Why raising multilingual children?

Will one more language be too much for my child?

..you might ask.

And I dare to say:

No, there is no such thing as too many languages for a child.

*Note: This is a general thumb of rule. There might be some exceptions, for example in case of autism or hearing loss. I am no expert in these fields, so do what you know and what feels best for your individual situation.

As some of you might already know, my children are trilingual. Multilingualism is a subject close to my heart. I have chosen a very active role in our local Swedish school, because I know multilingualism has many advantages. At times it’s a rough path, but I know that in the end it is (and will be) worth it. Your children might not love the idea of speaking a different language than their peers, but they will thank you later. So hang in there!

This post might contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.

10 reasons to encourage bi-, tri- and multi-lingualism

1) You should communicate with your children in the language you grew up with. This is, most likely, the language you feel most confident expressing your feelings in. Even though I’m fluent in both English and Hebrew, Swedish is my mother tongue, the language I grew up with. I know the literature, songs, intonations and all the various language nuances. It’s hard enough raising children -we shouldn’t have to do it in our second language!

2) Communicating with family and friends is another really GOOD reason to speak your mother tongue language with your children. If my children wouldn’t know Swedish, they wouldn’t be able to communicate the way they do with my parents for example. Or with other children when we visit Sweden, for that matter.

3) Understanding the culture – When you know the language of a certain place, it gives you a totally different level of insight of the culture. You have to “live the language” in order to understand the whole picture.

4) A better understanding and acceptance of different cultures in general – Multilingualism helps children to better understand and accept different cultures. Most multilingual children are exposed to different cultures at an early age.

5) Flexible thinking – It’s been scientifically proven that multilingual people are more “flexible” in their thinking, which helps their ability to solve problems.

6) Makes it easier to learn other languages – Knowing more than one language from the beginning makes it easier to learn more languages later.

7) Activate/train brain – I have trained my brain to think creatively if I don’t know how to say something in another language. I have learnt to change my thinking and express myself in a different way, using words that I DO know.

8) Open possibilities – Speaking more than one language fluently will open up many doors of opportunity for your child. When my children become older, they have the possibility to choose where to study. They can study at the university in Sweden, Israel or USA without any language barriers.

9) Economic advantages – When the children grow up, chances are they will be able to find better jobs due to their knowledge in different languages. This way, being multilingual can lead to a better economic situation.

10) Decrease distances – The fact that so many speak more than one language today, makes it much easier to travel. Distances decrease and the world “becomes smaller”.

Conclusion

Hopefully you’re convinced by now that one of the best gifts you can give your child is a second (or third) language. As I said, it’s not always easy. Follow this link for some tips “How my kids became trilingual”.

Read more similar posts