How is our bilingual experiment going? Three years have passed since I wrote the original post about trying to raise a bilingual child in a monolingual environment. Right now, for us, the key is still stories.
My little boy loves stories. Especially stories that I make up about another little boy who shares his name, who sails boats to islands and catches bunnies to see how soft they are and helps Daddy build bonfires and fly airplanes. So stories are one of my primary means for encouraging his bilingualism.
He’s been slow to talk, this observant toddler of mine. He listens and watches with big brown eyes most of the time. But in the past month, he has suddenly begun speaking in sentences. Nearly always, the sentences are in English, with sometimes a random Spanish word thrown in when he’s unsure of the English equivalent.
So does he understand my elaborate stories in Spanish? I’ve started asking him questions to check. “¿Qué hicieron los conejos?” (What did the rabbits do?)
“They ate Mommy’s lechugas.” (Lettuce plants.)
He’s right. So I keep spinning my stories and reading in the hopes that eventually he’ll open his mouth and Spanish will come out. My own Spanish is faulty and, honestly, worsens the longer we live in a primarily English-only town. It’s a lot easier for me to say, “Hey! Look over there at the truck going by so quickly!” than the Spanish equivalent, which may come out with a bit of a stammer. But I believe firmly that giving him the gift of vocabulary in two languages is worth the extra effort. He may not yet be able to tell a story himself in Spanish, but he can understand one. And that is half the battle.
How do you encourage your child to learn and grow in any area? Share in the comments or send me an email! I’d love to learn more.
I’m including below some of our new favorite books that have helped grow both of our Spanish language skills. (Yes, some of this effort is for me. I don’t want to forget all of my Spanish! J)
Short Booklist of Spanish Books for Older Toddlers
A beautifully illustrated classic. It takes a while to read through, but my little guy could listen to me read it over and over again.
Simple and charming. (If you like this board book style or just have young babies/toddlers, check out this list of bilingual board books.)
Spanish proverbs or “dichos” (sayings) are brought to life in this entertaining book from Scholastic. My little buddy brought it to me to read almost every day during the past month. This book is too long for a very young toddler, but appropriate for older preschoolers or kindergarteners.
Clifford series
Honestly, I’m not a Clifford the big red dog fan. And I rarely let my kids watch cartoon-type television, so they haven’t ever seen Clifford on TV. But when Grandma read J his first Clifford book, he was absolutely enthralled. And it turns out a lot of the Clifford books are in Spanish. So I swallow my dislike of Clifford and read about the big red dog again. And again.
¡No Dejes Que la Paloma Conduzca el Autobus!
This book is just hilarious and fun. Your toddler just might share some of this ambitious pigeon’s traits.
Some more comprehensive resources:
Essentials for a Bilingual Children’s Library (Spanish/English)
Resources I Use to Create a Bilingual Home
