early languages

Learn family names in Spanish with the Little Mermaid

2012-05-09T07:41:00.000-04:00

Apple just approved our 4^th book in the Princesses Learn Spanish series, Little Mermaid. The book helps children learn the names of family members in Spanish, through a story, little games and a song. It is available on iPad and iPhone.

Here below are some screenshots of the Little Mermaid story book, Spanish version.

Enjoy learning about family members in Spanish with the Little Mermaid!

Our other apps to download are Princesses Learn Chinese, Princesses Learn French and Princesses Learn Sight Words.

Technology to Help Children Learn a New Language: 10 Minutes at a Time

2012-05-03T11:56:00.001-04:00

This post was originally published in Multilingual Living.

Technology is a tremendous help when teaching children a new language, especially for time-starved parents. At the same time, screen time should to be limited to what we, as parents, believe is appropriate.

In our family, technology is a definite help when exposing our children to French, Spanish and Chinese. It is a supplement to what we already do and helps our children hear different accents.

Here are some of the technology we utilize in our household – 10 minutes at a time:

#1: Use audio books:
We are nuts about audio books. We bought at least 50 storybooks with CDs for our children, Elena and Pablo. The CDs are great in the car, especially when we drive to school or go to an activity. Elena also has a subscription to “J’apprends a lire”, a French monthly story book that comes with a CD. When she gets it in the mail, she is excited and listens to it right away.

#2: Listen to MP3s in the car
The iPod is the greatest invention ever! We have different playlists of Spanish songs and French songs which Elena and Pablo take turns selecting. We also listen to mp3 stories in the car in French. Going to the supermarket is therefore not only driving time, but also a time to learn without even realizing it.

#3: Learn with the Smurfs and Zorro on YouTube
We let Elena and Pablo watch one cartoon per day on YouTube in French. They can choose which one it is, as long as it is in French and it is less than 10 minutes. Currently, Elena wants to watch “Zorro”, and Pablo “Les Schtroumpfs”.

#4: Listen to Podcasts together
Good Argentinean friends of ours who live in Zurich, Switzerland recommended two free podcasts that help their children build great vocabulary in Spanish through stories: “Cody’s Cuentos” and “Cuentos a la luz de la luna”. Podcasts like these are wonderful additions to our day.

#5: Have breakfast with grandparents via Facetime or Skype
The iPad makes it very easy for kids to call up their grandparents in France or Spain via Facetime or Skype. The advantage of Apple’s Facetime app is that it is very easy for a 3 or a 4-year old to answer or call with it. And it is free.

#6: Games on the iPhone
Little games on the iPhone help us when the kids become restless (waiting at the doctor’s, at the airport for a flight, etc.). And if the games are about listening to more words and expressions in the target language, it removes some of our parental guilt.

#7: Read and listen to stories on iPad
There are many bilingual stories available for the iPad. It is easier for children to use than books with CDs. On Saturdays, we let our 4-year old Pablo listen to 2 stories in French on the iPad, while we take care of paying our bills.

#8: Use online tutoring via Skype
My wife and I are using a tutoring service via Skype to learn Chinese (“Chinese Hour”). It works around our schedule and it is cheaper than having a personal teacher. If someone came across an engaging online tutoring service for children, we would be very interested in hearing about it.

We hope these tips will help you and your bilingual children find ways to use technology for language exposure – 10 minutes at a time. When used in moderation, technology can be a wonderful way to learn a brand new language or keep a family language strong.

Let us know what technology tools you use to help your children learn a second language.

Little Mermaid is launched - Princesses Learn Chinese

2012-04-27T13:51:00.000-04:00

Today Apple approved our 4th book in our Princesses Learn Chinese iPad and iPhone app: Little Mermaid.

Little Mermaid helps children learn about the names of the different family members in Mandarin, in the context of a story, games and a song. Here are some screenshots:

The other books that are available in Princesses Learn Chinese are:
- Snow White (book#1 and free)
- Cinderella (book #2)
- Sleeping Beauty (book #3)

Helping children learn a new language, 10 minutes at a time

2012-04-25T07:24:00.000-04:00

This post is based on the original article originally published in MultilingualLiving.

Learning a new language is a fascinating experience. Instilling the love of learning languages in our children makes the whole experience even stronger. But how and when do we actually do it? As parents, we both work full-time and raise 2 children. And like all parents we are busy and our plates are full. In the evening, we are tired and a lot is going on during week-ends.

This is why we believe that it all starts with 10 minutes. Having our children learn a new language starts with a commitment: making 10 minutes count! We can take advantage of what we do every day to make it a language learning opportunity. Some days we only have 10 minutes. Some other days we might be able to squeeze in 2 or 3 different 10-minute activities together.

