitating) the movements their parents’ mouths make when speaking with them. According to recent studies, they can even distinguish between facial movements of those who are speaking with them when presented with visual recordings with no sound.
-When a baby begins to babble, he is producing only those sounds included in the phonetic repertoire of the languages he hears at home. He generally produces the easiest sounds first and the more complicated ones later.
-One of the first steps in learning a language is to distinguish its musicality and phonetics. It has also been demonstrated that the earlier a child learns a second language, the easier it will be for him to speak without a foreign accent in that language.

Even if these arguments do convince your husband, he may still need some help deciding how to make the transition from one language to another. Here are few suggestions:
-A visit from a Portuguese family member or a vacation in Portugal would be a great help. When we hear others around us speaking in a language, it feels more natural for us to speak to our child in that language. In this context, the change may not feel as forced.
-It may be easier to make this transition when your husband is alone with your son in a relaxed environment such as bath time, when telling him a bedtime story or singing him a lullaby. The presence of a person he is not used to speaking Portuguese around may make the transition more uncomfortable or artificial.
-Sometimes reading a book in the native language can be a more practical first step. In this way your husband would only have to read what is written. The text could also inspire him to add his own comments or discuss the story with your son. Babies as young as nine months old already love to help turn the pages and look at the illustrations. Reading bilingual books is especially helpful, as each of you can read the text in your own language, which will help your son to associate two different words with the same illustration and actions.
-Playing some of the same games our parents played with us as children can also be helpful. Each culture has its own games, so have fun playing with your son!

Sometimes making these small changes can make the transition from one language to another easier. It also allows us to experiment before deciding whether or not we are capable of making this change, and just how fast or slow we want things to go.

María, I’m afraid this change won’t be immediate or forced, but I wish you both the best of luck with finding the right path for your bilingual family.

All the best,
Dr. Orlanda Varela

Dr. Orlanda Varela is a Child Psychiatrist and the Coordinator of the educational project for Bilingual Families at SINEWS Multilingual Therapy Institute in Madrid. SINEWS organizes bilingualism workshops for parents in Madrid, as well as personalized speech therapy sessions to bilingual families with specific language development problems. For more information, please visit sinews.es.

Update: Please feel free to send any questions you may have about raising children in a bilingual home to info@bilingualreaders.com, and the experts from Sinews will be happy to answer them.

As you may know, we at Bilingual Readers enjoy sitting down with bilingual families to hear about their experiences.  We can all learn from one another, so we hope you’ll enjoy our chat with  Rosie (British), Íñigo (Spanish) and their twelve year old bilingual daughter Clara. In our Real Stories, Real Lives section we generally translate all responses into both languages, but we loved these oh so bilingual responses so much that we decided to leave the text exactly like they wrote it.  Since we realize that some of our readers may not be fluent in Spanish, we’ve also included an English translation of the Spanish text in parentheses. We hope you’ll enjoy the experiences of this family of madrileños as much as we did!

Questions for Rosie and Íñigo

Why did you decide to raise Clara in two languages?
Rosie: It seemed sensible to bring Clara up with the two languages, since we are both native speakers. We thought she would pick up both languages effortlessly in this way and save herself time and trouble in the future. Also it seemed logical as she was going to have to communicate with relatives in both countries.
Íñigo: Lo mismo digo. [I agree].

Did you have a plan as to who would speak in what language before Clara was born?
Rosie: Before Clara was born, we decided that we would each speak to her in our own language.
Íñigo: Esto parece lo lógico y además lo recomendado por quienes dicen saber algo del tema. [This seemed logical and it was also what we were recommended by people who knew about this subject.]

Did you follow through with your plan or did you end up having to adapt it according to the needs of your family?
Rosie: We did change the plan because when she was about 14-15 months old and started to speak, it seemed that she was going to speak more Spanish than English. Also, she was in a Spanish environment, with a Spanish nanny, living in Spain, with Spanish friends, etc., so we decided that both of us would speak to her in English. We did that until it was obvious that Clara had acquired a very firm basis of English. Now we all speak Spanglish together.
Íñigo: That’s right.

