This is the letter I would like to receive from my daughter on Mother’s Day in 30 years time. Mummy, I love you to the moon and back and back again and around all the planets… forever. You’re the best mummy in the world. You’re fun and inspiring. You’re honest, creative, and a professional role model. You’re not perfect …
5 awesome benefits of being bilingual
It’s incredible to think that until recently the accepted view was that being bilingual was inherently bad. This week is International Mother Language Day which makes it timely to remind people of the benefits of being bilingual. Until recently it was thought that bilingual children would be confused by two languages, have lower intelligence and behave in deviant ways. Many …
Teaching the target language at home by playing schools
This half term offers a great opportunity to expose the children to more of the target language than usual. So this week I’m making the most of it by teaching the target language at home through role play: playing schools. Half term sends many parents into a spin: either they don’t know what to do in relation with childcare, or …
Fish, coffee and custard pastry – the role of food in raising bilingual children
This post needs a disclaimer – I love food and it plays a huge role in my life. Some people may not feel so strongly about it. If that’s the case, they still may find this post about the role of food in raising bilingual children interesting in guiding their bilingual journey. Food as culture Most people will agree that …
Quick tip to captivate bilingual children towards target language resources – Tip #1: pick characters they like
As mentioned in a previous post, it’s really hard to compete with the amazing offer of books written in English here in the UK. The variety and quality is absolutely spectacular. Here I share a quick tip to captivate bilingual children towards target language resources. When we last visited back home, I was determined to stock up on books in …
Step by step guide to make calls to family abroad last longer
I recently found a new trick to make the calls to family abroad have a bigger impact on my girls’ bilingual and multicultural development. Here’s a step by step guide to make calls to family abroad last longer; make calls home with your children that are more engaging, long lasting and therefore better support multilingual education and emotional connection. The …
When those big language learning plans don’t go to plan
Sometimes things just don’t go to plan. I started the New Year full hope and, dare I say, determination. I had a big plan to start us on a family routine of language learning. However, it looks like we might need to start in earnest in a few days instead! A number of factors, including sickness by all and change in routine …
Our first Christmas back home and impact on language acquisition
This was supposed to be our first Christmas as a family back ‘home’. I flew over with the 2 and 4 year olds and Daddy was to follow a few days later, due to work commitments. Things did not go to plan… Daddy fell ill and was not able to fly on doctor’s orders. And that’s how the girls and …
Flying alone with small children – a sequel to Die Hard II – Die Harder?
I’ve dreaded this moment for the past 4 years: travelling alone with my children while they’re still little. I put if off as much as possible but I could do it no more and here I am, on a 4.30pm Easyjet flight from London Gatwick to Portugal. Every child is different and the whole family dynamic changes depending …