Here are 8 things we use. Not more than 10 minutes at a time.

▪ Tip #1: Breakfast with Spiderman  Our son loves superheroes, and Spiderman stories are his favorite. So we read them in French while having breakfast together on week-ends.

▪ Tip #2: Play “Veo Veo”  "Veo, Veo", "Que ves?", "Una cosita", "Y que cosita es?" is the Spanish version of "I spy with my little eye". Our kids love it, at the kitchen table, in the car, at the doctor's. Great way to build vocabulary in Spanish.

▪ Tip #3: Bottle Song With both Elena and Pablo, before they turned 1, we used to give the last bottle of the day around 11pm. I made it a habit to sing every time in French, both to relax them and myself, and get them to sleep.

▪ Tip #4: YouTube routine  Asterix et Obelix, Zorro, Oui-Oui are all cartoons in French on YouTube, that are split in 10 minute episodes. We made watching one a night a routine, right after brushing teeth.

▪ Tip #5: Aperitif en francais Our kids are more motivated to do a page of their French homework book with some baby carrots and a few almonds. So when I come back from work, we sit-down for 10 minutes with a light snack and we do a page of French.

▪ Tip#6: iPad stories  We allow our children to listen to 2 short stories on iPad on week-ends, in either French or Spanish. During that time we can pay our bills or do some chores, and still feel that they are developing their comprehension skills.

▪ Tip #7: Play soccer with Messi  Just like his dad, Pablo loves soccer. We pretend we are Ronaldo and Messi. 5- to 10-minute game. It helps practice French soccer vocabulary while kicking the ball.

▪ Tip #8: Take a class  Having our children take a Chinese class once a week has a forcing function on us. Elena has a total of about 40/50min of homework to do. Her Chinese teacher does not mince words when the homework is not done. So we better do it, 10 minutes at a time.

How do you use 10 minutes to help your child learn a new language?

"Princesses Learn Chinese" reaches #1 spot in "What's Hot"

2012-04-08T09:57:00.000-04:00

We are very happy and we wanted to share!

Today our free iPad and iPhone app, "Princesses Learn Chinese", reached the #1 spot in Apple's Book Category "What's Hot".

It shows that Apple is ready to support language learning apps for children.

Princesses Learn Sight Words, Our App is Live!

2012-04-07T04:30:00.002-04:00

We are launching today a new free iPad and iPhone app: "Princesses Learn Sight Words" (TM).

Princesses Learn Sight Words (TM) helps children learn high frequency words in English through stories, games and songs. In the "My Cards" section of the app, the 220 Dolch sight words are offered for free, organized in categories.

The 1st story in the app with games and a song is also free. Additional books are available for purchase within the app.

You can download the app here:

Princesses Learn Sight Words

The application is targeted to 4- to 7-year old children who are learning to read in English. Should you find it interesting, we thank you in advance for sharing this email with friends and family.

Princesses Learn French: Little Mermaid available on iPad and iPhone

2012-03-30T08:01:00.000-04:00

Little Mermaid is the 4th book we just launched in our Princesses Learn French app, available on iPad and iPhone.

Princesses Learn French

The Little Mermaid book, that comes with a story, games, cards and a song, makes it fun for kids to learn the names of the different family members in French. As with all other books, it is beautifully narrated in English by professional voice overs, with French words and expressions inserted in the story.

The app and the Snow White book are free. The Little Mermaid book can be purchased within the app for $1.99.

Here are some screenshots of the new book. We hope your children enjoy learning French with the Little Mermaid.

Can we make homework fun when teaching a 2nd language?

2012-03-26T07:32:00.000-04:00

Stories, games, music, conversations are all great ways to expose children to a 2^nd language. Kids learn without really realizing that they learn. They are soaking things in and having fun. They slowly develop understanding and fluency in the 2^nd language.

And what about homework? Isn’t it a necessary medicine to help children learn a 2^nd language? Time is obviously limited. Who has time to spend an hour with their child going over a German grammar lesson? Or who has the patience to do a spelling test with their angel who easily can turn into a little devil if he or she hears the words “devoirs” (homework in French).

We believe however that a structured homework method helps keep the focus and results in incremental progress every week. It also gives us confidence that we cover different aspects of what children should learn when studying a 2^nd language.

So here are a few things we do to keep our kids engaged, with the limited time we have on our hands.

Finding the right homework method

We follow the school text books from Spain and France and we do what Spanish and French children do. Obviously, being French and Spanish, we are able to help, and we have our family sending us the appropriate books ("Santillana" method in Spanish, "Tout Savoir en Maternelle" from Hatier in French). For Chinese, we use a great “Chinese as a Second Language” method: Better Chinese.

