Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning

Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to
Early Language Learning
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Contents
Chapter 1: The benefits of early language learning
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2 Chapter 2: When is the best time to start?
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Angela Sterling is an experienced MFL teacher,
mother of two daughters and founder of Lingotot Ltd.
Since its launch in January 2010 the company has gone from strength to strength with its aim of introducing babies,
toddlers and young children to a new language through stories, songs, games and play. Classes are interactive and
fun, designed to introduce adults and children to a new language in a friendly and relaxed environment. Classes are
available in community centres, schools and nurseries across the UK.
A note from Angela:
“My name is Angela and I founded Lingotot in 2010 when on
maternity leave with my first child. It was the thought of
impending motherhood which finally gave me the push to
start Lingotot classes in my local area.
It had been a lifelong ambition of mine to start teaching
languages to very young children. I went to Paris to work
as an Au Pair when I was 18 and I looked after children as
young as two who spoke multiple languages fluently. I was
always very impressed at how easily they switched from
one language to another.
After graduating from university, I enjoyed a teaching
career working in a range of schools with a range of ages
both in the UK and overseas.
Despite my fluency in French and my teaching background, I
was still nervous at the prospect of speaking French to my
new baby. Although I am fluent in French, I am not a native
speaker and I worried about not being the “perfect” model
for my baby girl. So instead of reading the usual pregnancy
books, I surrounded myself with research papers and books
on bilingual education!
What I learned was that, not only was I perfectly capable
of introducing a second language to my children, but that
I could also help others do the same thing – even if they
couldn’t speak that language at all. And that’s what
Lingotot is all about. Early foreign language experiences for
children and advice for parents and teachers who would like
to help (and perhaps learn a little themselves!)”
Angela
Chapter 3: Which language should I choose?
Chapter 4: How do I support my child at home?
Interaction
Routine
Play time
Songs
Books
TV & DVDs
Technology
Chapter 5: Community support
Chapter 6: Myth Buster
Chapter 7: Get started!
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
The benefits of early
language learning 1
When is the best
time to start? 2
But why should we be bothering with other languages anyway?
Everyone speaks English, right?
There are so many benefits to knowing a second
language. The most obvious ones spring to mind first;
travelling, understanding other cultures, enjoying films,
books, music from different countries, intercultural
understanding etc. Learning additional languages
enables learners to engage with people of diverse
cultures in ways that recognise differences and create
cultural understanding. Language is inseparable from
ways of knowing the world and involves connecting,
engaging, and interacting with others and negotiating
boundaries.
There are many advantages which are less obvious.
Knowing two languages can give you allround
intellectual benefits. Being multilingual improves school
performance and increases overall problem-solving
skills. Research also suggests bilingual children are
more creative than monolingual speakers and score
higher on academic tests. It’s also been suggested
that bilingual toddlers have better concentration too.
According to
Dr. James Mason, Columbia University of Development,
“Research also proves that young children who
learn a language before the age of five tend
to have superior reading, writing, analytical
and social skills, as well as more extensive
vocabularies than their monolingual peers.”
Being multilingual is a plus on both college admission
applications and job applications as well. Top
universities really rate A levels in foreign languages,
which appear on university “A lists” of subjects. For
example, at Trinity College, Cambridge a whopping 11
of the 25 subjects on their A list are languages. After
your studies you could well earn more money too if
you are bilingual. To find and keep valuable bilingual
workers, employers are willing to pay larger sums of
money. On average, bilingual pay differentials range
between 5 and 20 percent per hour more than the
position’s base rate, according to research. Being
bilingual can actually help your health too! Research
shows that the regular use of two languages appears to
delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.
With all of these benefits
available, the question shouldn’t
be “why should I learn a second
language?”, rather it should be
“can I afford not to learn another
language?”
“Being bilingual, it turns out,
makes you smarter.”
YUDHIJIT BHATTACHARJEE, NY Times
I get asked this question a lot. Because I run foreign
language sessions for babies, toddlers and young
children, some parents approach me concerned that
they’ve “left it too late” to start. The great news is that
it’s never too early or too late to start learning another
language! There are distinct advantages to starting to
learn at different ages.
Adult learners are very motivated. Perhaps you regret
not learning a language when we were younger,
perhaps you need to use it for work, but whatever the
reason you can bet you don’t have a lot of spare time
so your dedication will be second-to-none! There’s no
slacking off for adults, they hammer the books hard!
