I agree to choose a language with a reason in mind!!! I’ve noticed with other subjects my oldest does just for a credit on their transcript other than a subject he has a passion with!!! We put German and English labels on things in our house!!! Grammar is needed and often different languages have different grammar!!!
Brilliant and innovative tips here, Rachel. You're so right. Learning a foreign language is about practicing and hearing the locals speak. Love the suggestion of watching @ 7:05 of watching foreign movies with English subtitles and TH-cam videos. Thanks, sis. - ✨ *Your Awesome Friends at The S'witty Kiwi Show* 🧡
I love that you guys teach languages! I think that is so important and becoming even more important as time goes on. Thank you for sharing how you incorporate it into your home school curriculum!!
Great advice Rachel! I am the ultimate grammar geek, I love learning and teaching it! We don't even shy away from explaining language to Ben at the moment, even though he's only two. It's so valuable. Love watching your bilingual family!
haha, that's awesome! Because Angel teaches Spanish, I think he's appreciating the grammar involved (stem-changing verbs, object pronouns or reflexive pronouns) in the simple phrases Cyrus says. I think teaching high schoolers helps him to appreciate the way little people learn languages all the more, because Cyrus just repeats what he's heard, while high schoolers argue and complain about why do they have to remember to use reflexive pronouns. haha!
As you know my space offer Spanish lessons online and what you say is so true 👍. Learning a language takes time and dedication. And lots of repetition.
It's so true about "investing in time". I spent most of my time with my kids speaking Mandarin so that they feel comfortable communicating with me in this language. But there's still more "formal schooling" to be done to help them reach fluency and also get to read and write. I would love to see a vlog of your family chatting in Mandarin and Spanish, would be so fun😀
Yes, learning to read and write is definitely a long process because of the thousands of characters to learn! But you have laid such a strong grounwork for later reading and writing because your kids can already speak and understand the language.
You were talking about me in the beginning taking classes. You have a great point on being successful on learning a language is to use it and interact. Would like to learn Japanese and Latin.
I like you said studied French in high school for 4 years and loved the language. But those four years of studying it did not leave me fluent in it. I actually still practice my French using an app called duolingo. I started teaching some French to The kids but like you said it's not forced and it's not a part of our daily. It's great advice thanks girl
I think it's really tough to become fluent from classes alone, and that's why a lot of people end up disappointed in the results of language classes, if you don't have other opportunities to use the language, through reading for fun or talking to others. Angel never picked up any Chinese until we lived in China, and then he quickly learned the phrases and sentences he needed to use on a daily basis!
These are great tips! I didn’t realize it before but it really is true to have to have “the need to communicate”. I always try to learn other languages and I also watched a lot of korean dramas but I can barely communicate bc I’m just watching the media. But when I was working with Spanish speaking co-workers and they really couldn’t speak much English at all, I picked up more conversational skills there to be able to do my job and work with them 👏🏼 Thank you for the video!
Yes! A lot of my family loves watching Korean dramas and they recognize phrases from watching those, but they aren't actually able to speak or communicate because, there's no need for communication back and forth when the only language exposure is watching a show. The need to communicate is highly motivating!
This is great advice! We are learning Spanish in our homeschool. My experience with foreign language left me without fluency. I'm hopeful that we can help our learner to be comfortable with a foreign language. We do the Spanish video thing, too. That helps to maintain engagement.
We have so tried so hard to learn Spanish. My husband’s family is from PR. Everyone though. Speaks English. I tried, I even tried to get my mother in law to help teach but she just got frustrated. My husband doesn’t speak Spanish either because my MIL felt that english was more important. Thanks for pointing out my struggles... it makes it seem not so bad. We have no one who wants to communicate it with us. We have no need to communicate in that language.
I totally understand...language is one of those things that without a need to communicate and without opportunity to use it...success is just naturally going to be limited. We have no Spanish-speaking community here...but Angel's family pretty much only speaks Spanish when they are all together, his parents can speak English but Spanish is definitely the home/heart language, so I am motivated that I want my little guys to understand what's going on when we go back for a visit, and to feel included.
Yes, like I mentioned, the best language to choose is the one that your kids will have the most real-life, natural opportunities to use it. Having a strong motivation to use the language helps a lot!
