Hola, Nino

Since Nickelodeon’s popular Spanish-teaching series Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go there has been another fun show added to the mix—Ni Hao Kai-Lan which teaches Mandarin and, in my three-year-old daughter’s opinion, is much more enjoyable than the other two (though she would readily watch any of them if given the chance!).

Since it’s National Foreign Language Month, why not explore some ways for your child to pick up on a new language? Learning a second language may help improve listening and thinking skills, as well as provide a doorway into new cultures and broader career possibilities. Many experts say that the best time to introduce a new language is when a child is young—even a toddler—because their language and speech patterns aren’t completely fixed yet. Here are some tips in teaching a new language at home.

• If you are bilingual, use both languages. You may want to associate one language with certain activities and the other with different activities—such as one during mealtime and another during playtime. Or, you may wish to use one language when at home and another when away from home.
• Expose your child to a variety of cultures and languages. If there is a cultural festival nearby, take him to it and let him explore. Let him try new foods as well.
• Try renting a favorite film in another language, if you can. When I was in college, my roommate, who was from Japan, would often use English music and movies to help her learn the language. I bought her a copy of Shrek and she watched it over and over again—not just because it was awesome, but because she learned a lot of words from it. See if you can find your child’s favorite movie in another language; chances are, if he or she knows the movie by heart already, the new language will be picked up in a snap.
• Borrow CDs in other languages from the library. Putuyamo has a large collection of world music appropriate for children that is delightful to listen to as well as educational.
• If you have one near you and can afford it, enroll your child in a foreign language program. There are many immersion programs available, during which the teachers only speak that language. There is often lots of play, role playing, singing and music.