At the start of secondary school, learners go through
what I like to call a brain growth spurt! This is an ideal
time to learn lots of new things, including a language.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why languages
were traditionally introduced at aged eleven in the UK. At
this age, children already know how to learn which gives
them an amazing head start over younger children.
Primary school children have lots of enthusiasm for
language learning. They love to show off what they have
learned and they are curious about other cultures. As
they are beginning to read and write, they have a range
of sources they can access for help in their language
learning. They can begin to read in the foreign language
and try some writing too. All of these skills make for a
great start and they often make better progress than
babies and toddlers in the beginning.
Having said all of that, I personally believe the best time
to start introducing a second language is when they are
babies or toddlers. Very young children will pick up the
language in the same way as they learned
their mother tongue, naturally and easily. Think of it this
way: When a baby is born, it has no idea where in the
world it is going to arrive. Its brain is lovely and flexible,
ready to soak up any new language it hears. At about
the age of 8-10 months, the baby then starts to “tune in”
to the language(s) it hears around him/her. This means
that foreign language sounds which do not exist in the
mother tongue, start to be “tuned out” ever so gradually.
You can read more about this here and here.
Many experts do agree that there seems to be an
‘optimal’ time period for learning a second language:
from birth to three years. In other words, right when a
child is learning the first language. The time when his/
her mind is still open and flexible. Learning a second
language boosts toddlers’ brain function.
It has even been suggested that babies born to bilingual
mothers who regularly spoke both languages during
pregnancy exhibit different language preferences than
infants born to mothers speaking only one language.
I often hear people say that children are like “sponges”
who “soak up” language effortlessly. If this is the case,
then why not take advantage of this incredible skill to
introduce new languages to them? Just imagine, you
could save them from hours and hours conjugating
verbs in a classroom, sweating over pages of vocabulary
learning and an accent that’s never quite right. Instead
you could nurture not only their language skills, but their
love of that language too!
You may want to watch this fascinating video - one of my
favourites - Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies
“Young minds soak up foreign
languages like a sponge”
EMILY WEITZ
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Which language
should I choose? 3
How do I support my
child at home? 4
For some people choosing a language is easy and obvious. Perhaps you are a native or fluent speaker of a
language or you have relatives who are. However, if you are like many families here in the UK, perhaps your
experience is limited to some basic school-level French and asking for two beers on holiday in Spanish! That makes
your decision a little tricky.
By that I don’t mean to be flippant. I’m simply trying to convey the message that language selection is not
necessarily straightforward. Even if you have a strong link to a particular language in your family, you may prefer to
introduce a different language altogether depending on your goals and aspirations for your child(ren). Many families
base the decision on which languages are the most widely spoken. Others may have more business-like aspirations
and choose a language such as German or Mandarin Chinese as these are perceived to be more useful and
widespread in the business world. Whatever your reasons for your choice, it is essential that you surround yourself
with the right kind of support. You can successfully bring a language to life for your children even if you don’t speak it,
but it will take careful planning and a dedicated approach.
You may want to consider the following as
a good starting point on language choice:
Frequent questions that may concern you and
things people will ask you
• Do you have a strong preference for or a love of
a particular language?
• Have you studied any languages or do you know
them well?
• Do you feel comfortable using this language with
your child(ren)?
• Are there any other family members with
language skills?
• How often would you or other members of your
family be able to use the language with your little
one(s)?
• Are there any languages spoken in your local
area which you could easily access?
• What kind of languages classes or playgroups
are available locally?
• Do any local nurseries or childminders offer a
second language?
• Do you live close to a university or similar
institution where you could easily access
foreign-speaking babysitters?
This chapter is all about giving practical advice on how
to achieve your goal. All of my professional and personal
experiences in the field of language learning has taught
me that the best and easiest way for a child to learn a
language, whether it is their first or second language, is
to surround them with the sounds of that language as
much as possible. This means that they are surrounded
by that language regularly.
So what can you do if you want to raise a bilingual child,
but only speak one language yourself? It can be difficult
to find the opportunities, however it is also easier for
them to learn a second language at this age, so the
extra effort will be worth it.
Don’t forget that when you have chosen your
language that dedication is they key - so stick with it!
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Interaction
Routine
In my opinion, language learning begins at home just in
the same way all learning does. Our children learn an
awful lot before setting foot in an educational institution,
including how to speak.
Consider how children learn their native language. They
learn to talk through constant chatter with adults while
conducting everyday tasks. They hear language all the
time; while eating breakfast together, playing games,
singing songs strapped into their carseat, being talked to
during a nappy change, splashing at bathtime. After
hearing language constantly over man many hours they
start to experiment themselves and suddenly it bursts
from them. So whatever you do to introduce a new
language, you need to do an awful lot of it.