Great video. You’re so right about how to get children fluent. Spending time with native speakers is really great too. I noticed that my children get especially interested when other children are using the language. Unfortunately, we haven’t had much opportunity to be with natives lately. I spent so much time in language classes in school and had nothing to show for it. It was very disappointing. I don’t want to replicate that in our homeschool. We don’t need to study the grammar of our native language in order to be fluent. We use the grammar of the speech we are exposed to-If your family and friends speak well, and you read, you’ll speak and write with correct grammar. The biggest mistakes you might make would be missing commas or forgetting to capitalize a word. I believe in the language learning theory of Stephen Krashen. I have a video of his in my playlist. If you’re into language learning theory you’d like it.
Before this whole year happened we had planned to spend most of the summer with my husband's family, I so looked forward to my little guys getting to spend time with their cousins and extended family who speaks Spanish. Oh well...when we can reunite with his family it will be all the more special of a time. I had a fantastic Chinese professor when I was in college who really passed on his love of and passion for languages to me, and I'm very grateful to him for getting me started in language learning, because I'd never seriously tried learning any other languages before that. To this day, when writing in Chinese, I still remember some of the funny stories he'd tell about each character to help us learn how to write them. I do love grammar, so I don't think I'd ever completely do away with the study, but yes, it's not needed for oral fluency, and you can go a long, long way in language learning and speaking before ever getting into the nitty-gritty of grammatical constructions. Learning the phonics of a language and the punctuation/capitalization and grammar later on will help in being able to have good written communication skills...but again, with young kids, that's not the focus until later. Plenty of time! I remember when I first learned that different languages have different capitalization and different punctuation rules, I don't know how old I was then, but I remember being so surprised! haha...it seems so obvious now. I'll have to look up Stephen Krashen.
Seven In All You think nitty gritty grammar study is the path to good writing in our native language? I think light grammar lessons on punctuation and capitalization are helpful, and that is about as far as that goes. Nitty gritty grammar can be a good “exercise for the mind” though. This is a link to a Stephen Krashen video. th-cam.com/video/NiTsduRreug/w-d-xo.html He says everyone “picks up” a language the same way -no matter if you are young or old. You pick up language through “comprehensible input.” He provides an example of what that is, and what it is not. He isn’t anti-grammar study. It’s okay as-far-as-it-goes. (Which is a lot less far than most people think.) Watch it away from your little sisters because he uses a couple “colorful” examples.
@@sklanguage589 I probably do have a bias in favor of studying the nitty-gritty of languages just because it's something I enjoy, something that makes sense to me. I definitely think grammar/spelling/literary devices/etc/etc has a lot of value in writing for publication...largely because in all languages, formal written language has some conventions that are different from what comes naturally when we speak or write informally. My 'real job' (as opposed to raising my babies and homeschooling...which is my favorite job, haha!) is writing, and knowing English inside and out helps me there. Also...I think it's just a personal preference to a large extent, and that sometimes when you have teachers who are very excited about a topic, you can also get excited about it. I just learning about the way languages work, where words come from, all that nitty-gritty stuff. I remember everything clicked about the "Me gusta/n....." structure for me once I found out that it's literally "____ pleases me" rather than "I like____", the way we naturally translate it in English. Some people like learning about the differences between different types of cells, or details of geology, or economics...I think enjoying the science of languages is just as valid as any other interest, and I think it's natural to share our interests with our kids...who may or may not share the same interests. My dad designed lenses for interior lights in cars and I grew up with him always pointing out features of those lenses to us, because he was excited about it. Granted, that's all pretty much off-topic from language fluency, at this point. haha! No plans on talking about etymology, punctuation, or subjects and objects with my two year old for a long, long while to come. We spend too much time talking about "hormigas" and "abejas" and "elefantes" because insects and animals are his current biggest loves.
Yes! Language is just one of those things that it's hard to get the information to "stick" in your brain unless you are really motivated to use what you know. Learning a second (or third) language is often a lifelong journey, I think!
Thank you for sharing! I have a question: My husband and I are both fluent in Spanish, our family and friends speak Spanish, our church is in Spanish BUT our kids are reluctant to speak it. They understand because they have been immersed since they were born. How can I motivate them to practice their Spanish when they much prefer English?
Coffee-Powered Home I am having success with these free lessons. It has super easy questions and commands for children. www.spanishplayground.net/category/learning-spanish-with-pictures/ There are a lot of free lessons and you could easily make up similar lessons off the top of your head. It can ease them into speaking. When they answer a question with one word you can say it in a full sentence. Like CHILD: Gatos YOU: Si, hay gatos en la cama. When they see that the lessons are pleasant, the questions are easy, they are doing great, and you’re happy with their speaking, I think they will open up. Easy games like red light green light and “What Time is it Mr. Wolf” are good to get them talking too -even if they only say pat phrases. Baby steps. Ya know?
