Table of Contents
Is your child starting school this September?
Congratulations on this amazing milestone! However, this major milestone in your child's life also marks a "dangerous" transition period if you're raising your child to be bilingual/ trilingual/ multilingual.
Find out how to avoid falling into the trap of language loss while your family celebrates this major milestone! You can also watch the video on YouTube!
Introduction
Hello and welcome!
Whether you’ve stumbled upon my blog for the first time or have been following along for a while, it’s great to have you here! I’m a mum based in the UK, raising two children with my Russian husband. We’re navigating the exciting and sometimes challenging journey of bringing up our kids to be trilingual in Russian, Chinese, and English.
Today, I want to share some insights about a phenomenon that’s surprisingly common among multilingual children – language loss or language attrition – and how to prevent it.
True Story: A Dire "Warning" From A Fellow Parent...
Let’s kick things off with a story that might be familiar to those of you who have been following me here or on YouTube.
A few years ago, my husband, kids, and I were at a local playground when I struck up a conversation with another mum. She was Russian, like my husband, and had a daughter who was in Year 1 or 2. I noticed they were speaking in English, which is perfectly fine, of course, but when she overheard us speaking Russian, her face clouded over. She shared how her daughter had been fully bilingual before starting nursery, but as she progressed through school, she gradually lost her Russian. Her warning?
"Just you wait—once your kids start school, they’ll only want to speak English!"
I have to admit, this conversation left me genuinely concerned. And back then, I’d already seen this happen to several families, so I thought there must be some truth to her words.
Fast forward four years, and I’m happy to report that her prediction hasn’t come true for us! But, it turns out she wasn’t entirely wrong either.
Research shows that kids are indeed at risk of losing their home language when they start school, particularly if the dominant language takes over their environment.
So, how have we managed to avoid this hidden danger of language loss? Here are my top 5 tips for keeping your child’s bilingual (or trilingual!) skills alive and well as they start school.
Tip 1: Don’t Believe the Myth that Speaking the Minority Language Harms School Performance
I want to start by debunking a common myth: that speaking the minority language at home can negatively affect your child’s school performance.
Here’s a quick story to illustrate why this simply isn’t true.
My husband’s half-brother was born in Australia to Russian parents. Despite starting school with Russian as his first language, a teacher advised his parents to stop speaking Russian at home, fearing it would harm his academic progress. Thankfully, they ignored this advice.
Now, almost two decades later, he’s fluent in both Russian and English and excelling at a prestigious university. If his parents had listened to the teacher, he might have lost his Russian skills altogether.
Research consistently shows that maintaining a strong foundation in the home language can actually boost a child’s academic success. Experts like Ellen Bialystok have found that bilingualism enhances cognitive abilities, which often translates into stronger performance in school.
To find out more about the academic benefits of being fluent in more than on language, check out the first blog post and video of this mini-series, where I explore these benefits in greater detail!
So, don’t be swayed by outdated myths. Embrace your child’s multilingual abilities and know that supporting their home language will benefit them academically!
Tip 2: Fight the Slippery Slope
One of the biggest challenges for multilingual families is the "slippery slope" of language preference.
Imagine this scenario: You’re a Colombian family living in the US, raising your son Pedro to speak Spanish at home. Everything’s going great—Pedro is happily bilingual—until he starts school full-time, where English dominates.
Over time, he begins using English more and more at home, slipping in English words and eventually entire sentences.
Before you know it, you’re responding in English too, just to keep the conversation going.
This is the slippery slope that can lead to language loss.
To avoid this, it’s crucial to stay consistent in using the minority language at home. Even if your child responds in the majority language, keep speaking to them in the minority language. Set clear expectations for your child to use the minority language at home. Be patient but firm in maintaining these expectations.
Create a language-rich environment with books, music, and even games in the minority language.
Encourage relatives and friends to speak the minority language with your child – social interaction will go a long way in encouraging your child to maintain proficiency in the minority language.
Consistency is key. With some effort and creativity, you can prevent language attrition and ensure your child retains their multilingual abilities.
Tip 3: Focus on Bolstering the Minority Language
Closely related to the previous tip is this: your focus should always be on bolstering the minority language. Of course, I’m absolutely not saying that the majority language is unimportant! Trust me, my husband and I are very involved in our kids’ school education and we absolutely do everything we need to support them with maths and English. Nonetheless, when it comes to languages, remember that the minority language is always the language most at risk!
Language loss only ever works one way. This is not the time to scale back the minority language, as many families tend to do around the time their children start school – it’s time to double down to stop language attrition in its track!
Â
So, what are some practical ways of bolstering minority language? Firstly, as I emphasise repeatedly in my videos, make sure you’re as consistent as possible when it comes to using the minority language—both for the parents and the child!
Â
Surround your child with the minority language as much as possible. This can be as simple as adding books, magazines, and educational materials in the minority language to your home. You can also introduce TV programs, apps or online resources designed for learning and practicing the language if you’re not opposed to using electronic devices.
Â
In short, create language immersion as much as you can, and use the language consistently!
Tip 4: Start a Reading and Writing Routine
As your child starts school, they’ll naturally begin learning to read and write in the majority language.
But you might be wondering:
Can they handle learning to read and write in multiple languages without getting confused?
The answer is yes!
Studies show that children can successfully develop literacy skills in more than one language. Not only does this boost their cognitive abilities, but it also enhances their overall academic performance.
So, as your child begins school, I highly recommend implementing a simple daily reading and writing routine in the minority language. Even just 10 minutes a day can make a significant difference over time.
If you’d like more guidance, I have a detailed method that’s worked for my own kids, and you can check it out in my blog post or video.
Tip 5: Consider a Trip to the Country Where The Minority Language is Widely Spoken
For total language immersion, nothing beats a trip to a country where the minority language is the majority.
Whether it’s visiting family, going on holiday, or spending an extended period abroad, this type of experience can drastically improve your child’s fluency and cultural understanding. Immersive experiences not only boost language skills but also allow children to connect with the culture in a meaningful way.
Though we haven’t yet made it to Russia or China ourselves, we’re determined to make it happen someday. And when we do, I’ll be sure to share our experiences with you!
I hope you found these tips helpful. If you’re interested in more resources, you're in the right place. Check out my blog posts for more informative content that will help you get started or stay on track. You may also want to check out my book, Bilingual and Trilingual Parenting 101, which has helped thousands of multilingual families around the world.
Comments