Letting the little ones choose

Our homework in French is less structured with Pablo. He is 4-years old and does not have to go from lesson 1 to 2, 3, 4 and so on. The book has different topics. So we let him choose a page he feels like doing.

Doing it 10-minutes at a time

After a day of work, and after kids have done their regular homework, with the few chores or cooking that needs to be done, it is challenging to do homework for language #2. We use a low-pressure approach: one exercise, or one page of the book, 10 minutes. Although time is short, the satisfaction of getting it done feels great.

Doing it together

Also Pablo and Elena have 3 years difference, we all sit around the kitchen table. We do not do any chores during that time. It is “family time”. I tried to do 2 things at the same time (cooking + homework for example), but the kids would easily get defocused.

Doing it first thing in the morning on week-ends (or at least trying to…)

Kids focus better in the morning, and when we can get a page of our homework book done in the morning right after breakfast, we feel better as parents the rest of the day.

Creating a fun routine

We created with Elena and Pablo a routine we call “Aperitif en Francais”. They are more motivated to do a page of their French book with some baby carrots and a few almonds. So when I come back from work, we sit-down for 10 minutes with a light snack (I am usually hungry!) and we do a page of French.

Giving stars

Giving stars works with both our children. When an exercise is done right, they get a star. It motivates them to stay focus and to do the exercise right.

If you have other tips or tricks to help your child with homework in a 2^nd language, please share it with us and leave your comments here below.

7 tips to learn a new language as a Mom

2012-02-09T06:49:00.003-05:00

Learning a new language is a fascinating experience. It can be transformational. Your perceptions about the people, their culture and traditions can change significantly. That’s how I felt 11 years ago, when I first met my husband and I had to learn French to be able to communicate with my in-laws. Now, I am learning Chinese and I feel the same way, as if a whole new world would have opened in front of my eyes.

But…yes, wait. Something is different. I now happen to be a full-time working mom and all the time I used to have in my hands is no longer there. How do you make a commitment, find the time and make it happen while being a mom?

Here are 7 tips that help me in sustaining my Mandarin learning efforts.

1. Learn it with your husband

My husband started to learn Chinese with podcasts in the car because he had a long commute. “Why wait until we retire to learn a new language?” he would wonder. I am a competitive person and I didn’t want to fall behind so I started also. It was fun to check on each other’s progress and practicing our broken Chinese made our dinners quite enjoyable.

2. Learn it with your kids

At the same time, we decided to sign up our kids for Chinese Saturday school. We thought that learning Chinese would make our children (4 and 7 years old) more open-minded and give them more opportunities. I also signed up to be the class mom, which helped me learn at the same time than my daughter. Learning as a family makes it definitely easier. We are all in it together. We all have homework. No excuses.

3. Make it flexible with Skype

My husband and I both work full-time and raise 2 children. Like all parents we are busy and our plates are full. We found an affordable online tutoring service via Skype twice a week, from 9:30pm and 10pm. The kids are in bed, so no guilt. But yes, I guess we are a little bit nuts. Anyhow, we really enjoy our teacher, and… it is a real pleasure to learn while sipping a glass of red wine.

4. Do it 10 minutes at a time

It is quite difficult to find time to study and do homework. At night, I am really tired. During the day, not a chance, and in the evening, it is all about the kids. ‘Well…what about commuting time?’ would ask my ‘dear’ husband. I guess, at the beginning I didn’t think that 10 minutes could make a difference but… he was right, it really helped. And now, it is like coffee. I kind of need my free Chinese podcast in the morning. It gets me going.

5. Enjoy the food

Like many people, we love to eat good food. Since we started learning Chinese, we became more interested in the cuisine. We started going to a local Chinese restaurant. Added bonus: we practice Mandarin with the owners and we get desserts for free!

6. Have a 10-year outlook

With my husband we said it would be great to be fluent in 10-years from now. Low pressure, it helps us take it easy, and if we are fluent in 4 or 5 years from now, we will have exceeded our expectations!

7. Plan a trip

I have never been to China. We are planning to go there as a family. It gives me additional motivation to sustain my language learning efforts, and the preparation of the trip is a much of a learning opportunity as the trip itself.

Here are some other tips from moms learning a new language. I encourage you to check them out:

The Story of How It Worked For Me: One Mom’s Journey at The Everyday Language Learner

Motherhood & Language Learning: An Attempt to Reach the Lower Level of Babel at Multilingual Living
http://www.yourlanguageguide.com/learning-spanish-language.html at Your Language Guide

Language Learning Carnival at Sahm Sisters

The Lazy Expat Mom's Guide to Language Learning at I Was An Expat Wife

10 Tips to learning a New Language and Surviving it Mentally at Rachel’s Rantings

How parents foster learning of a 2nd language through Play

2012-02-01T07:11:00.000-05:00

In our Western culture, it is engrained for a long time that play is the best way for children to learn, grow and develop. According to Froebel (1897), “Play holds the source of all that is good” for the child. Piaget, the educational theorist, stated in the 1930s that play provides an ideal environment for the child’s development.

