There are many dads who are hands-on in giving their children the gift of bilingualism. As one dad told us, “I have great memories of going to German school and learning German on top of English. I would like my daughter to have fond memories of learning another language also.”
One of the great benefits of raising a child with a second language is that it creates a unique bond between a parent and kids.
Here are some tips specifically for us dads to make it as fun as possible for our children to learn a second language. These tips are obviously not gender specific. They apply perfectly to moms, aunts, uncles and grandparents. These are, however, tips coming from dads that can give ideas to other dads.
Play your favorite sport
Spend time with the kids teaching the basics of your favorite sport. Doing it in the target language is like having tqo scoops of ice-cream for the price of one. When the learning is combined with play, retention of the vocabulary is faster.
Dig out your old childhood series on YouTube
“Die Biene Maya”, “Oliver y Benji”, “Candy”,… dads like to head to YouTube to dig out cartoons they grew up with in the 70s and 80s. Sharing that excitement is communicative. It will not take long for the kids to ask to see these old cartoons in the second language.
Read books about your hometown
Dads like to talk about their roots and the places where they grew up. I found a cartoon book in French from Jacques Martin called “Strasbourg.” I like it because it is in French and helps me share roots about Alsace in France with Pablo. Pablo likes it because there are cartoons in it, and maybe my voice sounds slightly different when I talk about my roots.
Watch your favorite sport event in the second language
Some dads follow religiously “La Liga” or “Bundesliga” soccer. There are now many online streaming websites that allow to watch your favorite sport event in a second language. Kids can feel the passion when you watch Barcelona or Real Madrid play in Spanish, or Bayern München play in German.
Share your favorite songs with the kids while driving
On week-end mornings going to the bakery to get bread, take your child with you in the car. Put on a CD or an mp3 player with your favorite songs from the 80s. This is a fun way to share a couple of songs in a second language for 10 minutes.
Teach how to cook a childhood dish
Cooking together in a second language is a great way to learn many things: the name of the vegetables and the ingredients, the utensils, the love of good food. Many of us have memories of wonderful smells coming out of the kitchen as we grew up. Cooking involves many senses: touching, listening, seeing, smelling, tasting. Following a recipe and cooking together with the kids in a second language, even for just 10 minutes, creates lasting memories.
And about memories, here is one of my favorite quotes, from a dad:
“One of the best presents a parent can make is the gift of a language.”
This post was originally published on Multilingual Living.