This is exactly how you should begin to tackle learning
a second language. I always say to people to forget the
notion of “French Fridays” or “Spanish Saturdays”.
Not only does it put immense pressure on you, but it’s not
the most effective way to learn. Simply use the language
in bursts as you go about your daily routine. Sing songs,
point and name objects in the foreign language, chatter,
chatter, chatter!
At Lingotot sessions, we give you lots of ideas on how to
do this and even give you handouts with suggestions at
every class.
Help! I can’t speak the language myself! You don’t
need to be fluent to give your child the gift of a second
language and this guide is full of ideas if you lack
language skills. However I would strongly recommend
you learn alongside your child. That’s why it’s so
important you come to Lingotot sessions together. You
learn the language at the same time.
You already do something naturally which makes this
process seem less scary. As children grow and begin
to interact with us through speech we automatically
begin to use longer sentences and more complex
language. This means you have time to get to that stage.
Simple words and phrases are a great way to start and
your language skills will develop as your child needs
something more complicated.
However, don’t worry! We have lots of ways for you
to access more sophisticated language even if your
language skills remain basic.
Things to try at home:
• Start as early as possible and talk in the
foreign language as much as possible!
• Encourage all of your family and friends to
use the language around your little one. This
includes grandparents, siblings, babysitters
and all visitors to your home.
• Create a sense of importance to the
language. Use it with great enthusiasm and
make it fun.
• Use special props which will interest your
child and consider having a special toybox
full of items you use when speaking the
language.
• Sing little songs and dance about the room
singing them!
• Read stories in the foreign language every
day.
How your every day routine compliments language
learning.
You should try to incorporate the second language into
your daily routine as much as possible as young children
need to hear a lot of language before they being to
reproduce it themselves. You will all get the maximum
amount of benefit if the language is used in meaningful
and interactive situations.
Even if you have the most basic language skills you can
sing a silly song in the target language, repeat a few
words of vocabulary or perform counting tasks. You will
also pick up all of these skills and many more at Lingotot
sessions.
Here are some practical tips
you could do every single day:
• If you know the names of everyday items
around your home, you can point to them
and repeat the word in the foreign language.
• If you can’t remember them very well make
labels and signs with your children in the
target language and place these around
your environment, indoors and outside. This
has the added bonus of involving your child in
the learning process.
• Sing and sing some more. Even if you only
learn one or two songs (we all know how
much children love repetition!). You will learn
lots of new songs at Lingotot or you could
purchase a copy of our CD LingoTunes
(purchase from your class tutor or on iTunes)
• Count everything! Fingers, toes, eyes and
nose! Count the stairs as you carry your little
on up to bed. Count the birds you see in the
sky, count blocks as you build a tower....I think
you get the drift!
• Do the same thing with colours. As well as
counting the blocks, say what colour they are
too.
• Use the foreign language to greet and say
goodbye to visitors. This has the added
benefit of your child seeing others use the
language too and therefore they will see it
being of value to the whole family. Plus which
granny could resist seeing their beloved
grandchild respond to “au revoir” with a
goodbye wave?
• Create a ‘language corner’ with posters,
books and maybe even some bilingual toys
where you only speak the foreign language.
• Play with puppets. Older children can be
encouraged to make the puppets speak in
the chosen language.
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Play Time
Songs
Those of us who work with young children know how invaluable singing is for early literacy skills
and this is also true of language learning. Babies and young children love songs and rhymes,
especially hearing the sound of your voice. And they’re a great way to help your child’s talking and
listening skills in a foreign language.
According to Sally Goddard Blythe, a consultant in neuro-developmental education and director of the Institute for
Neuro- Physiological Psychology, “Lullabies, songs and rhymes of every culture carry the ‘signature’ melodies and
inflections of a mother tongue, preparing a child’s ear, voice and brain for language.”
Here are some ways in which singing can help
with language learning:
Playing with your child can be a very effective way of
introducing a second language. Afterall our little ones
learn an awful lot through play and in fact, this is how
early years educational settings in the UK prefer to
“teach” our children nowadays.
You can also buy many bilingual toys for your children
which claim to “teach” colours, numbers etc. We do love
these toys at Lingotot and we make them available to
youngsters in our classes, however they must be used
with caution. Children simply do not learn a language
if they sit and play with a toy that “speaks” the foreign
language. It quite simply doesn’t work.
