THE REAL DEAL ON THE TOP TEN MYTHS ABOUT SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

1. Any parent can raise a child who knows more than one language, even if that parent is monolingual all children can learn a second language even if their parents don’t know that well.

The most effective way to raise bilingual children is to have friends/neighbors who speak the language, childcare available in that language, or a school system that can assist you.

However, even if those things aren't an option, parents can still learn the language first-hand and routinely use it with their children. It doesn't matter if you're not perfect. Despite your language skills needing improvement, I have a lot more work to do, it still works and you will learn as they learn together (believe me, nothing increases your vocabulary faster than an inquisitive toddler).

2. Learning a language is never too late, and being younger does not necessarily mean a better way to learn it. You and your baby can learn it together. This challenge is open to everyone, even grandma.

What is the age limit for learning a new language? It's good news that you're never too old, according to experts. A new language can be learned by anyone at any age, according to studies. In my experience, children learn fast, but seniors also do because of their neuroplasticity.

3. Rich, dynamic, and meaningful interaction is critical and more important than having a perfect native-speaker model. Talk to your child, and create small conversations.

¿Cómo estás?
¿Qué quieres comer?
¿Quieres jugar?

4. There are a number of reasons why children raised in the same home may develop very different language skills.

When a second child arrives in a bilingual family, the language balance can be upset, and the second child is often less fully bilingual than the first. Usually, the first child speaks to the second in the "more important" language, increasing exposure to that language and decreasing the need for the "less important" language. Prepare your response in advance. Depending on your home situation, you may want to try to enlist the older child or children to promote the "less important" language.

5. Constantly correcting errors can do more harm than good.

If there is a mistake, rephrase it. Yo manzana. - You say: Yo quiero una manzana. ¿Quieres una manzana? Let the child answer it. Sí, yo quiero una manzana. Model the language you want your kids to use.

6. Learning two languages is not a cause of language delay. Don't children get confused when they hear two languages spoken around them?

No, that's the short answer. Children are extremely sensitive to the different ways in which people speak. Children learn quickly about the differences between men's and women's speech, politeness, and impoliteness, even if they only hear one language. Bilingualism is just another difference between people to children!

Educators used to tell immigrant parents that speaking English at home would benefit their children's education fifty years ago. Children who are exposed to two languages early may be at a disadvantage, according to some researchers. Recent research indicates that this may not be the case, and bilingualism has advantages (in addition to knowing more than one language), such as being able to think more creatively. According to earlier research, immigrants' disadvantages were mainly economic, caused by the hardships of their lives. Language development for bilingual children may be slightly slower than for monolingual children. Don´t worry!

7. Isn't it common for bilingual children to mix their languages?

Like adult bilinguals, bilingual children often use words from one language when speaking the other. (This is called code-switching.) But this doesn't mean they are confused about which language they are speaking. In our Italian-English bilingual home, a lot of our food vocabulary is Italian, and we use this even when we're speaking English (and when English words are available). So we'll talk about pollo instead of chicken and salsa instead of sauce. Yet in speaking to monolinguals, bilingual children are careful to use only the relevant language.

8. Children don’t learn many languages through television or other edutainment items—these should be thought of as supplemental.
There has been relatively little use of television in language learning classrooms. Since TV is a supplement to our program, we do not refuse to use it. Parental control is necessary to avoid creating a bad habit. Watching television has helped our students learn new words and phrases and allowed mom to take a break.

9. Bilingual education programs can be beneficial for children.

Any bilingual program will have a big impact on children as they can improve Cognitive Skills. Teachers with the classes will help a lot to the kid to learn new words, sentences in context. Furthermore, being in a bilingual program promotes diversity and integration and it Sharpens Social and Emotional Skills in other kids. Addiciotnally, they will increase School Engagement and Academic Success fearless in any language.

10. There's no reason not to learn third language (or even more, it's possible!).

They will be open to learning a third language. Let´s do it!