Foreign Language

[Strouse House]

What age do you start teaching a Foreign Language?
What language did you choose and why?

[Skool Time]

Ive started teaching my daughter at the age of 5, and teaching my language.
That way she can talk to the side of my family in my own language, but im not doing good teaching because she doesnt hear it as much.
She only hears it when im on the phone with my family.
But they are mostly in US too. So when family members talks to her they talk to her in English.
The only way she can learn faster is to hear it as often as she can.
Like i did when i was in other countries. I dont hear english as much but that country's native language, and i dont have a choice but learn it fast coz thats all i hear.

[fairylover]

Dakota grew up with Spanish. In the day care that he was in most of the teachers spoke Spanish. So he heard that all day every day until he was over two years old. When he first started talking he had a mixture of Spanish and English words. I often would have to ask the day care teachers what he was saying because my Spanish is not that good. When he was six, he was in a homeschool coop. They taught part of the class each day in Spanish. They had 30 minutes where no English could be spoken. But they used a lot of repetition and a lot of hand signs to get the ideas across. I'm sorry that that coop has now disbanded. I would love to have him in Spanish classes now. It is his native language. I think he should have a good understanding of it. And living in this area, it is a good idea to speak Spanish. During our recent move he hired two guys to help us. It would have made our lives so much easier if I remembered more of my high school Spanish.

I took a class once where they were talking about bilingual kids. They said that if one parent spoke another language, they should use that language with the kids all the time. The other parent would then use English with the kids all the time. And the people that they see out would speak to them in English. But by the one parent speaking only in the other language, the kids would learn it. They thought you should begin this when your kids were newborns. THis way they would grow up being bilingual. You might want to try that Skool Time. It would help your kids learn your native language.

[Skool Time]

I tried that! but not when she was a newborn lol.
Hannah will tell me, mommy's talking martian again!!
Believe me, i tried, but its like pulling teeth without novocaine.
I found out that giving her multiplication memorization a set of numbers a day works out, then if a word or two a day will work out too.
My husband wants to learn as well. He said i want to know if your talking about me or what. He is considering purchasing rosetta stone.
Like Hannah he can speak my language verrry limited.
Everyday ill write a word on a copy paper and the meaning of it so they both can learn.

[fairylover]

That sounds like a great idea. We have been usin some Spanish speakin men to help with our move. So Dakota has been hearing a lot of Spanish lately. But I don't know if he is retaining any of it.

[Skool Time]

fairy one or two words a day is workin!!!! but it will take us forever!

[fairylover]

I just found out that my neighbor is a native Spanish speaker. She is going to organize a class for her three little boys and my son to try to get them all speakin Spanish. It's so important in this area.