Did your speaking to Clara in English affect your relationship? How?
Rosie: It wasn’t really a problem. Íñigo’s English is excellent, so I don’t think he ever felt at a disadvantage.
Íñigo: Hablar a Clara en inglés no fue un problema, aunque es cierto que es más difícil expresar emociones y sentimientos (positivos o negativos) en otro idioma distinto del materno propio. Por ejemplo, las nanas, en español; el mal humor, también (aunque reconozco que para reñir a Clara procuraba hacerlo en inglés, para no transmitir que el idioma “negativo” era el español). [Speaking to Clara in English was no problem, though it's true that it was a bit more difficult to express emotions and feelings (positive or negative) in a language that wasn't my first language. For example, lullabies in Spanish, when I was in a bad mood too (although I recognize that I did try to scold Clara in English so I wouldn't make her think Spanish was a "negative language.")]

Did Clara learn English effortlessly or did she put up a fight?
Rosie: Clara learnt English effortlessly. She was very quick to pick up both languages and I think she forged herself a personality in English. English was probably her stronger language until she was about 6-7 years old.

What role does reading play in your household? Did you read to Clara often when she was younger? How often and in which language(s)?
Rosie: My mother read to me a lot when I was a child (until I was about 9-10 years old and I started reading avidly myself). I have very fond memories of the books (mainly classics) that she read to me. I am still a keen reader and always have a book “on the go”. Even in today’s computer dominated world, I believe that books and reading are the source of most knowledge and that reading skills are a key to your future: comprehension, vocabulary, ability to express yourself… . I started reading to Clara, on a daily basis, when she was only a few months old. By the time she was about 15-18 months old, it was obvious that she had been assimilating all that I had been reading to her. I continued to read to her (in English) on a daily basis until she was about 10. We have read lots of the children’s classics and I have really enjoyed revisiting them with her. I occasionally read her into a new book still, but she always takes over after the first couple of chapters and finishes it off herself. She is a great reader herself now.
Íñigo: A mí no me leyeron tanto, supongo que cinco hijos no dejaban mucho tiempo para leer. Yo no soy tan lector. Salvo excepciones, toda la tarea de lectura a Clara la ha llevado Rosie. Además creo que tiene sentido que al niño se le lea más en el idioma al que no está tan expuesto. Una vez Clara aprendió a leer, todos los estímulos eran en español, así que parecía lógico reforzar la lectura en inglés. [My parents didn't read to me very often. I suppose five kids didn't allow for much time to read. I am not a big reader. With a few exceptions, Rosie has always been in charge of reading to Clara. I also think it makes sense for a child to be read to in the language she is less exposed to. Once Clara learned to read, all of her stimuli were in Spanish, so it seemed logical to reinforce her reading in English. ]

Any interesting anecdotes about Clara’s bilingual upbringing?
Rosie: I can’t think of any anecdotes, although she has come up with lots of priceless remarks, which we have incorporated into our family history, as all families do. Clara from being a tiny tot was able to change her “chip” and speak in English or Spanish as the situation demanded. One of her first words in English was “scissors”, we don’t know why!
Íñigo: Yo sí me acuerdo de una: aunque Clara hablaba en los dos idiomas y conocía muchas palabra en ambos, ciertas cosas las identificaba mejor en uno de ellos. Así, una de las primeras adivinanzas que aprendió es la de “oro parece, plata-no es, ¿qué es?” Respuesta de Clara: “banana”. [I remember one: although Clara spoke and knew lots of words in both languages, she identified certain items better in one language than in the other. So one of the first riddles she learned was "oro parece, plata-no es, ¿qué es? Clara's response: "banana."]