Although we often believe that free unstructured play is the most effective to learn a 2^nd language, what several parents express is the need to be actively involved in playing with their child. Some type of structure helps learning.

After talking to parents that play with their children in a 2^nd language, here are 5 ways parents foster learning of a new language through Play:

1. Role playing

2. Turning family activities into play

3. Playing out imaginary stories

4. Unstructured play

5. Learning through games

1. Role playing

Role-playing is probably the most effective form of play to practice a 2^nd language. The constant interaction really engages the children and help repeat vocabulary and sentences

“Emma is the owner of the grocery store, and I am the customer. I buy different things and I ask how much each costs”

“Pablo loves to be the zoo keeper. So we play together and make sure each animal in the zoo has fun”

2. Turning family activities into play

Children love to learn and play through activities they do with their parents. It is a great way to develop vocabulary. Often, these are activities that parents truly enjoy, and want to share with their own children

“We play soccer with my daughter and I repeat to her everything that I do in French: I pass you the ball, kick it, you just scored, etc.”

“I like spending time with my son cooking in the kitchen. As we make a soup, I repeat frequently the names of all vegetables and ask him to do the same.”

3. Playing out imaginary stories

“My son loves Spiderman. So we pretend that Spiderman is in Italy and I am a bad guy there that he is trying to stop”

“I do a little theater-play with my daughter at bedtime. I act out a little scene for less than a minute, for example I am going for a walk in the forest and I meet animals with funny colors. Then, my daughter will do the little show”

4. Unstructured play

Parents see the effectiveness of their child play in an unstructured way. However, this works best when a child is with other kids that only speak the 2^nd language you want your kid to learn.

“We organize play-dates with other children whose parents are Chinese. However, when the kids are together, they tend to play in English”

“When go to Germany, Victor just plays all the time in German with his cousins. A great way for him to become more fluent”

5. Learning through games

Games definitely bring fun in language learning. They also often involve friendly competition and keep the kids engaged.

“We take a bunch of cards and turn them upside down to play a memory game to find the matching cards”

“When I still want Daniel to listen to some Hindi while I am cooking, I let him play some games in Hindi on the iPad”

Depending of the environment, play dates with other children can be of limited effectiveness to develop learning of a 2^nd language. Parents stress that frequent interactions with mom or dad while playing tends to give much better results in increasing the likelihood of the child saying words in the 2^nd language.

10 New Year Resolutions to Help Your Children Learn a 2nd Language

2012-01-03T08:00:00.006-05:00

We all believe that teaching our children more than one language will have a positive impact on their lives. This is the perfect time to make 2012 a great language learning year.

Our 10 resolutions are articulated along 3 themes:

- Make the commitment

- Make it fun

- Make it easy

1. Make the commitment: Spend vacation in your target country

The preparation of the trip is as much a learning opportunity as the trip itself: learning vocabulary, the places to visit, how to greet friends.

2. Make the commitment: Find an online tutor

There are several websites out there that offer very flexible and affordable tutoring and conversation in the language you would like your child to pick up. You can do it from home via Skype, at the time you want, at the frequency you want.

3. Make the commitment: Sign up for Saturday school

Check out opportunities for language instruction on Saturdays. Start with Mommy or Daddy-and-me classes. Often there are volunteer or non-profit schools not far away (ex.: Huaxia schools in New Jersey for Mandarin, Alliance Francaise in New York or Parlez-Vous Francais in New Jersey for French)

4. Make it fun: Watch your favorite cartoons in the target language

Whether it is Beauty and the Beast or The Incredibles, you feel better about your children watching TV if they are exposed to a 2^nd language

5. Make it fun: Find a song you sing together karaoke-style

Find on YouTube a song you and your child like, and sing it together until you know it by heart.

6. Make it fun: Find an app your children love

A fun app to learn a language on a tablet or phone keeps the kids entertained and engaged while traveling or when you need a break

7. Make it easy: Make a 5 minute routine out of a bedtime story

Reading stories is the cornerstone of learning a new language. Selecting a favorite story and making it a routine creates a repetition of key expressions and enhances learning

8. Make it easy: Engage friends and family to read stories

Ask your family or friends for help. If someone is far away, ask them to read a story in the 2^nd language via Skype.

