A SIMPLE GUIDE TO GROOMING BILITERATE AND BILINGUAL KIDS
As a young mom with three small children, I could barely advance beyond the bottom half of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ~ which seemed to limit my higher order parenting until I realized that everything could be boiled down to the simplicity of a triangle. Break it down; it’s not that complicated. We all learned our first language seamlessly through motherese, so the idea is to follow in those same footsteps.
Thus, instead of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I present Habla Blah Blah’s Hierarchy of (Bilingual) Strategies* ~ GET IT ON!
WHERE TO START?
1) FOOD: Table talk. This is my absolute favorite time to work in a second language. Suggestion: provide a small snack and wait for them to ask for more. They must do so in the target language. Then, “more, please.” Then, add “Can I please have some more?” And so on and so forth until you have established a bilingual table conversation (fabulous transferable skill set).
2) SHELTER: Surround your home with inspiration, target language books and cultural references. Similar to the study that linked the number of books in a home to higher literacy levels, build the visual presentation of your target language culture in your home to emphasize its value. (If you need ideas, my biggest aesthetic splurges are ‘literal clothing’ and Architectural Digest mags from other countries – Spain, Mexico, and Argentinian editions are SO good.)
3) WATER: The easiest word in any language, but this is a metaphorical recommendation to make it a daily habit. If you need 8 glasses of water a day, choose 8 times a day to use the target language. Maybe start with “good morning” and “thank you”, or maybe, “It’s time for bedtime” as a sentence prompt and then substitute bedtime for other routine agendas as comfort levels build. The idea is to start small and grow. Make it an essential part of your existence - just like water.
4) + PLAY: Play hide and seek, see song here to learn the words. Play games: Bingo. Uno. Guess Who. Play futból outside, and Colors in the pool. Our kids’ friends would ask, “Why are your video games in Spanish?” In fact, switch all media consumption to your target language (movies, television, music). May the fun (in your target language) never end. May you engage emotionally with your child, so that language learning provides positive feedback and play is a forever activity.
5) + PEERS: Find friends that speak the target language. This is for your kids and yourself because nothing is more motivating than wanting to connect with a peer. Whether it’s “¡Pásame la pelota!” from a soccer player, or “I’d like to buy you a beer” from an adult at the bar, we are each motivated to connect with peers for different reasons at any age.
Want more ideas or specifics? Email us…
Please note: This does not happen overnight, and consistency is everything. Just like a brilliant Lego city that requires hours and days and weeks to build, lay a simple foundation to support the evolving structures. Everything, of course, is trial and error and requires personal adaptation. Still, I hope this simple guide to raising bilingual and multilingual kids helps. It’s how my family started, and I’m so proud to have two bilingual college-aged kids and one trilingual high schooler from two monolingual parents. They are def better than us!