Category: Reading

22 Reading Prompts for Multilingual Children

10/12/2021

December has started with wet, cold, dark days here in Belgium.

But also with sweet smells of candles and baking, comfy sweaters, slowing down and looking forward to a break.

How have you been?

I have a gift and an invitation for you today: let's read more. You, me, our kids.

Here are 22 Reading Prompts for us to try this month. Let's get cozy, slow down, enjoy good stories together. Download it here.

Have a lovely end of 2021!

Reading Prompts for Multilingual Children

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Multisensory activities in the multilingual home

8/11/2020

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We all learn and remember things in different ways. For some, hearing and seeing something is enough. Others might remember more easily when they do, touch or move. And we’ve all been transported into a memory by a sudden smell or taste…

Multisensory activities engage more than one sense at a time, and with that it creates more brain connections and stronger memory.

Children are curious, playful and active by nature - they will be much more interested and engaged in activities that involve a mix of movement, touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing.

Fun and varied learning will certainly be more memorable - for the kids and for you - than worksheets.

How can you apply multisensory techniques in your multilingual home?

When learning a language we naturally use the listening and speaking skills the most. Try to use the other senses to help your children learn new words. Think cooking together, gardening, going for a walk, doing crafts, listening to music or audiobooks, playing, all while talking about what you’re doing.

Can specific tastes, smells, songs, dances, games or toys be connected to each different language?

When children start learning to read and write, especially in different languages, all their senses can be engaged in developing those skills.

Imagine seeing letters and words on paper, then practicing writing them with a pencil. Now imagine singing a song about the alphabet or letter-sounds, with accompanying movements; listening to a story and doing a gesture whenever you hear a particular sound or word; making letters with dough, seeds, etc; writing words with movable letters, chalk, paint, stamps; baking cookies and writing about it.

Which ones will create stronger brain connections?

Here are some activities you can try for handwriting, reading and writing.

And many more activities like these have been curated by Ute and I on our Toolbox for Multilingual Families!

I’d love to see what you and your children are engaged in!
If you’re on Instagram, please tag me: ana.elisa.miranda

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How do you talk to your newborn baby?

3/8/2020

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I've been a language teacher and enthusiast for half of my life. I've learned about foreign language learning and experienced it myself.

For a couple of years now I've been immersed in everything multilingual children and how they acquire different languages at the same time.

I've dreamed of the day my own children would be growing up multilingual. I would love to see them speaking to my family in Brazil, reading and writing in Portuguese.

But then I had a baby…

The most common advice out there is that you should talk to your baby even before they're born. I honestly found myself feeling quite awkward talking to my bump. I tried reading aloud, but I didn't have much material in Portuguese at the time. So yeah, during pregnancy my partner and I read a little bit and awkwardly talked to the bump a little bit.

When she was born I thought "No time to waste! She's here, she sees me, she hears me, she's watching and learning all the time! Let's dooooo this!"

But then… postpartum exhaustion! And you know what newborns actually do most of the time? Eat, sleep, pee and poop. How am I supposed to talk to her? To give her that precious language input?

When I started feeling a bit more like myself and when she started staying more alert, I naturally incorporated "conversations" during: diaper changes, feeding and tummy time. I say good morning, ask how she slept, if she had good dreams, I describe what we're doing, talk about the day ahead, about the weather, etc. I do baby talk, which is slower, emphasizes vowel sounds and helps babies distinguish the sounds and words of a particular language. She started cooing and making cute sounds, so I reply - and so she learns how conversations work!

We also add to the experience by singing and reading a lot to her - pretty much any time she's awake! I honestly like that better than talking, I feel like there’s a purpose and an end to it.

As with any advice, we see what works for us. How do/did you talk to your babies?

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Reading and writing in the minority language

7/3/2019

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It still seems to be a controversial topic: can children learn to read and write in more than one language at once? Will they get confused and not do well in either language? Shouldn’t we wait until they can read and write in one language first?

