pmegan Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 I would like to start my daughter on a foreign language long before TWTM suggests starting. I'm thinking more like kindergarten. Has anyone else done this? I guess I just don't see the point in waiting, if it's done in a fun and non-intensive way. She could take one class a week locally, and we could hire a tutor for 2 more hours a week. Did anyone start foreign languages early? When, and how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Early is good. My dd2 has picked up so much Spanish from Dora the Explorer DVD's and books it got me thinking about how quickly and painlessly the little ones pick up another language! I've started to get popular children's books written in Spanish out of the library to read to her and other kids DVD's in Spanish for her to watch. Pretty soon she'll be out-speaking her big sis who is starting a more "formal" spanish program! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmegan Posted May 3, 2008 Author Share Posted May 3, 2008 Do you think it would be worth it to start her early? Part of me wants to start as early as possible, because 1) it would be easier for her and 2) the earlier we start the more fun I think it would be, because it would be all about singing songs and playing games. But the other part of me doesn't want to be ridiculous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Well, having absolutely no experience with this (except my dd2 and Dora!), it's hard to say. I hope somebody who teaches language early or has a bi-lingual home will chime in! For my dd, it's all so natural. We read books anyway. She watches DVD's anyway. Never having really "taught" a language to my young children, I feel awkward dishing out any advice! (I really just wanted to bump up your post! :)). I will say that it makes sense. It doesn't sound ridiculous for several reasons. At this age and earlier, dc are like little sponges. They learn so much, so fast at this age! And, it's not like "learning" for them. It's all in the course of a day. It's fun. They WANT to learn. They are so curious and so proud of themselves when they learn something new. I'd say go for it and have fun! Wish I could recommend a course of action/study. But, like I said, I hope somebody w/ experience chimes in to really help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia in WA Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 I am bilingual. I spoke Spanish at home and English at school. I am fluent in both with no accent in either. The sooner the better. Go for it! I did a poor job of teaching my own children early on, but that is a whole other post...... HTHs, Patricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Kids are wired to learn language, it's not possible to start too soon. Anyone who says otherwise ought to be grilled to find out their source of information. ;) Children being brought up bilingually tend to have smaller vocabs in each language than a monolingual child, but a larger vocab if you add up both languages. You really don't have to worry about them mixing up languages or anything like that, because it's a normal part of language learning. Monolingual kids don't get it right first try either. I'm really happy my daughter has re-classified my breasts (she's breastfed) to "na-na" like all other food items, instead of "da" which was the term used for horses, dogs, cats and cows (as well as my breasts.) For her second language, she still hasn't got the sign for "dad" but at least she isn't using the sign for "toilet" to mean "dad" anymore. I understand the confusion, they have lots of father/daughter conversations about toilets. I'm not sure if it's a daddy thing or if it's just her dad... :) Rosie- bringing up a bilingual daughter, and studied bilingual theories at uni. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kissy Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 My son was bilingual..as a baby he learned english and vietnamese (his dad is vietnamese). It was easy for him to pick up and he spoke english at my house for the most part. I have been told that early learning a different language opens a part of the brain that is not normally used until later. It helps them learn better sooner. It is really easy to teach a child a second language early if you use the language too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabeth in IL Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Birth is a good time to start a foreign language! :D In my linguistics class at College, they said that a child/baby can learn up to 3 languages at one time without confusing them. Of course it will be harder for them to learn the language if you don't speak it at home or if they don't get enough exposure to the second language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megsy Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 I think we're starting Rosetta Stone with our kids this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 I would like to start my daughter on a foreign language long before TWTM suggests starting. I'm thinking more like kindergarten. Has anyone else done this? I guess I just don't see the point in waiting, if it's done in a fun and non-intensive way. She could take one class a week locally, and we could hire a tutor for 2 more hours a week. Did anyone start foreign languages early? When, and how? Studies say the sooner the better, so if you're up for it, I would begin as soon as it is feasible for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaltman25 Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 I agree that early is good, we have had DS watchign foreign language