Sarah Gooding

Editor

Cactus Worldwide Ltd

Subscribe to my blog

Tumbit Approved Partner

Expose your child to a second language at an early age and they will soak it up like a sponge. Stuck for ideas? Here's how to encourage language learning in the home...

It’s well known that learning something when you’re young is the secret to learning it well, and for life. No more so is this relevant than in learning a foreign language, which – as any adult learner will testify – is infinitely more difficult later in life.

A child, on the other hand, its brain growing rapidly and eager to absorb new things, can soak up a new language without even realizing it. Expose them to a second language at an early age and they show an enviably innate ability to learn new words and develop a natural pronunciation, all whilst benefitting from a lack of inhibition which so often hinders us later in life.

The earlier you introduce your child to a foreign language the better; it seems that before the age of 10 is ideal, even before the age of 5 if you can. Yet whether you’re dealing with a toddler or adolescent, there is plenty you can do to encourage your child to learn a language, and you don’t even have to be good at languages yourself – you could even take this as an opportunity to learn a language alongside your child!

Here are our top 10 ways to encourage language learning at home:

1.) Nursery rhymes and songs - Younger children react positively to the repetition and melody of nursery rhymes and songs. Even if they don’t understand the words at first, this is a fun yet effective way to absorb a foreign language. Go beyond the basics by buying a CD of Spanish songs or nursert rhymes; alternatively, the BBC website offers fun, basic songs for primary school-aged children. Grab a few instruments and have a morning of music and fun!

2.) Story tapes - Search for your child’s favourite story in another language. Dennis the Menace become Daniel el Travieso, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs becomes Blancanieve y los 7 enanitos. Even Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer have been translated in to Spanish. Read the foreign language version along with your child, or play the CD that narrates the story for you both.

3.) Word & picture cards - A basic idea, but a great way to learn and remember vocabulary, as it is much easier to remember a word when associated with a colourful image. Simply write the name of an object, in the target language, next to a picture of that object. Then stick these cards around the house, for constant exposure, or bring them out as a game to name objects in the house or garden.

4.) Indulge in the local culture! - If it takes a 'chocolate caliente y churros', then so be it. Pretend that you are living in Spain for the day and surround yourselves at home with Spain-related goodies. Put on some Spanish music or Spanish radio in the background, draw a Spanish flag, make a necklace with red and yellow beads, prepare a 'barra de pan y quesos' for lunch, play petanc in the garden, and maybe end the day with a trip to the local 'heladeria'. It’s the next best thing to being in Spain.

5.) Find a pen pal - Once you child is a bit older and knows the basics in a foreign language, finding a pen pal is a great way to practise the language and exert some independence. There’s nothing like the excitement of an air mail letter dropping on the doormat, or an email into the Inbox, to encourage a flurry of letter-writing back. Having a pen pal abroad is also a great way to learn about culture in another country and appreciate the differences in lifestyle, eg. school, food, holidays, hobbies, etc...

6.) Interactive learning - Like it or not, your child will grow up aware of computers and most likely wanting to be on one. Fortunately there are language-related programmes online that both encourage interaction and serve an educational purpose. For younger children, the BBC’s Muzzy series is a fun language course led by a cuddly, green character and comprising DVDs, audio, songs and written work. Older children already familiar with Wii and Nintendo may like their My Spanish Coach language software. An easy compromise if they want to play a computer game, these games are fun and interactive whilst providing the basics of grammar, phrase construction, pronunciation tests and a dictionary.

7.) Podcasts - Older children will love the technology and independence of downloading their own free language podcasts from iTunes. Le Journal en Français Facile is a daily and easily-understood podcast delivering the nightly news from Radio France Internationale, and likewise Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten does so in German. Follow with the transcript to catch those words you’re not sure of.

8.) Talk about them in another language - An unexpected entry, perhaps, but a cunning ploy if you and your partner both speak another language. A colleague at work revealed that the most successful way to get his girls to learn French was to chat to his wife, about them, in French. Frustrated at not understanding the conversation, the girls had immediate impetus to up their game and catch their parents out. Sure enough, as dad told mum one night that he thought “Elle est fatiguée”, the oldest daughter responded quite indignantly, “Je ne suis PAS fatiguée!”. The principal remains the same regardless of the language.

9.) Speak the language yourself - Along these lines goes the age-old philosophy that you should practise what you preach. If your kids hear you speaking a language at home they will be more likely to speak it themselves. Drop in key words or phrases around the house, such as when you want them to pass you something, at meal times or bathtime. Repetition and familiarity will one day have them saying the same things back to you; even if at first they don’t understand, their little brains will be absorbing more than you think.

10.) Go abroad - Money permitting, obviously, a trip to the country of the language your child is learning can do wonders for his or her motivation and progress. Using language in its natural context is one of the best ways for it to really sink in. In the exciting run-up to your holiday you can all practise the language together, and once there your child will absorb all the sights and sounds, hopefully practise the basics, and get a real feel for another culture. Being able to travel and speak to people of other nationalities and cultures is, after all, what learning a language is all about.