As a speech-language pathologist I get asked many questions about raising bilingual children. Today I’m sharing what I believe all parents should understand about raising a bilingual or multilingual child.

5 Facts about Raising Bilingual Children:

1. Bilingualism does NOT cause speech delays or disorders. Bilingual children are NOT more likely to have difficulties with language learning or develop delays or disorders when compared to monolingual peers. Research shows both bilingual and monolingual children should be meeting their language milestones at the same time and within the normal range. Initially they may know fewer words in each of the languages they speak, however, when their total vocabulary is calculated, their vocabulary size is similar to their monolingual peers (i.e., the # of words in their first language + the # of words in the second language). Just like monolingual children the estimated rate for bilingual children having a speech & language disorder is ~5-10%. For bilingual children difficulties in language are always present in BOTH languages. So there you have it, bilingualism does not increase the risk of developing speech and language delays or disorders!

2. Speaking in more than one language does NOT confuse children. Children CAN learn two languages at the same time. Infants are sensitive to the perceptual differences of a language’s rhythm. At birth infants can distinguish rhythmically dissimilar languages from one another. And by 4 months, they can distinguish rhythmically similar languages to one another. Fascinating, right?!

3. Mixing languages in conversation does NOT confuse children. When children mix words from two languages in the same sentence it’s known as code-switching and it does NOT confuse them. In fact, this is a normal part of bilingual language development. As adults we naturally and frequently mix languages. Your child is likely doing what they hear the rest of their language models do. I know I code-mixed many words growing up and still do! Additionally, bilingual children are resourceful and may borrow words from one language if they can’t retrieve it from another.

4. Parents do NOT need to only adopt the “one person one language” approach. There is no ‘one’ perfect strategy to raise a bilingual child. You should consider your family’s goals and your language proficiency. Always speak in the way that is most natural and comfortable to you! There are many approaches including:

• (Person) One person, One language
• (Person) Both parents using both languages flexibly, without any specific rules in place
• (Time) Alternating days of the week or times of day aka morning/afternoon, and
• (Place) One language at home, one language in the community

5. Quantity & quality of language input influences rate of language development. Learning language is dynamic. As your child’s level of exposure changes throughout time (e.g., visiting home country, family & friends, changing child care, etc.) their skills in each language will also change. What matters most is providing your child high-quantity (great amount of words) & high-quality (rich, diverse language) language input, and lots opportunities to practice as this influences their rate of language development!

3 Tips You Can Use to Help Your Child Learn More than One Language:

1. Speak in the language(s) you are most comfortable and confident in. By doing this you ensure you are providing your child with high-quality (rich language) and high-quantity (amount of words) language input!

2. Expose your child to language in a variety of ways. You can do this through interactions with family & friends, language programs such as camps, bilingual schools/immersion programs, bilingual parent + baby/toddler classes, books, music and more!

3. Model & give your child plenty of opportunities to practice the language(s) they’re learning. Children learn language best through consistent and repetitive language modeling within routines and activities they enjoy the most and with people they are most connected too!

When Should You See a Speech-Language Pathologist?

As a reminder, raising your child to be bilingual does NOT confuse or cause delays. However, bilingual children can have a delay/disorder, where language difficulties will be present in BOTH languages. If at any point you have any concerns, I encourage you to trust your instincts and consult with a speech-language pathologist.

Are you raising a bilingual little one at home? What language(s) do you speak? I’d love to know!