I think that's a problem a LOT of bilingual families face, so you're definitely not alone. Out the four areas of language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking), speaking and writing are the most difficult, and kids can be reluctant to practice. I've heard stories from so many adults saying "I wish my parents had taught me their languages" and stories from so many bilingual parents saying "My kids refuse to speak the language." I think it's really one of those classic cases of adults have a longer view and see the value of language skills, while kids just want to be able to say "Mom I want a snack!" without having to say it in a different language. Depending on the ages of your kids, you could start making it a topic of conversation in your home about how cool it is to be able to speak 2 languages, pointing out amazing things you can do when you speak 2 languages, etc. Over time just emphasizing the fact that this language is valuable in your family. With older kids you can even have conversations about why they don't want to speak Spanish, and talk through those reasons together. One common motivation is letting kids play with other kids who speak the minority language better or only, so Spanish-speaking friends, cousins, or family can be a motivator. Some families try implementing days or times of day where only the minority language is spoken, fun activities as a reward for staying in Spanish-speaking mode during that time. Really, you have to keep an eye out for what sort of thing motivates your kid. I have a toddler, and for now, what motives him to speak in Spanish to us is when he's asking for something he wants. If he would ask "Carry me" we would just say, "Di: Cargame" (I know there's an accent mark there somewhere) and now he just automatically says "Cargame" first. It's not easy! Raising bilingual kids is definitely a long-haul!
I agree to choose a language with a reason in mind!!! I’ve noticed with other subjects my oldest does just for a credit on their transcript other than a subject he has a passion with!!! We put German and English labels on things in our house!!! Grammar is needed and often different languages have different grammar!!!
Yes, having a purpose for the language you study helps a great deal!
Brilliant and innovative tips here, Rachel. You're so right. Learning a foreign language is about practicing and hearing the locals speak. Love the suggestion of watching @ 7:05 of watching foreign movies with English subtitles and TH-cam videos. Thanks, sis. - ✨ *Your Awesome Friends at The S'witty Kiwi Show* 🧡
Yes, the whole goal of learning foreign language is to be able to USE the language, it's really not meant as just an intellectual exercise.
I love that you guys teach languages! I think that is so important and becoming even more important as time goes on. Thank you for sharing how you incorporate it into your home school curriculum!!
I love teaching and learning languages, it's so fun! A little bit of magic once you can communicate in a second language.
Great advice Rachel! I am the ultimate grammar geek, I love learning and teaching it! We don't even shy away from explaining language to Ben at the moment, even though he's only two. It's so valuable. Love watching your bilingual family!
haha, that's awesome! Because Angel teaches Spanish, I think he's appreciating the grammar involved (stem-changing verbs, object pronouns or reflexive pronouns) in the simple phrases Cyrus says. I think teaching high schoolers helps him to appreciate the way little people learn languages all the more, because Cyrus just repeats what he's heard, while high schoolers argue and complain about why do they have to remember to use reflexive pronouns. haha!
As you know my space offer Spanish lessons online and what you say is so true 👍. Learning a language takes time and dedication. And lots of repetition.
Yes, time and motivation are both crucial!
It's so true about "investing in time". I spent most of my time with my kids speaking Mandarin so that they feel comfortable communicating with me in this language. But there's still more "formal schooling" to be done to help them reach fluency and also get to read and write. I would love to see a vlog of your family chatting in Mandarin and Spanish, would be so fun😀
Yes, learning to read and write is definitely a long process because of the thousands of characters to learn! But you have laid such a strong grounwork for later reading and writing because your kids can already speak and understand the language.
You were talking about me in the beginning taking classes. You have a great point on being successful on learning a language is to use it and interact. Would like to learn Japanese and Latin.
Yes, you have to find some way to use it and to really have that back-and-forth conversation experience.
This is a great Tips and very interesting more power. Keep safe and See u.
Thank you!
I like you said studied French in high school for 4 years and loved the language. But those four years of studying it did not leave me fluent in it. I actually still practice my French using an app called duolingo. I started teaching some French to The kids but like you said it's not forced and it's not a part of our daily. It's great advice thanks girl
I think it's really tough to become fluent from classes alone, and that's why a lot of people end up disappointed in the results of language classes, if you don't have other opportunities to use the language, through reading for fun or talking to others. Angel never picked up any Chinese until we lived in China, and then he quickly learned the phrases and sentences he needed to use on a daily basis!
