Minority Language At Home MLAH – Raise A Bilingual Child Speaking more than one language is the norm in many countries. A person might be speaking one language at work and speak another one or two languages at home. This is very common in some European countries. You also see it in Indian, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia, Africa, and China. Bilingualism seems natural in these countries. Dr. François Grosjean, Psycholinguist, and Professor Emeritus and former Director of
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one person one language (OPOL) approach When I met Annie at a party, she was about three years old. Her Dad’s native language is English and her mother’s native language is French. Both parents are fluent in each other’s native language. The Dad only speaks English to Annie and the mother only spoke French to her. She is now in college and she is bilingual in English and French, although dominant in English. Her parents used the
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The Impact of Curiosity When there is curiosity there is learning. You want to find out where your friend buys that amazing birthday cake so you make efforts to find out. Your little child wants to know how to open the drawers so she stands there to play with the drawers and figure it out. And, a student of mine who wanted me to teach more Chinese characters to the class so he brought his brother’s Japanese
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Teach Your Child A Foreign Language Zero to 5 is a critical age, a window of opportunity for second language learning according to multiple continued studies, and shared by Dr. Kuhl, the UW professor of speech and hearing sciences and the UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences/ I-LABS. A young girl walked over and told me, “I can count in Mandarin!” She counted all the way to 15, and her mother smiled as she gently
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Candy in Chinese Everyday Chinese for Family The candy season is here! It is the color, the sweetness, and fun that make kids want one more piece after another one. Here we are going to talk about common candy that kids and parents often enjoy. And, we also have expressions that you can use to let your child know your limit and she needs to brush her teeth. In the States, Halloween is the time for all
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Finding an Excellent Chinese Tutor for Your Child For parents who don’t speak Mandarin and for parents who have limited Chinese proficiency having a Chinese tutor or a Chinese teacher on a regular basis becomes a way to keep the Chinese program going at home. With so many choices available to parents online and offline, where can you find an excellent Chinese tutor/teacher for your child and your family? There are three important factors to keep in
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Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month October is celebrating the Bilingual Child Month! Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate with your child and their peers. Let your child be proud of the effort she is making to learn her heritage language or a new language. It is a chance for her to see other children who are also on the same journey. And, as a parent, you can be the facilitator for the Bilingual Child Month celebration! Here
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Time to Say Good Night in Chinese – Everyday Routine When there is a habit in place. Everything seems to fall in place naturally. First, Jo Jo brushes teeth. Then he goes to get 2 books. Last, he goes to bed and ready for his storytime. That is a habit you can create at home for the target language. It takes time to form a new habit so take one step at a time on this journey
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Family Members in Chinese – Everyday Chinese for Family Family is the core of Chinese culture. It is common to see grandparents live with their children in the same household. Taking care of one’s aging parents is what adult children do in Chinese society. That is what Chinese people refer to as filial piety 孝. In a family social gathering, relatives can tell if a child is from the father’s family or the mother’s family by how
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A Family’s Guide to Chinese Programs Many recent studies have shown the benefits of being bilingual. Parents see the advantage of being bilingual and want to introduce Chinese to their children at a young age. In addition, there might be a plan in the parent’s mind to send kids to a Chinese program when they are a little older. What are the options available for you and your child? Let’s look at the Chinese program in the
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