Dear Eva,

I’m not a Mom– I’m just an amazing Aunt (tooting my horn).   I was wondering how you keep your baby Bilingual, and if you have any tips on achieving that!

– Ms. Bilingual Curious

Dear Ms. Bilingual Curious,

I love that you’re an amazing Aunt! It’s great when kids have other people in the family they feel close to and depend on! 😉  Yes, Marlowe is bilingual!  If you follow me on Snapchat (I’m “HappilyEva” on there) you will see that we speak to Marlowe in both English and Spanish, and she speaks to us in both languages as well.  In fact, her very first word was “agua”!

All of this is a result of a decision Kyle and I made together when I was pregnant.  Let me back up a minute– I should probably explain that I grew up bilingual as well, speaking both English and Italian.  The result of this was that it was far easier for me to learn other languages in school, and I was able to pick up French and Spanish as well.  It was really important to me that our kids master a second language besides English, but Italian seemed a little impractical.  I knew from my own experience that the only way kids pick up a second language is consistency, consistency, CONSISTENCY.  And more consistency.  I knew I was going to be working full time after becoming a Mom, so I wasn’t going to be available to speak Italian to her all day, every day.  Living in the United States, Spanish is really our Nation’s second language.  Not only is it spoken extensively throughout our country, but it is the primary language of many countries outside the United States as well! I thought it would be great to give Marlowe such an awesome life tool.  We stuck to some basic building blocks, and Marlowe is currently speaking in both Spanish and English– with a large vocabulary in both languages!

Here are my tips for encouraging bilingual babies:

• Language Immersion Childcare:  Somebody needs to be speaking the second language to the child daily.  If it’s not a major  part of your child’s life, the language won’t stick the way you’d like it to.  Our nanny speaks to Marlowe only in Spanish, sings songs in Spanish to her, and introduces her to foods and expressions from her own country.   I think this type of consistency and immersion is critical to encouraging a bilingual child.
• If you are not the primary speaker of the second language, learn it:  This is obvious, but you need to learn to speak the language that your child is learning!  Not only for yourself, but also as a tool for your child– even if you are only able reference object names in the second language, it will help!  I learned Spanish in school, but Kyle started Rosetta Stone after Marlowe was born.
• Bilingual Books:  We have copies of some of Marlowe’s favorite books in both Spanish and English.  I read her both, and her nanny reads her both as well.  It encourages her brain to work between understanding one language and the other, within the framework of the same story.  (We are big fans of THIS and THIS)
• iPad En Español:  If your child watches Sesame Street, Minnie’s Bow Toons,  or other shows on the iPad, consider downloading the second language version.
• Reinforce vocabulary words:  When you’re pointing out items, animals, toys, or people, try using both English and Spanish words, one after another.  For example, if we are taking a walk and we see a dog, I point to it and say “Marlowe, look at that doggy! Mira el perrito, Lowie!”
• Accept setbacks:  At the end of the day, kids are kids, and they don’t necessarily want for every thing to be a lesson all the time.  Every now and then, Marlowe will totally drop her Spanish for an entire day and only speak English.  This is normal.  Let them pick it back up when they are ready and feel enthusiastic.  The worst thing you can do is make learning seem stressful or like an added pressure!

I hope these tips are helpful to you! I wish you all the best!!

xoxo
EAM