9. Make it easy: Listen to podcast stories

Several free podcasts (like Cody’s Cuentos in Spanish) offer you a weekly story your child will enjoy

10. Make it top of mind

Write the resolutions, print them out and stick them on the fridge!

Famigo reviewed Princesses Learn Spanish

2011-12-31T11:53:00.022-05:00

We are happy that Famigo reviewed "Princesses Learn Spanish" and gave it a 4-star rating: "Great app for learning beginner Spanish words. The Spanish is integrated into classic princess fairy tales"

You can check out the review here:

http://famigo.com/app/princesses-learn-spanish/#btn-more

2011 was a fun year to share via our blog what parents do to help children learn languages. Also, we had a good time building apps to make it fun for children to learn. Thank you to all the parents and friends who supported us. We wish everyone a great and healthy 2012.

Cristina & Franck

The iPhone Mom reviewed Princesses Learn Spanish

2011-12-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

The iPhone Mom reviewed our free iPad and iPhone app:

"Princesses Learn Spanish is a great tool for introducing little ones to Spanish".

Check out the full review: http://bit.ly/tcmHPR

Our New Apps Are Live!

2011-12-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

We are launching today our latest apps for iPad and iPhone: Princesses Learn Spanish and Princesses Learn French

Here is a short video of Princesses Learn Spanish

And the link to download it on iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/princesses-learn-spanish/id472617221?ls=1&mt=8

Here is a short video of Princesses Learn French

And the link to download it on iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/princesses-learn-french/id478294713?ls=1&mt=8

Enjoy learning Spanish and French with the Princesses!

Princesses Learn Spanish and Princesses Learn French, our two latest free apps!

2011-12-04T02:44:00.000-05:00

We are excited to launch two new free apps for iPad and iPhone on December 9th: Princesses Learn Spanish and Princesses Learn French.

Similar to our existing free app, Princesses Learn Chinese, both apps have a story-based approach, with games and songs, to expose children to Spanish and French words and expressions.

Each story will have new words, integrated in timeless tales. The stories are told by professional narrators, with classical music by Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty).

The new words in the story will be reinforced through games and songs. Our objective is to make it fun for children to learn their first words and expressions.

Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are the first books in the collection. The application is free, and the 1^st book is free. The other books will be available for purchase.

We look forward to your feedback and your comments on the app. We hope your children will have as much fun playing with it as we had making it.

Enjoy learning Spanish and French with the Princesses!

The power of songs to help children learn a 2nd language

2011-11-10T07:06:00.000-05:00

Music classes are increasingly popular to help with our children’s development, as well as language classes. We came across several parents actively using music as a way to reinforce learning of a second language.

Why is music so helpful to learn a second language?

1. Songs are fun

2. Songs increase retention

3. Songs place vocabulary in context

Songs in a second language are fun

We know that children, especially small children, really like music. They relate to it as entertainment and find learning vocabulary through songs amusing. Songs associated with hand and arm gestures are even more powerful in engaging children.

Songs increase retention

Most of us are able to remember several children songs we learned as kids. Music helps retain words and expressions much more effectively. The rhythm of the music helps memorize, as well as the repetitive patterns within the song.

Songs place new words in context

A song is also a little story. Children learn new words and expressions in the context of a story within the song. This will more easily captivate the attention of kids learning a 2^nd language. Words make sense faster when you learn them in the context of the lyrics in the song, than when you learn them by themselves.

Music plays an important role in learning a second language. Similar areas of the brain are activated when listening to or playing music and speaking or processing language. Language and music are both associated with emotions, the combination makes it a powerful way to learn a second language.

If you have a way to use music to teach your kids a second language, please let us know.

“Learning a 2nd language: I know my children will be thankful later on”

2011-10-28T07:15:00.000-04:00

The 5 Questions: How do you inspire your children to learn a 2^nd language?

Profile: Joel and son Pascal (8) and daughter Alina (6)

Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Main language: German

Language learned with Dad: English

What is your favorite activity that helps your Pascal and Alina learn English?

I enjoy reading stories to Alina in English. My parenting language is English. So any games we play with Pascal and Alina are in English.

What is a helpful tool you use?

YouTube and Google are great tools we use to explain things in English. The other day Alina had a question about clouds and how rain is formed. I did not have a good answer that came to mind. So we searched on YouTube and found a video in English that explains it.

What is your #1 challenge? What helps in overcoming this challenge?

Airtime. 90% of the time they are in a German environment, at school, with friends, with my wife Hana who only uses German with them.

Having my Mom over helps. She speaks only in English to them. We might also find a bilingual school to have things more balanced between the two languages.

Any tip or advice you have for other parents?

Just do it. Make the commitment to do it, even if you do not have much airtime. I was raised with 3 languages and loved it. Games are also important. Playing games makes it easier for the kids to have a desire to learn and practice a language.

