Multi-racial Parents, Children ONLY Strong in English Language...?

Hi L.

I wanted to have a baby sitter who spoke fluent spanish only to hel pme raise my son, but never did and he's 19 now. But you still have time. I would say have a sitter that will only speak spanish and that way they will be forced to learn. Their brains are still forming and able to learn easily. It's when they are 9 or 10 and up that their minds don't learn so easily. But I would only speak spanish when you're with them alone, and then when dad is there, you can swap back maybe. Good luck

I agree with all the advice gien here (except of cource Peggy) and I also encourage you to do it and do it early. My father is Mexican and my mother is German and I learned all my Spanish in school. I took classes on and off from about 4th grade through college. At one point I was pretty much fluent. But that was a long time ago. I don't have occation to use it now (we never spoke it in the home) and I've lost so very much of it. Now my parents have moved near my paternal grandparents (who mainly speak spanish and some brokern english) and I can barely speak to my grandparents. So I highly encourage you to teach them anything at all at this age and most of all make sure they continue to have a place to use it as they get older so they don't lose it. :)

move to either Miami or the Southwest , find a spanish speaker who wants to learn English and work together tolearn each othrs language
PS they are Americans and we do speak English as our first language

Hi L.!!
We are a Spanish/English family as well! Your children are definitely at the perfect age to learn a second language.
When ever you say something in English to them, repeat the exact same thing in Spanish. Read to them in English or Spanish, then take the same book and translate it in the opposite language. And on any of their favorite movies that they may know by heart, see if it has the spanish option and put in Spanish. You'll be amazed at how fast they'll catch on. Just fill their world with Spanish, and they pick it up so fast!
My kids 1st language was Spanish. I am American, and my husband is Cuban, and I was bound to determined that they were going to be bi-lingual, so we only spoke spanish in the home,and went to an all Spanish Church, and you know I never taught them English, they learned on their own. Only now, that my oldest daughter is in kindergarten, we do her classes in English. By the time my 1st daughter was 2, she completely translated for my mother, (who doesn't speak Spanish) and for my mother-in-law (who doesn't speak English), they learned through the t.v. and from my family who speaks on Spanish.
kids are like sponges and they will learn whatever is put in front of them.
So nice to meet you! And take care!
God bless!
V.

You teach it the same way you did with English. Remember when they were first learning words you probably showed them something and gave them the word for it, maybe you also looked at pictures and told them the word for it. Flash cards are great.

Write the spanish words on a sticky note for different items around the house, in the fridge, etc and put it on there. Just like with most learning the more you see it, hear it, speak it, the faster you learn it.

In addition, as they learn more words try having a spanish only dinner ~ get into it! The main objective is to help them feel more comfortable speaking it so during the dinner everyone is ONLY permitted to speak in Spanish. After dinner find out if they had any words they wanted to say but couldn't think of the name and give it to them. Maybe have a traditional dinner with all the fixings ~ Go all out and have fun!

There are some good books written in Spanish for children at Barnes and noble. They even have a whole spanish section for children. The one down on Colonial passed the fashion square mall is the best. Its 2 stories. The children's is on the bottom. (I used to work there.) There are also flash cards in spanish that you could use to teach your children. I would also check online to see if there are spanish classes for their ages offered at an community organization. I grew up in Orlando, and it is definitely beneficial to know spanish. Me habla un poquito.

If you were located closer to Jacksonville, I would recommend Petite Ambassadors Language School. Their immersion program teaches a regular preschool and kindergarten curriculum in Spanish and Japanese. It's absolutely wonderful! Since you don't live here, you may want to buy a book just released a few months ago from Harper Collins called "The Bilingual Edge." It concatenates the latest research into an easy-to-read, comprehensible format that also gives you strategies on teaching a second or third language to your children at home.

Good luck and don't give up. The road to biligualism is not easy, but is worth the effort.

Hi L.,

I have missionary friends that always speak English in the home and the native language outside the home so the kids can learn both. I know that won't work for you with your husband only speaking broken Spanish but you could "tweak" the method and speak English when he's home and Spanish when he's at work....

Kids that age learn sooooo fast!

Regards,

M.