Simple Tips to Teach Your Child a Second Language

A trend that is rapidly growing among parents is teaching a “second language” to their children starting at a young age. Right from enrolling young kids in specific language learning programs to using videos that help the child understand and pick up a foreign language, they’re taking various steps. Many of them are even buying language learning software using the Rosetta Stone coupons to make the learning easier. There’s no doubt about the fact that knowing another language can prove to be beneficial in many ways, but taking a start with it can be difficult. In the following article we discuss a few tips to help you teach your kid a second language with much ease...

Choose the Right Language 

When it comes to teaching your child another language, don’t make the mistake of going for an obscure language or a dying one. You should instead choose a foreign language that is going to be practically useful for the kid. If it’s not going to be of any use, then why put the effort and time to learn it? Let’s say that you adopted a child from Japan. Teaching this kid Japanese would make sense because it will help him preserve sense of his culture. A language shouldn’t be learned just because it looks or sounds cool to you.

Don’t Rush It

A lot of parents try to teach a second language to their child from a very young age. While it is true that younger children tend to grasp things easily and can learn a language quicker when compared to older kids or adults, that’s not the only thing you should consider. The thing with a foreign language is that one also needs to understand it while learning it. So if you begin very early, your child may miss out on some vital points that can only be understood with age. Be patient in your approach and don’t rush in. Take your time and focus on building a strong foundation first.

Start Slow

Learning a new language is a step by step process, and it needs to be treated that way. You can’t skip steps and expect your child to become good at it. One of the best ways to teach your kid a second language is by getting him to learn the name of some object in it - one object at a time. 

So what are the best words to begin with? The ones that your child uses most frequently. For example, if you want to teach your kid French, then you could explain to him that everything has “two names” - one in English and one in French. “Water” and “Eau” mean the same, it's just spoken in two different languages. When presenting or teaching your child with different words from a new language, see to it that you have a foreign dictionary at hand. 

Learning a new language is different than, say, buying DJ gear at a cheaper price using the DJ Hookup discount codes and learning to be a disc jockey. You have to take a calculated approach and see to it that your child is learning the language in a balanced manner. Like anything even learning a second language takes time, so be patient and consistent.