Myths of Raising Bilingual Children
I never thought I would ever raise bilingual kids or someday maybe even multilingual kids but here we are living in Northern Norway where are kids are speaking both English and Norwegian. Although I have to be perfectly honest our oldest’s Norwegian is far better than his English even though English was his first language. In terms of our daughter, she is picking up more and more English every day but knows I understand Norwegian so on occasion reverts back to Norwegian when she can’t think of the right word. There are tons of challenges raising bilingual kids but today I’m not going to talk about those and everyone around you will have an opinion on how to do it. Today I am going to talk about some of the myths out there surrounding raising bilingual and multilingual kids.
Bilingual children can face numerous challenges as they grow up but here are the 4 myths that are normally associated with raising bilingual children.
Myths of Raising Bilingual Children
Myth 1: Only Speak Your Language
Well, part of this myth comes with the territory, as everyone has an opinion on how you should be raising your family. However, no situation is ever the same. Just like no family is ever the same. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me to only speak English to my kids. To take it further I should only speak English to my kids since that is my mother tongue. However, seeing as I am trying to learn Norwegian, and the best way to learn more is to practice, this is really difficult. Everyone tells you different ways to raise bilingual kids. You have to do what is right for you and your family and your situation.
Myth 2: Switching Between Languages will Confuse Your Children
This is probably the one I hear most of all when telling others my children are bilingual or are learning both English and Norwegian. On occasion our kids will mix languages and sitting at the dinner table can be quite interesting sometimes. Our son normally speaks English to me and Norwegian to his father. But sometimes he will start a sentence in English while looking at me and finish it in Norwegian. In the beginning, it was really hard to understand him as I didn’t speak Norwegian. Now I just go with it. This is how they learn. If they can’t find the right word in English they will tell me in Norwegian or ask their father. We then tell them what it is in English and make them repeat the entire sentence.
Myth 3: Children Learning Multiple Languages at Home will Have Delayed Language Skills
Every child is different. Our son was an early talker. On the other hand, our daughter was “late” at everything. She just wanted to do things at her own pace. This third myth I hear all the time…. Won’t learning so many languages cause language delays or communication problems? Just like my daughter (who was just learning one language at the time) wanted to take her time and do things at her own pace, every single child is different. Whether they are learning one language or three they will do it at their own pace. Bilingual children might prefer one language over another and may not be fluent in either at the same time as a single language user. This isn’t because of language delays this is because they are learning twice as many words.
Myth 4: Children will become Bilingual in no tiime without Hard Work and Effort
Young children do learn foreign languages much easier than adults however it is not without work or effort. If you expect a child to learn a second language and have a firm grasp on it you can’t just count on Youtube or the TV, it’s not going to work. Just like with everything they have to be exposed to it in different ways. It takes a little bit of structure and planning. However, with the right environment and plan kids will become sponges and soak up the language. For example, when we moved to Norway our oldest didn’t speak a single word of Norwegian, so we enrolled him in Barnehagen (Kindergarten) and before Christmas, he was caught up with his peers (he was 4 at the time).
There are so many myths out there surrounding bilingual children and this is just the top four that I have experienced or people have brought up to me. The most important thing to remember is that every single child is different, with unique challenges and problems. With this, you have to do what works for your child and your family. Don’t let other people tell you what you are doing wrong. Do what is right for you.
Do you have a bilingual child? Have you raised bilingual or multilingual children? What are your tips, tricks, and experiences?