Passing down your native language to your children, is a wonderful gift. Whether it’s a widely spoken language or a rare dialect, it activates their bilingual brain,making it easier for them to learn additional languages in the future.
Here are five tips to pass down your native language:
- Setting Short Term Goals: Introduce two new words per week, encourage your child to speak by asking short-answer questions, and expose them to the language for two hours daily.
- Focus On All Aspects Of The Language Tailor your approach to your child’s age. For a 5- year-old, play with letters;for a newborn, focus on listening. Avoid passive bilingualism by motivating them to speak.
- Join Language Groups: If your native language is widely spoken, find local parent groups to practice together. Use online resources, select a few apps, , websites, and Instagram for activities. Repeat children’s songs daily, changing them monthly or as needed
- Engage with Non-Popular Languages: Join FaceBook groups about bilingualism and multilingualism fortips. Use relatives to create engaging situations, like reading books over video call. Visit your home country often and use digital resources like e-books and storytellers.
- Build a Supportive Community: Join groups like Simply Our Child for ongoing support. This life long journey requires a network, both online and in-person. You may have a lot of ups and downs – stay motivated, remember your goals, and explain to your children why you are passing down your native language.
Benefits of a Bilingual Brain
Starting early, before age 3, has countless benefits:spontaneous language acquisition, a larger language area in the brain, access to more cultures, more career opportunities, and expanded social connections.
Methods to Pass Down Your Native Language
For native speakers, I recommend the OPOL (One Parent, One Language) method. Each parent speaks their mother tongue.If both parents have the same native language, they can speak at home.
The most important thing is to create your own method. Research, then choose what works best for your family, considering your children’s needs, time, and energy. Keep at it, and remember, you’re doing a great job!