6 Strategies for Helping Your Child Navigate Multilingual Education

As your child grows up in a globalized and interconnected world, there’s a growing need to learn languages other than their mother tongue. In a melting pot of cultures like Singapore, multilingualism isn’t just a skill—it’s a way of life. Indeed, most citizens and residents of the Lion City are bilingual or multilingual. According to a report by The Straits Times, 62.3 percent of the Chinese community speak both Chinese and English, while 82.8 percent of Malays can speak both English and Malay. Among the Indian community, 41.8 percent are fluent in both English and Tamil.  

In school, children from different ethnic backgrounds meet and interact. This requires them to learn common languages that are necessary for communication and cooperation. For students in mainstream schools, the Ministry of Education’s curriculum requires English as a subject, as well as a mother tongue language, which could either be Chinese, Malay, or Tamil. Meanwhile, IB schools in Singapore and other international schools may offer alternative curricula that require the study of at least 2 languages, which may include internationally important languages like English,  Mandarin, Spanish, French, Arabic, and more.

As a parent, you can support your child in navigating the complex and challenging endeavor of learning another language. Here are some strategies you can use to help your child achieve their learning goals.

1. Establish Language Routines at Home

When it comes to learning another language, one has to consistently use it to gain mastery of it. For instance, if you also speak the language your child is trying to learn, you can dedicate time or schedule a language learning time where you converse only in that language with your child. You can either designate a day or two of the week or block off specific times of the day as the allotted times for speaking exclusively in a second language.

On the other hand, it’s also important not to lose your child’s proficiency in their mother tongue. After all, there have been studies confirming the cognitive benefits of being bilingual for both children and adults. For example, bilinguals have been observed to perform better at accomplishing complex tasks and absorbing new information. In addition, having a bilingual brain appears to slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

With so many benefits associated with being bilingual, you have to make sure that your child allows time for both their mother tongue and second language.

2. Encourage Language Interactions

Encourage your child to engage in conversations in different languages, both at home and in social settings. During gatherings, for example, you can ask your friends and family to talk to your child in your family’s mother tongue. Then, you can arrange to have language play activities with parents and children who speak the language your child is trying to learn.

For more engaging language learning activities, you can also encourage your child to sing songs, play games, or watch cartoons in the language they are learning. Encourage your child to express themselves confidently in that language.

3. Provide Supportive Resources

Invest in books, apps, and other resources designed to support multilingual education. However, make sure that these multimedia resources are age-appropriate for your child. You can go through these resources together so that you can be there to answer questions if there are concepts that are unclear.

Online platforms like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and Babbel offer interactive language learning tools suitable for children of all ages. Keep in mind though that some apps are more appropriate for older children instead of younger ones.

4. Use Online Learning Platforms

You can opt to supplement traditional learning methods with online resources that cater to multilingual education. Websites and apps like Lingokids, Little Pim, and Mango Languages, for example, offer interactive lessons and games designed to engage young learners in language acquisition.

In addition, you can consider enrolling your child in online tutorial classes. These platforms provide additional opportunities for practice and learning reinforcement outside of the classroom setting.

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5. Promote Cultural Immersion

Also consider exposing your child to the rich tapestry of cultures represented by the languages they are learning through cultural immersion. These encounters provide an enriching experience, making learning languages more meaningful and purposeful.

Make sure to check out Singapore’s public events calendar, which should show you different affairs or experiences you can attend, including cultural events, festivals, and performances. There, your child can experience firsthand the traditions, music, and cuisines associated with various countries. Moreover, you can encourage interactions with native speakers and arrange playdates with children from different cultural backgrounds to foster cross-cultural friendships.

6. Have an Open Communication with Your Child’s Teachers

Maintain open communication with your child’s teachers to ensure that your child is receiving adequate support in their language learning journey. Share insights into your child’s language abilities, cultural background, and any specific challenges they may be facing. Additionally, you can collaborate with teachers to develop strategies for supporting your child’s multilingual development, both in the classroom and at home.

By implementing these strategies, parents can play a crucial role in supporting their child’s success in a multilingual educational environment. In a diverse city like Singapore, you can empower your child to be confident in meeting different people from all walks of life and speaking to them in a language other than their own.