What keeps you going?

Knowing how beneficial it is to learn languages early, and knowing also the kids will be thankful later on, once they understand the benefit.

The 4 pillars of story-telling to learn a second language

2011-10-21T06:57:00.000-04:00

Reading and telling stories is the common element to parents who raise their children with a second language. Not only it is the common element, it is the #1 on the priority list.

Parents that raise their kids with a second language are “story addicts”. They find every possible opportunity to tell or listen to stories with their children. Here are the 4 pillars of how parents expose their children to stories:

1. Creating a story routine

2. Making children actors in the story

3. "Everywhere story-telling"

4. Using technology as a story-telling complement

Creating a story routine

Stories are an excellent way to get the attention of children, especially when the story is a familiar one. Children love their routines. Creating a story-telling routine in a second language makes kids look forward to a story on a regular basis.

- “Reading the same story, night after night. My son does not want to listen to another story. He knows the story in Russian by heart. I think I read it over 50 times.”

- “Coming home after work, I read a 5-minute story on the couch”

- “ During breakfast on week-ends I read 2 or 3 stories, usually a fairy tale or hero story, Not sure if it gives them the best manners at the table, but it helps them listen to French”

Making children actors in the story

Creating stories where children are the heroes makes them engaged and helps them practice the second language.

- “At bedtime, making up a story where our children are the heroes. It gets them very engaged, as they want to hear what will happen”

- “I like playing with puppets: creating a 1 minute story that I tell, then having my daughter act out also a 1 minute story”

“Everywhere story-telling”

Talking, having frequent conversations, finding opportunities everywhere to tell stories or listen to them is used by parents to expose the children as much as possible to the second language.

- “Going to the park, and telling a story about what we see there, in Hindi”

- “”When driving, I put on children stories on CDs in Spanish”

Using technology as a story telling complement

Technology will never replace what parents or teachers do directly with the children to learn a second language. However, it can greatly help in reinforcing what parents or educators do.

- “Having grandma reading a story via skype, showing the pictures of the book to the camera”

- “Listening to podcasts on the internet (ex: Cody’s Cuentos). Every week is another story in Spanish, we listen to it together”

- “Screen time on week-ends: we listen to French stories on the iPad for 15 min”

What is your own habit of telling or listening to stories with your child, in a second language?

“Guerilla language teaching” tactics

2011-10-05T07:57:00.000-04:00

From several conversations with parents that are raising their children with two or more languages, I realized several are using what I call “guerilla language teaching” tactics.

Here is a definition of what it is: Indirect strategies to teach a language to children, involving, but not limited to, laughs, play and songs.

Why “guerilla language teaching”?

- It is unstructured

- It combines language teaching with daily activities

- It often involves 5- to 10-minute action spurts

- It implies that parents want their children to learn a new language, whatever it takes

Here are some of the tactics parents shared. Usually, the amount of time spent on the second language children are learning is limited: the parent teaching the language is at work, and most of day is spent at school or pre-school with the main language.

These parents then use “guerilla language teaching” tactics whenever they are around the children. A few examples:

- Describing the clothes to the children when getting them dressed as babies (“Here I take your left foot and put a red sock on it”, “Have you seen the beautiful blue T-shirt you are wearing?)

- Singing songs in the language taught when giving the bottle

- Describing what is around when going on a walk with the stroller (“Have you seen this big white car driving by?”, “Can you see the little squirrel right there?)

- Doing play-by-plays in play sports together on the lawn (“And I pass you the ball. Kick it!)

- Reading a 10-minute story while having breakfast

- Listening to a 10-minute story in on CD while driving the car

- Using the iPad to have the kids listen to a story while paying the bills

- Making a salad for lunch and going over the names of the vegetables

“Guerilla language teaching” just means that having children learn a language is a daily commitment. It does not have to be hours spent on a specific subject. It means that you commit to do one or two things a day using the language you want to teach.

"If nothing else, my daughters will have received Italian as a gift from me"

2011-09-26T07:19:00.000-04:00

The 5 Questions: How do you inspire your children to learn another language?

Profile: Gianett and daughters Laeticia (7) and Giuliana (4)

Location: New Jersey

Language learned at home: Italian

What are your favorite activities that help your daughters learn Italian?

Reading and playing games. All types of games, board games, cards,… I read many books, when the book is in English I translate it into Italian while reading to my daughters. I grew up in California and we were speaking Italian at home. I would like to provide the same language-learning environment to my children.

What are helpful resources you use?

Italian DVDs make it fun for Laeticia and Giuliana. “La Isola Perduta” is a DVD they like, as well as Beauty and the Beast in Italian.

