New Comers, how should we talk to our children?

New Comers, how should we talk to our children?

By Omar Rojas

Many people might think that the best way to communicate to our kids is using our mother tongue. Some others would say, the best way to learn the new language is using it everywhere including our homes. Now, who is going to have the best benefit in both cases?

In our first scenario, the more beneficiaries are going to be our kids. They are going to learn two different languages instead of just one. However, in my experience I would say that children who speak in different languages at home develop both languages a little longer than using just one. For instance, my son, although he has a good enough English for his age, he has more troubles reading and writing than his peers, perhaps because at home we decided to teach him a better Spanish, and that includes reading and writing. Sometimes he got confuse but I am pretty sure that his brain ate the age of four is capable to learn two or three languages at the same time.

Now, the beneficiaries in the second scenario are parents. Through the practice with our kids and spouses is easier to learn the second language. Practice, practice, and more practice. This is the best way to improve the new language in a short period of time.

THAT IS THE FACT, NEXT STEP IS WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?