videos for his age group since about 6mos of age. We are just going to start him on a PS program this Fall...but kids are language sponges when they are young, even if he isn't speaking fluently, or in a 'formal' program for language, I feel it is giving him a good solid foundation for when we are ready to start a language program! ETA - Muzzy is a great FL program for early learners (and older) http://www.early-advantage.com/ YOU can preview it at your local library before you buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riada Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 We are doing spanish with our 3rd grade, K, and pre-K children. They seem to be soaking it up rather impressively, all three of them. So I would say that early is great! We are doing like you said, just going slow and making it fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra314 Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 We are introducing Spanish to our 2 yr old toddler. Our 8 yr old speaks Spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleahey Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 A great deal of my education/life has been focused on linguistics and language acquisition. In my experience of teaching languages, I believe that young children learn languages faster simply because they are less afraid of making mistakes and embarrassing themselves. It's also much more difficult to learn to speak any language without an accent if it is begun later in life. In short, the sooner, the better. Just keep it fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningirl71 Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 and what I learned is that all humans have the ability to speak all sounds that exist, IF exposed to them. That is why studies say kids can pick up on languages quicker. If they are exposed while young, they will get used to those sounds and be able to pronounce them. I think it is great if you want to expose your kids at a young age to another language. Kids learn through play and having fun and language can be the same way. But, kids will not truly learn and retain language without ALOT of effort from the parent. True, kids pick up language and learn quickly, but I bet many of those studies will show that the kids studied were immersed in the 2nd language. We lived overseas for 10 years and I spent a lot of time and effort for my kids to be bilingual in English and Korean. We put them in a Korean preschool and they had friends over daily. Within 6 months to a year, they were speaking like the Korean kids. But, if I hadn't taken the effort to put them in preschool and to invite friends over, it may not have happened or would have happened much slower. To really work/learn at a language I believe exposure needs to be daily. You'll also have to think about what your goals are and if the outcome is worth the input. If you spend a lot of time on this (put her in a class and get a tutor) you'll have to remember it isn't going to be easy and it will take a lot of effort on your part to make it all happen, and it won't get easier as your dc get older and their studies get more intense. I don't want to be the discouraging one in this thread, b/c I DO believe there are many benefits to learning a language and I wish there were more opportunities to do so in the States! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Do you think it would be worth it to start her early? Part of me wants to start as early as possible, because 1) it would be easier for her and 2) the earlier we start the more fun I think it would be, because it would be all about singing songs and playing games. But the other part of me doesn't want to be ridiculous! Well, that site is completely hilarious, and totally full of sh*t. I wouldn't let some jaded blogger discourage you from teaching your kids anything. I mean, for pete's sake, this is a site full of people teaching their kids Latin! I can only imagine what the blogger would have to say about that :smilielol5: If you can find a good class for your Ker that she enjoys and doesn't feel stressed about, why not start her? We're introducing French using fun materials next year (first grade), but if she hates it or feels pressured by it, we'll stop. Whatever. I've already introduced a video called Bonjour Les Amis, and both girls have watched it a total of three times. Yesterday, while on the potty, my 2-year-old shocked me by singing the Sur le Pont d'Avignon song, and was tickled pink by my reaction. If you want to start now, by all means, go for it, but let your daughter lead. (And yes, we do in fact sing and speak French phrases around the house for fun, and I love jazz AND the New York Times. I wonder what the penalty is? My brown-skinned husband will have to fill me in :D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmegan Posted May 3, 2008 Author Share Posted May 3, 2008 Well, that site is completely hilarious, and totally full of sh*t. I wouldn't let some jaded blogger discourage you from teaching your kids anything. I mean, for pete's sake, this is a site full of people teaching their kids Latin! I can only imagine what the blogger would have to say about that :smilielol5: lol, touchee! Good point :) All of the responses here have really encouraged me to take the leap. There is an immersion preschool near me. It is, sadly, not cheap... but it might be something to check out. Otherwise, there are group classes once a week starting at age 4, and I could find a tutor to "supplement" once or twice a week. Just thinking out loud. Thank you everyone for your responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillcrest