Ways to Introduce Your Kids to Foreign Languages

Want to raise bilingual children? Or just expose your kids to other languages?

When it comes to teaching kids a second language, there can be a confusing array of choices. Here's some information on the most popular methods to help you find the right way for your child to learn another language.

• Bilingual immersion is a teaching method that is gaining popularity in the United States. In this type of program, learning a second language is integrated with the academic curriculum. Students as young as preschool are placed in a classroom setting where all the teaching, as well as the usual conversation, is done in the language the kids are learning. In some programs, called two-way bilingual immersion, some of the students are native English speakers while others are native speakers of the target language, so the kids can learn from one another. However, these programs may not be available in all school districts, and even then, they usually only offer the most popular languages.
• Extracurricular programs can provide linguistic learning opportunities in areas where bilingual education programs aren't available. They usually take place on a weekend morning or a weekday afternoon. Extracurricular classes are a good way to learn languages that are less common and not taught in public schools. The pitfall is that the courses can take time away from other activities, such as sports or music, and sometimes kids can feel too mentally drained after a full week of school to spend yet another day in a classroom.
• Books and videos use your children's reading and screen time to introduce them to the sounds and writing of other languages.
• Speak to them if you are fluent in a foreign language. Speaking another language at home was like eating or sleeping, part of our home life. Nothing to it.
• Travel to a foreign country so kids can experience other languages and cultures. Of course, this is not always possible, so what about visiting neighborhoods where other languages are spoken? Make their children more aware of languages around them. Also, learning about culture can make learning the language easier and more interesting.
• Make it fun! When a child feels like they're being taught something, they can tune out and become disinterested very quickly. Learning naturally is best and make it fun at the same time.”

Most of all, don't give up.

“There's a silent period in second language learning,” says Rhodes. “But if children are given the opportunity to hear a language, comprehension is developing.”