At what age have you introduced a foreign language?

[*AM*]

I am thinking of introducing a foreign language to my rising third grader.

Have you introduced Latin initially or have you opted to go with another first?

[Aurelia]

I started Spanish when Ariel was 4. I chose to go with a modern language early because it's easier for children to learn to speak it before puberty. I am considering starting Latin in a few years.

[MaMa2005]

DS started Mandarin and Spanish at age 4. I don't know when we will introduce Latin because DH has said a firm 'NO' on that language. :glare:

[Embassy]

I introduced my kids around the age of 3 or 4, but no formal instruction until they were older. We are doing Mandarin, French, Arabic, and Koine Greek. We aren't planning on Latin.

[Dmmetler]

We introduced Spanish casually from birth (DD had it as a formal class at age 4 in parochial K) and started Elementary Spanish 1/2 at age 5. DD wanted to learn Latin, so we're playing with SSL as well. She wants to do SSG next, because she's seen it on the website and in her Latin book, and I'm thinking waiting to start more formal Latin and playing with Greek wouldn't hurt anything.

[Ester Maria]

English when they were 3 and 4, Hebrew when they were about 4-5 (even though they have been hearing it even before since some of our family speaks it), Latin and Greek somewhere at 5-6 informally, and 8-9 formally; French at 13 for my older one.

[Aoife]

DS has been introduced informally to Japanese for now. I use Rosetta stone and will start him more formally around 5 when we are in our K year. For now I have CDs of native speaking children singing songs as well as books and other interesting things to look at and I also have the jump start language game for preschool that he loves to play. I plan on going into latin around K or first grade with SSL and then Latin for children.

[JenneinCA]

We are starting Japanese at a Japanese Language School in the Fall. My kids will be 6 (entering first grade), 9 (entering fifth grade) and 11 (entering seventh grade) when we start. Ideally we would have started earlier with the older kids but this is when it works for us.

 

My oldest is also starting Latin with Lone Pine in the Fall. Again it is the first time the money, time and desire have lined up.

[ourjourneys]

My husband speaks Arabic and French so our children were introduced to languages from birth. However, I am not so multi-lingual and seem to struggle just to learn basics. I began in third grade with the kids in a structured latin program and it is good because it is the foundation for so many languages and areas of study (law, medicine, etc). I think as they enter high school and college (if we keep up with latin) that some subjects will become much easier for them. (Maybe my hopes are high!? :001_huh:)

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I am starting latin this year. I will have a 7th grade, a 3rd grader, a kindergartner and a pre-schooler. I know I am late with my 7th grader but I figure better late than never! We will be doing song school latin and latin for children A

[Laura Corin]

I like to start with a modern foreign language. Hobbes started at 4; Calvin at 7.

 

Laura

[mcconnellboys]

My older son had already been doing Spanish in K and first when I brought him home, so we continued playing around with it. We dropped it during seventh and eighth grades as he tried to finish up more of his Latin programming. He did BJU's high school Spanish I in ninth grade, before going back to regular school.

 

I didn't start him in Latin work until fifth grade and he finished programming that purports to cover through high school Latin II by the time he finished ninth grade. He also had an outside Latin class one year.

 

With my younger son, we've always played around with both Latin and Spanish since he's come home to school (in first grade). He had Spanish in K, too. We've gotten more serious with our studies since fifth grade, but I have to tell you that with Spanish, the thing that I think has made the most difference is that he's been able to do a weekly class with a native speaker for several years. I added in Greek for him last year, too, because he was interested in it.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

We started French just after DD turned 4. Next summer we'll probably start German. I am planning on doing Latin, but probably around middle school. I prefer to get the modern languages down first where the accent matters.

[Rosie_0801]

English and another not foreign language (Auslan) from birth. I'm planning to send them to Saturday School for Arabic from grade one and start Latin informally the year before because their Dad thinks it's cool. Hopefully we can take French in high school.

