Raising bilingual children

Being 'bilingual' means you can speak 2 languages very well. Lots of families in Australia speak more than one language.

Speaking more than one language has many benefits for children. They pick up other languages easily. Bilingual children might use their languages in different ways:

• some bilingual children will speak 2 languages a lot of the time
• others will speak 2 languages in different settings
• some will speak one language more often than the other

If you come from a non-English speaking background, teaching your children your first language can:

• help their development
• improve communication in your family
• help them understand your culture

Speaking more than one language from an early age can help children to learn. Bilingual children can:

• have increased attention span, better memory and better organisation skills
• have good communication skills
• find it easier to learn further languages
• have higher self-esteem from a sense of identity and belonging
• have more career opportunities when they're older

Do bilingual children meet speech milestones at the same time as other children?

Bilingual children have the same developmental milestones as children who speak only one language. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if a bilingual child is developing language normally. If there is a problem, it will show up in both languages.

Check with your doctor if you are concerned about your child' speech and language milestones.

Your child should be exposed to both languages you want them to learn.

One idea is to have some family members speak to your child using one language. Other family members should use the other language. Discuss your plan with other family members.

It's important that you talk to your child in the language that feels most comfortable for both you and your child.

Children learn language by listening to you speak.

Babies learn words before they start to talk by listening to you. You can teach your baby conversation and language skills by:

• talking to them
• making eye contact
• pointing to objects and naming them

Children start to talk in sentences around 2 years of age. Bilingual children learn to speak just as quickly as children from families where just one language is spoken.

While they're learning, they may mix up the languages they are learning. They may become quiet for a time. This is normal as they learn more of the new language.

Start speaking to your child in more than one language as early as possible. It's best to begin as soon as they're born. This is known as simultaneous acquisition.

Some families decide it's better to start using the second language only after learning the first. This is known as sequential acquisition. However, the later their learning begins, the harder it can be for your child to learn another language.

If they are very good at speaking their first language, the easier it will be for them to learn a second. Don't stop speaking their first language while teaching your child another language.

Children will need to understand why they should speak both languages. It will help if they go to places or meet people where they need to speak the second language to communicate.

At times your child might not seem interested. If this happens, keep speaking to them in your first language.

Don't push your child if they don't want to speak the other language. Give lots of praise. Encourage their progress.

Make sure you spend time speaking in your language so you can teach your child properly.

Teaching through play

Encourage your child to learn a language through play. You can make your learning fun by:

• playing games, singing songs or reading stories in your first language
• connecting with other families who speak your language through play dates for your child
• finding activities that may boost your child's interest in your culture

Bilingualism at home — video

Multilingual Australia (Opens in new tab) has resources to support families from multiple language backgrounds.

You can learn more about communication milestones (Opens in new tab) for children at Speech Pathology Australia (Opens in new tab).

The Centrelink Multilingual Phone Service (Opens in new tab) offers information in your language about payments and services provided by Services Australia (Opens in new tab). You can call them on 131 202.

You can use the Translating and Interpreting Service (Opens in new tab) on 131 450 to contact many government departments, agencies and businesses.