Lise Eliot is a well-known neurologist, mother and baby
expert and she says,
“Babies, infants and children learn best from
interaction with other humans. It’s wired into us. In
order to learn, children need language situations
where the conversations are interactive,
adaptive, and pitched at their level. If the
conversations are immediately focused on what
they are interested in, that can only help.”
So if we play with the toys with our little ones in an
interactive way, chatting as we go, then progress will
happen - hurrah!
Tips for using language
through play:
• Play simple games in the foreign language
such as peek-a-boo. This is so simple that
anyone can learn the vocabulary to join in,
yet it is fun, interactive and meaningful to real
life.
• When playing hide and seek, count to 10 in
your target language.
• Play with bilingual toys, but remember to play
with your child and chat as you go.
• Role-play is a great way to use a foreign
language. Have pretend picnics, tea parties,
dress up, play shops, doctors and nurses
- anything where you can use the foreign
language even just a little bit.
• Building blocks are a great tool for practising
colours and numbers.
• Build up positive associations with the language
by singing, dancing to songs and generally
having fun!
• Your voice is your baby’s favourite music so sing
to her, even if you don’t think you’re a brilliant
singer, or if you think your French accent isn’t up
to scratch. Your baby won’t judge you.
• Turn off the TV or radio so your child can hear
your voice.
• Don’t worry if you don’t know any foreign
language songs. Sing bits of the songs you have
picked up in class or use a CD to help. There are
many good resources online or you could pick up
a copy of LingoTunes (see shop below).
• Look at your baby as you sing or chant and see
how he reacts to different parts of the rhyme.
• When your baby or toddler joins in, show that
you’ve noticed by giving lots of encouragement.
LingoTunes is the perfect way to introduce your child
to such songs in French. Here’s what parents are
saying about the songs;
“Loooooving your CD!! lovely singing and
very well sung words so we can hear
them. Too exciting to listen to and sing
along to and the songbook is helpful to be
able to look at too. Well done”
Hannah, mum to Joshua (aged 3)
• Even if your toddler is just beginning to talk,
remember that listening is just as important,
especially for learning a foreign language. Listen
to his reaction to the song or rhyme.
• Choose songs which aren’t too “busy” with lots of
electronic sounds. We want our youngsters to be
able to really hear the target language.
• Familiar songs translated into another language
provide a very good starting point for children and
adults.
• Try to choose songs which have actions. Mixing
sound with kinaesthetic tasks helps the children
to pinpoint and learn specific vocabulary.
• With longer, more complicated songs with no
actions, try using some props to involve the
children in a task linked to the music.
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Books
TV and DVDs
Lingotot sessions always include a story and it’s
amazing just how much the children enjoy it. The room is
usually silent!
Recent research suggests that reading to your child is
the single most effective way of increasing the size of
their vocabulary. A study by Janet Patterson found this
to be true of second language learning too in her study
of two-year-olds learning English and Spanish. Quite
simply, reading to your child in another language is one
of the best ways to boost their vocabulary.
Here are our tips on sharing
stories with your little ones:
• Find a quiet place. Turn off the TV or radio so
there are no distractions.
• As well as reading the story, look at the pictures
together. This is a great way to share a book
even if your own language skills are quite basic.
Sharing a simple picture book, pointing and
naming the pictures is a great way for you both
to pick up new words.
• Don’t put any pressure on your child to name
the pictures, but if they copy your words, praise
them and repeat the words again.
• Don’t read for too long. Young children get
bored quickly so little and often is best.
• Let other grown-ups – grandparents, carers
and older brothers and sisters – join in too.
• It’s good to share favourite books again and
again. Repetition helps children to understand
and remember the language they hear.
• Remember, you’re not teaching your child to
read in the foreign language. You learn to talk
a long time before you learn to read, and book
sharing is a wonderful way to help your child’s
language development.
• Even sharing foreign language books with
babies is a good idea. It helps “tune in” their ear
to the sounds of the new language.
• You can find foreign language books easily on
the internet on Amazon or specialist suppliers
such as Little Linguist. Don’t forget you can save
10% on your purchases with Little Linguist with
our exclusive discount code. Simply ask at your
Lingotot class for the code.
• If you don’t feel confident reading the story
yourself, your child will learn a lot from the
expressions and voice on an audio recording
which can be as captivating as the story itself.
• Children can learn new vocabulary by joining in
with the repetitive parts of a story.