What is your #1 challenge? How do you try to overcome it?

We live in New Jersey and Laeticia goes to 1^st grade here, English-only school. So at times she would want to answer in English. I just stay strong and focused, and ask her to answer in Italian. Some parents feel like answering in English and give up, especially when other people are around. I talk to my daughters in Italian, and expect them to answer in Italian. If other people are around, I translate into English right away, so that guests or friends do not feel excluded.

Any piece of advice you have for other parents?

Make it fun and persevere. Keep the focus until your child is 6 years old. If you succeed in creating a bilingual environment until age 6, your child will continue to answer in the language you want to teach. I see that from Laeticia, and also from my experience seeing other children grow up (note: Gianett has a masters in early education and was among other things an American English teacher in Paris).

What keeps you going?

A language is a wonderful thing to share. If nothing else, my daughters will have received Italian as a gift from me.

My husband is French and communicates in French with Laeticia and Giuliana. It is key for us to maintain our home languages so that our daughters have their own personal relationship with their grandparents.

I also believe that it helps Laeticia and Giuliana be open-minded. Speaking several languages will open up a world of opportunities.

Princesses Learn Chinese, Our App is Live!

2011-09-16T04:35:00.000-04:00

We are launching our app today! You can download it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/princesses-learn-chinese/id453221072?ls=1&mt=8

Princesses Learn Chinese exposes children to their first Mandarin Chinese words and expressions, through stories, games and songs.

Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are the first books in the collection. The application is free, and the 1^st book is free. It is available on both iPad and iPhone

What makes Princesses Learn Chinese different?

#1 We believe in a story-based approach: helping children understand Chinese expressions in the context of a story

- Discover new Mandarin Chinese words, integrated in timeless tales. Tales are in English, with a new Chinese word or expression on each page

- Listen to high quality narration by professional narrators

- Enjoy classical music (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty,…) by Tchaikovsky and other famous composers

- Associate images to Chinese characters and their pronunciation

- Practice repeating the Chinese words on each page with the help of a Princess

#2 We believe that learning should be fun. Games and songs help reinforce the learning

- Memory game: Exercise your memory and associate Chinese characters with their pronunciation

- Bingo game: Listen to a word and find the right image and character

- Sticker game: Put stickers to the right location and listen to its pronunciation

- Color a picture while learning about the different colors in Chinese

- Sing a song in Chinese and tap onto musical buttons to listen to different parts of the song

New stories are added on a regular basis. Open the app to see which new story is added to the Princess Library.

Website: www.princesseslearnchinese.com

Send us your feedback, it will help us improve.

Enjoy discovering Chinese with the Princesses!

"One of the best presents a parent can make is the gift of a language"

2011-09-12T06:28:00.000-04:00

The 5 Questions: How do you inspire your child to learn a new language?

Profile: Marcelo and sons Marcelo, Mateo, Nicholas

Location: Madrid

Marcelo, Mateo and Nicholas’ native language: Spanish

Language they learn: English

What is your favorite activity that helps your sons learn English when you were in Madrid?

My wife Sonia and I are both native Spanish speakers. My parents taught me English early on. So I decided even before little Marcelo was born that I would only speak in English to him, and Sonia in Spanish. One of my favorite activities is reading before bedtime.

What is a helpful tool you use?

We had cable TV in Madrid. You are actually able to change the setting of cable TV, so that the default language becomes English instead of Spanish. This allowed the kids to watch Disney Channel or Nickelodeon exclusively in English. It helped develop their hearing and vocabulary in English. I would also buy books and DVDs each time I was traveling to England.

What is your #1 challenge?

I was very strict with myself to only speak in English with the kids, and Sonia would speak in Spanish. In a public setting, it felt awkward at the beginning. I’m Spanish speaking, people know that, and here I go speaking in English to the kids. However, I believe that one of the best presents a parent can make to the children is the gift of a language. So I just stuck with it.

What helps in overcoming this challenge?

I asked my family (brother, sister, my father, etc.) to help me in speaking in English with the kids. The support of my family helped me in being perseverant.

Any tip or advice you have for other parents?

Because our sons learned two languages at the same time, it took the kids a little longer to make full sentences when they learned how to speak. Some parents are concerned about it and give up. Don’t give up.

Also, creating a fun environment, associating the language they learn with fun, helps a lot (play dates with English-speaking kids, doing fun activities together in English).

We now moved to the US and the kids are going to school here. So I now have to find a solution to the reverse problem: how do I make sure that the kids keep their level of Spanish?

Princesses Learn Chinese, Our Free App!

2011-08-25T06:06:00.000-04:00

As a family we are going to launch mid-September a free iPad, iPod and iPhone app, Princesses Learn Chinese.

