Family Language Learning is a practical guide designed to support, advise and encourage any parents who are hoping to raise their children bilingually. It is unique in that it focuses on parents who are not native speakers of a foreign language. It gives parents the tools they need to cultivate and nurture their own language skills while giving their children an opportunity to learn another language. The book combines cutting-edge research on language exposure with honest and often humorous stories from personal interviews with families speaking a foreign language at home. By dispelling long-held myths about how language is learned, it provides hope to parents who want to give their children bilingual childhoods, but feel they don't know where to start with learning a foreign language.
The best time to learn a second language is as a child. During childhood, the brain is more receptive to language learning than at any other time in life. Aware that a second language can enrich their child's understanding of other cultures and bring future job opportunities in a world drawn ever closer by globalization, many parents today are motivated to raise their children bilingual. This book helps parents in both monolingual and multilingual families determine and achieve their bilingual goals for their child, whether those goals are understanding others, the ability to speak a second language, reading and/or writing in two languages, or some combination of all of these. The authors explain how the brain learns more than one language, explode common myths, address frequently asked questions, and reveal an array of resources available to families. Packed with insightful anecdotes and powerful strategies, this is a one-of-a-kind guidebook for those seeking to provide their children with a uniquely valuable experience.
For most immigrant parents in America today, raising bilingual children is not a choice or a decision, but rather a way of life. Yet teaching children their parents’ native language often comes second to ensuring they are proficient in English so they can thrive in school and later reach leadership positions in the workplace. In addition, the task of teaching two (or more) languages can be overwhelming, leaving many of us wondering where to start. Raising Bilingual Children is here to help with easy, practical steps for children of every age and stage in life. Author and parenting expert Mari Bellas provides answers to questions such as: What do I do when my five-year-old doesn’t want to speak Spanish at home? My husband doesn’t speak Korean, so how do we find common ground to raise our kids with two languages? My child is two years old and not speaking in either of the two languages we speak at home—should I be concerned? Whether your native language is Spanish, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, or French, it is natural to want our children to communicate in the language we were born with. Raising Bilingual Children is the ultimate guidebook for busy parents looking for advice and direction about the everyday challenges and joys of raising a bilingual child.
Does your family or community speak more than one language? Do you wonder how to help your children successfully learn or keep those languages? Do you want your children to have the gift of bilingualism and aren’t sure where to start – or how to keep going? Every multilingual family has unique language needs. Bilingual Families is a guide for you and your family. It combines academic research with practical advice to cover the essential elements in successful bilingual and multilingual development. Use this book to: Learn about language goals – and how to set them Create a 'living' family language plan that develops and grows with your family Learn how to talk about multilingualism with your children and other key people in your children's life, like teachers and relatives Recognise when you might need further support An indispensable guide for your family’s language journey.
Have you ever been told that raising your child to speak multiple languages will harm their development? Are teachers or other professionals suspicious of your efforts? Are you sometimes unsure if you are helping your child’s language development, or are you uncertain where to start? It is increasingly recognised among researchers that, far from harming a child’s development, being exposed to multiple languages from birth or early childhood can result in linguistic, creative and social advantages. The authors, all multilinguals themselves, parents of multilingual children, and researchers on language and multilingualism, aim to provide advice and inspiration for multilingual families across the world. The latest research on multilingualism and the authors’ own experiences are used to provide a friendly, accessible guide to raising and nurturing happy multilingual children.
Today’s children need to develop a global mindset – an indispensable tool for success. Together, as parents and educators, we must instill in our children an interest in learning about the world early on. Raising Global Children provides the rationale and concrete steps you can take to open up the world to young people – and to do so in a fun and entertaining way without spending a whole lot of money. Packed with practical information, hundreds of tips and dozens of real-life stories, this combination parenting-educational advocacy book is the first of its kind to detail what raising global children means, why global awareness is important and how to develop a global mindset. Inside the pages of Raising Global Children, the authors make a strong case for the importance of both small and big ways that adults can influence and shape the development of a global mindset in children, including: Encouraging curiosity, empathy, flexibility and independence Supporting learning a second language as early as possible Exploring culture through books, food, music and friends Expanding a child’s world through travel at home and abroad Helping teens to spread their own global wings Advocating for teaching global education in schools Enthusiastically praised by parents and professionals alike, Raising Global Children is filled with inspiring advice that will change the way you think about raising and educating children. Raising Global Children is published by The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), which is dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. Find out more at www.actfl.org. PRAISE: “In the increasingly interconnected and competitive world that our young people find themselves in, Stacie and Mike Berdan’s Raising Global Children is one sure fire way for today’s busy parents to help give their kids a step up and get ahead.” —Curtis S. Chin, former U.S. Ambassador and international business executive "Raising Global Children is an essential guide for preparing our children for a successful future in a globally competitive and interconnected world, one that is far different than the world we grew up in." —Diane Gulyas, President of DuPont Performance Polymers "Raising Global Children is a book for parents who know the world is changing and want their children to experience it, embrace it and benefit from it. It is a must have guide for bringing up globally aware kids." —Carolyn Tieger, President of entrePReneur Communications, LLC “The Berdans have done an excellent job of outlining how adults can influence and shape the development of a global mindset among children. Raising Global Children clearly illustrates how parents and educators can open up the world to the young people in their lives by developing the necessary skills and attitude to fully embrace it!” —Marty Abbott, Executive Director, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
"Adam Beck, founder of the popular blog Bilingual Monkeys and the lively forum The Bilingual Zoo, provides a roadmap to greater success and joy raising bilingual kids in this practical and comprehensive guide for parents and teachers. A longtime practitioner of bilingual development in children, Beck shares the best of his personal experience as an educator and parent, offering a wealth of actionable advice in his engaging and empowering book."--page 4 of cover.
Written by an experienced language teacher and parent in a bilingual family, this book gives parents the basic information they need to support their children's bilingual language development.
'Bringing up a Bilingual Child' is aimed at (existing or soon-to-be) parents in families where more than one language is spoken, as well as anyone in the extended circle of family and friend of such multilingual families, as well as for anyone coming into contact with them. The aim of the book is to help multilingual families to create a supportive environment for children in which they naturally grow up to speak more than one language. The intention is to give you an easy-to-read-and-use guide to multilingual parenting, providing motivation, ideas, advice and answers to any questions parents may have.
Bilingual Success Stories Around the World is a real-life roadmap to greater success and joy for any parent raising bilingual or multilingual children. Written by Adam Beck, author of the popular guide Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability.