 

Rosie

[MeganW]

I introduced my kids around the age of 3 or 4, but no formal instruction until they were older. We are doing Mandarin, French, Arabic, and Koine Greek. We aren't planning on Latin.

 

 

Do you mind sharing some of your resource choices? Seems like there are tons of videos, music CDs, books, & games for little ones in Spanish, but not much for any other languages!

Edited July 5, 2010 by MeganW

[MeganW]

We started French just after DD turned 4. Next summer we'll probably start German. I am planning on doing Latin, but probably around middle school. I prefer to get the modern languages down first where the accent matters.

 

What did you use for French? Do you have something already picked out for German?

[crazyforlatin]

I introduced Cantonese to DD5 at 1 year old, Spanish at 2, Latin at 3, Mandarin at 4 (but we haven't been consistent) and will hopefully introduce French (First Start French) within a year. It hasn't been difficult separating the languages, except sometimes she uses a Cantonese word rather than a Mandarin word.

[CathyT]

We started Spanish each child when they were about five years old. I have a friend, who used to live in Spain, who taught them and then me once they had taken it for a few years and had surpassed my knowledge of it.this fall ds, number three will begin weekly lessons.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

What did you use for French? Do you have something already picked out for German?

 

So far for French it has all been me speaking and reading to her, watching movies, and her asking me how to say "(insert a bunch of random words like interesting, dog, book, yes, chair....)" in French. This year we are starting either Nallenart French or Le Francais Facile, I haven't quite decided.

 

I don't have anything picked out yet for German, but I will probably start in the same manner. Do about 6 months of light introduction before moving into a curriculum.

[MeganW]

So far for French it has all been me speaking and reading to her, watching movies, and her asking me how to say "(insert a bunch of random words like interesting, dog, book, yes, chair....)" in French. This year we are starting either Nallenart French or Le Francais Facile, I haven't quite decided.

 

I don't have anything picked out yet for German, but I will probably start in the same manner. Do about 6 months of light introduction before moving into a curriculum.

 

Gotcha - thanks!

[Embassy]

Do you mind sharing some of your resource choices? Seems like there are tons of videos, music CDs, books, & games for little ones in Spanish, but not much for any other languages!

 

Yes, there is so much available for Spanish. I started out with Muzzy Mandarin, but would not recommend it. We have used Rosetta Stone Mandarin too, but are switching to Chinese Made Easy for Kids. It should be a better fit. You can also find lots of Mandarin resources at asianparents.com. Arabic choices were limited for me because most of the resources I found for kids were incorporated with Islamic studies. I ended up using Alif Baa. It is not for kids, but I read it and teach from there. I also use Arabic Instant Immersion. For French I have been more relaxed and have mostly used DVDs in French and French TV. I did use Ecoutez Parlez this school year, but my boys didn't like it. I'll be moving into a different program next school year.

[SnegurochkaL]

I introduced Japanese when my daughter was 6 month old. We live in US but Russian is her second language, so I am not considering it to be a foreign one. When she was 2 she introduced herself to Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, French and German by playing a language computer game ( She loved Kids speak). She started studying French formally at age of 5, did some Spanish(didn't like it) and had 6 month of Latin. German she was using among kids from German K. This year she is going to a Saturday German Language School. I wish she could attend a Japanese too but classes are scheduled at the same time with German school. So we are going to start studying Japanese and Greek in a year. This year we are just sticking with French, German, Russian and Latin. I think it will be plenty for 8 years old:)

[Mabelen]

Well, my kids have been exposed to English and Spanish from birth, because I am from Spain and we followed the One parent one language approach. We only reallly started formal study seriously around 5th grade with my oldest and I am planning to do the same with our youngest. Other than that they have also been exposed to Tamil because that is my dh's native language but they don't speak it. My oldest will take a second foreign language in her High School Junior year after she takes the Spanish AP exam in her Sophomore year and hopefully so will our youngest.