• Stories set in other countries will introduce
children to different societies and cultures.
• Substitute words from a different language
when sharing a story, for example, the names of
food in ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’.
Everyone has heard stories about someone who
“picked up” a language by watching TV or that Little
Johnny knows loads of Spanish after watching Dora the
Explorer. And it’s true that television can be a useful tool
when learning languages, but I certainly do not agree
that children can simply “pick up” a language by the
power of DVD!
Research shows that very young children can learn
a language even if they are only exposed to an hour
every week. However, this must be interactive and not
passively sitting in front of the television. The good
news is that your child doesn’t need you to be a
languages teacher or a native speaker. All of the
interactive language activities suggested in this guide
are all much more effective than mindlessly watching
television.
This does not mean that it doesn’t have its place. Watch
the TV together and talk about it. It can also be useful for
older children who can access the subtitles in a film or
for older children who are becoming quite proficient in
the language.
Television resources for children:
• YouTube is a brilliant resource for television
shows. You can find French versions of
Peppa Pig for example (Peppa Cochon).
• You can access real foreign language
television programmes for children online
instead of translated English shows.
• Amazon and specialist websites such as
Little Linguist have DVDs in many foreign
languages which can be sent to you at the
touch of a button.
• The Lingo Show from CBeebies introduces
languages to young children and is available
to watch online too.
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Technology
Community Support 5
Early years language learning works best when you can build a support network around you. Some
children can reject a language as they grow if they don’t perceive it to be valuable and see other
people interacting in your chosen language. It is possible that this community support already exists
even if you’re not aware of it!
Family and Friends
If you look around you, you may find many family and
friends who can support you and your child. Here are
some points to consider when choosing your language
and looking for support (but don’t worry if it turns out
there is none! There are some more ideas a bit further
on):
• What languages do you already know?
• How confident are you with your own language
skills?
• Do you have any fluent or even native speakers in
your family or social circle?
• How often do you use languages in your everyday
life? Could you increase this?
Language Classes and
Playgroups
• This is of course Lingotot’s speciality! If you take your
child to a music, drama, craft class or playgroup,
Lingotot offers all of those things, but in French,
Spanish and Mandarin. This method of learning is
ideal as we teach the language “for real”.
• Lingotot classes are also about family learning. You
learn at the same time as your little one and we
teach you how to teach your child.
• There are lots of other providers of course and many
of them are fantastic. We would recommend you
avoid sessions which use flashcards, worksheets
and lots of English. Young children learn best
through play.
Making use of technology and the internet can provide
a good starting point for parents who are not too sure
of their own language skills. However, children cannot
simply “pick up” a language in this way.
(please see the section on TV)
Technology resources for children:
• Foreign language TV programmes are
available to view or to order online.
• Some online resources have a ‘virtual
teacher’. Lingotot provides this service to
schools and nurseries in addition to our live
sessions.
• Children love watching themselves on screen
or listening to their own voice. Make a video
or audio recording of a singing performance
and share it with your family and friends.
• MP3 players are a very useful tool, and allow
you to create a “play list” of tracks which are
specific to the target language.
Childcare
• Are there any languages you could access spoken in
the local community?
• Do your local nurseries or childminders offer another
language? This is becoming very popular and
Lingotot runs many sessions in nurseries. Please
let us know if you’d like us to approach your child’s
nursery.
• Do you live close to a university or college? There
may be some international students there who
would love to earn a little spare cash babysitting
and you could insist on them speaking the target
language with your child.
• If you have the space, you could consider an au pair.
These are young students who come to the UK to
learn English. In return for bed, board and pocket
money, they provide 25 hours childcare per week.
“People who don’t speak another language
as a native speaker can in fact introduce that
language very successfully to our children we just
need to look for the resources around us [...] and
that’s why Lingotot, which teaches the language
through interaction, through immersion [...] is
absolutely perfect.”
Kendall King, Ph.D., Author of “The Bilingual Edge” &
Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Georgetown
University, BBC Radio 5 Live
• Of course, there are LOTS of Apps out there
which will offer some language support.
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Community Support
Myth Buster 6
Frequent questions that may concern you and things people will ask you
School
• Are there any bilingual schools locally?
• Does your child’s school offer another language?
(This is becoming compulsory in English Primary
Schools from age 7 in September 2014)
• How does the school teach foreign languages? Are
they very proactive or is it the first thing that gets
dropped when things get busy?
• Is your child’s language teacher a specialist? Many
primary school teachers have little or no language
experience yet are given the job of teaching it! This
makes for a lot of English and not a lot of the foreign
language spoken in class.
