Blog
Bilingual Child Month
PCHP is proud to be partnering with parents and families to prepare the next generation of bilingual children. We work with families in their home language, and help them prepare their children to succeed in English when they enter school. Parents give their children a gift when they raise them to be bilingual. As a Zero to Three article reports, the different cognitive skills that go into learning two languages as a child support the development of an array of skills that will benefit children both in the short term and throughout their lives.
If your family is bilingual or you and your children are both learning a second language, don’t be afraid to speak both languages at home. Here are some of our favorite Spanish/English bilingual books. In addition, publishers such as Language Lizard offer bilingual books in a number of other languages.
After reading some great bilingual books together, be sure to extend the fun by playing! The beauty of playing with your children is the conversation and imagination that enhances the play, and those conversations can take place in any language. Play is a wonderful way to use varied vocabulary and to ”exercise” children’s imagination.
Have Conversations About Being Bilingual
If your child is bilingual, have conversations with them about this skill. Them tell how amazing it is to be able to speak and communicate in two languages. Explain to them that this is not a skill that everyone has. Talk about the many languages in the world, how you learned or are learning to speak two languages, and how it can benefit them in the future.