How many of you wait until Highschool to do a foriegn language?

[Gamom3]

We were doing Latin and the kids LOVED it, but now we have not done it in 3wks. This is what happened to Spanish as well. I am wondering if it would just be easier for us to wait until Highschool. How many of you wait?

How important is it for them to learn now? I know it is easier for them to learn it now, but it's just not happening.

[abbeyej]

Why not just do it again today? Three weeks isn't so long -- you can pick up where you left off. If you had said your children hated it and it wasn't working for you to teach them right now, that would be different. (Though I still think there's great value in starting a language younger -- not to mention that none of you are going to have *more* time when the kids are high school aged!)

 

Why not just pick it up and start again today. Keep doing your best. Maybe you'll slack off from time to time. But even so, it's still worth it.

[Annie N]

Oh, it's just like a diet, just because you fell off doesn't mean you can't get back on. I now know from sad experience that one shouldn't put it off but just continue to plug away. (One of the several things I wish I had learned before I started homeschooling...)

[Beth in Central TX]

We are going to wait until high school to do a modern foreign language because right now our focus is Latin and Koine Greek. I do think it's important to expose kids to some type of foreign language early on.

 

Is your foreign language scheduled too late in the day and it gets dropped easily? What was it before the last 3-weeks that made it work? Since everyone enjoys it, it sounds like this just might be a scheduling issue.

[Sandy in Indy]

We waited till hs, but I wish we hadn't. I think it's so much easier for younger children to pick up language. I'll be starting ds7 as soon as my library hold is filled!

[Kris]

I would have liked to start earlier, but he had so much catching up to do, it was just too much.

[Elisabeth in IL]

I didn't take a language until high school and I didn't die BUT I wish that I could have started earlier and learned more. Because of my own desire of language aquisition, I found a small class (4 students) for my 2 dss to learn Spanish.

 

Like the other posters, just start up again and again if you need to. Each time you will get a little further and perhaps surprise yourself with how much you have all learned.

[Colleen]

It is so much easier for young children to acquire languages. I also don't want Latin or Greek to take the place of a modern language. Try not to be too hard on yourself. Like Abbey said, pick up where you left off and just keep on keeping on as best you can.:)

[mcconnellboys]

I go through periods of time when I skip out on language study, too. But I find that in picking it back up, my child very quickly gets back into the swing of it and the review does him good, anyway. You're right that it will ultimately be easier for them to do the hard work they'll have to do with it in high school if you keep them exposed to it now. So I would keep on plugging whenver possible.

 

Regena