How To Raise A Bilingual Child [as a non-native speaker]
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After trying to raise my daughter bilingual in Spanish and English, I decided I needed to find more resources to support her Spanish language development.
I went online and began reading all of the articles that I could find.
But so many of the things I read talked about parents who were bilingual raising their children to be bilingual and offered methods like, “One Parent One Language”.
I found resources for parents who were themselves bilingual and were passing on their native language and heritage to their child.
There wasn’t much information to support someone like me, someone who wasn’t bilingual or even close to fluent in a second language.
I began to ask myself, can a monolingual parent raise a bilingual child, without the support of a family or spouse that was a native speaker, without a nanny or language immersion school?
Yes!
And you can, too.
It’s not easy and there will be many challenges to helping your child reach true proficiency and bilingualism in a second language – but you can do it!
For more information on raising a child to true proficiency in a second language, check out this post:
The Challenges Of True Bilingualism In A Monolingual Culture
If you don’t speak the target language, you need to make language immersion happen in other ways.
Studies show that child acquire language by interacting with other people in that language.
As a parent teaching your child the target language, you need to find a way to make that interaction happen.
I’ve read about families who looked for caregivers in the target language or who found classes for their child in the target language. Both of these options weren’t possible for me and I had to find other resources to immerse my daughter and I in Spanish.
What I found were Spanish books, Spanish music, Spanish shows and Spanish podcasts/audiobooks.
There is a lot of research about the benefits of raising your child to be bilingual.
While studies often focus around families where one or more of the parents can already speak a second language, research also shows that children who receive an hour a day of engaged practice in another language, even though they live in a monolingual household, can reap the same cognitive benefits as children being raised by bilingual parents.
Through constant immersion and engagement, I was able to bring native Spanish language to my daughter and my own Spanish took off.
It’s been four years since we’ve been practicing Spanish together and my daughter is currently fluent in both Spanish and English and I am right behind her! If you’re looking to start your own language-learning journey,
Happy Learning!
check out some of these great resources!
Spanish Books
- Top Middle Grade Graphic Novels in Spanish
Our family really enjoys reading graphic novels in Spanish. They’re fun, engaging and generally a lot easier to finish than a traditional chapter book. Learning a new language can be easier and more engaging when you use resources that are fun! Reading Spanish graphic novels… - Black History Month For Bilingual Kids
February is Black History Month in the United States and it’s a time when many schools highlight the contributions of African Americans to American history. In order to keep up with my daughter’s Spanish language skills, I started a collection of books that highlight some… - Hispanic Heritage Month Biographies For Kids
If you’re looking to learn about influential and important Latino figures or just introducing your child to some famous Americans, check out some of our top picks for Hispanic biographies in Spanish! Learning about important Hispanic figures is actually pretty easy when you’re always on… - Reading To Improve: Easy Spanish Chapter Books
Beginning chapter books are an important part of reading in any language. Depending on your goals, there are many ways to use easy Spanish chapter books. You might want to use them to practice your own Spanish reading, or perhaps you’re teaching your child to… - 5+ Great Spanish Graphic Novels
Graphic novels in Spanish are a great way to supplement language learning for so many reasons! When I started to learn Spanish I wanted to read Spanish books, but found that it was too hard to jump into a Spanish novel and that there weren’t…
Spanish Music
- Popular Spanish Children’s Songs: With Jose Luis Orozco
Listening to Spanish music with children is one of the easiest ways to build Spanish learning into your day. You can have it on in the background, listen to it when you’re driving or practice singing along with it. Regardless of your child’s age, listening… - Spanish Books With Sound Buttons
When I first started learning Spanish with my daughter, I was always looking for resources that had Spanish audio. As a non-native Spanish speaker, I needed ways for my daughter to be able to hear native, fluent Spanish. One of the best resources that I’ve… - Wonderful Nursery Rhymes That Will Make Your Baby Bilingual
Nursery rhymes are a great way to enjoy time with your child and they’re also a great way to work on building language skills. Nursery rhymes are an important step in language development for kids. When children listen to nursery rhymes, they are building so… - 3 Charming Nursery Rhymes To Boost Your Baby’s Spanish
I’ve already talked about the importance of nursery rhymes in language development for children- but nursery rhymes are so important and such a great way to boost language and literacy, that I’m coming at you with another post! The last post about nursery rhymes included…
Spanish Podcasts/Audiobooks
- 4 Secrets To Learning A Language With Audiobooks
Audiobooks, books on tape and books with CDs are an amazing resource when it comes to language learning. Listening to Spanish audiobooks allows you to listen to native speakers, learn on the go, and learn to pronounce and read in Spanish at the same time!… - How An Audiobook Can Help Your Child Speak Spanish
When my daughter and I are out in public and a native Spanish speaker overhears us talking, they often comment on how well my daughter speaks Spanish. They often wonder how her Spanish sounds so good, when it’s obvious to them that I am a… - How To Improve Your Language Skills With This Interesting Experiment!
What’s one great way to learn a new language? To listen to it! When it comes to learning a new language, it’s important to hear it spoken. Listening to the target language helps you develop an ear for the natural cadence of the language and…
Spanish Shows/Movies
- An Educational Spanish Kids Show That You Need To See!
Are there benefits to watching a show in a foreign language? You and your child won’t become fluent from watching a show in Spanish, but you can certainly get some benefit from it! Hearing a native speaker: If no one in your house is a… - Sneak More Spanish Into Your Day With This Adorable Show
While limiting screen time for young kids is important, there are ways that shows in Spanish can be beneficial for your child learning Spanish. Listening to a show in Spanish can build engagement and interest in learning Spanish. The show can also expose your child…
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