Learning languages on a walk! When learning a language, it is easiest to learn it when we hear and see the words in a context. Making the language jump off the paper is what makes us learn it. Studying by memorization is certainly one way of learning, but the truth is that we learn faster […]
Think of LANGUAGE as a toy; let go of the stress! So many people say that they wish that they could teach their children another language. The second part of that statement is almost always: “but I don’t speak anything other than English.” Understandably, it is very difficult to teach anyone a second language if […]
The easiest way for parents to become language teachers at home is through NARRATION. In your child’s opinion, you (the parent) are the most interesting thing in the house; that is unless there is a big brother or a big sister present, in which case the bigger sibling tends to steal all the attention, but […]
Do’s and Don’ts of language teaching at home! This list will be rather one-sided…. Most of the time, you should DO a lot: mainly DO SPEAK, READ and SING in another language. The DON’T list is short: DON’T CORRECT and DON’T GIVE UP! 1. DO SPEAK – even when it seems like your baby […]
How do kids learn to be bilingual? There is no simple answer to this question, and there is certainly many definitions of what it means to be bilingual. Is it simply knowing how to talk to family about every-day things, ordering food at a restaurant, and describing what you like and don’t like? Or is […]
I often get asked about how to start introducing a second language to your child. Every questions comes from a different angle because the parents that ask me that question usually come from very different backgrounds; for example some work full time and spend only the weekends and a few hours every night with their […]
Polish speakers will agree that “chrząszcz” – the Polish word for beetle – is an absolutely insane word! With 1 vowel and an astonishing 8 consonants this poor innocent word remains one of the most difficult linguistic feats. What a performance! CHRZĄSZCZ. Luckily we don’t usually talk about beetles everyday. Send in the most crazy-spelled word you […]
Languages share a tremendous amount of words. French, Spanish, and English practically share 30-40% of vocabulary, which some people (like my husband) use to their advantage by altering their accents to mimic that of French while actually speaking English. To my surprise, my husband’s strategy is actually quite effective whenever we vacation in France or […]
