In today’s world, most people are bilingual. Check out these helpful, research-based tips and tricks on how to raise a bilingual baby.
It’s a common fact that most of the world is able to speak more than one language. As parents, we should recognize that in today’s world, you’re better off being bilingual/multilingual. Children who develop the ability to speak more than one language see significant benefits socially and mentally.
Like with so many other traits and learned abilities, a child needs to develop bilingual skills early on in their development. It only gets more and more difficult to absorb the information and nuances of a language as they grow older.
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How to raise a bilingual baby in a monolingual or bilingual household
For many families, raising bilingual/multilingual children isn’t necessarily a difficult task. A lot of parents are more than capable of teaching the nuances of more than one language to their children.
But there are a few questions that need to be answered pertaining to the topic: Who speaks what? And when? What language should you speak at home? etc.
Speaking multiple languages from early childhood can help your baby to learn. Studies show that bilingual children:
- find it easier to read
- learn another language easier
- settle into school without difficulty
- feel better about themselves (have higher self-esteem)
- achieve better academic results
- will have more career opportunities when they are older
The thought of asking how to raise a bilingual baby will improve communication in your family. Also, it will help both you and your children to be part of your culture.
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Situations with different household languages and how they raise a bilingual baby
Recently, The Huffington Post shared six studies backed by informative research that can help you to answer and understand the questions, concerns, and importance of raising children in a bilingual/multilingual home.
Here’s what they found:
1. Two home languages (one parent, one language)
In this model, it is important for one of the parents’ native languages to reflect the language spoken in the community so that it can be reinforced in the child.
2. Non-dominant home language (one language, one environment)
Korean-speaking parents in an English-speaking area of the United States.
Because Korean is used at home, the child needs early exposure to English outside the home (e.g. in nursery school, in the neighborhood, with extended family).
3. Non-dominant home language without community support
Cantonese-speaking parents in a Chinese community in the United States.
This model is most common among immigrant families. The child will require support as they learn English in school.
4. Double non-dominant home language without community support
A Brazilian mother (Portuguese-speaking) and Haitian father (Haitian Creole-speaking) live in a migrant neighborhood in the United States where Portuguese and Haitian Creole is used.
The child will require support as they learn English in school.
5. Non-native language used by one parent
Both parents speak English and the mother uses her second language, Tagalog, with the child in the United States.
The child will benefit from early Tagalog support from outside the home (e.g. in a Tagalog-speaking nursery, with extended family, in community-based programs).
6. Language mixing and code-switching
Both parents speak English and Hindi and reside in a community where Hindi and English are used interchangeably in the United States.
A child’s peer group is very important. If they have similar linguistic practices and weave languages together when they speak to each other, the likelihood of raising multilingual children is much higher.
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7 tips on how to support bilingualism in early childhood
The world is undeniably globalized and diverse, and the ability to speak more than one language is an interesting trait. Moreover, bilingualism confers social, economic, and intellectual advantages.
If as parents you believe the sentiment of wanting to raise a bilingual baby, PsychologyToday.com presented these 7 evidence-based suggestions.
While some of these strategies are mostly applicable to bilingual households, others will be useful even in a monolingual household.
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Increasing language quantity is how to raise your bilingual baby
The amount of linguistic input your baby receives in each of their languages expects vocabulary and grammatical development. The richer the input, the higher the possibility of successful language acquisition.
For example, your baby hearing lots of words may have a larger vocabulary size. A parent speaking two languages to their baby might also influence them.
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Increase language quality
The quality of language input can also affect your baby’s language outcomes. For example, reading books to children supports language development, while language exposure via TV does not.
Low-quality TV exposure has significant relevance to bilingual children with lower vocabulary scores. In other words, make time for more face time and choose educational or high-quality children’s TV or media.
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Enlist the help of family and friends
Variability in language input is another key strategy on how to raise your baby to become bilingual. Your baby’s regular exposure to different speakers of two languages may advance to bilingual proficiency.
While your baby interacts with extended family members and friends who speak the other language is beneficial for their development.
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Choose a strategy on how to raise your baby to be bilingual
There are various ways how to raise your baby to bilingual process, depending on the household. However, there is no single approach that can be the best in raising a bilingual baby. Yet, there are several approaches that support bilingual development.
For example, you may stick to the “one person one language” approach, commonly used by two parents speaking different languages.
In other usual approaches, a baby learns a language in a monolingual household and goes to school after years of learning another language.
Another strategy that you may try is speaking a different language each day of the week.
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Consider a bilingual education
During early development, there might be an option of providing bilingual childcare. In this approach, you may use babysitters or caregivers who speak another language to help you raise your bilingual baby.
Once your baby reaches school age, consider schools that teach content classes in two different languages.
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Let your child lead the way
Pay attention to the cues from your baby and follow their interests. Language development milestone is most successful when children interact with attentive and sensitive parents. A baby is more likely to learn new words when their parents focus on their objects of interest instead of what interests the parents.
This is how you can raise your bilingual baby with a higher chance of acquiring the languages successfully.
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Educate yourself on how to raise your baby to bilingual language development
As parents with a bilingual baby, you need to learn more about bilingualism yourself. There are many misconceptions about the idea of raising a bilingual child.
For example, there are myths that bilingualism may result in language disorders and learning disabilities. Or that a bilingual child is confused by hearing more than one language.
But today, many studies have debunked these myths. Bilingual children achieved important language milestones at the same rate as monolingual children.
Additionally, to let and support your bilingual baby to fully acquire more than one language, it should always start from home. A monolingual household must consider raising a bilingual baby and supports bilingualism in early childhood development.
On the other hand, this will be another approach if one parent speaks two languages while talking to their baby.
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Synthesis
Raising children in a multilingual home can be a challenging task if not addressed properly. It requires a lot of strategies, planning, and careful adherence to your long-term goals.
There are a number of mental and social benefits to raising a child who can speak a multitude of languages. So, it’s always important for parents to consider teaching their children at a young age and sticking to their plans.
Additional information by Nathanielle Torre