Which language should we speak to our child if we have different mother languages?

It is generally recommended that you speak your first language with your child. Your first language is not necessarily the first language you ever learnt to speak.

How do you raise a child when parents speak different languages?

10 Tips for Raising Bilingual Kids

  1. Don’t be afraid. …
  2. Add more books to your library. …
  3. Read aloud to your child every day. …
  4. Play music and sing songs. …
  5. Cook together. …
  6. Travel to places the minority language is spoken. …
  7. Offer screen-time in the minority language. …
  8. Find a caregiver who speaks the minority language.

Is it good to talk to your baby in different languages?

But it pays dividends – in addition to other benefits, being bilingual can enhance a child’s literacy skills in both languages. Babies are sponges when it comes to language, and any young child who’s exposed to two or more languages from an early age can become fluent.

Should I speak my second language to my child?

Yes, you should teach your child a second language if you can. Research overwhelmingly supports teaching second languages early, because as we know it’s harder to learn a second language as we get older.

How many languages should I speak to my child?

The rule of thumb is that about 30% of a child’s waking hours needs to be spent in a language to obtain conversational fluency, so, realistically, you’re looking at a max of three languages. Once you have those three languages at a decent level, it would make sense to add another one.

Can babies learn 2 languages at once?

Many children grow up learning two languages at the same time. Use only one language at home. Your child can learn the second language when he starts school. Give your child many chances to hear and practice both languages during the day.

Can you raise a child with 4 languages?

We have 3 children who we raise speaking 4 languages – Polish, Portuguese, English and French (the community language). Their level of all four languages is quite good. They’re able to survive in the community, talk to their relatives and make friends in all 4 of them.

Which language should I teach my child first?

Their goal was to establish the best languages you should be teaching your children to maximise their future employability. Their results suggest that Mandarin, French, and German, are among the best languages to learn in order to maximise your (and your child’s) opportunities and employability in the next ten years.

At what age should you introduce a second language?

It’s best to start speaking to your child in more than 1 language as early as possible – that is, from birth. Some families decide it’s better to introduce the second language only after the child speaks the first language well, at about ages 3 or 4.

Is it too late to teach 5 year old another language?

Though most brain development happens from infancy to the early ages of adolescence, it is entirely possible to learn a new language at any age in life. If you are thinking of raising a bilingual child, remember that it is never too late to make a start.

What is the prettiest language in the world?

1. Italian. When it comes to the most attractive languages, for many people the native language of Italy likely springs to mind. Italian is a famously beautiful language with its rolled ‘r’s, round vowels, and melodic rhythm.

Can a baby learn 3 languages at the same time?

What we know is that children can learn multiple languages at once, and the benefits of being bilingual are endless. Learning multiple languages from birth is not a new phenomenon either. In fact, raising multilingual children is more common than most people think.

What is the best language to learn?

8 Useful Languages to Learn

  • English. You might be surprised that English isn’t the most commonly spoken language in the world. …
  • Chinese. With more than 1 billion native speakers, Chinese dominates Asia and the world as the most frequently spoken language. …
  • Spanish. …
  • Arabic. …
  • French. …
  • German. …
  • Portuguese. …
  • Russian.


How do you raise a child with 3 languages?

Based on our experiences, here are our 4 tips for raising trilingual children.

  1. Speak your first language CONSISTENTLY. …
  2. Affirm and reinforce your child(ren)’s multilingual skills. …
  3. Encourage siblings to speak a non-dominant language. …
  4. Affirm your child(ren)’s cross-cultural identities.


How many languages can a baby learn at once?

The good news is young children all around the world can and do acquire two languages simultaneously. In fact, in many parts of the world, being bilingual is the norm rather than an exception.

How do you raise a bilingual child in a monolingual household?

6 tips for monolingual parents who want to raise their child…

  1. 1-Maximise the exposure to the language. Enrol your child in a bilingual school if you can. …
  2. 2- Learn the language yourself. …
  3. 3- Speak the language. …
  4. 4-Support your child’s learning. …
  5. 5-Explain your choice to your child. …
  6. 6- Start early.


Can you raise a child with three languages?

If families relocate and parents support child’s new or previous language acquisitions, the child can become from bilingual to trilingual, quadrilingual and multilingual even if the parents speak only one language.

Is it OK to speak 3 languages to a baby?

If a child does not have enough exposure to the target language, they cannot become fluent. Therefore by adding too many languages at once, you risk not having enough exposure to each of them. This could mean your child can speak 3, 4, 5 or even 6 languages, but is not actually fluent in one of them.

What age should a child learn a foreign language?

They concluded that the ability to learn a new language, at least grammatically, is strongest until the age of 18 after which there is a precipitous decline. To become completely fluent, however, learning should start before the age of 10.

When should I start teaching my baby a second language?

It’s best to start speaking to your child in more than 1 language as early as possible – that is, from birth. Some families decide it’s better to introduce the second language only after the child speaks the first language well, at about ages 3 or 4.