Our daughter’s grandparents speak fluent Chinese. Whenever we visit them or when they babysit, we encourage them to speak to her in Chinese. Even at this age, she is able to express her manners and point out body parts in both English and Mandarin. We feel that it is important for our daughter to maintain her heritage. It is also just one small thing we can do to encourage her development on another level.
Carla Snuggs encourages parents to begin teaching multiple languages. “As their soft palates form, children have the ability to form the sounds correctly and, therefore
, learn any language. ‘They learn multiple languages in a parallel path instead of “translating†from their native language at a later age. They learn to think in multiple languages and be fluent much more easily…’” It seems that there really is no age that is too early to start teaching multiple languages.
One of the keys to her success in learning both English and Chinese (and what little sign-language I am picking up on top of that!) is for her to be exposed to both languages frequently. She needs to hear as well as speak them often. When I sign the word for “thank you,” I ask her to reply with the same. When her dad or grandparents sign “thank you,” they have her respond with “xia xia.” We carry flashcards in the back of our car with pictures and the pronunciations of the words in both languages. When we travel, we show her the cards and repeat both versions of the word. I am currently researching for CDs with children’s nursery rhymes and songs in Chinese as well. Since our daughter loves music, she will be delighted to hear any words that come out with a familiar tune. While, as a general rule I don’t allow our daughter to watch too much television, the one cartoon she is allowed to see if it’s on is Ni Hao, Kai Lan!
Honestly, I’m hoping all of this exposure for my daughter can help me improve my language skills as well!
Realizing that we are living in a world that is getting smaller every day, the more this next generation of leaders can relate, the more they can accomplish. With the availability to learn so much at their fingertips, today’s children will truly make this melting pot of a world one familiar neighborhood.
Read more from Carla Snuggs: Multiple Languages in Preschool: Teaching Foreign Languages to Children Should Begin Early
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/hlkljgk/911016819
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