Overcoming Challenges to Teaching Kids a Second Language

Overcoming Challenges to Teaching Kids a Second Language

Teaching your child a second language is incredibly rewarding, but, like many other things, it comes with its own set of unique challenges.

Let’s break down some of the most common challenges and settle some concerns you may have along the way.

Not Knowing When or Where to Start

This is one of the biggest obstacles that parents tend to face when it comes to teaching their child a second language. No age is too young to start teaching your child a second language. In fact, some parents start as soon as their child is born. This is because children tend to develop and absorb language most in the first three years of life.

If you have an older child, it doesn’t mean you’ve waited too long either. Children can start learning a second language at any age and there is no wrong way to start! 

Bilingual children books, specifically books with sound, are one of the most common and helpful methods to start introducing a second language to kids. The interactive nature of musical books, for instance, can help engage children in the reading experience as they sing along to popular nursery rhymes and gain interest in the target language. You’ll be surprised by how much consistent exposure and repetition can help kids learn!

Not Being Bilingual Yourself

Many parents assume that because they themselves are not completely fluent in the target language, they cannot teach their children how to speak that language. That said, rest assured that you can teach your child this target language even if you are not fluent yourself. In this day and age, there are so many resources that you can use to support you in this journey such as books, apps, classes, music and more! Even something as simple as setting up playdates with children who speak the target language can provide your child with exposure and serve as a learning opportunity. Remember, you don’t need to be fluent to teach your child a second language, you just need to provide opportunities for learning and exposure. Binibi's educational resources, as well as the last page in their children's sound books, serves as a learning tool for monolingual parents to be able to better guide their children in their own bilingualism journey.

Lack of Interest From Your Child

The reality is, some children just aren’t interested in learning a second language. As most parents know, there are times when children just don’t want to do certain things. Typically, that includes doing their homework or eating their vegetables, but it may also include learning a second language. Many times, children gravitate more naturally to the dominant language because it is what they hear more often.

If this happens, it doesn’t mean that it’s time to throw in the towel. Just like you would continue to expose your child to an unwanted vegetable, continuing to provide enjoyable exposure opportunities for language learning is key. There are plenty of ways to make learning a second language fun and meaningful—just give your little one reasons to enjoy speaking in their second language. This can be anything from reading a recipe as you make cookies together, playing with friends in the target language, or reading bilingual books for kids with dad in the secondary language. Singing along to popular nursery rhymes like the Spanish kids songs found in Binibi books, as you read is a great way to reinforce language through rhyme and repetition while also enjoying the process. Learning dual languages doesn’t have to feel like homework; it should be fun!

Bilingual parenting is a journey, and while you will undoubtedly face roadblocks, they will only make the journey that much more rewarding. The important thing is to focus, stay the course, and like with any other skill, give your child plenty of opportunities to practice!