• Does the school offer after school clubs? Perhaps in
a more unusual language?
• Lingotot can help with all of the above. We specialise
in teaching in primary schools, both as part of the
curriculum and after school. Please let us know if
you’d like us to approach your child’s school
Holidays and Outings
• Of course there’s nothing like experiencing the
language for real on a family holiday.
• Older children can benefit greatly from school visits
and exchanges.
• Not everyone has the budget for this, but you can still
introduce children to the culture with smaller local
outings; a visit to the cinema to watch a foreignlanguage
film; a French breakfast at a local café (or
at home!); a meal at a local speciality restaurant.
• 21st Century Penpals! You can search for penpals
online, write emails, chat on
• Skype. The world really is on your doorstep.
When you make the decision to raise your child with a second language there will be lots of questions from those
around you. Some people will be utterly enthusiastic, while others remain more sceptical and will ask you for more
information. You may share some of their concerns deep-down.
Here are some common myths, followed by the actual truth so you can answer their (and your own!) questions with
confidence.
Myth 1
Myth 2
Myth 3
Myth 4
Only native speakers can raise their child with two languages
At Lingotot we firmly believe this not to be the case. Raising a bilingual child in the UK is tough for even
bilingual parents. English is “cool”, it enjoys a high status and here in the UK we don’t often hear other
languages being spoken around us. Not all bilingual parents raise bilingual children. Monolingual
parents face the same obstacles and with careful planning, dedication and effort. It can be done.
There are lots of resources to help you and I hope we’ve given you lots of ideas in this short eBook.
I’ve left it too late!
It’s never too late to learn another language. Yes there are benefits to early language learning, but
please refer to Chapter 2....it’s never too late.
Bilinguals are late talkers
Children learn to speak at different rates, some earlier, some later. It’s very difficult to tell. However
there is no scientific evidence to show that being exposed to two or more languages in the early years
delays speech development. All children develop speech at about the same time.
Bilingual children mix up their languages
Maybe a little, yes, but so do all children! Listen to a two-year-old just starting to put sentences
together. They get things mixed up for a little bit while their brain figures out the structure of the
language. This is what a bilingual child is doing too, it just sounds weird to us listening in as they
sometimes mix vocabulary and grammar from the two languages together. They all grow out of it.
It is a passing phase.
Myth 5
Stick them in front of the TV and they’ll pick it up!
NO!! Children need to have meaningful interaction in the language to learn it properly. They need a
human being. I ask you again to watch Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies Television does
have its place and can support language learning, but it does not teach.
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Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
Get Started! 7
So what are you waiting for? This is an
exciting time for your child and your whole
family. Please remember to seek out
support and make an action plan. And
don’t forget that Lingotot is here to help.
Some points to remember...
You need the whole family to be fully on board.
What do you do if your partner doesn’t want you
speaking to your child in a language he doesn’t
understand? An insecure spouse may fear being
excluded from “the secret language” between the other
parent and the child. Discuss and compromise. It is very
important that couples find an acceptable solution
Have a practical plan.
Agree on who speaks what language to whom and then
stick to it. Think carefully about your own language skills,
support systems, childcare etc - everything covered
in Chapter 5. Make a timetable if helps to keep you on
track.
Build a support network.
This is probably the most underestimated success
factor, so find others who are raising their children to
speak your language. Your local Lingotot class is perfect
for this. You’ll benefit from their knowledge and be able
to share both your doubts and your triumphs. Books,
music, movies, and toys in your minority language are
the most obvious ways to boost your child’s exposure.
Re-read Chapter 4!
Be patient.
Raising bilingual children requires patience, and there
are going to be times when doubt sneaks in. As with
most aspects of parenting, it’s a long term commitment
and there will be ups and downs. Always praise, praise,
and then praise some more! Know that when your child
says something in the foreign language, you’ll almost cry
with pride. At that moment, it won’t matter that it took
some extra effort or that you had to wait a bit for the
result.
A mouse saved her young from a
ferocious cat by barking, “Bowwow.”
After the cat ran away,
the mouse said to her offspring,
“See, children, it pays to know a
second language.”
Efstathiadis, circa AD 93
BONNE CHANCE!
Angela
Lingotot Guide to Early Language Learning
www.lingotot.com
0845 680 8148
Copyright © 2013 by Lingotot Ltd. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system - without permission in writing
from the publisher.
Photographs © www.punch-photography.co.uk
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