Having a child who is bilingual means that they are able to speak two languages fluently. There are many reasons why you may raise your child as bilingual and it can be a huge advantage long term for a child to be able to communicate in more than one language.
It’s important that any childcare setting your child attends is aware of the fact that your child is being raised bilingual. As well as being able to assist in any way they can, childcare providers can also help to spot issues may that arise or challenges to be overcome.
Whether you speak two languages yourself, have a partner who speaks a different language to you, or you simply want to give your child the opportunity to communicate more widely, bilingualism requires commitment and dedication from parents and caregivers.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at what’s involved.
What Does Bilingual Mean?
If your child is bilingual, they’ll be able to use two languages equally well. They’ll be able to speak and communicate emotions and thoughts in both languages.
How Do You Raise a Child as Bilingual?
There are a number of ways to raise your child as bilingual and the best approaches will always focus on keeping things as clear as possible.
One of the most popular methods, especially amongst parents who either both speak 2 languages or each speak a different language, is to apply the OPOL approach.
One Person One Language will require each person to speak consistently to the child in one language. For example, you will only speak English to your child whilst your partner will only speak French. In some families in Australia where parents may not speak English, the native language will solely be used at home and the child will solely speak English outside of the home.
There are fantastic resources for families raising children as bilingual. From children’s reading books to podcasts and websites to support parents and caregivers, you won’t be alone if you decide to embark on the incredible journey of raising your child as bilingual.
What Are the Advantages of Being Bilingual?
The main advantage of being bilingual is that your child will have the ability to communicate fluently in two languages. This can be immediately useful to socialise with different nationalities or if they learn a second language in an academic setting.
Bilingualism can also give your child an increased awareness of other cultures and allow them to enjoy travelling to countries where they can communicate and interact with others. Children who already have a firm grasp of two languages tend to find it easier to learn a third, offering them the chance to become multilingual.
All of this can be hugely beneficial long term in relation to your child having an advantage in competitive job markets and in giving them the opportunity to work and study abroad.
Creativity, increased brain power, and a tendency towards flexibility have also all been cited as advantages in children who have been brought up to be bilingual.
What Challenges Might You Encounter When Raising a Child as Bilingual?
Let’s face it, bilingualism is an incredible skill and a wonderful gift to be able to give your child – yet it can also be challenging and requires a huge amount of perseverance and patience.
It’s important to be aware of some of the challenges that you might encounter when raising your child as bilingual. These can include:
Language fluency delay: This isn’t surprising when you stop and consider the fact that bilingual children are processing double the amount of vocabulary. Although bilingual children can occasionally face issues and be seen as nonverbal around the ages of 1-3 years, they generally catch up very quickly and become fluent in both languages by the start of their school years.
Challenges to reading and writing: It’s fairly common for children who are able to converse fluently in two languages to struggle initially when learning reading and writing. Whereas parents can dedicate their time to speaking in set languages with their children, they may not be able to consolidate this with reading and writing practices. Many bilingual children read and write to a higher level in the language that they speak at school.
Mixing up languages: It’s entirely natural for children being raised as bilingual to occasionally mix up the languages that they are learning. This can even occur mid-sentence with words from the 2nd language being interspersed with words from the 1st.
Preference for one language over the other: This will often develop as a child leaves the family setting and starts to attend childcare settings or school. There are a number of ways that you can seek to build up your child’s engagement with the less popular language – from offering them storybooks and screen time or finding a local playgroup with other children who can communicate with them.
Language Lasts a Lifetime
As you can see, bilingualism has numerous advantages – especially in the long term when you consider how your child could stand out against other candidates when it comes to academic or career opportunities.
Although raising a child as bilingual can be challenging and time-consuming, it really is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. Always ask your childcare setting to support you in this and ensure that they are fully aware of which languages are used when and how your child prefers to communicate.