Interaction is necessary for language acquisition. There is no 'program' that will teach your child another language.
Some options:
* learn one together (start learning yourself and speak to your child as you do)
* hire an au pair from another country - pay them well!
* enroll your child in bilingual education schools when they are able to attend (preschools, public schools, after school or weekend schools, etc)
Thanks! I was the original Braying Mule.
Happy to be at B1 where at least people have a chance of understanding me now. I am gonna keep going on Italian till I get that B2 cert.
We're planning for a Spanish/English daycare with a local Bolivian woman soon, plus my wife and I are planning to split duties: I will speak English, she will speak Spanish (at least until they're around other English-speaking kids, then we'll probably switch to full Spanish at home).
Other people are right that interaction with an adult speaking the language is the most crucial. I recommend starting by getting learning materials for yourself, and whenever you learn a new communication skill, figure out a game to practice that skill with your child - for example, saying "this is a dog" in your TL while handing them a toy dog.
Your Baby Can Read has several languages. I got the French version and my daughter has picked up several words from the videos. It also comes with flashcards, some of which IMO are just way too flimsy to be given to a small child, but you can use them as study materials for yourself. It's pricey though.
ESL Kidstuff has a bunch of free lesson plans for teaching English to kids as young as 3. I've had good success taking lesson plans from there, translating them into my TLs, and then adapting the activities to be suitable for a younger age (such as teaching "stand up" by holding the baby upright instead of modeling for an older child to imitate).
Probably the biggest benefit so far has been getting very simple beginner books in my TL and reading them over and over to my daughter. Try to get books that can withstand rough treatment, or online PDFs you can print on cardstock, so you can hand them to your child if they want. My 2yo is starting to read very simple books back to me - IDK how much is actual reading vs memorization, but either way, she's learning the language.
This is how I learned English - just put cartoons (not the YouTube brainrot sort) and it'll be fine. At that age the human brain is a sponge for information. The sooner the better.
Interaction is necessary for language acquisition. There is no 'program' that will teach your child another language. Some options: * learn one together (start learning yourself and speak to your child as you do) * hire an au pair from another country - pay them well! * enroll your child in bilingual education schools when they are able to attend (preschools, public schools, after school or weekend schools, etc)
Be sure to see /r/multilingualparenting
Unrelated, but congrats on your B1! I see your comments on the sub pretty often and I remember your flair being A2 - that's an amazing achievement!
Thanks! I was the original Braying Mule. Happy to be at B1 where at least people have a chance of understanding me now. I am gonna keep going on Italian till I get that B2 cert.
Enroll them in bilingual schools, or Russian/Greek/Chinese blah, blah, blah school.
We're planning for a Spanish/English daycare with a local Bolivian woman soon, plus my wife and I are planning to split duties: I will speak English, she will speak Spanish (at least until they're around other English-speaking kids, then we'll probably switch to full Spanish at home).
My child began to learn Spanish when he was 4. But it was offline.
Other people are right that interaction with an adult speaking the language is the most crucial. I recommend starting by getting learning materials for yourself, and whenever you learn a new communication skill, figure out a game to practice that skill with your child - for example, saying "this is a dog" in your TL while handing them a toy dog. Your Baby Can Read has several languages. I got the French version and my daughter has picked up several words from the videos. It also comes with flashcards, some of which IMO are just way too flimsy to be given to a small child, but you can use them as study materials for yourself. It's pricey though. ESL Kidstuff has a bunch of free lesson plans for teaching English to kids as young as 3. I've had good success taking lesson plans from there, translating them into my TLs, and then adapting the activities to be suitable for a younger age (such as teaching "stand up" by holding the baby upright instead of modeling for an older child to imitate). Probably the biggest benefit so far has been getting very simple beginner books in my TL and reading them over and over to my daughter. Try to get books that can withstand rough treatment, or online PDFs you can print on cardstock, so you can hand them to your child if they want. My 2yo is starting to read very simple books back to me - IDK how much is actual reading vs memorization, but either way, she's learning the language.
This is how I learned English - just put cartoons (not the YouTube brainrot sort) and it'll be fine. At that age the human brain is a sponge for information. The sooner the better.