Activities to Teach a Child to be Bilingual
Language plays an enormous role in cognitive development, which is the development of the ability to think and solve problems. Our brains use language to arrange abstract thoughts.
Research has shown that bilingualism promotes abstract thinking. Young children are far better equipped to learn a foreign language than older youth. Children learn more readily when the learning is interesting and engaging. Repetition is a key factor in learning a second language. The more time children spend hearing the language and participating in its usage, the more likely they will successfully acquire a second language.
For more information please read:
The stages of development in speech and language in bilingual children.
While technology offers many useful methods of teaching toddlers bilingualism, parents can support their child’s language development with many activities. Researchers have found that human interaction is the best method for fostering both first and second language development. There are many creative techniques to engage toddlers in playful activities that are wonderful opportunities to expose them to a second language.
Here is an adaptive keyboard called comfy keyboard that I have used for many years as a Speech Pathologist. It encourages imitation, vocabulary development, understanding of cause and effect and hours of fun engaging learning experiences.
It plugs into your computer with a USB cable. The children I work with love the CD that comes with the keyboard as well as MY HOME, MY IMAGINATION, MY COLORS and WORLD of COLORS software. Each program can be set to 3 different levels and on many different languages. I highly recommend this product.
Young children love songs, nursery rhymes and lullabies. From a linguistic point of view these are also wonderful. Rhymes expose a child to a lot of words, expressions and rhythms that help train the ear to listen for and distinguish differences between similar sounds. The ability to master subtle differences in sounds that have similar, yet different components in any language, is an essential aspect of learning to speak, read and write in that language.
Sing-along CD’s or cassettes are a great tool to aid in the development of language in toddlers. An accompanying story book will help to make the experience even more interactive and build the child’s language comprehension. Using a bouncing ball, having them jump on a mini-trampoline, dance, or swinging on a swing set, or using soap bubbles, can also help entertain a toddler while repeating songs or rhymes, transforming the learning experience into fun playtime.
Reading to children is a remarkable booster for language input. Reading books and telling stories in a new language in which you are fluent, will help build a child’s reading skills and increase their ability to use the language. The books pictures will help build the child’s vocabulary and comprehension. Establishing a regular reading time activity with young children will also strengthen the child’s ability to listen and create strong family bonds.
The use of flash cards is a great way to build a child’s vocabulary, even at a very early age. Florescent flash cards stimulate memory retention and the bright colors are attractive to children. Tagging household furniture and objects will help a child to recognize words and build a vocabulary. The cards can be color coordinated so that the primary language is written on one color flash card and the secondary language is written on a different color, making distinction between the two languages easier.
As a child begins to recognize the objects around the house, engaging them in a treasure hunt is an entertaining way of building their skills. By posting the flash cards as clues leading them from one object to the next, the child is challenged to figure out each location of a hidden object.
Flash cards can also be used to identify fruits, vegetables and other food items. A child can be given a choice of items to choose from at snack time to help associate words and their meaning. They will also be learning from their other senses of taste, smell and touch. Dinnertime and grocery shopping can be transformed into fun learning experiences while advancing bilingual skills.
Visiting your local craft store can help supply items to learn colors, shapes, sizes, textures and counting skills. Using items such as stickers or foam shapes can provide activities for a toddler, while giving additional opportunities to engage them in learning new words to expand their vocabulary.
Family vacations or trips to unique places are also opportunities to take advantage of playful learning. For instance, if a vacation to a beach is planned, exposing a child to a book with pictures of items found at the beach will prepare them to look for those items and identify them. Children love discovery and learn through association. Seeing a sea shell in a picture or sticker will make it more exciting to the child to find a real shell at the beach.
Incorporating bilingualism and multiculturalism through playful activities with a toddler will help the child identify positively with the language. Knowing a second language is truly a gift worth giving a child and will result in lifelong benefits.