A Gift It’s a new day and a new decade. It is an exciting time to continue what we have been working on and to begin something that we have planned for. Planning is a start. What we do after planning needs to be an action-filled journey. It is where the work becomes real. And, it is where the work turns into a daily project. It is where we see it grow. Ten years ago, I just
Read more →
La Ba Festival La Ba Festival is an important day leading to the Spring Festival, Lunar New Year. It is the day that kicks off the preparation for the Lunar New Year. Laba always falls on the 8th day of the last month on the Chinese lunar calendar 農曆 |农历. It will be on January 2, 2020, in the year of the PIG. The last month on the lunar calendar is called “La Yue” 臘月| 腊月
Read more →
Perfect Timing – Teach Your Child A Second Language What is perfect timing? Look at the big picture it can be when to start teaching your child a second language. When looking at the day-to-day learning it could be when your child is at the peak of the day to try something new. Babies are great with languages. They listen to the sounds around them even before they were born. Dr. Patricia Khul, co-director of the Institute
Read more →
Happy Holidays Merry Christmas HappyHanukkah The holiday season is an exciting time for children. First, there is winter break, that means no school for the kids! Next, it comes with family gatherings and travel. What else? It is a special time for baking, cooking, events, volunteering and time with the extended family… What should we say to friends during the holiday season? With our diverse community, families are more mindful of different cultures and traditions in the
Read more →
Input and Output – Teach Your Child A Second Language Kids get excited to save money in their piggy banks. They shake it, wiggle it, and peek inside. Is it heavier today than yesterday? Language input is like saving in the piggy bank. What you say to your child is language input. What you read to your child is language input. The books you have at home is providing visual input. The posters with text, games with
Read more →
Work Together – Raise a Bilingual Child Together is better. When parents work together toward the same goal you have a team. It is very much like team work on a project, in the office, or at work. You will need to work together. When you lead at work you have your team on your side to work with you. It is great to have support from your team when you introduce a new language to your
Read more →
Your Time Is Precious Your time is precious. As much as you want your child to be engaged in the learning. You, as a parent, need to be in the moment as well. There are many resources but you actually only need one to start with. You can aim for 30, 45, or 60 minutes a day but I often say it is a good idea to start with just five minutes. Quality over quantity. How about
Read more →
Time and Place Approach Raising bilingual kids is an exciting journey and there are different methods that you can use. Which method will work for your child and your family? Do you need to be bilingual or have a high proficiency in the target language to introduce the language to your child? What if you are learning the Chinese language as you are teaching it to your child? The goal for the parents is the same. Parents
Read more →
Minority Language At Home MLAH – Raise A Bilingual Child Speaking more than one language is the norm in many countries. A person might be speaking one language at work and speak another one or two languages at home. This is very common in some European countries. You also see it in Indian, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia, Africa, and China. Bilingualism seems natural in these countries. Dr. François Grosjean, Psycholinguist, and Professor Emeritus and former Director of
Read more →
one person one language (OPOL) approach When I met Annie at a party, she was about three years old. Her Dad’s native language is English and her mother’s native language is French. Both parents are fluent in each other’s native language. The Dad only speaks English to Annie and the mother only spoke French. She is now in college and is bilingual in English and French, although dominant in English. Her parents used the one person-one language
Read more →