Bilingual Children - Jyoko Blog

In an increasingly globalized and competitive world, it is key that, as parents, we can provide our children with the necessary tools to develop in the best possible way, so languages are one of the many skills that we can promote from an early age.

According to science, babies, up to four months old, are capable of reproducing all possible sounds.

However, many parents question when is the right time for their little one to learn a new language.

Neuroscience is making more and more advances that indicate that the earlier our child is in contact with a second or third language, the better. Let's remember that there are two ways to learn a language, the first is by using sounds or phonemes and the second is by using words, sentences and phrases.

The plasticity of the brain of babies allows them to differentiate hundreds of sounds, this being a fundamental part of how they learn languages, taking into account that beyond the lexicon, pronunciation and how certain words are said is influenced by how they sound. Consequently, many scientists, speech therapists and doctors recommend that children be exposed from birth to the secondary language we want them to master.

There are different methods that can help your child learn a second language. Here are some of the most common techniques.

1-. OPOL method: One parent, one language.

This method refers to the fact that, if one of the parents is fluent in a language, he/she should speak to the child in that language. For example, if the father is Puerto Rican, he will speak to his child in Spanish, while if the mother is German, he will speak to her child in her native language. The same is true if a parent has a fairly advanced level in a second language, English, French, etc. The idea is that one of the parents should constantly speak to the child in that language so that he/she learns to make the transition from one to the other. Experts say that the secondary language should be spoken at least 25 hours a week at home, so that the child can become familiar with it properly.

To make this more bearable, it is advisable to use resources such as books, games, movies, so that everything flows and does not become an uphill struggle in terms of learning vocabulary or idioms of the second language.

2.- Minority language at home:

It is a variant of the previous method, let's suppose that one of the parents has a specific native language, such as Italian, but their spouse is a native English speaker, and they live in a country where English is the official language, however, has a fairly advanced level of Italian. What are they to do? Well, speak Italian at home with the children and practice English in the street, at school, etc. as it is the 'natural' language of the child being born in an English-speaking country. By subscribing the second language to the home and its environment, the child will feel comfortable and less worried about making this change. The home functions as a 'switch 'suiche' for the language.

In this scenario, the parent who relinquishes his native language should become familiar enough to avoid feeling that he may be holding back his fluent and natural interaction with his children as he would if he were doing it in his native language.

3.- Language immersion:

Perhaps parents feel insecure about speaking another language with their child because they feel they do not have the necessary tools to provide them with all that is required in grammar and vocabulary to learn a second language, therefore, they prefer to have someone else teach the child.

This method opens up two options, the first is private language lessons. The second is for the child to study in a bilingual school or to see all subjects in that language. Everything will depend on the style of education that the parent wants.
In this sense, summer camps are also recommended, which are in a particular language.

The method to choose is indistinct, the key is patience, repetition and the use of different support schemes. Try translating words in both languages, listen to music in different languages, try watching movies or cartoons in other languages. Do not force the child if a word is difficult or if he/she is intimidated to speak in the second language, celebrate achievements and applaud fluency. Make this language come naturally and that making mistakes is no big deal, take pressure off the child and enjoy the experience together.