There’s no black and white answer to these questions. Like other aspects of parenting, you must do what’s best for your children and what works for your family.

A great article on this topic is Biliteracy: When should kids start to read and write in their second language? on Bilingual Kidspot. The author differentiates the scenarios of learning to read in similar alphabets versus different ones, as well as different writing systems.
“Children can learn to read and write simultaneously in two languages if given the time and resources to do so.” (Chontelle Bonfiglio)

Despite initial confusion and transference between languages, there’s no proof that learning to read and write in more than one language simultaneously is harmful. Children all over the world grow up - and thrive - in multilingual contexts.

So, it’s never too early or too late to reflect on your family’s choice to pass on a minority language. Here are some questions to guide you:
★ What are your expectations?
What level of speaking, reading and writing would you like your children to obtain?
★ What is their motivation?
Is there a clear purpose for learning?
How do they use the minority language in real life?
★ What are the family’s long-term plans?
Are you likely to move countries? Will the children attend school in another language?
Where are they likely to go to University?
★ How supportive is your environment?
How involved can friends and extended family be in your children’s education?
Can you count on their school?
Can you find minority language resources?
Who can you go to for specific help?
★ Can you teach them yourself?
What will you teach them? When? How often?
Will you hire a tutor or enroll them in weekend lessons?

Another fantastic resource to help you understand multiliteracy and support your children’s development is ‘Learning to Read and Write in the Multilingual Family’, by Xiao-lei Wang. Her book is research and experience based, with lots of practical tips for each age group, planning advice and reflection.

No one will ever regret having taught their children their heritage language. The opposite is not always true.

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What you need in order to raise a biliterate child

4/6/2018

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Raising your children to speak more than one language might already feel like a daily battle. But if you’re here I guess you’ve also made the choice to teach them to read and write in the minority language.

We’ve discussed a few good reasons for bi-literacy here.

Multilingual families exist in so many different contexts - sets of languages learned, level of proficiency of each, access to international/bilingual schools or language tutoring, motivation for learning. For the purpose of this post I’m thinking of parents whose kids go to local monolingual schools and who want to help their kids to read and write in the minority language at home.

What you need in order to raise a biliterate child

Your mind must be full of questions: Where do I start? What materials should I use? Will they get confused? What if I mess this up?

Let me tell you, you have what it takes.

★ Lots of books
Is your home literacy-friendly? Do you have enough reading material in the minority language?
Different types of books, ebooks, magazines, comics, games, etc. Is there a library nearby? Are there storytelling events?
Yes, you can foster a love of reading and writing but sometimes it’s more a question of fostering a habit.

★ Knowledge of sound-letters and how children learn to read
Our brains were not made for reading. It’s a relatively new skill in the human evolution and it doesn’t just happen - like walking and talking. We need to train our brains to make connections between what we see - letters, words, sentences - and what they sound like and what they mean. It’s hard work.
On this post I described how you can start teaching your child to decode.

★ Time and dedication
As with anything that needs mastering, literacy demands consistent practice. But don’t feel discouraged even before you start! A little bit everyday goes a long way. You don’t need to teach your child for hours straight, just make sure you have a good reading habit and engage your children in different opportunities to read and write in their minority language.

★ Patience
As I said, reading doesn’t just happen and it definitely happens differently for different children. Sometimes it will feel like an impossible task, or a very slow one. Or you won’t understand why your child is not progressing.
Be patient. Stay consistent. They need time and support.

★ Resourcefulness and creativity
Try to incorporate learning in a variety of ways throughout your days: playing, singing, crafting, moving. The internet is this gigantic resource bank and with the right key words you can find anything.

★ Real opportunities for reading and writing
There’s no better motivation for learning anything than a reason to use it. The reason we all learn to read an write is to either access information or express it.
Make minority language literacy relevant for your family. Why are you reading? What do you write for?

You might like to read: How to sneak in English Literacy in your multilingual home

★ What you don’t need
A teaching degree;
Workbooks and piles of worksheets;
Fear of confusing your child;

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