2. Teach through repetition. Even if your child doesn’t seem to be picking up the language right away, keep repeating the words and phrases you taught him. Learning a foreign language takes time, and it’s often hard to predict when the seeds begin to sprout. Just know that the eventually do.
3. Use body language. When your child can associate your exaggerated and expressive gestures, facial expressions, and physical demonstrations with vocabulary, he is more likely to comprehend and remember those terms.
And if you’re monolingual:
1. Have your child spend time with a native speaker. Learning language through social interaction is much more effective than learning through a book or even via audio tapes, research shows.
2. Find media in another language. While using audio or video media to learn a language may be less effective than in-person interactions, it is still a form of exposure that can help your child learn a foreign language. For instance, finding music in a foreign language that both you and your child can enjoy together is a great way to help your child learn new words in foreign language.
3. Learn the language together. This certainly is the most time-consuming option. But if you’re motivated to learn a language, by utilizing a program like Rosetta Stone, it could be some good quality time spent with your little one.
Deborah Song