These are great tips! I didn’t realize it before but it really is true to have to have “the need to communicate”. I always try to learn other languages and I also watched a lot of korean dramas but I can barely communicate bc I’m just watching the media. But when I was working with Spanish speaking co-workers and they really couldn’t speak much English at all, I picked up more conversational skills there to be able to do my job and work with them 👏🏼 Thank you for the video!
Yes! A lot of my family loves watching Korean dramas and they recognize phrases from watching those, but they aren't actually able to speak or communicate because, there's no need for communication back and forth when the only language exposure is watching a show. The need to communicate is highly motivating!
This is great advice! We are learning Spanish in our homeschool. My experience with foreign language left me without fluency. I'm hopeful that we can help our learner to be comfortable with a foreign language. We do the Spanish video thing, too. That helps to maintain engagement.
Yes, videos and entertainment in the target language can be very motivating! That's an area I need to explore more.
This is very useful. I'm trying to teach my daughter and son mandarin too; even if only at the level to hold a conversation.
Conversational language skills will take them a LONG way!
These were some great tips
Thanks so much for watching!
Great tips. I have neglected teaching my kids Spanish. On our last trip to Puerto Rico it was frowned upon by my family lol 😄🤦♀️
Families sure can put a lot of pressure on language learning!
We have so tried so hard to learn Spanish. My husband’s family is from PR. Everyone though. Speaks English. I tried, I even tried to get my mother in law to help teach but she just got frustrated. My husband doesn’t speak Spanish either because my MIL felt that english was more important. Thanks for pointing out my struggles... it makes it seem not so bad. We have no one who wants to communicate it with us. We have no need to communicate in that language.
I totally understand...language is one of those things that without a need to communicate and without opportunity to use it...success is just naturally going to be limited. We have no Spanish-speaking community here...but Angel's family pretty much only speaks Spanish when they are all together, his parents can speak English but Spanish is definitely the home/heart language, so I am motivated that I want my little guys to understand what's going on when we go back for a visit, and to feel included.
Great tips! I have been trying to figure out what second language to teach in my Homeschool.
Yes, like I mentioned, the best language to choose is the one that your kids will have the most real-life, natural opportunities to use it. Having a strong motivation to use the language helps a lot!
This is a very great tip that are true.
Thank you!
This is such a good video!
Thank you so much!
this is fantastic! :D Thank you, Seven in All!
Thank you for watching!
Great video. You’re so right about how to get children fluent. Spending time with native speakers is really great too. I noticed that my children get especially interested when other children are using the language. Unfortunately, we haven’t had much opportunity to be with natives lately.
I spent so much time in language classes in school and had nothing to show for it. It was very disappointing. I don’t want to replicate that in our homeschool.
We don’t need to study the grammar of our native language in order to be fluent. We use the grammar of the speech we are exposed to-If your family and friends speak well, and you read, you’ll speak and write with correct grammar. The biggest mistakes you might make would be missing commas or forgetting to capitalize a word.
I believe in the language learning theory of Stephen Krashen. I have a video of his in my playlist. If you’re into language learning theory you’d like it.
Before this whole year happened we had planned to spend most of the summer with my husband's family, I so looked forward to my little guys getting to spend time with their cousins and extended family who speaks Spanish. Oh well...when we can reunite with his family it will be all the more special of a time.
I had a fantastic Chinese professor when I was in college who really passed on his love of and passion for languages to me, and I'm very grateful to him for getting me started in language learning, because I'd never seriously tried learning any other languages before that. To this day, when writing in Chinese, I still remember some of the funny stories he'd tell about each character to help us learn how to write them. I do love grammar, so I don't think I'd ever completely do away with the study, but yes, it's not needed for oral fluency, and you can go a long, long way in language learning and speaking before ever getting into the nitty-gritty of grammatical constructions. Learning the phonics of a language and the punctuation/capitalization and grammar later on will help in being able to have good written communication skills...but again, with young kids, that's not the focus until later. Plenty of time! I remember when I first learned that different languages have different capitalization and different punctuation rules, I don't know how old I was then, but I remember being so surprised! haha...it seems so obvious now.
I'll have to look up Stephen Krashen.
Seven In All You think nitty gritty grammar study is the path to good writing in our native language? I think light grammar lessons on punctuation and capitalization are helpful, and that is about as far as that goes. Nitty gritty grammar can be a good “exercise for the mind” though.
This is a link to a Stephen Krashen video.
th-cam.com/video/NiTsduRreug/w-d-xo.html
He says everyone “picks up” a language the same way -no matter if you are young or old. You pick up language through “comprehensible input.” He provides an example of what that is, and what it is not.
