The Foreign Service Journal - December 2017

74 DECEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Key School, a bilingual public school in Arlington, Virginia, for practical tips and advice on raising multilingual children. Here are some of their insights. The earlier, the better. Experts uni- formly advise that the earlier the second language is introduced, the better—from birth on is optimal—and that the maxi- mum results are achieved before puberty. There is no gold standard. There are numerous approaches for children to learn multiple languages, and no single approach is best for everyone.The best method is the one that works best for your family. Remember that children go through phases in life, and will thus have different phases and preferences in their language learning. Comprehension is key. Many parents want their children to achieve “balanced” language proficiency—that is, they want their children to speak and comprehend each language fluently. This is a difficult goal and will not be feasible for many. Remember that it is acceptable to aim for less than fluency. The most important aspect of language learning is comprehen- sion, because this is the foundation for language acquisition and future learning. Be consistent. Expose children to as much of the minority language(s) as you can; experts recommend about 30 per- cent of daily language exposure. Have the same language spoken by the same person or in the same context. Consider creating a “family language agreement” that outlines roles and responsibilities of each family member. Interaction is crucial. Languages are best learned via natural social interac- tion, such as speaking and reading aloud. Constant narration—describing what is happening using both “I” and “you” sentences—is important for modeling correct language and grammar usage. It’s normal to mix languages. Multilingual children will often “code- switch”—the term experts use for the tendency to mix languages, even in the same sentence. Don’t be alarmed when this happens. Some experts view this as a sign of language mastery. Avoid power struggles. Never force children to speak aminority language. Online Resources for Multilingual Families Bilingual Monkeys http://bilingualmonkeys.com Directory of Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Programs in the U.S. www.cal.org/twi/directory Fluent in 3 Months www.fluentin3months.com Linguistic Society of America— FAQ Raising Bilingual Children www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/faq-raising- bilingual-children Multilingual Children’s Association www.multilingualchildren.org Multilingual Parenting http://multilingualparenting.com TedTalk by Mia Nacamulli: The Benefits of a Bilingual Brain http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-speaking-multiple- languages-benefits-the-brain-mia-nacamulli#review