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8 ways to raise bilingual children successfully:

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Raise bilingual children: every parent and carer wishes the best for their child, and helping them learn a second language such as English is a priceless, lifelong gift.

Children gain so many benefits by becoming bilingual. Learning English early, for instance, helps them in so many ways throughout their education opening a myriad of possibilities. And learning any second language has been shown to increase mental performance – even before they can speak their first word!infographic bilingual kids

Raising a bilingual child is something for which you (and they) will always be glad. But it doesn’t just “happen”. That’s why Pingu’s English – the world-famous English learning course for children – is delighted to bring you this eight-point guide to getting it right:

  1. Know that learning a second language doesn’t just happen naturally

It’s tempting, and very common, for parents to believe that just because they speak another language, it will be automatically passed on to their child. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. To raising a bilingual child successfully requires effort and a great deal of patience. Without focused work to teach this language, your child can end up being “passive bilingual”, which means they can understand what you’re saying, but can’t speak back.

The first way to raise a bilingual child successfully is to spend time with them talking, reading, playing, and doing anything else that encourages them to speak in this other language.

  1. Remember it’s never too late

Don’t worry if you didn’t start teaching them a second language when they were toddlers (although younger is easier). There are still many way you can introduce them to another language and provide them with enough exposure to become fully bilingual. Rest assured that children can learn a language at any age – and so can grown-ups.

  1. Don’t worry about mistakes

Although you of course need to correct important mistakes, it’s equally important just to let many mistakes go. Try not to correct your child each time they make a mistake because otherwise you’ll be disrupting the flow of talking – and their learning. Also, they may remember the fact they got something wrong more deeply than what they were supposed to be learning!

 how raise bilingual children

  1. Don’t assume TV will do the teaching

It’s a proven fact that all children require interaction with people to learn a language. If your child already has a basic understanding of a second language, then some TV time can certainly help improve it. But speaking, reading, and playing with your child using another language is the best method. Simply putting them in front of a TV won’t work.

 

  1. Just ignore the doubters

You’ll hopefully receive lots of encouragement in your efforts, but there’ll always be some people who don’t agree that it’s a good idea to raise your child to speak another language. They may try to tell you there’s no point, or that it won’t work. Others may say you’re expecting too much from your children, or that you’re confusing your child. Just ignore them! Scientifically Proven researches say differently.

 raise bilingual kids

  1. Plan for bilingual success

How fluent do you want your child to be? Do you want them to read and write that language as well? It’s important to discuss this as a family and agree on your teaching goals. Planning ahead gives you the best chance of bringing up a bilingual child successfully.

 

  1. Give your child enough exposure to that language

Once you have your plan, you’ll need to assess how much exposure your child gets to that language. As a very general guide (all children are different) your child needs to be exposed to a second language for at least one third of their waking time to become bilingual naturally. Remember, this is only a rough guide. Depending on the type of exposure, your child, may need more or less time to learn their second language.

 

how to teach english kids

 

  1. Put in the extra time (and sometimes extra money)

Learning a second language takes time. Not just for your child, but for you. You’ll need to find the time to talk to them in this language. A lot. And to do the reading and to find resources such as Pingu’s English to help your child learn even faster. One great way to boost your child’s motivation to speak this other language is to use your holidays to make a trip to place where it’s spoken.

 

By following these 8 tips, and persevering with good humour and kindness, your child will have more chances to learn their second language successfully. And enjoy the benefits of that for the rest of their life!

 

 

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Testimonials

We at the British Chamber of Commerce worked with Linguaphone Group to find them a new in-market partner for the Korean market. Throughout the engagement we had with Linguaphone Group, we found them to be passionate about education, supremely professional in their approach to business and both responsive and personable in their interactions with ourselves and Korean partners. Korean investors were attracted to the best-in-class program which Linguaphone Group offers, the strong reputation of the company and the heritage with which it is associated. These are qualities that resonate globally.

British Chamber Korea

 Sean Blakeley, BCCK CEO

Our Experience with Pingu’s English has been profitable and positive from the first year. We relied on their professionalism and heritage, their staff is always prompt to assist with the latest trends and ideas on the market. We were looking for a brand who can guarantee us quality and a solid method but at the same time would leave us the freedom and flexibility in order to succeed in our challenging and competitive market like the Italian one. We built Pingu’s English project in Italy by mixing their huge international experience in the English training with our knowledge of the Italian market. All this enabled us to do the right decision for our winning investment. Today we have over 40 Pingu’s English centres and thousands of happy children learning English.

Daniele Arboit

Pingu's English Master Franchisee Italy

From our first training session in London 2009- from the academic side to customer service -we felt confident and well equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful Pingu’s English Master Licensees” At the moment, our services to all 23 networked schools across the country are effectively and efficiently backed by Pingu’s English.  No doubt that we see no limit to expand our business to cover 30,000+ schools in the near future!

Nipat Ungpakornkaew

Pingu's English Master Licensee Thailand

I knew about Pingu’s English School through a friend. After research about the school, I decided to enroll my daughter and it was one of the best things I could do to her. She loves studying at Pingu’s English and she cannot wait to the day of the class. I also love Pingu's English School, because there she learns by playing and I can see her progress day by day.

Léia Rodrigues

Pingu's English Student's mother / Brazil

Now she is studying at Pingu’s English School, my daughter only wants to talk to me in English and she is always singing the songs.

Cristiane Doimo

Pingu's English Student's mother /Brazil

Regarding the teaching method they use a figurative storytelling way of starting the lesson,  trying hard to involve the child and make the them curious about the situation. Tom is very happy to go to Pingu’s English because he perceives the School as a playful moment and not just as a learning moment while at the same time he is learning a new language

Veronica

Pingu's English Student's Mother /Italy

We love Pingu’s English School because the school gives my son the opportunity to learn and develop different skills, especially English skills. He is excited every time to go to school and is always happy when he comes home.

Sapavoot Preedawipart

Pingu's English Student's Mother/ Thailand

Pingu’s English School is not just a school; it is as a second home for my kid. I like it when I see my kid growing and learning in a friendly and safe atmosphere. Most of all, I can see a lot of improvement in his English listening and speaking skills

Piyatida Tudteam

Pingu's English Student's Mother/Thailand

I have being running my own school for 15 years. When I met Pingu’s English, it was love at first sight. Now I am offering the best English Course available to my students and they are loving it as well as their parents. Thank you Pingu’s English!

Giedre Paula

Pingu’s English Unit Franchisee in State of Mato Grosso do Sul

Brazil is a huge Market and the preschool english education industry is growing very fast. All our franchisees are happy with the Pingu’s English methodology as well as the operational manuals Liguaphone offers to Unit Licensees. They feel very well assisted.

Ronaldo Vieira

Pingu's English Master Franchisee in State of Sao Paulo

Abbas always tells me that Pingu's English is the most fun he has all day. I am very glad that this place makes him feel that way and noticeably develop his language skills too

Ali

Pingu's English Student's Father/Bahrain

Our students are very enthusiastic in studying at Pingu’s English. They always tell us how much fun and how much they learn here. Parents also keep saying how proud they are with the knowledge and improvements their children are making.

Willian Veloso Rocha

Pingu’s English Unit Franchisee in State of São Paulo