Any advice for families who are planning to raise their kids bilingually?
Rosie: I must admit that I have never read any literature on the subject. We just did what we thought best. For me it would not have been natural to speak to Clara in Spanish. If the child grows up in Spain, it is likely that he/she will learn Spanish, so maybe give more emphasis to English, although the circumstances of each family are obviously different.
Íñigo: Ya lo he dicho antes (pregunta 2): parece lo lógico y lo recomendado. A veces vemos padres de distintas nacionalidades que hablan a sus hijos sólo en un idioma, los hijos pierden una lengua, seguramente la entienden pero no la hablan, ¡una pena! Y si una de esas dos lenguas es el inglés, hay que tener en cuenta el dineral que te ahorras en clases particulares y veranos en Irlanda. [As I said before in question 2, it seems to be the most logical and recommendable method. Sometimes parents of different nationalities only speak to their children in one language, the children lose a language. They probably understand it, but they don't speak it and it's such a shame! If one of those languages is Enlgish, you also have to think about all the money you'll save on private classes and summers in Ireland.]

Questions for Clara:

Do you like speaking two languages?
Yes, I think it is a big advantage.

Do you feel more comfortable in English or in Spanish, or
Both, although sometimes in English I can’t find the words I need.

Do you like to read? What kinds of books do you like and what language do you prefer to read in?
I love reading and I like all sorts of books. Ones I have enjoyed recently have been : Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, all the James Herriot stories, Ghostgirl …I think I prefer to read in English but not for any reason, just that I have always read in English (although it is perfectly alright to read in Spanish).

Do you want to share your story with us? Send us an e-mail to info@bilingualreaders.com and we’ll get back to you!

image credit: kindergarten is fun, via flickr

This is the second post in a two part series on finding creative new ways to expose kids to the minority language. Yesterday we talked about the importance of letting your kids know why it’s important for them to learn the minority language you are trying to teach them and gave you a few fun suggestions on how to do this (click here to read yesterday’s post if you missed it). Today we’re going to talk about the other golden rule for effective language learning: make it fun.

Unfortunately not everything parents have to teach their children is a barrel of laughs and, if you have made the decision to speak a minority language to your child, I’m sure you’re aware that there will be times when you will have to scold your child in that language. That said, you’ll also have many, many opportunities to do fun activities with your children in the minority language which will inevitably affect the way they view that language. The more positive your child’s view of the minority language is, the more likely he will be to continue speaking that language as he grows older. Making language learning fun is one of the most important things parents in a bilingual home can do to increase a child’s interest in the minority language. Here are a few fun summer activities to get you inspired:

*Take your kids on a treasure hunt. This requires a bit of planning, but it’s a great interactive way to reinforce vocabulary in the minority language. Make a list of items with their names and photographs, then hide those items around your home or yard. Help your child study the list and go searching for each item one by one. The complexity of the items and their hiding places can increase as your child grows older, but children of all ages love a great treasure hunt. You can include a special prize for the child at the end of the hunt (we suggest a book), although it’s really not necessary.

*Get cooking. It’s amazing how many of the foods we eat are so linked with language and culture. Why not take advantage of this by spending some time with your kids in the kitchen this summer? You can print out a list of ingredients in advance and let your child help you check off every item on the list as you cook. This will reinforce food vocabulary and initiate your child in the art of cooking from a young age. It’s also a great opportunity for your child taste recipes from countries where the minority language is spoken.

*Make the minority language seem like a secret code. Of course, as we discussed yesterday, it’s very important for children to realize that learning another language will allow them to communicate with many people in the world who don’t necessarily speak the majority language. But it can also be fun to let children feel like learning the minority language is part of being in a secret club. If your child responds well to this idea, you could even set up a real club with passwords, membership cards and rules (one of which should be always speaking in the minority language, of course!)