He isn’t anti-grammar study. It’s okay as-far-as-it-goes. (Which is a lot less far than most people think.)
Watch it away from your little sisters because he uses a couple “colorful” examples.
@@sklanguage589 I probably do have a bias in favor of studying the nitty-gritty of languages just because it's something I enjoy, something that makes sense to me. I definitely think grammar/spelling/literary devices/etc/etc has a lot of value in writing for publication...largely because in all languages, formal written language has some conventions that are different from what comes naturally when we speak or write informally. My 'real job' (as opposed to raising my babies and homeschooling...which is my favorite job, haha!) is writing, and knowing English inside and out helps me there.
Also...I think it's just a personal preference to a large extent, and that sometimes when you have teachers who are very excited about a topic, you can also get excited about it. I just learning about the way languages work, where words come from, all that nitty-gritty stuff. I remember everything clicked about the "Me gusta/n....." structure for me once I found out that it's literally "____ pleases me" rather than "I like____", the way we naturally translate it in English.
Some people like learning about the differences between different types of cells, or details of geology, or economics...I think enjoying the science of languages is just as valid as any other interest, and I think it's natural to share our interests with our kids...who may or may not share the same interests. My dad designed lenses for interior lights in cars and I grew up with him always pointing out features of those lenses to us, because he was excited about it.
Granted, that's all pretty much off-topic from language fluency, at this point. haha! No plans on talking about etymology, punctuation, or subjects and objects with my two year old for a long, long while to come. We spend too much time talking about "hormigas" and "abejas" and "elefantes" because insects and animals are his current biggest loves.
Seven In All If you link to something you wrote, I’d read it.
Relation!!
It's so true and so sad that people take foreign languages for years and have a low level of retention!
Yes! Language is just one of those things that it's hard to get the information to "stick" in your brain unless you are really motivated to use what you know. Learning a second (or third) language is often a lifelong journey, I think!
Thank you for sharing! I have a question: My husband and I are both fluent in Spanish, our family and friends speak Spanish, our church is in Spanish BUT our kids are reluctant to speak it. They understand because they have been immersed since they were born. How can I motivate them to practice their Spanish when they much prefer English?
Coffee-Powered Home I am having success with these free lessons. It has super easy questions and commands for children.
www.spanishplayground.net/category/learning-spanish-with-pictures/
There are a lot of free lessons and you could easily make up similar lessons off the top of your head. It can ease them into speaking. When they answer a question with one word you can say it in a full sentence. Like
CHILD: Gatos
YOU: Si, hay gatos en la cama.
When they see that the lessons are pleasant, the questions are easy, they are doing great, and you’re happy with their speaking, I think they will open up.
Easy games like red light green light and “What Time is it Mr. Wolf” are good to get them talking too -even if they only say pat phrases. Baby steps. Ya know?
I think that's a problem a LOT of bilingual families face, so you're definitely not alone. Out the four areas of language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking), speaking and writing are the most difficult, and kids can be reluctant to practice.
I've heard stories from so many adults saying "I wish my parents had taught me their languages" and stories from so many bilingual parents saying "My kids refuse to speak the language." I think it's really one of those classic cases of adults have a longer view and see the value of language skills, while kids just want to be able to say "Mom I want a snack!" without having to say it in a different language.
Depending on the ages of your kids, you could start making it a topic of conversation in your home about how cool it is to be able to speak 2 languages, pointing out amazing things you can do when you speak 2 languages, etc. Over time just emphasizing the fact that this language is valuable in your family. With older kids you can even have conversations about why they don't want to speak Spanish, and talk through those reasons together.
One common motivation is letting kids play with other kids who speak the minority language better or only, so Spanish-speaking friends, cousins, or family can be a motivator.
Some families try implementing days or times of day where only the minority language is spoken, fun activities as a reward for staying in Spanish-speaking mode during that time. Really, you have to keep an eye out for what sort of thing motivates your kid. I have a toddler, and for now, what motives him to speak in Spanish to us is when he's asking for something he wants. If he would ask "Carry me" we would just say, "Di: Cargame" (I know there's an accent mark there somewhere) and now he just automatically says "Cargame" first.
It's not easy! Raising bilingual kids is definitely a long-haul!
@@SevenInAll Thank you so much! You were incredibly helpful! 💖💖💖
@@sklanguage589 Thank you for taking the time to share that! I will definitely look into it! 😊💖
@@CoffeePoweredHome I'm glad it's helpful! I'm always happy to chat bilingual life, it's a long-haul journey, for sure!