Raising a bilingual child is a very difficult task. Your child may be speaking more than one language because you and the father are from different countries, or even if you are both from the same country, but children are enrolled in international schools.
Egyptian children nowadays are exposed to different languages because if the parents speak Arabic at home, their nursery or school can be in any other language such as English, German, or French. This can cause confusion for the child.
To get a better understanding of this issue, we spoke to phoniatrics specialist, Dr. Donia Ayman Adly, who gave us her insight and tips on how to raise a bilingual child.
How do I make it easier on my bilingual child?
Dr. Donia first started by stating that there is no issue in raising bilingual children. “As long as there are no speech/language-related issues, it’s totally fine to raise a bilingual child if the child needs to learn more than one language,” Dr. Donia explained. However, she advises this to be done as early as possible. “The earlier you start, the better and easier it is for the child.”
“If parents are from different nationalities and speak different languages, it is ok to teach both, but the best time to introduce the second language is during the child’s first year, if the primary language is English, the child should be spoken to in Arabic as well.”
What are the pros of raising a bilingual child?
Being exposed to different languages definitely has a lot of benefits for growing children, and even in the long run when they are adults.
- Knowing multiple languages: Because they are exposed to different languages, they will be able to deal with people from different countries, have more employment offers when they grow up, and have the ability to make friends from different countries.
- Social skills and understanding: Bilinguals will have more social understandings as they have different knowledge and languages. They will have the ability to understand other people’s perspectives, views, and thoughts.
- Cognitive advantages: Being bilingual has been linked to the ability to switch between tasks easier, and having a stronger memory.
Are there any cons to raising a bilingual child?
While there aren’t any direct risks to raising a bilingual child, the following are problems that your child may face:
- There is a chance your child may not master both languages which may lead to learning difficulties
- Bilingual children may sometimes develop speech-related issues because each language they are learning needs to be addressed individually.
Via: Expat Child – Bilingual children
One person-one language approach
There is an approach where each person in the household speaks ONE language to the child only. For example, if the mom is Egyptian and the father is American, the mother ONLY speaks Arabic to the child and the father ONLY speaks English. “If you are speaking to your child in one language at home, you can teach your child the other language at his/her nursery,” the speech therapist stressed.
When will there be a problem with raising a bilingual child?
Via: First Cry Parenting – Bilingual children
According to Adly, the only issue parents could face when raising a bilingual child is if the child has a language/speech-related issue. “Sometimes I see Egyptian mothers whose children are 2.5 years old and still not talking, and they ask me to teach the child English, which concerns me because I prefer not to introduce a new language if there is already a speech delay.” When dealing with this issue there are different schools, but the old school follows the rule that if your child is delayed, it is preferable not to introduce a new language to him/her to avoid worsening the situation.
Sources:
Further reading:
- 5 Places in Cairo to Aid Children with Learning Difficulties
- Things You Can Do To Avoid Language Delay in Kids
- When to Expect Your Baby to Walk and Talk
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Further Reading:
- Things You Can Do To Avoid Language Delay in Kids
- How to Deal With Your Toddler’s Terrible Twos
- Toddler Temper Tantrums: How Do I Handle Them?
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