Raising a multilingual child

Having lived in different parts of the country and overseas, I recognized the need of understanding the native language much too quickly. And when I got pregnant with Azeen, I was excited to see how early can a baby pick up multiple languages – and I was pleasantly surprised. As I did more research on ways to teach a baby to communicate, I realized that babies truly are like sponges and absorb everything around them, even the difference between languages. 

Research shows that adopting a multilingual learning system can strengthen the executive function of the brain. As children use two languages at the same time, switching consistently, it develops skills for functions like shedding inhibition, switching attention, and working memory. As such, they often perform better on tasks which require multi-tasking, decision making and problem solving.

Here are a few things that have helped me teach Azeen almost three languages so far(Yes! She really does understand most of the three at just 2 years old)”

1.       Start early – Speak to a baby, as you would to an adult. Babbling and gurgling with babies are fun, but the more you speak in clearer sentences, babies will try to repeat the sounds they hear and eventually comprehend that there are multiple languages being spoken. I have been speaking in two languages to my daughter since birth

2.      Repeat, repeat – Repeat the same word/sentence in different languages to help them understand that you are referring to the same thing simultaneously. I have read that it helps if the languages sound very contrasting. I experimented with English and Hindi and it worked for my little one

3.      Action words – Since you can use physical movements to teach these words, say the words in all languages. You will be surprised at how soon they respond to or repeat the action at the multiple words. The first few words I started with were – Up, down, come, hello, eat, sleep

4.      Picture this – Make it fun by showing pictures of your family or read picture books and try to teach the same person/object in different languages. I read her the same book of first words every night and she started pointing at it eventually at bed time

5.      Stay motivated – Don’t be disheartened if the baby is not repeating anything of what you are speaking. Studies show that most multilingual babies do take a little longer to speak but that is only temporary and nothing compared to what they are learning in the long run. A lot of friends and relatives unfortunately discouraged my method by saying I was confusing the baby but it really has turned out otherwise. She is not only comfortable but more confident in communicating in new social environments or with large groups of people

6.      It’s never too late – Don’t wait for them to start school to introduce English or a language they teach at school. Studies show that preschoolers can comfortably understand up to 3 languages so older kids will grasp them easily as well

7.      Encourage and appreciate – Even if they mix up the words or pronounce it weirdly, encourage them by teaching the right word. As they have a smaller vocabulary, they may use words from the language they are more comfortable in. I think my daughter’s Hinglish/Kanglish is adorable!

Most families in India stick to teaching the child one language - native or English depending on the family structure and social outlook, but that only limits the learning capabilities. Azeen was comfortably understanding English and Urdu/Hindi and when she started play school at one and half years old, she picked up a bit of Kannada within a couple of months. Every child has different learning abilities, please use this as only an informative experience and help bring out the best in your child. For more information on what books I use, links I refer to and any other questions and feedback, please comment below and I will respond to them at the earliest.

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DISCLAIMER: All suggestions above are based on my experience, expert advice and research. Please consult a medical professional accordingly. Remember every child is unique and needs to cared for as per their needs.