As we step into a new year, many parents, like you, may be reflecting on how to enrich their child’s language learning journey. If you’re raising a bilingual or heritage language learner, setting clear resolutions can provide a roadmap for success. Here are nine resolutions and actionable tips to kickstart your child’s language-learning adventure in 2024.
1. Stay Consistent with Language Exposure
Commit to consistent exposure to your heritage language. This might look like implementing one of these 5 methods: One Person One Language (OPOL), Time and Place, Heritage Language at Home, Situational Multilingualism, or Fluid Multilingualism, or something as small as integrating language learning into a daily routine and activities.
2. Create Cultural Immersion
Language and culture are deeply rooted in identity. Immerse your child in the cultural aspects associated with their heritage language. Attend cultural events, traditions, and celebrations with your family, or explore local cultural events and activities in your community. Travel is a great way to create cultural and linguistic immersion, if you are able. Check out our language immersion guide for more tips and guidance.
3. Find Community
Connect with a community of parents and learners on similar language learning journeys. Share your experiences, seek advice, and establish connections with other parents. If you don’t know of people who speak your heritage language in your community, attend virtual events or language meetups to broaden your network. You can also lean on your family members who speak the heritage language to help carry the load of language exposure.
4. Make Language Learning Fun
Books, podcasts, and games are a great way to help make language learning fun. Read books in the heritage language together. For families with Spanish as a target language, our social justice book list has a great inventory of engaging and culturally responsive book titles. You can also watch age-appropriate movies or shows in the target language. Streaming services like Netflix make it easy to change languages and subtitles. Finally, explore setting up a language exchange or play dates with other kids who will be able to play with and engage with your child in the target language.
5. Celebrate Language Achievements
Acknowledge and celebrate language achievements regularly. Did you read five books as a family this week in Spanish? Great job! Did your child say their first word in Farsi? Amazing! Get a positive response instead of a blank stare when speaking to your kid in Tagalog? Excellent! Be sure to praise progress over perfection. You can also showcase language skills to family and friends (in a low-pressure way) or organize small celebrations for language milestones.
6. Continued Learning Journey
Commit to a long-term language learning journey. It can be easy to believe myths when it comes to language learning. Kick them to the curb and practice setting realistic expectations for language acquisition that make sense for you and your child. Embrace the evolving nature of language learning and become lifelong learners together.
As you embark on this language-learning journey in 2024, remember that every small step counts. By incorporating these resolutions and actionable tips into your daily routine, you’ll provide your child with a strong foundation for language acquisition and cultural connection. Here’s to a year filled with linguistic exploration, cultural discovery, and countless language milestones!