Learning multiple foreign languages

[My4arrows]

My children (8, 6, 4) are each interested in learning multiple foreign languages. We have been learning German together this year and I want them to continue that (for family heritage reasons). But they also each like to add at least one language on their own. If I allow them to casually learn different la gushes on their own (using mango language, duolingo, little pic, and muzzy) along with learning the German more formally do you think this would interfere in learning the languages and be confusing or hinder progress? I'm just not ready to address the multiple languages yet from my end. As we have a lot going on right now, but I would consider teaching these languages more formally in the next year or so.

 

Also to add, language is not my gifting, but I do have at least one child, maybe two that easily picks them up.

[maize]

I'd let them go for it. Focusing intensively on one language might be more efficient, but really our brains learn best when following our interests. I'd let them do that and pick up whatever they can, while continuing more formally with the German.

[Arcadia]

Both my kids pick languages up fast but it is the follow through that is weak so we just do two formally; one is heritage and one is they pick. My DS11 wanted to add a third but realise he didn't want to spend the time yet so he shelved it.

[wintermom]

Both my kids pick languages up fast but it is the follow through that is weak so we just do two formally; one is heritage and one is they pick. My DS11 wanted to add a third but realise he didn't want to spend the time yet so he shelved it.

 

:iagree:     Making the time to work on two languages consistently is often the issue, not the desire or the capability to learn more languages. 

[Guest]

DS spent ages 4-7 learning French with Hebrew for two years and Korean for two years (one year was all three). Last year it was French and Spanish. This year he's starting over with Russian and Japanese. The only problem I've run across is that he keeps wanting to drop the last letter of the words (thank you French). He picks them up easily and it's all on him to keep himself going...although I did tell him that if he got to an easily conversant level of fluency I would take him to the country of his language for a vacation.

Since we are currently learning the alphabet/writing system in both languages, we are only spending about 30 minutes per language. Once we get past the basics, it will bump up to 45-60 minutes per lang. Every day.

Get some resources (books, apps, etc) and let them go for it :)

Edited March 18, 2016 by WendyAndMilo

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

You may like to read through this thread on the bilingual board: Too Many Languages

 

In a nutshell, no, it will not mess them up to have multiple languages going concurrently, but languages, done correctly, are a HUGE time suck.  HUGE.  And once you get past the "kid" level of the language (duolingo and the other resources you mentioned), you are really screwed if you don't speak it and can't afford a tutor.  

 

.... so said the woman who is running three languages (two I speak and one done independently) because I am legally required to... and who is feeling the drain on our school time!  

 

 

[My4arrows]

You may like to read through this thread on the bilingual board: Too Many Languages

 

In a nutshell, no, it will not mess them up to have multiple languages going concurrently, but languages, done correctly, are a HUGE time suck. HUGE. And once you get past the "kid" level of the language (duolingo and the other resources you mentioned), you are really screwed if you don't speak it and can't afford a tutor.

 

.... so said the woman who is running three languages (two I speak and one done independently) because I am legally required to... and who is feeling the drain on our school time!

Yes, this is where I am stuck. The only language we can speak is German, which is another reason we went with it first. Of course one wants to learn Chinese. Yeah, getting a tutor for that one (plus it's my most dedicated child...not sure about the others yet). I think I'll allow them to just discover on their own and then decide where to go from there. I don't want to spend hours on languages right, so they will need to be outsourced as I see how serious they are.

[Arcadia]

My boys are doing german and chinese. The non-heritage is the time suck. Hubby and I can converse in our heritage language anytime to our kids even though they pretend not to understand sometimes. We can be walking translators to our kids. We can watch the evening news in the heritage language while kids play nearby.

 

For the non-heritage, our kids have to use the dictionary. We aren't great on grammar so their native teacher corrects them for grammar, formal and informal speech and writing. Over the summer when they don't have classes, they forget some vocabulary and grammar unless we revise. It is a slower process.

[Reefgazer]

DD has been studying French for several years now and is currently in her third year of studying Latin.  It has not caused confusion (in fact, at times, the languages have even reinforced each other).  However, it is a time-consuming juggling act.

[The Girls' Mom]

Let them run with the extras.  My oldest is a collector of languages.  She dabbles in several.  She has learned Latin well, and is majoring in German in college.  She can also speak a little Mandarin, some Japanese,  and some Swedish.  She also collects words from any random language she runs across.  For her, it really hasn't been much of an issue.  (except for the occasional mixing up of Latin definitions and German ones for very similarly spelled words).  

[kentuckymom]

My situation is different because I was in a B&M school, but I was the first student in the history of my high school (maybe the only one ever) to take French, Spanish, and Latin (all the languages they offered) at the same time. I started with Spanish and Latin my freshman year and added French as a sophomore. I got confused every once in awhile, but languages are my thing so mostly it was a lot of fun. I did, however, have to play with my schedule to make it work. I took some classes in summer school so I'd have time to fit in all three languages during the school year. I then went on to be an exchange student in Sweden my senior year (where I studied Latin, Spanish, and French while simultaneously learning Swedish). In college I majored in Spanish but also continued French for awhile and dabbled in German (which isn't too hard if you already know Swedish). I also did Koine Greek for a year because I thought I wanted to go to seminary.

 

All this to say, if your children are gifted in languages and/or really interested, go ahead and let them play with multiple languages. They're unlikely to get confused. However, consider very carefully whether to go past a basic level in more than one. They are definitely a time sucker.