Children and Foreign Languages

One of the greatest advantages of having an Au Pair in a home is the exposure the family has to a new culture. An exchange of cultures is most often accompanied by an exchange of languages because it is very difficult, if not impossible to separate language from culture. That is also one of the main reasons why Au Pair programs are becoming so popular among many child care options.

Children are born with the ability to produce speech simply by hearing words and sentences spoken by the people that surround them. Deborah D.K. Ruuskanen, professor of English Linguistics at the University of Vaasa in Finland believes there is a window of learning language that opens at about the age of ten months.

“It is clear that they will begin to imitate the 'noises' they hear, and when there is a reaction from their caregivers, they begin to associate meanings with the sounds. Over the next two years, infants acquire language at an astonishing rate.”

She also explains that the optimal time for learning a second language appears to be at the same time as the first language. The next best time for learning a second, third, and even a fourth language, appears to be between the ages of two to seven years. A third period for learning a second language is from about ten to thirteen years of age.

For the learning experience to be successful, Au Pairs along with parents need to motivate children and give sufficient encouragement to get them excited to learn a new language. Practical ways of doing so are reading books out loud, singing to them and teaching them songs and nursery rhymes and showing videos in the foreign language. A good idea is to try being the child’s tutor if the language is taught in school.

Christina Bosemark, the founder of the Multilingual Children's Association, gives some tips that can easily be applied, “Books, music, movies, and toys in your minority language are the most obvious ways to boost your child's exposure, but there is also an amazing range of other household items such as place mats, tableware, posters, etc.”

It is always good to remember that trying to teach another language to anyone requires patience. Although children are naturally more inquisitive, everyone has different learning styles, so be ready for the ups and downs. Remember children love to be praised and that is how they are going to be interested in learning about new languages and cultures.