Princesses Learn Chinese features a story-based approach, with games and songs, to expose children to Mandarin Chinese words and expressions.

Each story will have new Mandarin Chinese words, integrated in timeless tales. The stories are told by professional narrators, with classical music by Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty).

The Chinese words in the story will be reinforced through games and songs. Our objective is to make it fun for children to learn their first words and expressions.

Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are the first books in the collection. The application is free, and the 1^st book is free. The other books will be available for purchase.

This is an exciting project for us. We hope to get your help and feedback to continue to inspire children to learn new languages.

Enjoy discovering Chinese with the Princesses!

A great example of parent commitment to teach a language

2011-08-09T22:19:00.000-04:00

The 5 Questions: How do you inspire your children to learn a new language?

Profile: Jesse and children Ryan (6), Charlotte (2 ½) and Violette (2 months)

Location: San Francisco Area

Language learned with Mom and Dad: Mandarin Chinese

What do you do with your children to help them learn Mandarin?

I learned Mandarin in college, and my wife speaks it also (better than I do). English is my native language. Before Ryan went to pre-school, we spoke mainly in Chinese with him. We currently do the same with Charlotte. Ryan split his time between Mandarin and English day care when he was younger, and now Charlotte attends all-Mandarin day care. Ryan just finished Kindergarten in a dual-language immersion school, about 50% Chinese 50% English and is going to continue his schooling there for the next year.

What are some of your favorite activities with the kids?

We enjoy organizing play dates with other Mandarin speaking kids, although sometimes they switch to English. So we also organize a gathering at one of the parents’ home, once a month. We have a chinese teacher over that helps with organizing chinese cultural activities. The children have fun discovering new things!

Besides that, our children enjoy cartoons in Mandarin, we listen to a lot of Mandarin (and some Taiwanese) kids' songs, and I have a subscription from Taiwan for Chao the Tiger (books, games, DVDs in Mandarin). They send fun materials over once a month. Since we live in the Bay Area, we also have Mandarin television available, and both Ryan and Charlotte enjoy watching a Mandarin kids' show called Fruit and Ice Cream that's imported from Taiwan.

What is your #1 challenge? How do you try to overcome it?

The limits of my own mandarin skill as English is my native language. Right now I speak with him 70% in English and 30% in Mandarin. I keep to Mandarin for simpler everyday conversation. But I do worry whether I speak with the right particles of speech, or say things the way a native speaker would express themselves (as opposed to translating English diction).

Sometimes I use a translation app if I can't recall a word and want to say it to Ryan. We also go with Ryan to Chinese martial arts classes. It is only in Mandarin, and the teachers are from China.

What keeps you motivated?

I want to make it easier for my kids so that they do not have to struggle to learn Chinese as I did in college (laughs!)

I believe it will give them a more open mind and greater opportunities in the future. I suspect it also strengthens brain development.

I would love at some point to take the family over to China and live there for a few years.

Do you have a piece of advice for other parents that want to raise their children bilingually?

It takes a lot of effort and a real time commitment! There is no real short cut. You have to really want it and to enjoy the journey.

7 Habits that will help your child become bilingual

2011-08-02T23:38:00.002-04:00

Raising bilingual children starts with a few small steps, a few minutes per day. It should not be overwhelming. We are all busy and we are trying our best. Using everyday activities to teach a language is key. Integrating these habits into our week will generate huge language learning pay-offs. Just like compound interest.

The goal is to fit these habits into each day of the week, between 5 and 10 minutes at a time. You will get a sense of accomplishment by doing each of them with your children. When you look back at the week, you will feel pretty good.

7 habits – 1 per day - 5 to 10 minutes each:

- Monday: Songs on the go. When you drop your kids off at school, listen to two songs in the car in the target language and sing them while driving. They will eventually start singing with you.

- Tuesday: Breakfast tales. Have your son or daughter select her favorite story in the target language and read it to her while having breakfast together.

- Wednesday: Play their favorite sport. If he or she likes soccer and you want your child to learn Spanish, pretend both of you are the 2 best Spanish soccer players.

- Thursday: Cartoon night. Browse on YouTube and find a 10 minute cartoon to watch together in the language you are teaching.

- Friday: Shopping day. Go to the corner store near your home. Take time to explain what you put in the cart in the target language.

- Saturday: Let’s cook together. Have them repeat all the names of vegetables, fruit or other ingredients. Added bonus: not only do they learn a new language, they also take pride in eating what they cooked with you.

- Sunday: Draw a picture. Recap the day and draw together a picture of an activity you did during the day. Describe the colors and shapes you draw in the target language.

What are the habits or fun activities you do for 10 minutes to teach a language to your children? Do you have a routine you do every day or every week?