*Read to and with your children. We’ve said it many times before, and we’ll continue to say it until it sinks in. Shared parent-child reading is one of the most important tools you have to help your child’s language development along, not to mention all of the other wonderful skills reading helps to develop. Just this once I’ll spare you the drill on why reading is so very important to focus on the fact that reading out loud to your children can also be a lot of fun. If you choose your books wisely, nightly storytime at your house can be one of the most enjoyable parts of both your days. Click here for a few tips on how to make storytime a more interactive experience.

*Relive childhood memories with your children. Remember all those fun games you played when you were a kid? How many of them had little songs and rhymes to go along with them? It doesn’t matter whether you played Ring Around the Rosy or Al corro de la patata as a child, your kids are going to have a great time either way. And they’ll not only be learning the minority language; they’ll be learning your culture too!

*Keep a summer journal. Help your child create his first bilingual journal, so that he can write about all the fun activities you are doing together every day in both languages. Encourage him to describe these activities in detail. If your children are not old enough to write yet, ask them to describe these things for you to write down. You can even help your child decorate the journal to make it even more special.

Have a blast, and let us know if you have any great ideas of your own!

image credit: yield to children, via flickr

Summer is here and the kiddos are out of school, which for many families means establishing a new routine until school starts up again in the fall. But just because they’re not going to class for a few months doesn’t mean that your kids’ little sponge-like brains aren’t just waiting to absorb all sorts of new information. Summer can be a great time for bilingual families to find creative new ways to expose kids to the minority language and see their language skills grow by leaps and bounds. There are just two golden rules for effective language learning: make it necessary and make it fun. In this two part article, today we’ll be taking a look at ways to let kids know how necessary it is for them to learn another language and tomorrow we’ll be focusing on how to make it a fun.

Making it Necessary: As most of us know, children are often much smarter than we give them credit for. Most young children look for logic in the world around them, as is evidenced by their constant queries as to why things are the way they are. When it comes to learning a minority language at home, kids are naturally going to question why this is necessary when Mommy and Daddy and everyone around them can all speak the majority language. Your job is to show your kids why learning another language is necessary. Here are a few ideas to help you out:

*Sit down with your kids and explain to them that there are many countries in the world that speak many different languages. Let them know that each new language they learn will allow them to communicate with new and interesting people. You’d be surprised how much even the youngest of children can understand if we explain things to them clearly.

*Make it personal. Look for other families in your area that are raising their children bilingually in your minority language and try to set up a playgroup or organize other activities where your children can hear the minority language spoken in a natural context (I realize this may be much easier said than done in some areas). Making friends in the minority language will help your child see how useful speaking that language really is. Note: Please check out the Bilingual Communities section on our website for more options. Those of you who live in Madrid can also check out Kids in Madrid for English speaking activities in Madrid.

*Times are hard but, if you can afford it, traveling to a country where the minority language is spoken is hands down the easiest way to get maximum exposure for your children. A visit to the grandparents, aunts and uncles can be just what the doctor ordered for a child who no longer sees the need to use the minority language. If you aren’t able to travel yourself, a visit from family or friends from abroad can also do the trick. Speaking the minority language in a natural setting also has the added bonus of boosting your child’s confidence in that language, which will make it much more likely for him to keep speaking the language at home.

*Encourage your children to keep up with friends and family abroad by helping them write letters and postcards in the minority language. This is a great way to practice writing skills and has the added benefit of keeping families strong despite the distance. Even if your kids are too young to write, you can let them help you write down what they would like to say. Of course emails also work in the same way, but receiving a real letter or postcard in the mail is a pretty exciting event for a child.

*Be an example for your kids. The more your children hear you speaking the minority language in many different settings, the more they will want to be a part of that. Making the minority language a part of everything you do will make it much easier to convince your kids to actually speak that language. We can’t expect our children to value something that we don’t value ourselves, so be sure to nurture the minority language and use it as often as possible in your home.

That’s it for today, but be sure to tune in tomorrow for creative ideas on how to make learning the minority language fun for you and your kids!