A bilingual upbringing is more central today than ever. This is not only because there are more international couples, where one parent speaks a different language than the other. Parents are also more interested in multilingualism because they themselves travel more or work in an international setting.
However, a bilingual upbringing also brings some challenges and questions. Are you wondering how you can raise your child in another language? With this handy overview, you can get started on raising your child with bilingualism.
Why choose a bilingual education?
A bilingual upbringing offers many advantages at any age. For example, researchers have made many important findings in children who are exposed to multiple languages from an early age.
A study shows that the brains of multilingual children develop differently. These children make several connections, which means that the brain has to work harder to find the right one. For example, pronouncing 'dog' activates associations in two languages in a multilingual child. The brain then searches for the right answer in the right language. Because of this brain activity, their brain is more flexible.
Multilingualism also has many advantages in later life. Speakers of several languages can focus better and remember more information. Well-developed cognitive skills make it easier for them to jump between tasks.
Being multilingual of course also opens a lot of doors for your child's choice of study and job. With a high level of English, they can later study abroad, do an international internship or work for a multinational.
How do you raise your child bilingual?
A distinction is made between two types of multilingual education: simultaneous or successive. The choice depends on your own language skills, but also on the age and personality of your child.
In simultaneous bilingual parenting, a child is immersed in both languages from birth. One parent speaks Dutch, for example, while the other speaks English. Children's brains are very flexible and can quickly pick up on these differences. However, a good knowledge of English is very important, both in terms of spelling and grammar. This will prevent your child from learning incorrect sounds, words or sentence structures.
In successive bilingual parenting, the language is not offered until a later age, such as at school or at a language camp. So your child already has a good foundation in the mother tongue before another language is learned. For many parents, this is a convenient solution. Your child learns another language easily, quickly and flawlessly.
Frequently asked questions about bilingual education
Won't my child be confused by the two languages?
Children can learn and understand and apply rules very quickly. They easily adapt their language to the person or situation, even without realizing it. For example, a child may speak English with one parent and Dutch with another. Language may also be location-specific. For example, they may realize that they speak Dutch at home, but communicate in English at school.
It is possible that, in the beginning, they will use Dutch words in an English sentence, or vice versa. However, this stops when the children grow up and gain experience with the languages.
I don't speak English very well myself. Is it still a good idea to speak English?
If you yourself speak only a limited second language, it is better to just speak Dutch. It is especially important to give them a good foundation in their mother tongue. They use that foundation to acquire and anchor the second language. They then learn the second language, such as English, with teachers or monitors, for example at school or at day camp.
Will my child learn both languages well?
For language acquisition, it is best to start offering both languages as early as possible. The younger they start learning another language, the more likely they are to pick up both languages as mother tongues.