Academy Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 In the first year of life, a baby's brain is wired to learn the sounds of a language. Our kids are learning the sounds of English for a whole year before they actually begin using it. During this year, it is also possible for their brains to absorb the sounds of other languages, so exposing them to songs, rhymes, lullaby's etc in another language is extremely beneficial. For the next few years they are language sponges! Any exposure, including intentional or formal, to another language is an extremely beneficial thing. As we get older, our ability to assimilate language decreases. All that to say, the earlier the better! Case in point would be those little ones blessed to be raised in a bilingual home. They have no trouble at all separating one language from another, and maintain fluency in both languages all their lives. My nieces are blessed to be raised with English and Spanish (although they won't be home schooled.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted May 4, 2008 Share Posted May 4, 2008 She does Rosetta Stone Spanish. She does really well with it though I did have the company show me how to turn off the typing portion of the program because her hands were too little to type in accents and tildas that the program requires be correct or won't move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmegan Posted May 4, 2008 Author Share Posted May 4, 2008 DS 6 months :D ~ Slow & Steady, French for Babies :D (and I said I would never do anything before my kids hit 4. Ha!) What is "French for babies"? Do you like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoSylvia Posted May 4, 2008 Share Posted May 4, 2008 As others have written it is best to start teaching your child foreign languages early because they are wired to learn it now. The window of learning languages actually begins to close at four and is basically closed at twelve. If you are wondering about some more personal experiences. Since we love to travel, my husband and I have foreign languages as a high priority. I have a degree in French and have been speaking to him in both languages since he was a toddler. Don't let that fool you though because my language skills aren't great and my vocabulary is pitifully small. I supplemented with Muzzy which I think is wonderful. (I believe one of the keys to Muzzy is the parent watching it with the child, whether or not the parent can speak the second language. It tells the child that this is truly important.) Some of the fears I have seen most often with people who are trying this is their lack of a foreign language themselves or if they do speak it they think their skills are not good enough. I have read enough and now experienced enough to know that those things are not as important as we'd like to think. If your skills aren't that great, your child can overcome it. It is important in that case, of course, to add instruction beyond just you speaking with your child. (Sometimes I spend about 30 seconds fixing the sentence I just spoke. The child can learn all through that. If you think about it you also do that in English, fixing me versus I, and others.) Also, if your skills aren't great often you will stay within the boundaries of what you know and that is fine because in all languages the most used set of vocabulary is actually not that large. As far as my experience, I have been amazed at my son's attitude toward language. Because of my limited French vocab he is used to me reaching for the dictionary to find a word, so much so that he expects it, will bring the dictionary to me and will also just ask me extra words. If you don't speak a foreign language at all, learning with your child is such a great example. (I assume as a homeschooler that you are planning to learn some as well, if not, my guess is that you will keep dc in outside lessons anyway.) As a side note, I highly recommend Michel Thomas for adult learners. I have lots of great foreign language teaching tools and his method is by the far the best. I am now learning German with him and I can tell that he sees it as a matter of course that a dictionary is part of life, part of any language. We play with our new German at breakfast and I can tell that he is trying to work within the boundaries of language that he has, talking with his small vocab base. He knows it is practice. To sum up, I am agreeing so much with what has already been written. It is best to start as soon as you think of it. No matter what level or amount of exposure you can provide it is all worth it, there is no detriment that I can see, only benefits. Sorry if I rambled and I hope I have added a bit to the wisdom already shared by the others. BTW, pmegan we must stop meeting like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmegan Posted May 4, 2008 Author Share Posted May 4, 2008 Sorry if I rambled and I hope I have added a bit to the wisdom already shared by the others. Thank you for your advice, and it was very interesting! I'm really afraid my french is too far gone, but I do try. We listen to french podcasts every day, which is probably doing me more good than her, as it really is bringing some stuff back into my head. I've made it a rule not to watch TV, but everyone seems to really like Muzzy (not just here... I've heard only good things everywhere!) so maybe we'll give that a go. BTW, pmegan we must stop meeting like this. I have some links for you... http://core.roehampton.ac.uk/digital/froebelindex.htm http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/browse?type=lcsubc&key=Object-teaching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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