Raising Bilingual in Spanish Children

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Raising Bilingual in Spanish Children
Findings and Tips

When I started raising my child to be bilingual in Spanish I never envisioned all the road blocks I would be encountering.

I wrote this article to let you know my own findings and realistic tips that work for me in a household that is in a predominantly English speaking environment and where only one parent is fluent in Spanish.

Findings

Remember, all children and household environments are different, therefore you may experience some of the findings I describe here or you may not.

The point is I have described them here so hopefully you have knowledge and options (tips) on what is coming down the road while raising a bilingual in Spanish child.

Introducing Spanish for kids at a young age should not be a daunting task; well�I had to do a lot of research to find the best materials to reinforce Spanish. Be informed, knowing what you may be facing allows you to prepare and enjoy the journey.

Reality hits hard. I found out that Speaking Spanish at home is not enough for children to learn how to properly use, read, write, and communicate flawlessly in Spanish. Be prepared to do more than speaking.

Bilingual children probably know twice as many words as their peers just because they speak two languages. At least this is my experience with my son.

Don�t worry about your children not learning English if you speak only in Spanish to them. As soon as they enter pre-k, kindergarten or school they will be bombarded with English and you will see how fast they acquire it. Remember raising children to be bilingual in Spanish requires work as Spanish is the minority language.

Your children will most likely mix languages. Don�t panic, they don�t get confused at all. This is perfectly normal, and it tends to disappear at the age of five.

You will probably have to �fight� with your children to use Spanish because soon after entering school they will know more English. Be smart about it, and make speaking Spanish fun and enjoyable, otherwise they will see it as a chore and won�t speak it.

Some bilingual children delay their speech. My son did not, but my friend�s son certainly did. There is no scientific proof of this, but some parents report their children being delayed three to six months.

Many more people speak Spanish than you think. Having friends that manage both languages is a real advantage because your children will see it as normal to speak both and won�t feel intimidated or �different� if they do it also.

Raising children to be bilingual in Spanish is also a cultural experience. It opens doors to know other countries, family environments, customs, foods and music, making you and your children more flexible and understanding of others.

Tips

Try to speak only in Spanish to them. By the age of 3 I could see my son having to think more in search or words to communicate in Spanish (we live in a predominantly English speaking community.) At that point I decided to speak ONLY in Spanish to him. I also try to make him communicate ONLY in Spanish with me.

Read, read, read to them in Spanish. Have many books in Spanish ONLY so your children familiarize themselves with the letter combinations that produce the sounds. If you are concerned about the depth of your children's lexicon just read more to them, and try to use different words when communicating with them. Read in Spanish at least once a day and encourage dialogue and comments to enrich the experience.

Follow the rule of �we only speak in Spanish to mommy� or any other family member who has the minority language. We follow this rule to the t. With mommy my son speaks ONLY in Spanish, with daddy he can speak in English or some basic Spanish as my husband has learnt some. Children are very clever, my son knows fully well daddy is not a native Spanish speaker therefore he doesn�t waste any time and speaks mostly in English to him.

When possible do some Latin travel (Spanish speaking countries.) If you can, stay for extended periods of time. We do so forcing our family to speak in Spanish and to educate their ear. Immersion is the best tool.

Introduce Spanish games, DVDs, and puzzles. These aids make learning and using Spanish fun.

Get together with other Spanish speaking families. Maintain close contact with mothers who have Spanish speaking children Reunite and let them practice. Make it a point only to communicate in Spanish.

Combine music in Spanish with movement. I teach my son how to dance while we sing in Spanish, this makes learning to speak Spanish a memorable experience. I use Spanish songs constantly to teach Spanish to children.

If you hire an au pair or baby sitter, make sure she speaks in Spanish to your children. Au-pairs work wonders as you can choose where they come from, therefore you can also benefit from the culture not only the language.

No matter how, make speaking in Spanish part of their daily routine. That's right, everyday practice makes perfect! It is like practicing an instrument, you have to do it to get better at it.

Compromise and educate yourself about what it takes. Raising your children to be bilingual in Spanish is certainly a commendable goal, but be ware it takes effort, time and a strong compromise from both parents to follow through.

There are many things you can do to raise your children bilingual in Spanish but remember the main keys: Exposure and practice. If you find the process difficult don't give up, it is normal. You will see that as time passes, it gets easier to do it because you and your children become more accustomed to the process.

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